October 2010 Archives

It was September 19th when we were in Auckland and writing in awe about the achievements of a New Zealand celebrity fondly referred to simply as "Brotha D". He'd won a celebrity poker event to qualify into the PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Main Event and had gone on to...more

10:28pm: Luke Edwards eliminated in 2nd place; Brotha D Wins ANZPT Darwin! After Brotha D had three-bet preflop a few hands earlier, Luke Edwards decided this time to make a stand. Edwards opened to 60,000 on the button and Brotha D again popped it to 160,000. Rather than folding this...more

9:35pm: Fifteen-minute break 9:30pm: Good time for a break for Edwards In a hand that stretched into the scheduled break, Brotha D has taken another nice pot from Luke Edwards to leave the young gun in trouble when he returns from the break. Brotha D limped from the button before...more

6:10pm: Ten-minute break 6:02pm: Levick avoids the croc bite Chris Levick opened to 30,000 before Billy "The Croc" Argyros popped it to 95,000 next to speak. Action folded around to Levick who thought for a minute or two before folding pocket tens face up. Argyros wasn't impress as he flashed...more

4:00pm: Ten-minute break 3:59pm: Edwards doubles through English On the final hand before the break the action folded around to Luke Edwards in the small blind and he moved all in for his last 89,500. Tim English squeezed his cards in the big blind, liked what he saw, and made...more

1:32pm: Tony Hachem eliminated in 10th place After finding one double up, Tony Hachem was unable to make it two in a row as he pushed stack of 55,000 from the cutoff and Trevor Potts made the call in the big blind. Hachem: Q♣J♠ Potts: A♦7♦ There was no chanting...more

At the start of the week 100 players from all around the world came to the SKYCITY Casino in Darwin for the conclusion of Season 2 of the PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT). As we reach the final frontier just twelve players remain. They are all in the...more

It was a day that ebbed and flowed but one that Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem will be more than satisfied with as he sits down this evening to enjoy the lemon chicken and a refreshing ale at the Dragon Court Chinese restaurant at SKYCITY Darwin Casino. While Hachem will...more

8:08pm: Daniel Laidlaw is the bubble boy as Tony Hachem wins ANZPT Player of the Year! It's all over here for Day 3 action from the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event. While twelve players are celebrating making the money, it's Daniel Laidlaw who becomes the unfortunate bubble boy. Laidlaw moved...more

7:20pm: Fifteen-minute break The end of that level didn't produce any major clashes as all fourteen players have survived to the next break. Tim English and Bruno Portaro are splashing around, Trevor Potts has raised with kings and queens but got no action, while Tony Hachem is continuing to lay...more

5:00pm: Ten-minute break 4:55pm: The unstoppable Brotha D Our chip leader is now none other than Brotha D after a big clash with fellow big stack Mark Chin. Brotha D raised to 8,500 from early position and Chin called to see a flop of 9♣8♣4♣. Brotha D check-called for 15,000...more

2:43pm: Fifteen-minute break 2:40pm: Tony K hits the highway Tony Kanochkin was our 100th and final registration into this tournament, but we hope he enjoyed the two free night's accommodation at the SKYCITY Darwin Casino, as his tournament has ended just short of the money. Kanochkin was all in for...more

For many years, the Northern Territory was well known as one of the only locations in the world where there were no speed restrictions on its roads. That's right, with hundreds of kilometres between outback towns, it was perfectly legal to speed along as fast as you wanted to. Of...more

Table 1 Seat 1: Jie Gao (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 101,300 Seat 2: Ben Savage (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 82,400 Seat 3: Tony Kanochkin (Australia)- 46,700 Seat 4: Trevor Potts (Australia) - 44,800 Seat 5: Nicholas Ergos (Australia) - 87,900 Seat 6: Joel Feldman (Australia) - 77,100 Seat 7: Christian...more

5:50pm: That's a wrap It was a crazy end to the day but we've reached the end to Day 2 of play here at the ANZPT Darwin Main Event. 32 players will return tomorrow to battle it down to the final table. Our chip leader is Byron Henderson who ended...more

4:50pm: Fifteen-minute break 4:35pm: Edelstein doubles through English Morry Edelstein has found a double through our chip leader Tim English. Edelstein moved his last 16,200 in preflop with A♥T♦ as English made the call holding J♣J♦. The board landed 4♦4♠3♣A♦Q♦ to pair up Edelstein's ace for a double up to...more

2:35pm: Fifteen-minute break 2:30pm: Kroesen crashes Ricky Kroesen is another young gun to crash and burn this afternoon as things start to heat up in Darwin. Earlier in the day Kroesen mention to us that he'd accidentally folded the winning hand at showdown, and from that point a rattled Kroesen...more

