PokerStars ANZPT Perth 2010 Won By Tony Hachem
March 22, 2010 8:33 amTony Hachem has won the PokerStars ANZPT Perth after beating a field of 221 players to capture the title and the AUS $132,750 first place prize.
The tournament was part of the Australia and New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT), which kicked off Season 2 in Adelaide before arriving in Perth on the 17th March. Tony Hachem’s victory in Perth was all the more impressive as he had just made the final table in Adelaide and has now cashed in all but one of the ANZPT events held since February 2009.
The victory clearly meant a great deal to the Australian poker pro who, commenting on his win said: “I am so over the moon, winning this means so much to me. I have come so close it is fantastic to finally have a title to my name.”
The event held at the Burswood Entertainment Complex managed to attract a top class field of poker pros, including Emad Tahtouh, Grant Levy, Eric Assadourian, Bryan Huang, Amanda DeCesare, Billy ‘the Croc’ Argyros, Michael Pedley and Jeffrey Lisandro.
By the time the final table had been reached, seven of the nine remaining players were local boys which helped to produce an exciting atmosphere inside the casino by the gathered contingent of local poker enthusiasts and fans.
As the table played down to the last four, Hachem picked up the pace and first eliminated Dale Marsland in fourth ($38,300) after his A-6 push ran into Hachem’s A-Q, before his pocket 3’s then sent Vesko Zmukic to the rail in third ($47,500).
Heads-up play was a short affair but produced an exciting finale ten hands later, when all the money went into the pot pre-flop with Aleks Lackovic’s Ad-Kd up against Hachem’s pocket J’s. After the flop hit 9d 3c Qc, Hachem could be heard saying “keep it low, keep it low,” and the cards obliged the Team PokerStars Australia pro with a 5h on the turn and a 3d on the river.
The crowd at least got to see their local hero Aleks Lackovic walk away with the $84,250 runner-up prize, while victory and the $132,750 top prize was reserved for Victoria man Tony Hachem, whose win now puts him top of the ANZPT Player of the Year leader board for 2010.