Leo Boxell wins Pokerstars Asia Pacific Poker Tour Melbourne

Tuesday August 2,2011 : A$330 000 take-home for Melbourne's Leo Boxell
 
It took nine hours of hectic final table action to decide the winner of this year's Pokerstars Asia Pacific Poker Tour Melbourne this week, with local player Leo Boxell emerging as the winner of the A$330 000 main prize after a tough tussle heads up with New Zealander Phil Willcocks.
 
The win boosted Boxell's career winnings to just over A$1 million.
 
Willcocks, who collected the runner-up prize of $207 600, had dominated the tournament in its third and fourth days, only to fall behind in the closing stages and lose to Boxell. He gave his Aussie opponent a difficult ride to victory, at one time holding Boxell at a 3 to 1 disadvantage before the Melbourne pro was able to recover.
 
The six-figure paydays extended down to Steve Bouya, who finished third and took home A$116 000.
 
Nicknamed "The Mechanic", the 69-year-old Boxell was generous to his opponent, saying that Willcocks had "played tremendously for four days" and was sure to make his name with big wins in the future.