Aussie briefs: APT Brisbane Season V highlights; Treasury Brisbane Poker Festival, Stacked Poker Championship, & Australian Poker League up next

The new year is off to a great start for players in Australia with interstate borders loosening and upcoming festivals announced in several cities. In Brisbane, action is nonstop with one event just wrapped up and another quickly setting up. We’ve got those stories for you. 

Australian Poker Tour Brisbane Season V highlights

Unlike last year’s challenges, the Australian Poker Tour’s first event of  2022 came through without a hitch with APT Brisbane Season V running smoothly at Eatons Hill Hotel from January 17 to 23. During the seven days, it pulled in 4,819 entries across 28 tournaments for a grand prize pool of A$ 1,492,854 (~US$ 1,067,972). Here are the highlights.

Main Event: JOSEPH VINECOMBE – A$ 60,000 (~US$ 42,923)

The A$ 600 buy in Main Event drew the largest field of 528 entries for a prize pool of A$ 270,830 (~US$ 193,750). Joseph Vinecombe entered the final table as chip leader then proceeded to ship it for a personal high score of A$ 60,000 (~US$ 42,923). He eliminated Jack Draper at heads up with the final hand improving to a straight on the river to defeat . This was only his ninth known career cash and second major title having won the Poker Zone Cup Main Event back in 2012 for A$ 40,880. Vinecombe also took 3rd in the Player of the Series – Diamond Tier. 

1st Joseph Vinecombe – A$ 60,000
2nd Jack Draper – A$ 40,000
3rd Chin Wang – A$ 27,000
4th Corey Van Jaarsveldt – A$ 18,885
5th Konstantinos Boukas – A$ 13,200
6th Hongbin Guo – A$ 10,000
7th George Kanan – A$ 7,500
8th Mishel Anunu – A$ 5,500
9th Johannes Dijkstra – A$ 4,000

The Goliath: COREY KEMPSON – A$ 68,400 (~US$ 48,930)

The largest buy in event was The Goliath costing players A$ 2,500 big ones each to enter. 118 took on the challenge to build a prize pool of A$ 259,250 (~US$ 185,465). Out of the 18 players that dipped in the pot, the biggest portion went to Australian pro Corey Kempson for his victory. Kempson came from behind, entering the final table as the second shortest. He pocketed a cool A$ 68,400 (~US$ 48,930) which was the largest first place prize money of the series. 

Based on his Hendon Mob stats this was Kempson’s second recorded live career victory. In 2019 he won the WPT Australia Gold Coast 5K Single Day for A$ 119,135. Other achievements include a runner up finish at the 2014 Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) Main Event for a career high A$ 195,500. 

Final table payouts

1st Corey Kempson – A$ 68,400
2nd Matthew Ginn – A$ 42,000
3rd Chris Constanzo – A$ 30,000
4th Anthony Cierco – A$ 22,000
5th Damon Musgrave – A$ 16,000
6th Darren Moves – A$12,350
7th Yita Choong – A$ 10,000
8th Michael Maddocks – A$ 7,800
9th Mitchell Bognar – A$ 6,500

The Grind: ADAM KHARMAN – A$ 52,000 (~US$ 37,200)

Another big winner was Adam Kharman who outlasted a field of 212 entries at The Grind event to earn the biggest cut of the A$ 215,400 prize pool. Kharman pocketed a career high A$ 52,000 (~US$ 37,200). He also cashed at one other event to secure him 5th place in the Player of the Series Diamond Tier for an additional A$ 1,800. Kharman is off to a fantastic start this year. This was his third win this month having won two events at the APLPT Gold Coast series.  

Player of the Series: CHRISTOPHER SKINNER and JONATHAN LEVY

In addition to winning events was the Player of the Series race where two titles were up for grabs. Christopher Skinner topped the Diamond Tier to earn the lion’s share of the A$ 24,200 prize pool. He cashed in six events, four of which were final table runs including a victory at the No Limit Hold’em – The Players Champs for a sizable A$ 28,500 (~US$ 20,541). For Skinner’s achievement, he was awarded the A$ 10,000 top prize. 

