FinnValentin Takes First PokerStars APCOOP Title

Last night saw the inaugural PokerStars.net APCOOP get underway!

A new concept for PokerStars.net, the Asia Pacific Championships of Online Poker gives players the opportunity to compete online against the best and most respected players in their region over a schedule that features a variety of poker variants in the eleven-event, seven-day series.

Kicking off at 8pm last night, the first day of the APCOOP saw two events on offer with the Event 1: $11 Six Handed with rebuys and the Event 2: $22 Omaha Hi-Lo gracing the felt – both of which featured US$10,000 and US$1,000 guaranteed prizepools.

With Monday mornings being the ideal grinding day for many of Australia’s most talented poker players, it was no surprise to see each of the fields a little depleted of the stars that many expected were going to throw their weight around in the APCOOP. Karamalikis, Obst, Leonard, Dodds and Grigg were just a handful of those opting for sleep in preparation for a big Monday.

APCOOP Event 1: $11 Six Handed with rebuys

Buy-in: $11
Entrants: 755
Prizepool: $22,410

1^st – FinnValentin ($3,978.26)
2^nd – Brendo_K ($2,946.91)
3^rd – Gozen24 ($2,241)
4^th – XkdX ($1,568.70)
5^th – James ‘DoodleZz’ Zhang ($1,120.50)
6^th – royal_roo ($672.30)

Notable Finishes: Brett ‘g_train24’ Donnelley (23^rd - $154.62), Joshua ‘Procession’ Bell (30^th - $125.49), Matthew ‘ROOJAR_M’ Pilat (35^th - $107.56), Jesse ‘On The Mac’ McKenzie (40^th - $91.88), Sal ‘ugritaly’ Fazzino (66^th - $67.23)

It was an extremely positive start to the inaugural APCOOP as 755 players fronted up for Event #1 resulting in 1,040 rebuys and 446 add-ons to form a $22,410 prizepool – more than twice the guarantee.

Early chip leader Raymond Wu joined fellow PokerStars Team Asia Pro Bryan Huang on the sidelines while players such as Jarrad ‘thamask’ Dale and Chris ‘PokerDomeAA’ Levick were forced to bed early alongside Nick ‘nickkaka’ Kakalis, Martin ‘runNrasin’ Harvey and Heath ‘TheBigHef’ Chick.

As kaffir61 notched up the unwanted moniker of bubble boy, he would ensure 96 players a piece of the prizepool before a final table of six was formed deep into Monday as the daylight was well and truly upon us.

FinnValentin held the chip lead for the majority of the final table that was dominated by New South Wales – four from Sydney and one from Dubbo – and when he limp-called Brendo_K’s shove with , the final board of would ensure victory after besting Brendo_K’s to see FinnValentin victorious over the 755-player and fourteen-hour APCOOP Event 1 for $3,978.26.

APCOOP Event 2: $22 Omaha Hi / Lo
Buy-in: $22
Entrants: 269
Prizepool: $5,380

1^st – S.rainy ($1,100.21)
2^nd – nicknack1216 ($807)
3^rd – razza12 ($607.04)
4^th – ViceMC ($457.30)
5^th – planet_Cap ($312.04)
6^th – Harrow99 ($242.10)
7^th – zuruyasumi ($188.30)
8^th – Coso23 ($134.50)
9^th – ManSid ($102.22)

With a substantially smaller field fronting up for Event 2, only thirty-six players would be guaranteed a piece of the prizepool as PokerStars Team Asia Pros Bryan Huang and Raymond Wu, alongside Nick ‘nickkaka’ Kakalis, Martin ‘runNrasin’ Harvey, Heath ‘TheBigHef’ Chick, Sal ‘ugritaly’ Fazzino and Jesse ‘On The Mac’ McKenzie all fell to the rail.

1squash1 became the unfortunate bubble boy before S.rainy would prove triumphant after nearly ten hours to capture the APCOOP Event 2 title and $1,100.21 first prize.

There are nine more events on the schedule with tonight’s Event 3: $22 Double Chance Turbo $7,500 GTD expecting to attract some good numbers. Also don’t forget about our exclusive PokerNetwork APCOOP Freeroll on Tuesday night at 8:00pm AEDST for your chance to win one of ten APCOOP tickets!

If you want to be part of the APCOOP then download PokerStars here and use PokerStars Bonus Code “STARS600” to enjoy a first deposit bonus of 100% up to $600.