Never let it be said that poker doesn’t come with drama.
The 2012 APT Philippines Main Event provided plenty of that as South African Divan Le Roux edged out countryman Conrad Coetzer to win the title and the $197,000 prize money.
In a dramatic heads-to-head showdown between the two South Africans, Le Roux escaped from the clutches of elimination with an admirable display of testicular fortitude, highlighted by an all-in, pre-flop move with only a 6h3d hand. Thinking he had the better hand at As4h, Coetzer boldly called and was one card away from winning the title when the 6d showed up on the river, aiding Le Roux swim back into the chip lead.
The lead changed hands multiple times after that before the fateful final hand was dealt. With Le Roux in commanding position, he went for the guttural with an all-in move while carrying AhJd, forcing Coetzer to call with a “live” Qd9h. When the board flashed Jd, 8c, 6d, and 7c, it gave Coetzer an outside shot of hitting an open-ended straight draw. Unfortunately for him, the river came down and showed 4h, giving the win to Le Roux with a Jack pair and bragging rights over his countryman.
The Final Table of the Asian Poker Tour‘s flagship event had plenty of action-packed – and sometimes, volatile – moments. That’s expected, of course, especially when you have 10 competitive poker pros all vying for the prestigious title of 2012 APT Philippines Champion.
In the end, it was Le Roux who stood tall, where he now joins luminaries like David Saab, Neil Arce, Michael Cua, and Enrique del Prado as proud winners of the APT Philippines Main Event.
For his efforts, Coetzer didn’t go home empty-handed, bagging second place and a cool $104,000. Coming in third was Ryan Hong ($49,000) with fourth place going to Oliver Spiedel ($37,000) and fifth place going to Han Wook Kim ($30,800).
The rest of the top 10 includes sixth place finisher, Nicandro Filart ($24,600), seventh placer Franklin Acfalle ($18,500), eight placer Antonio Martins ($12,300), ninth placer David Steicke ($11,700), and tenth placer Adam Monaghan ($10,450).
On behalf of everyone at CalvinAyre.com, we’d like to send a big shout out to Divan Le Roux for a well-played tournament. Here’s to hoping you spend your winnings wisely, mate!
Maybe start by buying us some drinks!
