Online Poker News » July 2005
» July 18, 2005.
Party Poker Qualifier Converts A $50 Investment To $2 Million Dollars.
CURACAO, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES - Aaron Kanter, who led the 2005 World Series of Poker going into the last day, finished fourth winning $2 million. He qualified through PartyPoker.com's WSOP STEPS tournament with just $50. The 27-year-old from Elk Grove, CA, known as "AK," is a former bank loan officer who was playing in his very first WSOP. Kanter holds a bachelor's degree in liberal studies from Chico State and was born in California's central valley. He knocked out last year's champion Greg Raymer during the tournament. Now a professional player, Kanter-who began playing poker in high school for quarters and dimes - has played regularly on PartyPoker.com for the past two years. Going into the final day, Kanter was the chip leader with $10,700,000 but was knocked out at 4 AM when his A-9-9, was topped by "Tex" Barch's three jacks on the River.
Said Kanter, still astounded by the experience: "It felt unreal walking into a room with two hundred tables and thousands of players, then working my way down to 20, then ten, two and finally the final table."
Kanter said he will use his new prize money to secure his future with property and investments. He will also be one of featured players joining the PartyPoker.com Million V, the world's largest "limit" Texas Hold'em Tournament and a World Poker Tour event. PPM V will be staged aboard Holland America's ms Westerdam during March 12-19, 2006. Kanter has won his way onto two previous PartyPoker.com Millions by winning satellites on PartyPoker.com as well. He has also played in four WPT events.
Vikrant Bhargava, Group Marketing Director, PartyGaming welcomed Kanter as PartyPoker.com's Player-Ambassador, "Aaron embodies poker's new young lions-young men and women who are very sharp, have college degrees, perfect their game by playing online and have chosen to test themselves in the extremely challenging career of high stakes poker player. We are proud he has chosen Party Poker room as the place to practice his craft."
Party Poker was also the conduit for another player who made the final table, Irishman Andrew Black, who entered a $300 + $28 satellite, and finished one spot below Kanter winning $1.75 million. Black, called "The Monk," was a professional poker player who competed in the 1997 and 1998 WSOPs, but the pressure of high stakes poker and the disappointment of one last bad beat, caused him to drop out. Black, who holds a law degree from Trinity College, ultimately went to India to become a Buddhist and devote his life to charitable fund raising. Living the aesthetic life of a monk, he lived on minimal money. After nearly a half dozen years, he returned to Ireland with only $100 euros and began playing poker again, building up his bankroll and his self-confidence playing on Party Poker.
About Party Poker
Launched in August 2001, PartyPoker.com is the world's largest multi-player poker room offering players a safe, secure and friendly environment to play poker. With millions of satisfied users, PartyPoker.com is the market leader in the popular and fast growing online poker games market. PartyPoker.com is licensed and regulated by the Government of Gibraltar. The site hosts more than 70,000 simultaneous players at peak times and over 250,000 online poker players daily, offering them a safe, secure and friendly environment to play poker. Players can play an assortment of live classic poker games including Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Low, and Seven Card Stud and single and multi-table tournaments.
Source: Party Poker
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