The Week in Poker: Zhou, Crncic, Schwartz Among Winners
In the Asia Championship of Poker Main Event, Xing Zhou held a small lead over his heads-up opponent Ying Kit Chan when they agreed to split the remaining prize money and push all in on the final hand without even looking at their hole cards. Zhou ended up drawing a straight, beating Chan's two pair, to win the trophy and title.
With the World Series Main Event now in the rearview mirror, the professional poker circuit continues in earnest around the world, with champions recently crowned in Asia, North America, and Europe.
Merson talks about WSOP ME win
Before getting to the tourney round-up, let's note how 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Greg Merson has begun making the rounds with interviews following his victory at that marathon final table a couple of weeks ago. After becoming one of the final nine players out of a field of 6,598, Merson survived a final table lasting 399 hands to win the title and $8,531,853 first prize.
Merson appeared on the Two Plus Two Pokercast this week for a lengthy one-hour interview in which he discussed several key hands from his tournament run. Merson has also joined the new Phil Ivey-backed instructional site IveyPoker for which he gave another short video regarding his victory, available on YouTube.
By the way, the WSOP has already announced dates for 2013, slated to begin May 29 and continue through July 16 when once again the Main Event will be halted with nine players remaining.
Xing Zhou wins first Asia Championship of Poker in memorable fashion
I happened to have been in Macau during the first part of November covering the Asia Pacific Poker Tour's stop in the popular gambling destination, a.k.a. the "Vegas of the East." It was an exciting trip, marked by some fascinating finishes in the events I witnessed.
First I saw the Australian Jeff Rossiter win the ACOP Warm-Up event, a $25,000 (HKD) buy-in event, outlasting a field of 358 to win a first prize of $1,777,000 (HKD) -- the equivalent of about $227,821 USD. Joseph Cheong took third in that event, with the one and only Johnny Chan finishing seventh.
Then in the $100,000 (HKD) Main Event it was Xing Zhou of China prevailing over Ying Kit Chan of Hong Kong, although in truth the pair chopped first- and second-prize money evenly following more than six hours of heads-up play.
I'd never seen anything quite like it, to be honest. Zhou had a huge 8-to-1 chip lead over Chan to start heads-up play, but Chan battled back to even the score and even take the lead. Zhou then seized the advantage again, but suddenly after their long battle they decided upon a 50-50 split of the remaining prize money.
That's when they agreed to push all in on the final hand without even looking at their hole cards! Zhou ended up drawing a straight, beating Chan's two pair, to win the trophy and title. Both players earned $3,547,500 (HKD) or about $454,807 (USD) for being the last two standing from the field of 184.
2012 Asia Championship of Poker Main Event final table payouts (*two-way deal):
1. Xing Zhou -- $3,547,500 (HKD); $454,807 (USD)*
2. Ying Kit Chan -- $3,547,500 (HKD); $457,807 (USD)*
3. Michael Kanaan -- $1,731,000 (HKD); $221,923 (USD)
4. Jacques Zaicik -- $1,384,000 (HKD); $177,436 (USD)
5. Alan Sass -- $1,125,000 (HKD); $144,231 (USD)
6. Tsugunari Toma -- $952,000 (HKD); $122,051 (USD)
7. Andrew Hinrichsen -- $779,000 (HKD); $99,872 (USD)
8. Tom Alner -- $606,000 (HKD); $77,792 (USD)
9. Henry Wang -- $432,700 (HKD); $55.474 (USD)
Another big event at the ACOP was the $250,000 (HKD) "High Rollers" event in which 39 participated and Jonathan Karamalikis won, earning $3,707,000 (HKD) or about $475,256 (USD) for the victory. Rossiter took second in that one, with Cheong finishing fourth.
Wojtek Barzantny big winner at UKIPT Bristol
A day after the ACOP concluded, the United Kingdom Ireland Poker Tour concluded its latest stop in Bristol, England, where the young German player Wojtek Barzantny bested a field of 550 players in the £700 buy-in Main Event to win the £90,400 first prize.
The win marked Barzantny's third UKIPT title and second in just one week following his victory in a preliminary event during this year's Bristol stop. The UKIPT will resurface in Edinburgh, Scotland in January for its next tournament series.
2012 UKIPT Bristol final table payouts:
1. Wojtek Barzantny -- £90,400
2. James Greenwood -- £54,500
3. Robert Bull -- £33,300
4. Anthony Forsyth-Forrest -- £24,400
5. Amanda Sidark -- £19,000
6. Craig Goddard -- £15,100
7. Niall Murray -- £11,600
8. Jonathan Prince -- £8,800
John Crncic wins first Canadian WSOP Circuit stop at River Rock
The WSOP Circuit wound its way north of the border to Vancouver, Canada for its first-ever non-U.S. stop at the River Rock Casino Resort, with local Vancouverite John Crncic taking the Main Event title and $286,382 (Canadian) for beating out a field of 1,032.
That field marked the largest ever for a live cash tournament in Canada. Like all winners of WSOP-C Main Events, Crncic also won an entry in the WSOP National Championship that will conclude this 2012-2013 season.
WSOP-C River Rock final table payouts:
1. John Crncic -- $288,382
2. Ryan Biermann -- $177,060
3. Justin Ciolfitto -- $131,580
4. Mal Hagan -- $98,917
5. Sonny Sekhon -- $75,217
6. Calvin Anderson -- $57,864
7. Tyler St. Clair -- $45,031
8. Michael Collins -- $35,449
9. Glenn Sullivan -- $28,236
Noah Schwartz notches WPT title in Jacksonville
Finally, the World Poker Tour also found another champion this week with Noah Schwartz beating out a field of 477 -- and dominating the final table -- to win his first WPT title in the WPT bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble.
Schwartz entered the six-handed final table with more than half the chips in play and was never seriously threatened on his way to the win, ultimately taking care of Byron Kaverman heads-up.
All of the chips went in on the turn on the final hand, with the board showing 10h-9s-3h-4s, Kaverman holding 10c-9c and Schwartz Qs-10s. The river brought the Qc, improving Schwartz to two pair and giving him the title.
WPT bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble final table payouts:
1. Noah Schwartz -- $402,970
2. Byron Kaverman -- $236,592
3. Ryan Hartmann -- $153,403
4. Hans Winzeler -- $106,848
5. Brian Senie -- $77.083
6. Lee Markholt -- $61,819