APPT Snowfest 2011 Won By Marcel Schreiner

Marcel Schreiner has triumphed at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Snowfest, after overcoming a field of 127 players over four days to lift the title, and collect the NZD $94,300 ($64,740) first place prize.
The $3,000 buy-in tournament in Queenstown, New Zealand, saw 71 players survive the three starting days to make it through to Day 2. On Day 3, 21 hopefuls returned to battle it out for a place at the final table with the remaining nine competitors then taking their seats at the final table on Day 4.
As the tournament progressed, German player Marcel Schreiner showed himself to be in commanding form, and amazingly finished atop the chip counts at the end of every day of play.
Consequently, Marcel Schreiner began the final table as the chip leader on a 591k stack, but he was also the lone European left in the competition with 4 Aussies and 4 New Zealenders still in contention. Counted amongst them were Jonathan Karamalikis, Hugh Cohen and Tom Grigg.
It then took 12 hours of play at the final table before Marcel Schreiner eventually got heads-up against local Queenstown man and second big stack at the beginning of the day, Matty Yates, 34.
However, the German showed just the right combination of aggression, patience and luck to break-down his opponent and three hours later it was all over when Yates shoved his Ah-9s into Schreiner’s Ah-Qs. With the flop then falling A-Q-A, just like that it was all over with  Matt Yates collecting NZD $60,000 (US$$41,192) for his deep-run in the tournament.
Commenting later on his runner-up finish, Yates said:
“We both wanted that title very badly. I was playing good poker and feeling confident all the way through. I felt I could have won it… The short-stacked player is more aggressive and you end up putting your tournament life on the line trying to get the other player to fold, unfortunately I ran into a better hand.”
On the other hand, Marcel Schreiner was declared the 2011 APPT Snowfest Champion and collected the $94,300 ($64,740) top prize, a record for a NZPT Queenstown event.