Players take home a AUD$2,982,436 total prize pool with ANZPT Season 1 – posted 08.09.09
Season 1 of the PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT), finished its six month tour as the richest poker tournament for players to enter across Australia and New Zealand.
A massive 1,309 players from around the world took to the felt to claim a piece of the AUD$2,982,436 prize pool that ANZPT Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Queenstown and Queensland events made in total.
Players who made it to the final table and won all earned over AUD$4,000 and came from a diverse range of backgrounds and ages.
In February, Karl Krautschneider beat a field of 215 to earn himself a payday of AUD$170,215 and became the youngest player to win an ANZPT event. In April, it was the turn of 25-year-old student Paren Arzoomanian to make his mark, after he took down ANZPT Sydney for AUD$246,500. Elated to win in front of his home crowd, Poker businessman Chris Levick took first prize at Melbourne, winning AUD$158,050. Then, last month, it was the turn of Daniel Chevalier to walk away with the top prize of NZD$87,435 after he beat a field of 134.
Finally, the ANZPT Season 1 concluded when 21-year old card dealer Scott Kerr won AUD $168,000.
The ANZPT has generated unrivalled interest in poker throughout Australia and New Zealand and Season 2 is due to start February 9-14 2010 in Adelaide.
21-year old card dealer wins AUD $168,000 as ANZPT Final Champion – posted 08.09.09
Tonight 21 year old Aussie Scott Kerr pocketed a massive AUD $168,000 to become the newest PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) Final champion, outplaying 249 rivals over the past four days.
Cheered on in front of his by his father, Kerr, a card dealer from Newcastle, NSW, Australia showed he knows a thing or two about what's happening on the other side of the table.
The heads-up contest featured a pair of PokerStars Qualifiers - Kerr versus New Zealander Phillip Willcocks. This was the first time the two nations that host the ANZPT were featured in a heads-up contest on the tour.
The final hand came not long after when Willcocks raised to 75,000 from the buck; Kerr made it 350,000 to and Willcocks insta-shoved for around 1.4 million. Kerr snap-called with Ah-Qc and Willcocks' suited QJs. A Qh paired both players but Kerr's Ace kicker held out.
Kerr looked stunned as the enormity of his win and AUD $168,075 prize started to sink in, while Willcocks looked well pleased with his AUD $112,050 for second.
This tournament ends the first season of the PokerStars.net ANZPT. Season 2 of ANZPT will return February 9-14 2010 when Adelaide plays host once again to the inaugral event of the season.
The standings for the final eight of the Main Event are as follows:
| Name | Country | PokerStars Status | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Kerr | Australia | PokerStars Qualifier | 1 | 168075.00 |
| Phillip Willcocks | New Zealand | PokerStars Qualifier | 2 | 112050.00 |
| Joel Dodds | Australia | Direct Buy-in | 3 | 62250.00 |
| Shoshiro Karita | Australia | PokerStars Player | 4 | 49800.00 |
| Scott Smith | Australia | Direct Buy-in | 5 | 40462.50 |
| Danny Joukhadar | Australia | Direct Buy-in | 6 | 31125.00 |
| Paul Gibson | Australia | Direct Buy-in | 7 | 21787.50 |
| Lee Fraser | England | PokerStars Qualifier | 8 | 16496.25 |
Final table set for ANZPT Gold Coast – posted 08.08.09
The final 40 players returned to continue play today and for the first time all players were at the same venue, Conrad Jupiters Casino Gold Coast, to decide the final eight.
Action was fast and furious early in the day as the bubble was breached in less than two hours.
Reigning Aussie Millions champion and PokerStars qualifier Stewart Scott placed 22nd in the money and the leading female, Linda Tyler, cashed in 20th place for the same payout of $4,668.
Team PokerStars Pro Lee Nelson was eliminated in 15th place for a $6,225 payday. As the day progressed, the remaining 11 players held court for well over an hour and then amazingly three players were eliminated in three consecutive hands to give us a final table of eight.
The overall points competition is very much alive with both Danny Joukhader and Joel Dodds on the final table. Danny wins ANZPT sponsorship for Season 2 if he can win the event, while Joel, the 'monster' chip leader, can deny Danny this sponsorship and even overtake him for third place and sponsorship valued at $10,500 if he finishes a handful of places in front of him.
| Name | Table | Seat | Country | Player Status | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Dodds | 1 | 7 | Australia | Direct Buy in | 1528000 |
| Scott Smith | 1 | 3 | Australia | Direct Buy-in | 806000 |
| Phillip Willcocks | 1 | 2 | New Zealand | PokerStars Qualifier | 536000 |
| Scott Kerr | 1 | 4 | Australia | PokerStars Qualifier | 532000 |
| Lee Fraser | 1 | 5 | England | PokerStars Qualifier | 483000 |
| Danny Joukhadar | 1 | 8 | Australia | Direct Buy in | 431000 |
| Paul Gibson | 1 | 1 | Australia | Direct Buy in | 352000 |
| Shoshiro Karita | 1 | 6 | Australia | PokerStars Player | 239000 |
ANZPT Gold Coast: Field of 40 march on to Day 3 – posted 08.07.09
It was a frenzied day of play here at ANZPT Gold Coast. Two main events ran side by side at different locations with a combined field of 129 starting the day and now we are down to 40.
With payout only to the top 27, tomorrow will be a cruel day for some, while others will be guaranteed a minimum payment of $4,668 – not bad for four days work.
Australian Scott Smith is the man to beat. He stands as chip leader on 261,800 although pegging a close second is fellow countryman Tom Zhou on 260,600. Team PokerStars Pro Lee Nelson is holding his own in 8th with a respectable 177,800.
The average holding stack is around 122,040 with 23 players below the line.
With a top prize of over AUD$168k going to the winner, expect tight play on Day 3, the penultimate day of the ANZPT Season 1 Final.
