The weekend of 26-27 May brought 122 of the UK’s finest amateur poker players to the G Casino in Cardiff for the William Hill Welsh Amateur Poker Championship, the second stop in APAT’s sixth season.
Amongst the 122 competing players were former APAT Player of the year Warren Jones and former APAT Welsh Amateur Champion Gareth Johns
For their £75.00 + £7.50 buy in, players started the event with 15,000 chips on a generous 45 minute clock.
Day one brought 13 levels, at which point the field had been whittled down to 31 players led by Garry Wildin and JP Round.
Play was brisk at the start of day two, as short-stacks looked to move through the field. After four hours play, we reached the final table, chip counts were as follows:-
1 Andrew Jones 97,000
2 Kevin O'Driscoll 113,700
3 David Jackson 117,000
4 Garry Wildin 314,300
5 JP Round 256,200
6 Warren Jones 246,400
7 Dan Carpenter 372,900
8 Jason Kemp 188,900
9 Jason Stephens 120,600
Blinds began at 5000-10000, so this was anyone's to win. Over the first couple of levels Jackson and then pre-final chip leaders Carpenter and Wildin exited, as fortunes fluctuated with short-stack double-ups. The major beneficiary was Andrew Jones, doubling several times.
Jason Kemp exited sixth, Stephens fifth and Warren Jones four handed ran Ace-Five into O'Driscoll's Ace-Queen.
Three handed JP Round, a chip leader for much of the competition was the short-stack but he doubled through O'Driscoll before Andrew Jones knocked him out to take us to Heads-Up
Heads Up lasted two hands. Jones had a chip-lead over Round and his Ace-King beat Pocket Tens, with a King on the turn to seal the victory for him.
So Andrew Jones from Caerphilly became the 2012 William Hill Welsh Amateur Poker Champion. In addition to the title, Andrew won an APAT National Gold Medal, £2,750 in prize money and a seat at a Genting Poker Series tournament.
APAT’s next event; the Irish Amateur Poker Championship will take place the Macau Club in Cork on July 7th-8th. More details can be found at www.apat.com.
APAT Welsh Amateur Poker Championship
G Casino, Cardiff
25-26 May 2012
122 entries
Prize Pool £9150
1 Andrew Jones £2750
2 JP Round £1940
3 Kevin O'Driscoll £1210
4 Warren Jones £750
5 Jason Stephens £590
6 Jason Kemp £460
7 Dan Carpenter £370
8 Garry Wilden £270
9 David Jackson £210
10 Matthew Carter £160
11 Simon Griffin £160
12 Andrew Duncan £140
13 Sharon Roberts £140