A Lucky Coin Helps Player Win the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Queenstown

PokerStars Qualifier Julian Cohen beat out the competition at the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Queenstown event this weekend to claim the title and nearly $75,000 in prize money.

"It's fantastic - it probably still hasn't sunk in," said Cohen yesterday before he left for Australia.

"It's a shame I can't stay longer to celebrate, but it's a dream come true."

The virtually all-Australian final table started playing early on Sunday at the Skycity Casino but they didn’t finish things up until about midnight.

Proving that the final hand isn’t always a great one Cohen managed to cement his victory against runner-up PokerStars pro Andrew Watson with an Ace-high over Watson’s King-high.

"You need a lot of luck...I was getting the right cards and I worked hard and it paid dividends."

Cohen thanked his victory in part to a lucky $2 coin. He flipped the coin twice during the final to decide whether or not an opponent was bluffing and as luck would have it the coin was correct on both occasions.

"The coin didn't let me down. It's the first time I've used it," he said.

Cohen says that he has been playing poker for about three years now, and that he just started playing professionally 18 months ago. So far he has been enjoying himself and this latest victory has certainly helped him realize that he’d made the right decision.

"It's a good life. We work when we want to and play when we want to."

Asked about his plans for the future Cohen said that he plans to compete in the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Main Event, on August 11th and that he hopes to use his winnings to buy a barbeque and furnishings for his new home.

Here is a look at the full Final Table Results:

1. Julian Cohen - PokerStars Qualifier - $73,630

2. Andrew Watson - PokerStars Player - $46,860

3. Vesko Zmukic - $27,440

4. Michael Spilkin - $22,760

5. Tim Clarke - PokerStars Player - $18,740

6. Emerson Rewi - $15,400

7. Jason Gray - $12,720