PNW Players of the Month - August

What an incredible month for Australians in the world of poker. We saw some sensational achievements both live and online. It seemed that every second week we saw an Australian capture a major online tournament score and then the Victorian Poker Championships came around to deliver some brilliant live performances.

With that in mind, it was a very difficult decision to award our Players of the Month awards for the month of August, and we congratulate our very worthy winners.

Player of The Month – Tino Lechich

The final three events of the 2008 Victorian Poker Championships were ones that Tino Lechich will remember for a long time. While Tino may have mixed feelings about missing out on a trophy, he should be extremely proud about his three consecutive runner-up finishes. To finish 2^nd in three consecutive tournaments is a remarkable achievement in itself, especially in the world class fields that took part in the $5,200 Pot Limit Omaha, the $10,200 High Stakes Holdem and the 357 entrants in the $2,700 Main Event where Tino took home a handsome $135,000.

Tino’s results during April saw him jump to 4^th in the 2008 PNW Australasian Rankings and as such is a worthy winner of our Player of the Month for August.

Young Gun of The Month – Jay “Seabeast” Kinkade

The online phenom launched himself into Australia poker history with his victory in the 2008 Victorian Poker Championships Main Event. Entering the 357 strong field with a huge reputation as Australia’s #1 online ranked player, Jay soon proved why as he dominated the final table to collect the coveted trophy and $200,000 first place prize.

Jay followed that up with a 3^rd place in the PokerStars $150k Guaranteed Event where he picked up another US$19,000.

An incredible month for Jay as we now look to him to make an impact on the world stage during the upcoming poker tours throughout Asia. A young gun and superstar of the future, watch out for the Seabeast!