2014 World Series Of Poker Asia Pacific - Melbourne, Australia
World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific (WSOP APAC) took place October 2nd-18th, 2014, at Crown Melbourne and featured ten WSOP gold bracelet events. This event
marks the 2nd ever WSOP APAC, and the first in which it was the only international event on the World
Series schedule.
Series Highlights:
On the second-to-last day of competition, Mike Leah won the $25,000 (AUD) No-Limit Hold'em High Roller tournament, besting a tough final table that included 2010
WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel and former November Niner Jesse Sylvia. Leah, a 40-year old poker player from Toronto, has had a successful World
Series career-including 4 final tables in bracelet events and back-to-back WSOP Circuit rings-but this is his
first bracelet. He earned $600,000 (AUD) for his victory.
A day later, the 2014 WSOP APAC concluded with the final table of the $10,000 (AUD) Main Event. The winner of the premier event was Scott
Davies, a professional player living in Canada. For Davies, the win caps off an impressive year at the WSOP tables. He cashed six times in Las Vegas over
the summer, including a fourth-place finish in the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em tournament. He is now $850,136 (AUD) richer, and flew back to Canada
with his first piece of World Series hardware.
Throughout the ten-event series, all eyes were on George Danzer and Brandon Shack-Harris as they battled back and forth for the title of World Series of
Poker Player of the Year. Both players enjoyed tremendous success at the WSOP in Las Vegas, and as action in Melbourne got underway, Shack-Harris held a
slight lead. It didn't last long, though, as Danzer almost pulled even after Event #1, the $1,100 (AUD) Accumulator tournament. Shack-Harris pulled
away again by making another final table in the Terminator event, but Danzer catapulted into the lead with a victory in the $5,000 (AUD) 8-Game Mix event. It was Danzer's third bracelet and fifth
final table of 2014. Shack-Harris made a valiant attempt to catch his rival-Shack-Harris gained a few points with his 17th-place finish in the Main Event,
and immediately jumped into High Roller. He fell short of the money, however, and his elimination secured Player-of-the Year honors for Danzer.
Getting to Australia
There are direct flights to Melbourne from Los Angeles through several airlines for American travelers, while Europeans can connect through many major cities to reach Down Under. Making the trip to Australia will be well worth it. Check with any poker players who have made the trip, and you will learn it may be the most widely favored destinations for poker in the world. The venue is incredible and the city is one of the most vibrant, eclectic and world-class. From dining to shopping to beaches and sight-seeing, you will find no shortage of poker offerings during WSOP APAC, or other distractions when you are away from the tables.
Room Reservations
The host venue offers three different hotel options which all connect directly to the poker room without stepping outside. Crown Metropol is offering a special deal for WSOP APAC players, a full 50% off normal rate at just $190 a night which will include wireless internet in your room, plus fitness center access. Staying on-site will require no rental car and there are plenty of restaurants and shopping on property or within walking distance from the venue. For those looking for the 5-star treatment, Crown Towers, is the premier hotel in Melbourne and is also part of this amazing complex.
About Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex
About 30 minutes from the Melbourne Airport, the Crown Entertainment Complex sits on the Yarro River in central Melbourne. We encourage you to peruse the Crown website to see how visually stunning this complex is and how many different entertainment options await you including movie theaters, bowling, arcade, laser tag, entertainment showroom, full casino, 75-table poker room, world-class shopping and dining. Poker players insist this is the best stop on the poker tour and with some special events planned for poker players, you will want to stay and play at the Crown Entertainment Complex. We look forward to seeing you in Melbourne October 2-18!
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2013 WSOP Asia-Pacific Series
The reigning WSOP APAC Main Event Champion is also the reigning WSOP Player of the Year, six-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu.
The first-ever WSOP Asia-Pacific Main Event was one to remember, as none other than Daniel Negreanu bested a field of 405 players in the AUD$10,000 buy-in event. Negreanu dominated the final table both with his play and his table talk, making for some memorable television coverage in addition to a seven-figure payday. The win also marked the start of a banner year for Negreanu, who went on to win a sixth bracelet, earn over $2 million, and become the first player to ever earn WSOP Player of the Year honors twice.
Negreanu wasn't the only big name with a big win down under last year though. The entire series was a star-studded affair as Phil Ivey won his ninth bracelet, Philipp Gruissem won the stacked High Roller tournament, and Team Europe prevailed in the return of the Caesars Cup event.