The opening day of the PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) has concluded with 40 of the 73 starters progressing to day two in the ANZPT Adelaide Main Event.

On a blisteringly hot Adelaide day, the best players from across the region chilled out in the Adelaide Casino Poker Zone where the day 1A field included a pair of PokerStars.net Team Australia Pros (Emad Tahtouh and Grant Levy, both of who were eliminated) along with defending ANZPT Adelaide champion Karl Krautschneider and top online performers Jonathan Karamalikis and Ben Delaney.

After seven one-hour levels, PokerStars Qualifier Bruno Da Silva finished atop the chip count with 85,275. Incredibly, two sets of twins lie inside the top 10 - Da Silva's brother Nuno (65,650) plus the Butcher boys Tod (76,775) and Ben (70,600).

ANZPT Queenstown runner-up Andrew Hinrichsen finished third overall on 71,175 with other notables to advance including Raemin Alexander (70,950), Jonathan Karamalikis (67,425), Matthew Pearson (45,725), Peter Aristidou (44,525), Daniel Neilson (44,400), Ben Delaney (33,600) and Steve Topakas (13,500).

Play continues tomorrow from 12.30pm local time (2am GMT) with day 1B of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event. On such a glorious summer's evening, a plate of seafood and a couple of Coopers by one of Adelaide's beaches sounds just the ticket. See you tomorrow.

Live updates from day 1A, level 7 (blinds 300-600, ante 50) of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Adelaide Casino in Adelaide, South Australia. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

8.30pm: Da Silva da winner ... eventually

Steve Topakas scored a crucial double-up to 22,000 within the last seven hands of the day after he won a flip with [ah] [ks] against an opponent's [8d] [8c] when the dealer spread the board of [6c] [ac] [6s] [7s] [jc].

On the last hand on the day, the same player moved all-in with [kh] [qd] pre-flop. Bruno Da Silva snap-called, revealing pocket aces but the dealer mucked De Silva's hand in a flash, thinking he had announced "fold".

The rest of the table were in uproar and called for a ruling from tournament director David Galpin. All the other players, including the all-in player, vouched for Da Silva, having clearly heard him declare "call" and had revealed the aces (which were one of each colour).

The tournament director ruled in favour of Da Silva and his hand was declared live, however due to Adelaide Casino procedure the cards stayed in the muck. The dealer was then ordered to run out the board, which was spread [jc] [3h] [7h] [5d] [jd], which kept Da Silva ahead all the way and eliminated the opponent, moving Da Silva's stack to more than 85,000.

8pm: Jonathan Karama-like-this

There's no player in better form on the local poker scene than Adelaide's own Jonathan Karamalikis. Firmly entrenched among the upper echelon of Australia's online tournament players over the past years, he's rapidly building an equally impressive live record.

After finishing runner-up in the $1000 No Limit Hold'em event at the 2009 Aussie Millions, he went one better last month with victory in the $1500 No Limit Hold'em Bounty tournament for a payout of more than $120,000, along with his fifth-place in the $100,000 buy-in event.

After a slow start to the day, Karamalikis has charged to 75,000 in chips after eliminating PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Emad Tahtouh. After Tahtouh raised to 1500 from early position pre-flop and an opponent called before he re-raised to 3900.

Tahtouh was the only caller and he check-raised all in for the remainder of his stack on a flop of Q-6-4. Karamalikis snap-called, showing pocket aces and the turn and river bricked, sending the last PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro in today's field to the rail.

7.30pm: Tahtouh says thank you

The remaining PokerStars.net Team Australia Pros Tony Hachem and Eric Assadourian, together with The Poker Star winner Amanda De Cesare, have just popped in to check on the progress of play late on day 1A of the ANZPT Adelaide Main Event.

They were here to see their short-stacked teammate Emad Tahtouh placed on Steve Topakas' black list after he crippled "The Big Show" down to 8000 in chips. The money was all in pre-flop; Tahtouh had tabled [ad] [kh] and found himself flipping for his tournament life against Topakas who showed [jd] [jc].

However the dealer spread the board of [4c] [4s] [3c] [qd] [kc], doubling Tahtouh up to 22,000. "Yes, I doubled through The Big Shoe!" Tahtouh exclaimed. "It's The Big SHOW," Topakas shot back sternly.

