From a Land Down Under…
They played the match in Speed Poker style, with the players having only 15 seconds to act on their hands. The players were given one time-breaker chip each, allowing them to extend their time bank to a full minute for the bigger decisions. Mike Sexton, Barry Greenstein and Phil Ivey were among the world-class field of players, but Player of the Year Phil Ivey only got to taste three hands of Speed Poker when Australian player Tony G eliminated him with a 2-3 suited. You can imagine the reaction of good old Tony G when he turned over his rags to eliminate one of the best in the world today.
When the players got down to six, they were moved to the Speed Poker television arena. Amongst the final six was arguably one of the slowest tournament players in the world, John Juanda. John is renowned for acting slowly whenever the action is on him. This style of play has served him very well, as he very rarely makes a bad decision at the table; probably why he is one of the best players in the world. Many people were a little skeptical as to whether or not he would even be able to play Speed Poker. Surely 15 seconds could not be enough time for someone like John Juanda! Well, I am here to tell everyone that John utterly destroyed each opponent at the final table and walked away the champion of the biggest buy-in event in recent times. John’s style did not change much during the event. He took his time when needed and made the correct decision pretty much 100% of the time. In doing so, he dispelled all rumors that Speed Poker is a game of luck. He played the best on that day and is now the champion, and a million dollars richer to boot.
Also Down Under this year was a young Swede by the name of Ray Sanchez. Last year’s Speed Poker winner, Michael Thuritz, was unable to venture down to Melbourne this time around, so he sent the rest of his posse to bring home the bacon. Ray certainly proved to everyone that last year’s semi-final finish was no fluke, as he managed to go all the way in the $16,000 buy-in event, inching out American young gun Scott Fischman in an incredible final match. Ray walked away with $100,000, the phone numbers of a few clock girls, and the coolest looking ring on the planet.
After the final event was over, a party for all the Speed Poker players was held upstairs at a club called the Steakout. Ray and John celebrated their victories well into the night, and John even got on the microphone and started a round of the “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” chant made famous by Joe Hachem’s supporters at the World Series. Needless to say, John is now an unofficial Australian citizen.
A big thanks goes out to all who made the very long journey to Australia. I hope it was worth the ride. I know I will be there again next year. One thing is for sure: next time you sit opposite either John Juanda or Ray Sanchez, you better beware – these guys can play Until next time, may the flop be with you… Always!
THE HUX
