The last Australian Poker League (APL) Poker Tour Sydney series of 2024 has concluded with unforgettable victories for Indian-origin poker player Pratik Pathak and James Searle. A Parramatta local, Pathak emerged as the champion of the main event, while James Searle went back-to-back to win the super high roller title.
Pratik Pathak Makes Stunning Comeback To Win APLPT Sydney Main Event Title
Talking about Event#8: Main Event, the $180 buy-in tournament drew an impressive 809 entrants and generated $121,350 in the final prize pool, which was finally shared by the top 99 finishers. In the end, the lion’s share went to Pathak, who walked away with A$16,420 along with a $100K Invitational Seat and a $1,500 APL Million Seat for his win.
Pathak’s journey to this career-defining victory was nothing short of extraordinary. Starting the final table as one of the underdogs, he played some top-notch poker, made it to the heads-up and then went on to win a series of double ups against Nawabi to claim his first-ever APL main event win.
Pathak started the final duel with just 13 big blinds against Nawabi’s 54 BB but made a stunning comeback, scoring multiple double ups to turn the match in his favour. He eventually sealed the victory with his 8-10 prevailing against Nawabi’s A-10 on a board of 8-3-7-9-5.
The tournament ended in a three-way deal with Khaled Nawabi and Nichole Roberts, both earning A$16,500 for their runner-up and third -place finishes, respectively. Nichole Roberts was looking in good shape to win the title but could not go all the way, falling just two spots shy of the title. Her final hand saw her Q♦ 9♦ run into Nawabi’s A♣ J♣, ending her run in third place.
2024 APLPT Sydney Main Event Final Table Payouts
1. Pratik Pathak – $16,420* + $100K Invitational Seat + $1,500 APL Million Seat
2. Khaled Nawabi – $15,000* + $1,500 APL Million Seat
3. Nichole Roberts – $15,000* + $1,500 APL Million Seat
4. Greg Davison – $7,025
5. Nam Nguyen – $4,735
6. Alexander Grocott – $3,640
7. Kevin Hall – $2,790
8. Michael Broadley – $2,425
9. Sohrab Attaii – $2,065
James Searle Goes Back-to-Back to Win APLPT Jackstar Super High Roller
While Pathak’s win was remarkable, another name that stood out was Byron Bay’s James Searle. Competing in the Jackstar Super High Roller event (#18), Searle overcame a star-studded field of 190 entries, claiming a career-high score of $61,740 and a $100K Invitational Seat.
This high roller tournament generated a total of $247k in prize pool which was finally shared by the top 21 players making the money. Searle won this same high roller event at The Ville 600 series in Townsville in October this year and he has repeated the feat again.
This was his overall fourth live title of 2024, which is an incredible feat considering he started his live journey just a year ago with a cash finish in the APLPT Main Event in 2023. After the latest high roller win, his live earnings stand at more than $1 million.
In the final duel, Searle overcame Julian Lee, who began the duel with a slight lead. The final hand saw Searle’s pocket jacks beat Lee’s pocket eights on a queen-high board, securing Searle’s fourth live title of 2024.
APLPT Sydney Super High Roller Final Table Payouts
1-James Searle – $61,740 + $100K Invitational Seat
2-Julian Lee – $40,750
3-Richard Davis – $25,935
4-Wai Shing Au – $20,995
5-Henry Tran – $16,675
6-Reece Bedot – $13,585
7-Konstantinos Kamaras – $11,115
8-Khanh Le – $8,645
9-Robert Short – $6,175
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Image Credit: APL
Source: APL Facebook
