12:35
03 Jul
Australian poker player Matthew Kirk filed a lawsuit against Leon Tsoukernik, owner of King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. Kirk claimed Tsoukernik owed a debt of $2 million, plus punitive damages, in the lawsuit initially dated June 5, 2017.
Last couple of days we've all had an opportunity to enjoy Super High Roller Cash Game live on Poker Central Twitch channel, and for all poker fans out there, those were three days of pure bliss. The players we could see in action included the likes of Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari, Jennifer Tilly, Doug Polk and more, plus one Matthew Kirk.
Not taking anything away from Kirk, in this lineup he certainly stood out as someone who most fans were completely unfamiliar with. However, it wasn't long before he became one of the favorites of the audience because the man simply can't say no to action!
We quickly found out from the table talk that Kirk, or 'Aussie Matt', was no stranger to the highest games out there, he simply wasn't much on TV. Kirk also admitted right off the bat that No Limit Hold'em wasn't his strongest game, as he mostly plays Pot Limit Omaha, but that did not prevent him from playing.
Pokerlisitngs shed some more light on this unknown persona in an article published couple of days ago, explaining that Perth native started playing poker when he was 18 and after a short career in the casinos, he decided that private games were more his cup of tea.
So we've established that Kirk plays in the ultra high stakes games, but was it that made him stand up in this bunch of famous poker pros that fill up the headlines of every poker news site out there every single day? Simple answer is - 'Aussie Matt' gives action, and a lot of it!
I couldn't say what VPIP was exactly during his playing time, but if you go through the footage that can be found on Poker Central Twitch channel, you can skip left and right through hours of poker action and you will hardly find a pot without Matt involved.
Grew up playing mostly PLO. I definitely prefer PLO. As long as it's a high stakes game and I can sit there and gamble I'll pretty much play whatever.
In position, out of position, in 3-bet and 4-bet pots, he simply seems to hate folding. And if rumors are to be believed, when the cash game had just started, Kirk had already been awake for couple of days playing and stuck a lot. Since there was no PLO action to be found, presumably because a lot of pros were involved with the SHR game, he decided to join the party.
In fact, it seems that he lost close to $1,000,000 playing heads-up PLO against Phil Ivey previous to the game and his luck wasn't about to change. He proceeded to play almost every hand, the strategy that would end up costing him about three $250k buy-ins across two days. Sick!
I try and avoid Chinese if I can, it's dangerous and there's some very good players out there. If you get bored, sometimes I like to have a bit of a punt here and there.
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But a truly sick part was 'Aussie Matt' coming back for the third day, not as a player, but as a guest commentator! Everybody expected him to be really on tilt after such a bad run, stuck several millions in few days. But he proved everybody wrong as he came back and helped out with the commentary as if nothing happened. I guess it wasn't that much money to him - after all he did mention that this isn't the biggest game I've played in, so the man Doyle described as a maniac is probably well rolled.
After all the hands were dealt out and people collected their six figure winnings, there is no doubt that the man who booked the big loss was undisputable star of the show and that his presence at the tables really created super fun dynamic, making for an excellent viewing experience. It's been a while since we've seen anything like it go down right before our eyes; let's hope there is much more in the store for the future!
Quotes taken from Kirk's commentary during Day 3 of the game.
| Free agent | |
| Born: | June 30, 1981 (age 38) Kingston, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | DT |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Weight | 250 lb (110 kg) |
| University | Queen's |
| High school | La Salle |
| CFL draft | 2004 / Round: 5 / Pick: 38 |
| Drafted by | Ottawa Renegades |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2005 | Ottawa Renegades |
| 2006–2008 | BC Lions |
| 2009–2011 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| Honours |
|
Matt Kirk (born June 30, 1981) is a Canadian footballdefensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Ottawa Renegades in the 2004 CFL Draft. He played CIS Football at Queen's.
Kirk has also played for the BC Lions.
Early years[edit]
Kirk was born in Kingston, Ontario and was an active and talented athlete, playing hockey, rugby, and track and field. His hockey career included being drafted in the 11th round of the 1997 OHL Draft by the Peterborough Petes. His focus would soon change to football though, where he won 2 high school football championships at La Salle Secondary School both during his Jr Seasons.[1]
Kirk, attended Queen's University studying Sociology/Health and played football for the Queen's Golden Gaels from 2001 to 2004. He started every game at defensive end in 2001 and had 2 sacks. In 2002, Kirk started every game at defensive end. On September 7, 2002, he had 1 sack for a 6-yard loss. In playoff action against the Western Mustangs he had 8 solo tackles. He also recorded Queen's only sack of the Yates Cup game. In 2003, he switched to the defensive tackle position and was named an OUA First Team All-Star. He also earned Canadian Interuniversity Sport Second Team All-Canadian honours and won the J. P. Metras Trophy as the CIS lineman of the year.[2] In 2004, he repeated as an OUA First Team All-Star.
Professional career[edit]
Kirk was drafted by the Ottawa Renegades in the fifth round of the 2004 CFL Draft and played 13 games of the 2005 CFL season, recording 3 tackles and 13 special teams tackles.[3] He was selected by the BC Lions 14th overall in the second round of the 2006 Ottawa dispersal draft and was also a member of the BC Lions' 94th Grey Cup championship team.[1]
On February 17, 2009, Kirk signed as a free agent with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[4]
Notes[edit]
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- ^ ab'Matt Kirk #93'. Players. cfl.ca.
- ^'Denison claims second straight MVP as OUA major award winners announced'. Canadian Interuniversity Sport. 2003-11-07.
- ^'Matt Kirk 2005 statistics'. cfl.ca.
- ^'Ticats land free agent Matt Kirk'. CBC Sports. 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-02-18.