2013 PokerStars.net ANZPT Season 5 Perth Day 1a: Woodworth Leads
After a hiatus for a couple of months, Season 5 of the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour continued on Wednesday evening. This week, it was time for the ANZPT Perth Main Event to take center stage, with players from all around the Australia, and the world, taking to the felt of Crown Perth.
The ANZPT Perth Main Event has a rich history, with the likes of Tony Hachem and Grant Levy as a couple of the alumni to lift the trophy. This year saw 67 players begin the first of two Day 1 flights with the hopes of beginning their journey towards joining Hachem and Levy as an ANZPT Perth champion. Kicking off at 7 p.m. local time, the Day 1a schedule would see players only needing to last six hour-long levels to make it through. At the end of the day, it was Peter Woodworth finishing on top.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Woodworth | 84,025 |
| 2 | Dale Marsland | 70,625 |
| 3 | Edward Kim | 65,250 |
| 4 | Liam O'Rourke | 60,025 |
| 5 | Andrew Jeffreys | 57,425 |
| 6 | John Messina | 57,300 |
| 7 | Dean Francis | 55,850 |
| 8 | Ricky Kroesen | 55,000 |
| 9 | [Removed:480] | 54,050 |
| 10 | Michael Webb | 50,375 |
Unfortunately, it’s not always a happy ending in the world of poker, and some of the players who would be licking their wounds after early departures include Tom Grigg, Kristian Lunardi, WSOP Europe gold bracelet winner Andrew Hinrichsen and the UK’s Rupert Elder, who holds both a European Poker Tour title and an Aussie Millions title.
One player who had a far better start to the day compared to those was Brad Bower. Within the first two levels, Bower had almost doubled his stack, raking in a massive pot when he held the 3♠3♥ on a 5♠Q♣3♣6♥5♣ board. From there Bower managed to secure a Day 2 appearance.
Despite taking an early chip lead, there were quite a few players who prospered far more than Bower during the late stages of the night. These include Australian Poker Hall of Fame member Gary Benson, local hero Dale Marsland and Aussie poker favorites Ricky Kroesen and Andrew Jeffreys.
One of the larger pots that went Marsland’s way saw him call a huge bet on the river of a 6♠2♥J♦5♦A♠ board. Marsland didn’t look too confident when he made the call, but that changed quickly when his opponent turned over the K♦J♠ for a pair of jacks — not strong enough for Marsland’s Q♠Q♣.
Despite Marsland's best efforts to finish up as the chip leader, it was Woodworth who bagged the largest chip stack at the end of Day 1a. By the time it was all over, Woodworth's 84,0215 in chips provided a fair margin in front of Marsland's 70,625.
In the end, there were 38 players who bagged up chips and will return to the felt on Friday to fight it out for a spot on Day 3 of the ANZPT Perth Main Event. For now, though, these players will relax and watch on as a new batch of players begin their journey on Thursday's Day 1b. Be sure to check in with the PokerNews Live Reporting Team for all the continuing ANZPT Perth action.
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