We're still awaiting final word play will be stretched an extra 30 minutes beyond the end of level seven, with 47 of the 73 starters still seated although there are plenty of short stacks in evidence.

Live updates from day 1A, level 6 (blinds 200-400, ante 50) of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Adelaide Casino in Adelaide, South Australia. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

7pm: A haven from the heat

After a tight start to the day, the rate of eliminations is starting to pick up as we prepare to tick into the final level of play on day 1A of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event. On a stinking hot Adelaide evening, many have sought the cool of Adelaide Casino to watch the final stages of play on the opening day of the 2010 ANZPT season.

Andrew Hinrichsen remains the chip leader on 74,000 with the Da Silva twins Bruno (63,000) and Nuno (59,500) along with Peter Aristidou (50,000) close behind. The remaining PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro in today's field, Emad Tahtouh, is in survival mode with just 11,000 in chips.

6.30pm: Putt shut, Spano spent

It's two-up Tuesday here at Adelaide casinos - two lots of twins and now a double elimination involving Australia's Robert Spano and New Zealand poker icon Graeme 'Kiwi G' Putt.

The money was all in pre-flop with Spano the big favourite after tabling [kh] [kc] against Putt's [ac] [js] and the [ad] [kd] of Australian PokerStars Qualifier Ricky Kroesen. "No ace, no ace," Spano cried repeatedly, turning his back to the table.

The flop came down [as] [9s] [4d] before the [8s] spiked on the turn, giving Putt the flush draw but he missed when the [ah] fell on the river. Though 'Kiwi G' had made trips, he was outkicked by Kroesen and thus joined Spano on the rail.

6.15pm: Two pair better than one pair

As if it's not rare enough to have twins playing in a poker tournament, we've just discovered that a second set of twins are charging towards day two of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event.

Hailing from the Queensland capital of Brisbane, 32-year-old twin brothers Bruno and Nuno De Silva have been playing poker for five years, regularly hosting a home game on Tuesday nights with their mates. When they're not playing poker, they're working together running a locksmith business.

Bruno qualified for this event via a $16 rebuy event on PokerStars and after Nuno got the good news, he decided to follow his brother down to Adelaide and buy in directly. They're expecting some of their friends to come on down in the next couple of days for the event - could the ANZPT Adelaide title be heading to Queensland?

Live updates from day 1A, level 5 (blinds 150-300, ante 25) of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Adelaide Casino in Adelaide, South Australia. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

6pm: Shop 'til you drop

Accessibility to all the major tourist attractions and amenities in Adelaide is quick and easy. With Adelaide Casino located directly above the Adelaide Central Railway Station, a train, tram or bus ride will get you just about anywhere.

However, walking is by far the most efficient transportation option for getting around the city, particularly if you're going to spend your hard-earned at Adelaide's major shopping precinct, Rundle Mall. Here's Landon Blackhall's quick guide on Australia's first pedestrian mall and one of the quirkiest shopping strips in the country:

• As you enter Rundle Mall from King William Road, you'll see the Beehive Corner on your left, a building constructed in a similar style to the neo-gothic architecture of Adelaide's churches, once owned by the mall's namesake, John Rundle, who was one of the early settlers who helped developed the colony of South Australia.

• A quarter of the way up the mall, you'll see the first of two famous sculptures - four bronze pigs named Truffles, Oliver, Augusta and Horatio, rummaging through a rubbish bin. Proceed further up the mall to Gawler Place and you'll come to Rundle Arcade, rumoured to be haunted by ghosts.

• You'll then notice another glistening sculpture further ahead, directly opposite Adelaide Central Plaza - standing at more than four metres in height, the aptly-named Spheres, designed by Australian artist Bert Flugelman, are known to the locals as the "Mall's Balls" and is a common meeting place.

• Along the way you'll come across many street performers and buskers, so feel free to spare some change after you've splurged your cash. With 15 arcades housing more than 600 retail outlets and three major department stores, there's plenty to choose from and once you've finished shopping for the day, grab a bite to eat at one of the many bars, cafes and restaurants before heading back to the hotel.

5.30pm: Grant's a goner

It was a quiet exit for PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Grant Levy - after he was moved from his original table, he was eliminated by Australian PokerStars Qualifier Dean Blatt. As Blatt recalled to us, he raised preflop with A-K and Levy shoved the rest of his short stack over the line with A-J.

