What some of the big names have to say
The flood gates have opened and the players are streaming into Piggs Peak Casino now. We caught up with three of the contenders to find out what they had to say before play starts in less than two hours. Defending champion Ilija Martinovic is extremely confident that he is going to pull off back-to-back victories by “doing the same thing” he did last year to win. Daniel “Lambo” Lamberti is also feeling confident after a strong few months in live play tournaments – he has two second place finishes and a third in major tournaments since October last year. He attributes this success to the time he has put into studying the game, analysing hands and learning from some of the best players in the game, such as Darren Kramer and Ryan Dreyer. Daniel feels that the new blind structure suits his game better, providing the perfect platform for him to play his normal game, in what will be his seventh or eight AAPT.
Darren Kramer is also buoyant, especially after his huge online win this week. “Its been an awesome few days for me and my online win has really taken the pressure off me this weekend,” he says with a broad smile on his face. “The bills are paid so I can now relax a bit, enjoy the tournament and play my natural game.” When asked about making the transition from online to the live version of the game in two big back-to-back tournaments, Kramer admits that he prefers the faster online version, as the interpersonal aspect of live play can slow things down a bit, which doesn’t suit his style as much. “But the new structure means there is a lot to look forward to this weekend. With more chips in play we can expect to see more action, especially post flop. This could suit a number of players, like Ryan Brauer, so look for them to go deep. For me, I am just going to look to put all the elements of a great tournament together as this will be my tenth AAPT, having reached four final tables, so I know I can do it. My plan is to grow a big stack, especially with the re-buy and add-ons at the end of today and look to that to push me through to the final table on Saturday.”
