By James Potter
Team PokerStars Pro Gavin Griffin is still moving along nicely and seems focussed on the job at hand during day 1B of the PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final.
“Sydney has been really nice so far. The weather is fantastic and I even went out to Bondi Beach yesterday, it’s a great beach and lived up to all the hype,” he said.
The only player to have won the so-called ‘triple crown’ of a WSOP bracelet, an EPT event, and a WPT event, the 27-year-old achieved this milestone with wins in the 2007 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo for almost USD $2.5 million, the $3,000 Pot Limit Hold’em event at the 2004 WSOP (then the youngest player to win a WSOP bracelet) and the 2008 WPT Borgata Winter Open. Incredibly, he’s also finished third in a WSOP Circuit Series event, taking his career tournament earnings to almost USD $4.5 million.
Unfortunately, Gavin and his partner Kristen don’t have the time to stay on in Australia for a vacation but he is expecting to be here over the weekend for a charge at the final table. WPT, WSOP, EPT and APPT titles – how would that be for a record?
Australia is a favourite among tourists from Sweden, especially backpackers, and PokerStars qualifier Alexander Soderlund is manoeuvring himself into a position to fill a pack full of cash after charging to more than 100,000 in chips early this evening.
It is his first time in Australia and he hasn’t seen anything outside of Star City yet, but he is planning to head down to Melbourne and the Aussie Millions after the APPT Grand Final.
“I am really looking forward to travelling around and might even try to catch a little of the tennis when I’m out here even though we (the Swedes) don’t have a good player at the moment,” he said.
Queensland nightclub owner Jamie Pickering has been shaking and grooving his way around many final tables in the last year. He won the Limit Hold’em tournament at this year’s Aussie Millions and had a successful campaign at the WSOP where he had a second-place finish in the $1,500 PLO event and multiple cashes.
Pickering is a man of few words at the poker table but his actions speak louder when he gets on a roll and starts to terrorise his opponents: “I was down to under 6,000 earlier and now am over 50,000. I’m feeling confident,” he said.
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