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First Series of the year, first tournament win for WPT Global Ambassador Angel Guillen, who will have to make space in the nursery for a shiny new Aussie Millions trophy.
Guillen is expecting his second son with WPT presenter Lynn Gilmartin in September this year, who watched on through a live stream to witness her husband secure victory.
The $3,000 Super Turbo Bounty saw 167 players enter, with Guillen taking home $71,690. He defeated Honglin Jiang heads-up, to hand Jiang a second runner-up finish in two days, after he finished second in the Teams Event alongside wife Sosia yesterday.
He joins fellow WPT Global Ambassador Diego Ponce in winning an Aussie Millions side event title.
Aussie Millions Event #15: $3,000 Super Turbo Bounty Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angel Guillen | $71,690 |
| 2 | Honglin Jiang | $44,145 |
| 3 | Yunsong Ge | $29,100 |
| 4 | John-Paul Saad | $22,995 |
| 5 | Ankit Ahuja | $17,600 |
| 6 | Connor Walters | $14,195 |
| 7 | Sergio Barrios | $11,640 |
| 8 | Sarah Bilmey | $9,655 |
| 9 | Alan Yu | $7,665 |
Guillen on “Finding His Luck”
The Super Turbo Bounty final table was played out with an average stack of fewer than 20 big blinds, with Guillen holding the chip lead for long periods. He says that his style of play was the perfect fit for such a fast-paced tournament.
“You don’t have to always make the right decision, but you have to ride the wave”
“In any tournament you have to run very well, especially to win,” he told PokerNews. “It doesn’t matter if it’s 2-hour levels or 15-minute levels, you have to run well. And you also have to constantly make a decision and just hope for the best.
“You don’t have to always make the right decision, but you have to ride the wave.”
In the last hand, Guillen held 9♣2♥ against the imposing K♥K♦ of Honglin Jiang. Guillen pair his nine on the 10♠10♦9♠ flop and spike the two-outer on the 9♥ turn to secure victory, with the A♥ river bricking. Luck, says Guillen, always plays a part.
“If you have the momentum going for you, you just keep going, and luckily for me, I just kept going, and the last hand was a very good example of how good I was running. It’s just a combination of enjoyment and finding your luck.”
The momentum has seen Guillen win three of the last six tournaments he’s cashed in, including two victories at WPT Australia six months ago. This year’s Aussie Millions was his first poker festival of the year, something he says is in stark comparison to his days as a professional poker player.
“I think the main thing is that I’m way more relaxed compared to when I was playing for a living. [Back then] there was an element of financial stress, just a little bit. Now I play as a hobby, I enjoy it so much. So I’m just committed to playing for the win.”
Throw in the fast-paced bounty structure along with Guillen’s modern-day approach to poker tournaments, and it’s a perfect fit.
“I’m willing to sacrifice certain EV spots, just because I think they’re right in the moment. I’m trusting my intuition quite a lot more these days. In the past, I was just following the math and the formulas and the EV. And that’s all good — I mean, it’s a winning strategy when you’re putting in a lot of volume.
“But the truth of the matter is I’m playing maybe 30 tournaments a year. It’s not much at all. So, I’m just focusing on the fun of it and trusting myself in the moment.”
The Family Man
While many poker players from all over the world will be heading to Las Vegas at the end of the month, Guillen’s attention is firmly fixed elsewhere as he’s awaiting the birth of his second child with WPT presenter Lynn Gilmartin. Guillen calls family his “pillar” in all of his decision-making.
“I wouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I do if I didn’t have my beautiful family waiting at home for me”
“Whatever I’m doing, family is always in the back of my head,” says Guillen. “If I’m playing poker, if I’m working — family is the number one thing for me. I wouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I do if I didn’t have my beautiful family waiting at home for me.”
A trophy in the cabinet — an early present for the baby — but now back to his priorities as a father.
“I don’t think I’m going to play another series for many months. Our second boy is on the way in September. So I’m going to focus on that and just play the tournaments that I can whenever I can, and just keep enjoying it.”
Managing Editor