Aussie Million Flashback With Peter Costa

Aussie Million Flashback With Peter Costa

Aussie Million Flashback With Peter Costa

 

With the 2014 Aussie Millions just around the corner I thought I would track down the first winner of the A$10,000 format, Peter Costa, who took down that inaugural title type back in 2003.

Costa waltzed into 2003 on the back of an amazing year that saw him capture a Late Night Poker Grand Final title; so was it a heater that took him half way around the world to compete in the Aussie Millions?

“It was actually a trip borne out of anger.” said Costa before continuing. “I had a great 2002 and was unchallenged for the European Player of the Year award. The award was going to be handed out in Helsinki, and I decided to hop into a tournament in The Bellagio on my way there.

“When I got to The Bellagio I learned they had extended it to a two-day event and I made the final two tables, so I couldn’t chance the flight I needed to attend the awards ceremony. Then, because they had cameras at the show, they gave my award to someone else.

“I knew some of the organizers were going to be at the Aussie Millions and I was so angry I went over there to see them. I caught up with one of the guys responsible for making that decision and he came up with all sorts of excuses. I just told him that I would show him who the best European player was. So at that point I just had to win the Aussie Millions. I had made four final tables up to that point, but I was so angry…I like anger – it’s a positive anger for me, I always take it in a positive way and I don’t think I would have won it with out that actually.

“I travelled with an old friend of mine, Steve Templeton, and we stopped off in Hong Kong. Steve is half Chinese and he had an uncle who had a tip on a horse so we went to the racetrack and it was great. We backed five winners and the tip also won. Then I went to Oz and made four or five final tables prior to the main event. I was so focused on poker back then.”

The first A$10,000 Main Event attracted 122 players. I asked Costa if that constituted a big field in 2003?

“It’s irrelevant because I knew I had to beat 121 of them to take the title. It was the right type of field for me. I got used to beating 50, 60 or 70 players on a regular basis in England. When I started going to the WSOP and the fields were 200 and 300 players. I just thought ‘this isn’t for me’ and so I used to sit in the satellite areas and just play single table games for the duration.”

What was poker like back then?

“I miss it. You knew everyone on the circuit and it was a lot of fun. Australia was so much fun. We were showing our cards to each other, laughing and joking; it was a very friendly atmosphere.”

A victory at the Aussie Millions is a huge deal today. What was it like to win back in 2003?

“At the time my life away from the table was a bit of a nightmare, and poker was the one place I felt myself so I never wanted to bust. I wanted to play poker,  and if you bust me you were sending me to hell, and I didn’t want to go there.

“So I played with such a focus and determination. I had to make the two biggest lay down’s of my life on that final table. They were back-to-back when short stacked. I had tens and jacks and both times I was behind jacks and queens on a baby flop. I should have been all-in on both times, but something on my shoulder said, ‘don’t do it,’ and I found a way back. Half an hour later I was chip leader.

“The final was a bit strange because Harry {Demetriou} was just starting on the scene at this time. He was on my table and was making some mistakes. We were getting friendly and I was giving him lessons long the way. When we got three handed: Leo Boxell, Harry and I; I kept getting bad vibes about being heads up with Harry because he was like a friend. I had a job to do and I wanted as much anger in me as possible so I needed to let Leo and Harry go at it. When Leo won, I knew I was going to win, even though he had a 3:1 chip led. I knew in my heart that the title was mine.”

How special is this competition?

“It’s my fondest memory in poker. The people are wonderful. Melbourne is  a melting pot of humanity and I fell in love with the place. I didn’t realize that after Athens it’s the second largest city with a Greek population. When I won, I had all these Greeks converge on me, and even got this guy asking me to marry his daughter.”

So what will Costa be doing as players once again converge on Melbourne for the 2014 Aussie Millions?

“Somewhere along the way I discovered that I had more of a passion for creating games, than a passion for poker. I am a winning player online and was wondering what it was like for player’s who don’t win online and thought it must be hell.

“I thought online poker needed a change. Both with the games and the way they are presented and offered to people. So I met up with Phil Hellmuth – one of the few people I could trust – and showed him my games and he liked them. Since then we have been partners.

“Then because of UIGEA and Black Friday we have had to sit on what we have for a very long time whilst we wait for the big players to make their intentions clear in terms of an online future.

“It doesn’t matter how many games you have, you have to find the right partners. I had three patents issued last year so I am delighted with that. The big players have made their intentions clear and we have started talks. There are a lot of potential deals in the pipeline. Apart from the financial aspects this will give me the greatest pleasure. I connect with how people play games and this will give me more pleasure than anything.

“We have just launched our first app called Chexi, which is chess played with dice and hopefully it becomes one of many. We are looking at social as well as real money gaming.”

What other games does Costa have up his sleeve?

“There are too many to mention at this stage, but this started in 2004 when I created the Shootout format and sold it to PartyPoker. Mike Sexton was asked to evaluate the format, and he said, ‘I find it a bit ironic that I am being asked to evaluate a game created by someone I see as the most imaginative person I have met in the industry.

“Hopefully, there will be a lot of new ways to play poker in the future and I will be a big part of that.”