Low-profile player Phil Siddell has managed to add a title to his name, and that’s just brilliant. The newly-crowned champion of the Sydney Championship $550 Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) tournament is quite content with his victory, modest as it may have been. With a rather decent turnout the competition was held at the Star Poker Room.
The Sydney Action at Full Blast
Phil didn’t win much, to be honest. But then again, adding $14,500 to his bankroll isn’t too bad, especially for a few hours of gaming. And even though he really didn’t have to compete with droves of poker pros, he still managed to overcome 140 entrants who had come with the very same purpose as Phil had in mind himself.
Now, it was a bit of pell-mell action, all things considered. Some players soon dropped out of the way and headed for the other excellent facilities at the venue of choice. Meanwhile, a local star, Michael Mayer, who has been known for his poker exploits in Sydney, was relegated out of the race, just a hairbreadth away from clinching, in the very least, a consolatory prize.
Michael’s stack went belly up and he concluded 10th in the overall race. With Michael out of the race, this opened opportunities for his fellow Sydney players who have been definitely less known names around poker in the city and abroad.
Continuing with the game itself, players started to drop out, one after the other. Out of the final nine to go first was Daniel Noja, who bagged $1,300 and finished ninth. Next was Yu Chen who kept her game going, but finally had to settle for eighth place in the overall standing. Well, Yu managed to walk away with $1,600 which all things considered – is not too bad at all, especially given her previous success at the Star Sydney Championships Mix.
Josh McCully, the winner of the Sydney Championship Main Event, was bumped out of the competition in the sixth place, which was a bit of a surprise, of course, but in poker the game changes quite often and yesterday’s winners are today’s respectful also-runs.
The final leg of the gaming action also saw Tae Woo Park and Htet Zin to take their farewell with the tournament and walk away with prize money between $4,000 and $6,500.
It was finally up to Siddell to show his qualities and he did so overcoming Adrian Rarung, who managed to add nearly $9,000 to his own bankroll, too, with Siddell clinching the title and going home slightly richer.
A Winner is Crowned
The victory of Phil is his first serious leap in poker. Still, it’s rather unlikely that Phil will pursue poker abroad actively. By the looks of it he’s happy to notch up a few quick victories at home, although the success at the Sydney Championship Event is his only reported live action event.
Still, having managed to outpace players, who are much more advanced in terms of gaming experience as semi-professionals, is an achievement that merits due respect. Phil has done well. Hopefully, we will see him return next year.