Blatt called and made trips on the flop of K-K-J, which was good all the way down the rest of the board to send the 2007 PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final champion to the rail. Meanwhile, teammate Emad Tahtouh is hanging tough on 21,000 after falling to less than 10,000 in the early going.

5.15pm: Hinrichsen running hot

Players have just returned from their second break of the day with 62 of the 73 starters still in contention for a day two berth in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event.

After finishing runner-up to Danny Chevalier in the ANZPT Queenstown Main Event last July, 22-year-old Andrew Hinrichsen has signalled his intentions to right that statistic by charging to a big chip lead on day 1A. Hinrichsen holds more than 70,000 in chips, and leads from Melbourne's Peter Aristidou. Fresh from his victory in yesterday's $1100 No Limit Hold'em event, Aristidou is on 55,000.

Live updates from day 1A, level 4 (blinds 100-200, ante 25) of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Adelaide Casino in Adelaide, South Australia. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

4.45pm: And now the rematch

Steve "The Big Show" Topakas has pegged one back for the Victorians, doubling up to around the starting stack of 20,000 through South Australian Mish Blanusa. Having seen fellow Victorian Tony Paino eliminated after running kings into aces, Topakas had the aces this time, tabling [as] [ac] against Blanusa's [kh] [kc]. The board was spread [6s] [jd] [2s] [ah] [kd]; Topakas also improved to a set on the turn and the river king was merely salt into the wound for Blanusa.

4.30pm: Interstate rivalry simmers

The good old days of State of Origin football clashes between "The Big V" and the "Croweaters" may be long gone, but the rivalry between Victoria and South Australia certainly hasn't died. Tony Paino got the last of his short stack into the middle with pocket kings before the flop, but South Australia's John Scardigno snap-called with pocket aces, improving to a set of aces on the turn to eliminate Paino.

Scardigno gave him a parting shot as he headed to the rail in alleged revenge of Paino's trash talk when he was on the table. Paino looked livid, but Adelaide Casino tournament director David Galpin was quick to settle their dispute and issue Scardigno with a warning. Paino's good mate and fellow Victorian Steve "The Big Show" Topakas is now trading words with SA's Mish Blanusa and as a result, a supervisor has been placed on peacekeeping duties over their table.

4pm: Two of a kind

It would be easy for the players in today's Day 1A flight to think they were seeing double - as it turns out, we have twin brothers Ben and Todd Butcher seated in the opening session of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event.

Apart from sharing a passion for poker, the 39-year-old twins own and run a tanning salon in the Adelaide suburb of West Beach. Both of them bought directly into the tournament, however Ben is the more experienced of the two, having been playing for four years while Todd has been playing for two years.

That's not to say Todd's been left behind - he's chalked up one cash on Ben during the preliminary events here at the Adelaide Casino, taking fourth place for $1300 in the $265 Bounty Freezeout event. He's also the twin with the most chips, currently on 46,000 while Ben is on 34,000.

Live updates from day 1A, level 3 (blinds 100-200) of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Adelaide Casino in Adelaide, South Australia. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

3.30pm: Size matters

PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Emad Tahtouh just announced that he is chip leader - based purely on quantity. Tahtouh has moved past the 100-chip mark, totalling 15,300. However his tablemate Andrew Hinrichsen is not far behind with 78 chips, but the value is much higher (68,300). This is now a running gag as other players on nearby tables are getting in on their game, exchanging lower denominations to try and take the "lead".

3.15pm: Sporting spotlight shines on SA

Adelaide punches above its weight in many regards, with no better example than the sporting realm. The city was the host venue for the Australian Grand Prix from 1985-1995 until the race was "stolen" by Melbourne. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong's first race after coming out of retirement was the Tour Down Under, which winds its way through the Adelaide and surrounding districts.

And barely a stone's throw from Adelaide Casino is the Adelaide Oval, which is widely regarded as one of the world's premier cricket arenas. The ground is hosting a One-day International match today between Australia and West Indies but given a choice, we'd pick the air-conditioned comfort of the Poker Zone over a seat in the outer as the mercury hovers around 35°C.

