The Poker World's Encyclopedia Kevmath

The APT Blog spotted two absolute legends of the poker World, Kevin Mathers and Henry Kilbane, sitting at a table having a chat and couldn't resist jumping in to grab a few words.

Mathers (Kevmath) is a well-known personality in the poker world, primarily serving as the Poker Information Manager for the Global Poker Index (GPI) and The Hendon Mob. He is recognized for his encyclopedic knowledge of poker rules, schedules (especially the World Series of Poker), and general poker information, and is highly respected in the community for providing accurate and timely information.

Kilbane is a respected and rising star in the poker broadcasting world. He works as a commentator for Triton Poker and frequently appears on major live streams, bringing a thoughtful and analytical style to his coverage. Henry arrived in Taipei earlier this week to commentate on the APT Live Stream.

Day 2 Of The Main Event

"Kev and Henry, good to see you at the APT Championship here in Taipei. First of all, Kev, you've been here a while, the whole series, I think Henry, you've just, you've just got in, right?"

Henry, "Just got in, yeah, a couple of days ago."

"I'm definitely impressed with what the APT has done, and the whole APT. You know, it's a new era that they've basically been building for three years to get to this particular moment.," were Kev's general thoughts on the current APT situation.

On taking the risk of a huge guarantee freezeout tournament, Kev commented, "They stuck their necks out there, you know, having a $10k freezeout, single entry and putting out a $5 million guarantee, and they're beating it by over a million dollars, which is very impressive."

"I've been very impressed by the overall operation," he added.

"They've been growing slowly over the past few years, so they're definitely on the up, as it were," were his thoughts on the growth of the APT in general.

"No, I don't think they need my help in regards to tournament organizing. They've got Neill [Johnson] and Tyler [Willse], who are veterans of the industry, and they've done a great job, having so many events and also a diverse amount of events, and not just all hold'em," stated Kev on his role in coming to Taipei to give the APT some pointers.

"They've got price points from $50,000 to $100, so they're basically hitting every market, and you don't really see that. We're not going to see that in Vegas. They are basically a bunch of USD 2,500 and upwards. So, APT is doing a good thing with catering to everyone," he added regarding the diverse offerings at APT festivals.

Poker Commentator Henry Kilbane

"Over to you, Henry, your thoughts on the main event obviously, and some of the players that we've seen roll out here? And your thoughts on the APT for the future going forward?"

"I just want to quickly second what Kev said there because I think that is the main thing that APT really does well in creating the grassroots poker market, and I think that's why you just have the amount of unique entries that you have here. "

"I think it's incredible, you know, in regards to some of the players that they're catering to, on the more, let's say, well-known players or the high rollers, I think a 39-runner, USD 50k, single re-entry might I add, unlike some of the events that I've covered where you can fire five to six bullets, and getting 33 unique entries" were Kilbane's thoughts on the recent Superstar Championship event.

"As well as 81 runners in the USD 25k," he added, "I think it's a testament to what is going to come, and the fact that you've got the likes of Erik Seidel and other superstars who are willing to travel all this way to come and play these events".

The APT Championship Gold Lion Trophy

"It is going to create a domino effect going forward, it wouldn't surprise me if we're hosting two to three of these per year going forward, and I think the onus is on the rest of the industry step up now," were Henry's thoughts on things going forward.

"I don't think anyone is trying to compete, but the Asian market is much bigger than the European market, so I think the fact that, if I speak specifically about the USD 25K, or about the USD 50K, they've got more runners than some of the other stops do in their high roller events.

He added, "I think they do a great job, but the fact that they're already hitting these numbers and we're in a market that has a much bigger population than Europe, I think it's only a matter of time."

"Excellent, cheers guys. Any closing words?"

Kev, "Nothing I can think of".

"I love Kev Math" came Henry's reply.

"We all love Kev Math Henry! And of course Henry Kilbane!"

Thanks for your time Kev Math, and Henry Kilbane, and keep up all the amazing work you are both doing for the poker communities around the globe.