APPT Karamalikis Takes the Pot

The APPT Grand Final in Sydney, which took place at the Star City Hotel & Casino, saw plenty of action at the weekend. When the dust settled and the cards were checked it was Jonathan Karamalikis who was left holding the trophy - and a fist full of $AUD 459,510 in prize money. 

Karamalikis faced a daunting task at the start of the final table, as there were still some big guns in with a shout. Daniel Negreanu, Roland de Wolfe and Eddy Sabat all had their eyes firmly on the prize. However, Negreanu was first to hit the rails, followed by de Wolfe. Sabat walked away with a sixth place finish. 

When the deciding face-off took place it was between Karamalikis and online satellite qualifier Benjamin McLean. At the start of the head-to-head McLean held a slight chip advantage, but over the next couple of hours there was plenty of movement between the two. 

Karamalikis finally took control when his Ks, Ts turned into a straight and gave him the pot advantage. It wasn’t long after this that he made his final move with a pair of fives, while McLean held an ace, 6 suited. The board ran out with three 2s, giving Karamalikis a flush, signalling the end of the game and plenty of chanting from his fans. 

The final figures were as follows: Negreanu (36,415), de Wolfe (50,285), Manuel Hansimikali (65.025), Eddy Sabat (79,795), Antoine Amourette (97,970), Peco Stojanovski (121,380), Tom Rafferty (164,730), McLean (295,780) and Karamalikis (495,510)