It’s been an amazing week in Queenstown. The town has given us everything it has to offer and beyond. We couldn’t ask for anything more, yet today’s APPT Queenstown Main Event final table has delivered one of the most memorable final tables of all time. It was an enthralling affair from the get-go with many twist and turns, suckouts and bad beats. It also had some damn fine play. But the final twist would be one that none of us saw coming. Jonathan Bredin had a secret up his sleeve.
The heads-up battle between Bredin and the accomplished Daniel Laidlaw was nothing short of epic. It was a two-hour slugfest, but it felt much quicker as these two went at it. It was a duel full of aggression, psychology and courage. Laidlaw hammered away, but Bredin gave back everything that was thrown at him. Bredin was on the ropes, but fought back with a big double up holding Q♣ 8♥ against Laidlaw’s A♦ 4♣ . The chips were in preflop but an eight on board kept the dream alive for the youngster from Melbourne.
Bredin then went into “all in” mode. It’s one of the phrases that Bredin is happy to verbalize and he enjoyed saying it over and over as he clawed back into contention. There’s a saying that describes that strategy as ‘working every time but once’, and that one time appeared to arrive when Bredin shoved K♥ 2♣ and Laidlaw made the call with a powerhouse Aâ™ Kâ™ . However the rail roared with delight when a deuce landed on the turn, and suddenly Bredin was back in the chip lead.
If the comeback of Bredin had been remarkable, then that was nothing compared to the final hand. It was something that brought tingles down your spine. Bredin raised and Laidlaw moved all in. Bredin couldn’t contain his excitement, gesturing to his shoulder, before screaming “Yeah! Yeah!” to signal a call.
Laidlaw turned over A♦ Q♦ — another big heads-up hand — but Bredin’s helper, Chris, revealed Kâ™ K♣ . We thought we understood Bredin’s excitement, but we only knew half the story. The final board would be spread 3♣ K♦ Jâ™ Qâ™ 8♣ to give Jonathan Bredin an incredible victory!
Amid the commotion, the true degree of Jono’s excitement was revealed as Chris rolled up Jono’s sleeve to reveal a large tattoo of two black kings — the very same hand he had just been dealt to win the APPT Queenstown title!
It was like a movie script — it was just meant to be.
There was nothing more that Daniel Laidlaw could’ve done. He played great, but things didn’t go his way as he pocketed NZ$59,550 for his runner-up finish.
Meanwhile an ecstatic Jonathan Bredin now had to figure out how to spend NZ$93,600 in prize money.
“He wants to buy a car that is specially designed for easy accessibility, so he can get in and out,” described Chris on behalf of Jono in a post-tournament interview with Sarah Grant. He’s also thinking about a trip to Vegas but in the meantime, Jono is very keen to spend more time on the local tournament circuit. He again couldn’t contain his excitement at the thought of playing the APPT Melbourne Main Event in his home town next month.
And why pocket kings as a tattoo?
“Because pocket aces are boring!” laughed Bredin.
Here are the links to the eliminations from throughout the day if you’d like to learn more about how Jono captured the trophy.
Chon chomped
Neilson and Carpenter on the rail
Bad timing for Kroesen
Narbey no more
The ride ends for Raj
So Long, Mr Lee
Final Table Results
1st Jonathan Bredin (Australia) – NZ$93,600
2nd Daniel Laidlaw (Australia) – NZ$59,550
3rd Chiu Yeung Lee (New Zealand) – NZ$34,900
4th Raj Ramakrishnan (Australia) – NZ$28,900
5th Jon Pierre Narbey (New Zealand) – NZ$23,800
6th Ricky Kroesen (Australia) – NZ$19,550
7th Colin Carpenter (Australia) – NZ$16,150
8th Daniel Neilson (Australia) – NZ$12,750
9th Michael Chon (Australia) – NZ$10,200
We also have to make mention of the new world record set here in Queenstown. We had a hand where the clock was called four times on the very same hand, and three times on the very same street. Yep, it was as silly as it sounds so it deserved a post of its own here. Definitely worth a read.
So that’s it from Queenstown for another year. Thanks for following along at home. It was a great journey with a result that we’ll never forget. A huge congratulations to Jono — his victory is an inspiration to anyone else out there who may be in a similar situation and considering giving live poker a crack. Jono is proof that anything is possible if you dream big enough.
Thanks to Andrew Gray and his SKYCITY Queenstown staff. They are a great bunch and run a very professional tournament, all with a smile on their face.
Finally, thanks once again to Kenneth Lim for his superb photos from the tournament and at the various activities around town. Check out his website for more of his work.
We’re off to celebrate another great tournament. Join us again from September 5-9 at the Crown Casino for our live coverage of the APPT Melbourne Main Event. Until then, good night from Queenstown!