3pm: Three ladies bring smile to Tahtouh

PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Emad Tahtouh made a rocky start but chipped up in the last hand on his table before the break, eliminating an opponent in the process. The opponent moved all-in with [8s] [8c] before the flop, but Tahtouh snap-called with [qs] [qc]. The dealer produced the [4h] in the window, then the [8d] trailed behind before the [qd] appeared - set over set! The turn and river ran out [10d], [kd], sending the opponent to the rail and gave Tahtouh a much needed boost to his stack. He's now on 14,000 in chips.

Live updates from day 1A, level 2 (blinds 75-150) of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Adelaide Casino in Adelaide, South Australia. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

2.45pm: Boxell bows out

It's unusual to see too many players so early in a tournament, and even stranger to see two depart on the same hand so it was with dismay that we watched a huge hand between Andrew Hinrichsen, Leo Boxell and another opponent with the board reading [7s] [2s] [4d] [ac]. Hinrichsen shipped the rest of his stack over the line, causing Boxell to slam his chips in. The opponent looked over at both players before she announced "all-in".

Hinrichsen tabled [5s] [3s] for the turned wheel, ahead of Boxell who tabled [ad] [7h] for a turned two pair and the opponent's flopped set with [4h] [4c]. A meaningless [5d] fell on the river; Boxell politely shook hands with Hinrichsen before leaving but the other player stormed off angrily. Hinrichsen now has the dominant chip lead over the rest of the field, heading into the first break of the day with 61,300 in chips.

2.30pm: Mountt flattened

Danny Mountt has earned the unwanted title of the first player to be eliminated in season two of the PokerStars.net ANZPT. "The biggest problem I have is that I'm a non-believer," he said as he departed the Adelaide Casino tournament area barely 90 minutes after the first hand had been dealt.

Having first got his money in on the turn with [ad] [10d] on a board that read [jc] [10h] [as] [2s] [6d], he was distraught after seeing his opponent Paul Mann table K-Q for the nut straight. Leaving him with only 50 in chips, we was forced all-in on the big blind on the very next hand, managing to pick up Q-9 and hitting the on the board of [10h] [9h] [5d] [7c] [ad], but ran into Richard Klein's pocket kings, sealing his fate.

2.15pm: Off to a flying start

Adelaide's Steve Baulderstone is ready for take-off, having arrived for today's flight in his trainee pilot uniform. The 27-year-old Adelaide Casino satellite winner from the local suburb of Plympton just started his first year of an Advanced Diploma in Aviation. Bizarrely, he admitted that he's afraid of heights. "I'm always looking for a challenge and to confront my fears," he said.

We also discovered that it wasn't steeling himself for flying that gave him the edge over his opponents. "I actually work as a counsellor right now. From that I learned how to read people and that's helped a lot," he said.

Baulderstone has been playing poker for almost 10 years, both online and live and would be happy to make a deep run in this event: "It's about $70,000 for the course so hopefully I'll win some cash and that'll pay for me to fly!" he said.

1.45pm: Back where it all started

The poker craze has caught casinos around the world on the hop, as the competition for space is fierce. But like most Australian casinos, Adelaide responded to the demand by establishing a 14-table poker space known as the Poker Zone. The room has quite a nice feel, with the rail stretching to the adjacent sports bar from where friends and family can keep an eye on the goings-on in the tournament area.

Games have been spread here since the casino opened in 1985, with the first Australasian Championships played in 1987. The honourboard of champions includes several of the biggest names in Aussie poker, including WSOP bracelet winner Gary Benson. Now, a new generation of players are making their mark in the spiritual home of Australian poker as they pursue the opening title in season two of the PokerStars.net ANZPT.

Live updates from day 1A, level 1 (blinds 50-100) of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from Adelaide Casino in Adelaide, South Australia. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.

1.15pm: 75, and counting

ANZPT head honcho Danny McDonagh has indicated that players face a maximum of seven and a half one-hour levels today, with a start bank of 20,000. The current tally of entrants for day 1A is at 75. The structure for today's play is:

Level 1: 50/100
Level 2: 75/150
Level 3: 100/200
Level 4: 100/200 (ante 25)
Level 5: 150/300 (ante 25)
Level 6: 200/400 (ante 50)
Level 7: 300/600 (ante 75)
Level 8: 400/800 (ante 75)

1pm: Cards are in the air

The players have taken their seats, the order to shuffle up and deal has been given and play is underway in season two of the PokerStars.net ANZPT. Today's line-up features defending ANZPT Adelaide champion Karl Krautschneider has taken his seat today, joining PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Emad Tahtouh, sharing space with 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final third-place finisher Leo Boxell and ANZPT Queenstown runner-up Andrew Hinrichsen.