Another day one flight of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event is in the books. It was the third and final opportunity for players to take a shot at ANZPT glory, and with the rains lurking above Darwin today it was the perfect day for some poker. With 32 players...more

Day 2 Table Draw Table 1 Seat 1: Clint Dixon (Australia) - 65,600 Seat 2: Aaron Benton  (Australia) (PokerStars Sponsored Player) - 29,825 Seat 3: Josh Barrett  (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 15,475 Seat 4: Doug Stanes (Australia) - 20,525 Seat 5: Serge Mazza (Switzerland) - 46,750 Seat 6: Stephen Holloway (Australia)...more

6:05pm: Play concludes That's a wrap from Day 1C of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event. 24 of our original 33 entrants have survived the day and will return tomorrow as all players will be together in the SKYCITY Casino for the first time. The story of the day is...more

4:55pm: Ten-minute break 4:50pm: Big slick for Maklouf With the flop reading 7♣K♣8♦ Matthew Spratt checked to John Maklouf who fired a bet of 1,300. Spratt called and the 5♦ hit the turn. Again Spratt quickly checked to Maklouf who tossed out another 3,000. Spratt again made the call and...more

2:40pm: Fifteen-minute break 2:35pm: Rotar recovers Catching the action on a flop of 3♥4♠A♠, PokerStars qualifier Morry Edelstein checked it over to Sam Rotar on the button who bet out 525. Edelstein made the call and the 4♥ hit the turn. Again Edelstein checked it over to Rotar who released...more

Another five levels have been played out on the felt of the SKYCITY Darwin Casino with 22 of the original 31 Day 1b entrants surviving to see another day. We only saw nine casualties with Nick Putt the first to hit the rail, with other notables Rennie Carnevale and Michael...more

6:05pm: Day 1b is in the books That's a wrap from Day 1b of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event. It looks like the UK's Anthony Flanagan will bag up the largest stack of the day with around 74,000, ahead of Clint Dixon (66,000) and Daniel Laidlaw (52,000) as 22...more

4:50pm: Fifteen-minute break 4:40pm: Two more bite the dust We've just lost another two players as the speed of eliminations seems to be a little quicker than what we saw yesterday. First to go was Daniel Heidekorn who lost a race with his A♣K♠ against the T♣T♦ of Jason Lambert....more

2:35pm: Fifteen-minute break 2:30pm: Rennie misses Rennie Carnevale is one of the contenders in the ANZPT Player of the Year race, but he's chances of securing one of the top three prizes have just taken a huge blow after doubling up the short stack of Philippe Bitar. The chips went...more

After a fast and furious five levels of play, Day 1A of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event has come to a close. We only saw ten eliminations in that five hours of play as our field of 36 players was reduced to just 26 who will return on Thursday...more

6:10pm: That's a wrap! After a whirlwind five levels of play, we're done on Day 1A of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event. 26 players have survived the day with young gun Andrew Hinrichsen steamrolling his way to 73,026 in chips and our Day 1A chip lead. His nearest rivals...more

4:55pm: Ten-minute break 4:50pm: Flatting and chopping the nuts Another bizarre hand has seen Michael O'Grady and Peter Talias chopping with the nuts as Agi Agapitos was the player stuck in the middle. We caught the action on the turn with Agapitos firing a bet of 1,000 from the big...more

2:40pm: Ten-minute break 2:38pm: Done-woodie Sean Dunwoodie is the first notable casualty of the day after his flush draw was picked off by Byron Henderson. The chips went in on a flop of 9♣A♦2♣ with Dunwoodie pushing with 8♣6♣ but Henderson made the tough call with 9♥6♠ for middle pair....more

You'll never, never know, if you never, never go! For years, the motto of the Northern Territory teased tourists with a holiday destination that is like no other. Iconic landscapes, rugged outback ranges, spectacular national parks, a rich indigenous culture and abundant wildlife - this is Australia's true outback. We...more

What an amazing three days of poker we've witnessed here in the Crown Poker Room. Tournament poker is alive and well in this country when we can produce quality fields and exciting final tables like the one that we've enjoyed this evening. In the end it became a battle of...more

9:25pm: James Obst eliminated in 2nd place; Martin Kozlov wins! It's all over and our new ANZPT Champion is Martin Kozlov! The final hand came when Kozlov opened the button to 125,000. James Obst responded with a three-bet to 350,000 to send Kozlov into the tank. He came out with...more

6:50pm: Dinner break The players will now be taking a 40-minute dinner break. See you back at 7:30pm local time! 6:42pm: Min-raising shenanigans James Obst min-raised to 80,000 from under the gun and David Chilcott called in the big blind. They saw a flop of Q♠6♣J♦ and both players checked....more

