Sydney Local Wins PokerStars Asian Pacific Poker Tour Grand Final

After a week at the tables in the Star City Casino in Sydney, Martin Rowe, a local insurance executive, was crowned the 2008 PokerStars.net Asian Pacific Poker Tour Grand Final Champion.

Some 477 players shelled out the AUD $6,000 buy-in, meaning a prize pool of AUD $2,862,000 was to be divided among the top 48 finishers. Rowe, 34, grabbed the lion's share of that pool after outlasting Australian pro Jason Gray in heads-up play, AUD $1 million for first-place.

Rowe entered the day with 995,000 in chips, good for 3rd-place in the counts, but would soon go on a steamroll. After the dust settled, Rowe had knocked out all but one final tabler and would take an almost 6-1 chip lead into heads-up play with Gray. Gray would quickly double, and even get within reach of evening up the match, before getting it all in way behind.

Rowe would limp in with AQ, triggering Gray to shove with just 95. Rowe would make the call. By the turn, each player had found two pair on the AQ59 board, but after the river bricked, Rowe's top two had netted him the Season II APPT Grand Final title and AUD $1 million. Gray took home AUD $476,000 as runner-up.

PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final results:

Rowe's run wouldn't stop there. Up next on the Grand Final schedule was the APPT Tournament of Champions. Rowe would find himself at a table full of Team PokerStars Pros and past ATTP champs, playing for their favorite charities.

Here's the Tourament of Champions line-up:

After another day at the table, Rowe would find himself heads-up yet again, this time against Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso with $50,000 up for grabs for the charities of their choice. Rowe would come up short, but still netted $5,000 for Save the Children. Rousso earned $45,000 for the No Limit No Profit Initiative, a charity established by herself and fiance Chad Brown.

More Poker News Articles

Fabrice Soulier Joins Everest Poker's Pro Roster
12am Thu Nov 26th, 2009

To further strengthen its support for French poker in anticipation of the opening of that market, Everest Poker has signed renowned French poker pro Fabrice Soulier as its latest ambassador.

HHPT Co-Sponsors Bayou Poker Challenge Ladies Event Dec. 20
12am Wed Nov 25th, 2009

The HighHeelsPokerTour (HHPT), the first all women's poker tour launched on the East coast, will wrap up their 2009 schedule at Harrah's New Orleans on December 20th where they will co-sponsor the Ladies Event #14 no-limit Hold'em at 12 pm.

OPPAGA Reports on Florida's Online Poker Options
12am Tue Nov 24th, 2009

Given that UIGEA permits individual states to regulate online poker, the Florida Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) published a report this week presenting three options available to Florida State lawmakers in order to protect consumers from unlawful internet poker: regulate it, prohibit it, or carry on with the status quo pending federal legislation.

BC Poker Champion Arrested, Charged with Manslaughter
12am Tue Nov 24th, 2009

Just two days after taking down the BC Poker Championships Main Event, Sophon Sek of Cloverdale, BC, was arrested in connection with one of the most storied crimes in the Province's history.

Local Businessman Bags European Poker Tour Vilamoura Bling
12am Sun Nov 22nd, 2009

The European Poker Tour rolled into the Casino Vilamoura last week, instantly generating the richest poker prize pool in the nation of Portugal's history.

Keikoan Captures Harvey's Lake Tahoe WSOPC Championship
12am Thu Nov 19th, 2009

This week marked the finale of the biggest annual tournament series in Northern Nevada, the WSOP Circuit championship at Harvey's Lake Tahoe. While the Main Event saw only a modest turnout, it did boast of a tough final table, and a WSOP bracelet owner as the eventual champion.

WSOP Main Event Champ Joe Cada to Appear on Letterman
12am Wed Nov 18th, 2009

The poker world will receive some late night attention tonight as "The Kid" Joe Cada, the youngest champion in the four decade history of the World Series of Poker Main Event, takes a seat next to embattled talk show host David Letterman.

First Korean Champ of Asia Pacific Poker Tour Crowned in Cebu
12am Tue Nov 17th, 2009

Another stop on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour is in the books, this time it's the APPT Cebu in the Philippines, and for the very first time a Korean player has come out on top.

Pollack Done as Commish of World Series of Poker
12am Sat Nov 14th, 2009

Just three days after crowning Joe Cada as the 2009 Main Event champion, officially closing the special 40th anniversary run of the World Series of Poker, Jeffrey Pollack has resigned his post as Commissioner of the WSOP.

Durrrr Signs as Team Full Tilt's Youngest Member
12am Wed Nov 11th, 2009

Tom "durrrr" Dwan is the newest member of Team Full Tilt, the online site's highest level of affiliation. At 23, Dwan is the youngest of the now 14-person team. The high stakes cash phenomenon was nominated for induction this year into the Poker Hall of Fame until the Hall of Fame Governing Council decided he was too young to meet the "has stood the test of time" qualification.