The Sun Poker Championship

Arrived at the Palm Beach Casino at 7pm Saturday for the Sun Poker Championship final. Nine players, including my brother Gattopardo, were going to fight for $30k in prizes.

Sun Final: Players

One player, rippy, arrived fashionably late for the tournament so missed the group photo in front of the main first place prize: a mini!

The play was very tight for the first few levels. Gattopardo winning a couple of early pots though.

It was a surprise when the guy that arrived late was the first person out. He was left short stacked when his AJ was no match for pokerfenner's AK. Couple of hands later his late position raise was called by pokerfenner in one of the blinds. Pokerfenner checked the flop and rippy went all in on the Q high flop. Pokerfenner eventually called with pocket 7s and was up against AQ. Turn was a 7 though!

brael (left): Not his night

It was a while before more players were knocked out. A lot of them were playing a survival strategy trying to get into the top 3 paid places. Before it even got to 5 handed, pokerfenner had been dealt pockets aces three times as well as cowboys!

Down to 5

The play was very cagey as the prizes were now within sight. Gattopardo, short stacked, managed to double up when he went all in UTG with JJ. ChipDawg's A3 on the BB was no match. Gattopardo won another decent pot reraising all-in against the chip leader's UTG open raise preflop with QQ to take it down. Pokerfenner was happy to fold, declaring, "Nice hand".

Gattopardo now had some chips and he managed to knock out one of the next two players, Dammuzz was the bubble boy, to catch up with pokerfenner's chip stack 3 handed. When he knocked out ChipDawg into 3rd place, Gattopardo began Heads-Up as the chip leader.

Gattopardo: Chip Leader

Gattopardo had made a great comeback from nearly out of the money to chip leader heads-up. He didn't change gears though and paid for that as he was up against probably the best and luckiest player on the night: pokerfenner.

Heads Up: pokerfenner v Gattopardo

Unfortunately, Gattopardo played too passively in the end, against DaMatrix's advise during a break in heads-up when I suggested he make a deal or play more aggressively. I don't think he quite realised how big the difference was between 1st and second place. Play restarted and I realised he hadn't listened to a word I said! Grrrrr! lol

Pokerfenner, who wanted it more and had come there to win the final, grinded Gattopardo down until knocking him out on his 3rd attempt: Gattopardo (guaranteed at least a $7K prize for second) went all-in on the SBB with, King crap, K3o and pokerfenner called with KT that flopped a straight and gutshot royal flush draw.

Winner: pokerfenner

No royal flush and no ten on the river for a split pot resulted in a well deserved win for pokerfenner who qualified by winning the tournament Leaderboard. Congrats to the first Sun Poker Champion!

Read The Sun Online's article.