4:35pm: Ten-minute break 4:34pm: Daniel Laidlaw eliminated in 9th place On the stroke of the next break of the day we've lost Daniel Laidlaw in 9th place. He battled valiantly with a short stack all day but he couldn't find the same fortune as his fellow short stacks. Laidlaw made...more

2:25pm: Ten-minute break It's been slow going for our final table, with Ted Nguyen remaining pretty active and the short stacks playing a little cat and mouse to try and jump up the pay brackets. Hopefully a break will wake everyone up a bit! 2:02pm: Obst flushed with chips Ted...more

Even though we are still two eliminations away from the final table, we present to you the player profiles of the eleven remaining players who return on the final day of play as we look to crown the 2010 PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne champion! Kristina Jeney, Sydney, New South Wales, (960,000...more

Day 2 of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne Main Event started out with 105 hopefuls returning to the Crown Poker Room with the objective of reaching the final table. It was always going to be a long road, and for many, the minefields were too much to overcome. PokerStars WCOOP bracelet...more

11:45pm: Silk succumbs on final hand of the day The action didn't stop until the final hand was dealt with Danny Silk and Raj Ramakrishnan getting busy on the last hand of the evening. The chips were in preflop with Silk's J♦J♠ up against the A♥K♣ of Ramakrishnan. With Silk's...more

9:30pm: Ten-minute break 9:15pm: Fava races out the door Lose too many races and tournament poker becomes very tough. Just ask Andrew "Dash" Fava who just lost consecutive races to be bundled out of the tournament. He tried both sides of the coin too. First he went with the pair...more

6:30pm: Dinner break The 34 remaining players are now taking a one-hour dinner break. See you back here at 7:30pm local time. 6:25pm: And the bustouts begin... We lost Adam Monaghan in 36th place when he moved his short stack in preflop with A♠J♠ against the J♦J♥ of Andrew Scarf....more

4:20pm: Ten-minute break 4:18pm: Neilson busts Caridad in monsterpotten! Moments before the break, a massive pot unfolded on table 32 and once again it was Dan Neilson who was in the thick of things with the biggest pot of the tournament to date. In a re-raised pot it was Neilson...more

2:10pm: Ten-minute break 1:50pm Hachem and the Hippo We've just lost a couple of big names from today's event. Ali Khalil was eliminated from the feature table after losing his battle with his short stack. He moved all in preflop with Q♥T♥ but ran into an opponent's A♦A♣. The flop...more

Australia is a country with a proud sporting tradition, and this is no more evident than the utter dominance of our team over at the Commonwealth Games which is currently in full swing in Delhi. Despite the limited opposition we love nothing more than winning every medal on offer in...more

Sometimes a sporting event brings a real air of anticipation. It's a rare feeling of nervous excitement at the prospect of the best coming together to produce a battle for the ages. Melbourne is no stranger to great sporting moments and today's play at the PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker...more

11:40pm: That's a wrap; Obst out in front! With the last three hands proving rather uneventful that wraps up our day here in the Crown Poker Room on Day 1 of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne Main Event. Ryan McKay teased us with the chip lead, but in the end it...more

9:30pm: Ten-minute break 9:25pm: Lunardi flushed PokerStars qualifier and Dutchman Roel Pijpers has just sent local young gun Kristian Lunardi to the rail. The action went down on a flop of K♣J♦4♦ when Lunardi fired a bet and then called the all-in shove of his opponent. Lunardi table J♣K♠ for...more

6:30pm: Dinner break The players are now going to stretch their legs and satisfy their stomachs as the dinner bell has rung. We've lost approximately one-third of the field so far today, with around 200 players set to return in sixty minutes at 7:30pm local time. See you then! 6:28pm:...more

4:20pm: Ten-minute break 4:00pm: Bower busts Marsland Western Australia's Dale Marsland has been sent to the rail after his aggressive style got the better of him in a clash with Brad Bower. Bower opened to 500 from under the gun before Marsland made it 1,700. Bower called and they saw...more

2:10pm: Ten-minute break 1:45pm: Croc out We've lost our first big name pro from this event as Billy "The Croc" Argyros has been eliminated at the hands of Chris Bonato. Argyros raised it to 600 with one caller before Bonato raised to 2,100. Argyros re-raised all in for his last...more

The PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) has ventured south to the city of Melbourne for the penultimate event of Season Two. We're in the beautiful confines of the Crown Casino for the next three days as the $2,700 PokerStars.net ANZPT Melbourne Main Event is set to fill the...more