Singapore's Skyline at Night
The Betfair Asian Poker Tour is the biggest poker event to ever hit the shores of Singapore. The event began on November 12th and was filled to capacity. Some big-name players like Liz Lieu, John Phan, Mel Judah, Harry Demetriou and Gus Hansen flew to Singapore with hopes of taking down a big payday. Willie Tann, who's made quite a name for himself in the UK, also made his way back home for the event. He was born in Singapore.
Unfortunately, Hansen, who was representing Full Tilt Poker, didn't fare so well. The Great Dane, as he's commonly referred to, didn't last through the first day. Willie Tann and Mel Judah, a former World Series of Poker bracelet winner, also bit the dust on Day 1. In fact, the only name players who made it deep into the field were Harry Demetriou, Tony G and Lee Nelson.
Nelson, the 2006 Aussie Millions Champ, and Tony G, who recently opened up his own online poker room called Tony G Poker, played well enough to make it to the final table. Sitting beside them are two native Singaporeans by the names of Ang Pang Leng and Neil Yong. When asked about his chances to win, the always loquacious Tony G said, "I am mainly worried about Lee Nelson. He is a really strong player, he is a friend, I know him well. But these Singaporean players are really good too."
We wonder how the Swedish chip leader, Samuel Lehtonen felt about that.
No matter what anyone says, there's still a lot of poker to be played in this Main Event. To get an idea of how the competition stacks up, here's how the chip counts looked before the final table got underway.
Samuel Lehtonen - 897,500
Tony G – 717,500
Ang Pang Leng – 309,000
Lee Nelson – 257,000
Hans Vogl – 250,500
Jeff Kimber – 240,000
Brandon Walls – 243,000
Mark Wheat – 101,000
Neil Yong – 98,500
Henrik Dahlgarrd – 74,000
Didn't make it to the live event at the Betfair Asian Poker Tour (BAPT)? Don't despair! Beginning Saturday, November 18th, you can play in the online BAPT. Betfair will be adding $100,000 in extra prizes for players who make the final table in any of the five tournaments they'll be offering. So, play and don't forget (to) Befair!