In the longest final table in Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) history, Australian poker player Van Marcus defeated Korean Noh Tae Jun to take home his first APPT title. Marcus has lodged three cashes over the course of his APPT career; all three have been final table appearances. His win in Manila was worth $162,857. The tournament was the fourth stop during the APPT’s second season.
There were 285 entrants from 31 different countries around the world who descended upon the Hyatt Hotel and Casino in Manila, the site of the APPT tournament. Marcus has an impressive resume of APPT finishes and it was no surprise to many that he dominated the event. Last year, he made the final table and finished fourth in this tournament for $44,940. Brett Parise was the champion last year and won $179,775 for his efforts. In the APPT Macau High Roller Event, Marcus took ninth for $25,641. Nam Le took first in that event for nearly half a million dollars. Marcus also logged a pair of cashes in preliminary events during the 2007 Aussie Millions for over $80,000.
Marcus told APPT officials following the event, “I guess [third time’s a charm] on this tour. I have now made three final tables on the APPT – it feels great to finally hold a title. And, even better, I get a ticket to the Sydney Grand Final. Hopefully I can replicate this week’s performance in front of a home crowd.” The APPT Sydney Main Event event kicks off on December 2nd from the Australian city. The buy-in is approximately $6,300 and the tournament is capped at 900 entrants. PokerStars is expecting about 600 players to take to the tables in the Grand Final.
Jeffrey Haas, President of the APPT, commented in a press release distributed by tournament sponsor PokerStars, “We are thrilled to see an Australian champion on the APPT as we head into the Sydney Grand Final. It is great to see all final table players coming from countries across the Asia Pacific – to me this represents the significant impact PokerStars.net and the APPT have had on the development of poker across the region in the last year.” Three Koreans, three Filipinos, and a player each from New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Australia made the final table in Manila, reflecting the global popularity of APPT events.
Here were the final nine players in Manila along with their payouts:
1st Place: Van Marcus (Australia), $162,856
2nd Place: Noh Tae Jun (Korea), $103,142
3rd Place: Hyoung Jin Nam (Korea), $54,285
4th Place: Michael Chang (Korea), $37,999.96
5th Place: Ramil Tandoc (Philippines), $29,314
6th Place: Lee Nelson (New Zealand), $21,714
7th Place: Manish Sansi (Hong Kong), $16,285
8th Place: Benjie Lim (Philippines), $12,485
9th Place: Ranier Aquino (Philippines), $9,228
In the final hand in Manila, Marcus hit a straight on the turn to send Noh Tae Jun packing. Lee Nelson, who finished in sixth place, took down the 2006 Aussie Millions for $1.3 million. On the APPT circuit, he finished 18th in the first installment of the Sydney tournament for $15,654 and finished 42nd in Macau earlier this season for an additional $5,673. He’s a member of Team PokerStars Pro.
Satellites are currently running on PokerStars for the APPT Sydney event. Prize packages are worth $8,500 and include buy-in to the Main Event, accommodations, and a little spending money. For online tournament information, click “Events” in the PokerStars lobby and then “APPT.” Each player in the APPT Sydney event will start with 20,000 chips. Blind levels are one hour in length. In last year’s tournament Down Under, Grant Levy pocketed $1 million Australian Dollars for the win, defeating Jeremiah Vinsant heads-up. Rounding out the top five finishers last year were Lei He, Sol Bergren, and Jai Kemp.
