“When we raise our kids in Canada, the first thing we teach them is poker,” joked John “tinajohn9″ Mehrassa, member of the repeat Americas Cup of Poker (ACP) champions, Team Canada.
The Canadian team, led by returning team captain and PokerStars Pro Greg DeBora, goose-egged Team Mexico in the finals, en route to earning their second ACP title in as many years and $25,000 in prize money.
“This (ACP) is a really fun event because you’re part of a team and you’re representing your country. Everybody played hard and did well. Once again, Team Canada came through!” said DeBora after the final match.
AMERICAS CUP OF POKER FINAL RESULTS
1st: Canada ($25,000)
2nd: Mexico ($20,000)
3rd: Venezuela ($15,000)
4th: Brazil ($12,000)
5th: Argentina ($10,000)
6th: Rest of Latam ($8,000)
7th: Colombia ($5,000)
Henry “EasyChips4u” Wong of Team Canada had perhaps the most memorable of all ACP experiences. According to DeBora, one of his teammates from last year’s ACP — Brian Flood — introduced Wong to the game of poker.
“Out of the tens of thousands of people that tried to qualify from Canada, Henry ended up qualifying this year!” DeBora explained.
Small world pleasantries aside, winning the qualifier turned out to be just half the battle for Wong, who missed all of his connecting flights and spent more than 35 hours in various airports when traveling from Canada to Uruguay.
Wong finally arrived at Mantra on Monday after missing the first two levels of play, plopped his bag down beside him at the table and jumped straight into action. He went on to finish second at his Sit’n'Go table, earning his team eight points, which helped them secure a spot in the semi-finals.
Robert “SintBest” Van Thuyl and Jason “collins “AA” Collins” round out the 2011 ACP championship team from Canada.
Seven teams from North, South and Central America battled for two days at the Mantra Resort, Spa and Casino.
Round 1 consisted of a series of Sit’n'Go tournaments with one player from each team sitting at each of the five starting tables. Points were awarded according to each player’s finishing position at their respective tables (1st = 10, 2nd = 8, 3rd = 7, 4th = 5, 5th = 3, 6th = 2, 7th = 0). The four teams with the most collective points advanced to Round 2: Heads-up play.
Canada, Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil all advanced to the semi-finals, where Canada faced off against Brazil and Mexico tangled with Venezuela. Team Canada blanked their Brazilian counterparts 5-0 and Mexico steamed past Venezuela 4-1.
In the finals, Team Canada swept again, stomping Mexico 5-0 and Venezuela bested Brazil 4-1 in the third-place match.