Ben Barclay, who placed 14th in last year's ANZPT Sydney Main Event, is on table five, along with good mates Tony Paino and Steve "The Big Show" Topakas. Late arrivals for today's flight have included PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Grant Levy, 2010 Aussie Millions $1500 Bounty Event champion Jonathan Karamalikis and Australia's new number one ranked online player Ben Delaney.

12.30pm: Hachem accepts 2009 title

It's been a whirlwind start to the day before a card has been dealt on day 1A of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event. PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Tony Hachem has just been presented with his trophy for winning the 2009 ANZPT Player of the Year title. The ever-popular Hachem cashed in four of the five season one events, making him a fitting ambassador for the tour heading into season two.

"In season one, PokerStars.net added fabulous value to the ANZPT with almost AUD $100,000 in prizes awarded to the three players who achieved the highest points at all ANZPT events. As overall points champion I'm thrilled to be wearing PokerStars.net in season four of the APPT," Hachem said.

It's also just been announced that Canberra has been added to the 2010 ANZPT calendar, with the $2200 Main Event being held from June 11-14. From 1996 until 2002, the National Championships were played in the nation's capital so it's great news that poker is returning to Canberra Casino later this year.

Welcome to season two of the PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) from Adelaide, the most populous city of South Australia. It's another stunning summer's morning but with the mercury tipped to top 100°F (38°C), we're looking forward to taking our seats on media row in the cool of Adelaide Casino for the opening day of the ANZPT for 2010.

Adelaide has a superb setting, surrounded by open parkland separating the business heart from the suburbs and is sheltered on a narrow coastal plain between the protective ring of the Adelaide Hills and the Gulf of St Vincent.

The city features many colonial-era buildings including the historic Railway Station, which is also home to Adelaide Casino. Opened in 1985, the casino quickly became the spiritual home of Australian poker as the host venue for the Australasian Championships from 1987 until 2001.

Appropriately, Adelaide hosted the first event in the inaugural season of the ANZPT and has again been chosen as the host casino for the opening tournament of the region's premier poker tour. Season two of the ANZPT has been extended to six events, with Perth joining Adelaide, Sydney, Queenstown, the Gold Coast and Melbourne.

Last year, more than 1300 players from around the Australia and the rest of the world took to the felt to claim a piece of the AUD $2,982,436 prize pool. Here in Adelaide, Melbourne's Karl Krautschneider beat a field of 215 to earn himself a payday of AUD $170,215 in the first major event held in Adelaide since the days of the Australasian Championships.

ANZPT commissioner Danny McDonagh is hoping those numbers will be surpassed in 2010 as word spreads about the experience provided by the tour. In addition to the prize money and prestigious titles up for grabs, there's a renewed focus on the travel aspects of the ANZPT in 2010, with the opportunity for all players and their friends and families to experience the best aspects of each tour stop.

And the ultra-popular ANZPT Player of the Year award returns this year - PokerStars.net added fabulous value to the ANZPT with almost AUD $100,000 in prizes awarded to the three players who achieved the highest points at all ANZPT events.

"The ANZPT provides Australian and New Zealand poker players with a professionally-executed tour in their own backyard. The ANZPT Player of the Year is now clearly the most coveted poker award in this region. It provides the opportunity for poker players to prove their skills consistently over time, enjoy great experiences playing across Australia and New Zealand, and gain the big prize - a valuable sponsorship with PokerStars.net," McDonagh said.

Reigning ANZPT Player of the Year, PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Tony Hachem, was front and centre at last night's traditional Aussie barbecue along with teammates Emad Tahtouh, Eric Assadourian and Grant Levy. They'll headline a field of top Australian and New Zealand players, along with PokerStars.net qualifiers from across the world.

We look forward to bringing you all the action from the South Australian capital for ANZPT Adelaide over the next six days - the first event on the second season of the PokerStars.net ANZPT. Cards should be in the air at approximately 12.15pm local time (1.45am GMT).