Friday, 29th March 2024 02:38
Home / Uncategorized / ANZPT Perth: Poolside pondering

Another glorious day greets us in Perth as Day 3 of the ANZPT Perth Main Event kicks off. 33 players have returned but for nine of them, their journey will end without any profit to show for their two days of hard work.

So how does one prepare for a long day on the poker felt when there is thousands of dollars in cash just a few short eliminations away? Well, we ventured to the picturesque Crown Metropol poolside area this morning and found a few players lapping up the sunshine.

crown_metropol_poolside.jpg

Not a poker player

One of those enjoying the sun was our overnight chip leader in James Broom.

Talking to James about poker is a unique experience. He doesn’t tell bad beat stories (he’s usually the one inflicting them) or talk about big hands. In fact yesterday we struggled to catch him in a big pot, yet he emerged from the day with the chip lead.

“I did flop a set late in the day,” James recalled, “but mostly just stealing small pots”.

As we chatted further, it was clear that James is a player who analyses poker situations at breakneck speeds, allowing him to get in and out of tricky spots with great efficiency. Spots where many of the rest of us would drown in a pool of our own over-aggression.

james_broom_anzpt_perth.jpg

Looking ahead to today and there was some friendly poolside banter exchanged between James and Ricky Kroesen who is in the unfortunate position to be seated to the chip leader’s direct right.

“I’ve told Rick that if he wants to steal, he can steal from early position, but if he tries it from late position, I’m going to pound on him. Those are MY positions!” James laughed.

It further reiterated his unique thought process. There was no talk about cards or hands, just spots and positions. It’s a style that is tough to combat, so you’d have to expect that Ricky, and the rest of the table, will be playing pretty snug until we reach the money for the top 24 players.

It should provide some interesting dynamics in the early part of the day. There are plenty of talented players still in contention as we look to burst the bubble before reaching a final table sometime early in the evening. Stay tuned as we bring you all the stories from both on and off the felt, while the team at PokerNews provide live updates and video interviews throughout the day.


Study Poker with Pokerstars Learn, practice with the PokerStars app