1st Christopher Skinner – A$ 10,000
2nd Jigs Reyes – A$ 6,000
3rd Joseph Vinecombe – A$ 4,000
4th Asti Savage – A$ 2,400
5th Adam Kharman – A$ 1,800

In the Sapphire Tier it was Jonathan Levy earning the honors and the A$ 1,500 first prize. Levy displayed one of the most impressive runs of the series with three cashes, two of which were victories, and nearly a third win but placed 2nd at the No Limit Hold’em 8-Max Freezeout. Levy championed the APT Mix Max for A$ 2,800 (~US$ 2,2020) and the WSOP Package event to score the A$ 6,000 Las Vegas package. He was the only player to win two events in the series. 

1st Jonathan levy – A$ 1,500
2nd Hayden McCarthy – A$ 900
3rd Geoff Milner – A$ 600
4th Michael George – A$ 350
5th Kim Beard – A$ 250

Other big event winners: 

Phillip Siddell – The Beast – A$ 31,750 (~US$ 22,714)
Jake Parsons – The Big PLO High Roller – A$ 16,800 (~US$ 12,018)
Jennifer Cassell – 6-Max Championship – A$ 15,000 (~US$ 10,789)

Upcoming Events: Treasury Poker Festival, Stacked Poker Championship, Australian Poker League

Hungry for more live action? Two events are coming up in just a couple of days. The 2022 Treasury Brisbane Poker Festival picks up right where the APT left off with games held in Brisbane at the Conrad Treasury Casino from January 28 to February 7. Nine events are scheduled with buy ins from A$ 220 to A$ 1,500. The series is headlined by the A$ 1,100 buy in Main Event. 

Event #1: Opening Event – A$ 550 buy in
Event #2: No Limit Hold’em Deepstack – A$ 330 buy in
Event #3: No Limit Hold’em Freezeout – A$ 250 buy in
Event #4: Pot Limit Omaha – A$ 220 buy in
Event #5: No Limit Hold’em – Teams – A$ 220 buy in
Event #6: Big Bounty – A$ 440 buy in
Event #7: MAIN EVENT – A$ 1,100 buy in
Event #8: No Limit Hold’em – A$ 1,500 buy in
Event #9: No Limit Hold’em Mega Stack Turbo – A$ 330 buy in 

Scheduled to run simultaneously in the city of Adelaide is the Stacked Poker Championship from January 28 to February 7. Originally intended for November of last year, it was postponed due to the surge in covid cases. This is only the second series ever staged by Stacked Social, one of the most ambitious young poker organizers in the country. Across the eleven days are five tournaments to conquer, headlined by the A$ 2,400 buy in Main Event. As added incentive, the champion is guaranteed to walk away with a whopping A$ 100,000. 

Event #1: Accumulator – A$ 350 buy in
Event #2: No Limit Hold’em Monster Stack – A$ 550 buy in
Event #3: 5-Card Pot Limit Omaha – A$ 350 buy in
Event #4: No Limit Hold’em Termination – A$ 550 buy in
Event #5: MAIN EVENT – A$ 2,400 buy in

In the first week of February, the Australian Poker League joins the action. Having completed its first leg of the year in early January on the Gold Coast, the tour is now headed to Melbourne for its second leg at Club Italia from February 3 to 6. A total of 21 events fill the roster with buy ins ranging from A$ 60 to A$ 1,250. The Main Event comes at a very affordable A$ 180. Key events are:

Opening Event – A$ 120 buy in
Deep Freeze – A$ 600 buy in
No Limit Hold’em Centurion – A$ 2,500 buy in
MAIN EVENT – A$ 180 buy in
No Limit Hold’em 6-Max – A$ 350 buy in
No Limit Hold’em Jackstar Super High Roller – A$ 1,250 buy in
No Limit Hold’em Mini High Roller – A$ 450 buy in
No Limit Hold’em Monster Stack – A$ 300 buy in
Pot Limit Omaha 8-Max – A$ 350 buy in

Following this event, the tour returns to Townsville, Queensland for its third leg. Games will be held at The Ville Resort Casino from February 7 to 13. A total of 20 events are scheduled with buy ins ranging from A$ 60 to A$ 2,000. Headlining the series is the No Limit Hold’em NQ Poker Classic with buy-in at A$ 450.