When all was said and done, it would be Jonathan Bredin who would best the 126 player field at the ANZPT Queenstown Main Event for NZ$93,600 in a memorable final table in more ways than one.
Bredin, who has cerebral palsy and requires the use of a care giver and an iPad to act at the table, battled Australia’s Daniel Laidlaw for two hours head-up to win the event. Laidlaw would walk with NZ$59,550 for his 2nd biggest documented career cash.
In perhaps one of the most cinematic moments at a final table—and on what turned out to be the final hand of the tournament—Laidlaw was all in with Ace-Queen of diamonds vs Bredin, who uncovered pocket kings, specifically the King of Spades and the King of Clubs. Once the board ran out favorable for Bredin and victory was complete, his caregiver revealed that tattooed on Bredin’s right arm was his winning hand–-King of Spades, King of Clubs. It seems his victory was predestined at a final table not soon forgotten.
While it was all smiles in the end, the final table will also go down in infamy as it includes a hand which will be cited by shot clock advocates for a long time to come. As noted on the PokerStars blog, the 17-minute single-hand tankfest was complete with theatrics, counting down of stacks and spreading of the pot where the clock was called on the flop and then again 3 times on the river, all in different situations. In the end, the hand was folded on the river with no cards exposed and no eliminations to be had—just 17 minutes to play a single hand.
For more on Bredin’s victory and the play by play of how the clock was called 4 times, see the recap on the PokerStars blog. Also check out Sarah Grant’s interview with Bredin below:
