Stephen Chidwick Dominates Inaugural Australia Poker Open

Stephen Chidwick Dominates Inaugural Australia Poker Open

British poker pro Stephen Chidwick has proven once again that he is one of the world’s best high roller players after claiming the first ever Australian Poker Open (APO) Championship at the Star Gold Coast Casino.

If you looking for online action, why not take a look at our specialised pick of poker rooms for Australian players.

Out of the seven APO events spread across more than a week of intense poker action, Chidwick managed to cash in three of those, which included a runner-up finish in Event #3: A$25,000 No-Limit Hold’em, a victory in Event #5: A$25,000 No-Limit Hold’em, and a 4th-place finish in the $100,000 Main Event, which pushed his total earnings to A$949,000, taking him to the top of the leaderboard.

The first half of the festival was dominated by Hungary’s Andras Nemeth and Canada’s Mike Watson after both players managed to win the initial events. Chidwick took the lead after his win in Event #5, but Nemeth reinforced his dominance when he made the final table of Event #6.

Chidwick earned much needed points when he cashed in the Main Event, enough to surpass Nemeth and ultimately take home the championship prize worth $50,000.

Chidwick Looks Forward To More Championship Tournaments

After being crowned as the first ever Australian Poker Open Champion, Chidwick said these types of tournaments give players the opportunity to be recognised according to their performance and ability in various tournaments. While the British poker pro admitted an element of luck is involved as well, over multiple events the better players are the ones who would most likely dominate. Chidwick hopes these types of Championship events will continue.

Chidwick is building on his massive success at the live felts last year, when he recorded multiple cashes in some of the world’s biggest poker tournaments, including the US Poker Open and Aria Summer High Rollers in Las Vegas, as well as the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in London. He also managed to capture his maiden gold bracelet after winning a $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller 8-Handed event during the 50th World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Rio.

Chidwick remains at the top of England’s all-time money list, and holds on to his current status as the winningest European player in the history of poker. His latest victories at the APO brought his lifetime earnings to over $34 million, moving him from No. 8 to No. 6 in Hendon Mob’s All-Time Money List, one spot ahead of American poker pro David Peters, and less than $3 million behind Dan Smith.