The stage has been set for the ANZPT Sydney Main Event to reach an exciting conclusion. 445 players have toiled on the felt of The Star for three days and now the final nine remain.
Sekuloski. Chand. Rafferty. Psaros. Hsu. Seal. Roach. Liew. Ma.
One if these guys will be crowned the 2015 ANZPT Sydney champion.
It’s an interesting mix of players but few have had the opportunity to compete for such a massive prize as the $225,000 first place prize.
One man has been on this stage several times before and that’s local Tom Rafferty.
An underrated player who we don’t see on the circuit regularly, Rafferty clearly saves his best for his home town in Sydney. He’s finished on the final table of the APPT Sydney Main Event twice and also finished runner-up in the Star Summer Series championship.
Rafferty comes into the final table with just ten big blinds but if he can double up early, he’ll become a real threat for the title.
Another interesting character on the table is veteran Emanuel Seal. The man known as Curly is a popular identity on the circuit. Danny McDonagh will have to come up with a new nickname for “Entrant Curly” as Seal’s recent form in Australia and Macau warrants an upgrade from merely an entrant!
However the man they are chasing is Jim Psaros.
Psaros went on a heater late last night to eliminate several players including David O’Brien on the final table bubble. O’Brien shoved with ace-jack but ran into Psaros’ pocket kings to bring the day to an end.
Psaros will start the final table with 2,640,000 in chips which is more than one million chips more than his nearest rival. Murray Roach and Denis Sekuloski are both well placed, but everyone else will be under some pressure as the final table blinds will start at 20,000/40,000 with a 5,000-chip ante.
ANZPT Sydney Final Table Line Up
Seat 1: Shaneel Chand – 595,000
Seat 2: Tom Rafferty – 400,000
Seat 3: Emanuel Seal – 810,000
Seat 4: Murray Roach – 1,495,000
Seat 5: Jim Psaros – 2,640,000
Seat 6: Zhi Hong Ma – 625,000
Seat 7: Li-ta “Leon” Hsu – 605,000
Seat 8: Denis Sekuloski – 1,580,000
Seat 9: Chung Liew – 155,000
The players are taking their seats and getting into position for a big day ahead. With several short stacks at the table, we’re expecting some fireworks in the early stages. Stay tuned!
