First APPT Goes to U.S. Student

After three days of gambling at the highest level, the first leg of the Poker Stars Asia-Pacific poker tour held in Manila goes to a university student from Indiana.

More than 200 players started the event representing over 30 different countries. The youngest player of the final nine the 22 year old Brett Parise bested them all to win the $180,000 prize money. Now the political science and economics student at the University of California will have to take some more time off because the win also qualified him for the grand final tournament in Sydney this December.

The two favorites going into the tournament, Joe Hachem and Vanessa Rousso did not fair as well, both being eliminated day 1. All nine finalists shared a pool of $500,000 in prize money.

Parise won his seat through a free online tournament and said even though he saw it as a good way to make money, he doubted he would make it his full time profession.

"I'll finish my degree but I don't have any idea what I will do after that. I like poker but it won't be my life," he said.

The APPT next stop is Seoul in September and the two yet to be determined venues in Asia before the grand final in Sydney later this year.