From start to finish at the PokerStars APPT Macau main event, Los Angeles native Edward Sabat played great poker. As a result, the 22-year-old poker pro turned a series of great calls and well-timed plays, and a little bit of luck, into his first major title and a half-million-dollar payday.
Just moments after the big win, he sat down to discuss it all with PL.com.
How good does this feel right now Eddie?
Amazing ... it still hasn't sunk in.
Are you going to party hard tonight?
No; absolutely not, even though this is the town for it. That's just not my lifestyle. I'll probably just take a vacation somewhere.
You did make third at the WSOP Circuit event at Rincon last season. It must feel great to have found a way over the hump at a final table this time around.
That's what feels the best. Almost being there and not getting there is terrible. Once you get that close and you see what it takes, though, you learn so much, it makes it a bit easier the next time.
Was there a point in the first few days of the tournament where you realized winning was a definite possibility?
I made a pretty disgusting call at the end of Day 2 for a $259k pot. I had bottom pair and the kicker didn't even play. It just didn't make sense to me, the way he played it, and you've just got to go with your gut. That's when I was like, yeah, I should be here. It's meant to be.
You got short at this final table, but fought your way back. Was there a time today when you figured it had to be in the cards for you this time?
Jack of spades on the river when I was all-in short-stacked. That's when I knew. He flopped top two pair and I backdoored the flush. That was a big, big spot.
Watching you all the way through, it would seem you have a very relaxed attitude on the felt. You look like you are having a lot of fun and maybe not taking the game too seriously.
I definitely take it seriously. It's my job now. But you have to have fun. In order to do something for as long as we do it in these tournaments you have to have some fun.
I understand you qualified for the event on PokerStars. Is that right?
I did. I was going to buy in anyway, but I had like $97 in my account so I figured I'd try the steps. I started out for like $7.50 and I built and built and built and suddenly here I was.
So what's next for you Eddie?
Time off. Spend some time with my mom and dad. I will play some more APPTs but in between, I'm going home.
* * * * * * * * * * *
While most of the poker world was fast asleep, Edward Sabat was half a world away, winning the biggest poker tournament in Asian history. Add that to his final-table appearance on the WSOPC last season, and the poker world would be foolish to sleep on Sabat much longer.
