Yet Auckland appears to have been just the first chapter in the poker career of Danny Leaoasavaii.

It was great to see Brotha D make an appearance in Darwin this week, as he looked to play more events on the tour with his good form, confidence and newly found bankroll. Darwin was an attractive holiday destination but Brotha D hasn't had much chance to see the sights as he's spent most of the week laying the beats down on his opponents in the SKYCITY Darwin Casino in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event.

After making it safely through day one with a healthy stack, Brotha D decided to jump into the $550 No Limit Holdem side event and proceeded to take it down. Fast forward four days and he's collected his second trophy in a week!

Of course, poker wasn't meant to be easy, and Brotha D found himself in plenty of tough spots during the tournament. However he will look back at a couple of key moments that helped him reach the final day of play today.

Making quads aces on the third hand of day three against Clayton Dwyer's pocket kings got Brotha D's stack moving in the right direction before the elimination of Stephen Holloway was the stroke of luck that Brotha D needed. It was Brotha D's king-queen up against Holloway's pocket kings but a pair of ladies hit the board for a dramatic elimination.

It helped Brotha D progress towards the final day of play where he entered as the third largest stack in the field. He maintained his position as the final table was formed as Ben Savage, Angelo Limanis and newly-crowned ANZPT Player of The Year Tony Hachem all fell short of the final stage.

From there Brotha D took control on a tough final table that included Australian Poker Hall of Famers, previous ANZPT champions and several young online guns.

Brotha D picked his spots and showed that he wasn't afraid to mix it up, with some big cards combined with some well-timed bluffs keeping his opponents on their toes.

Bruno Portaro got short and was the first to go in 9th place as Brotha D claimed the chip lead when his pocket aces clipped Jie Gao. Brotha D then picked up pocket kings to eliminate Trevor Potts in 8th but he had to do it the hard way, as Potts spiked an ace on the turn holding ace-jack but Brotha D found a two-outer king on the river.

Things then tightened up as the seven remaining players jostled for position. The short stacks were moving chips as Brotha D sat on his chip lead. Billy "The Croc" Argyros opened the floodgates when he fell in 7th, quickly followed by Anthony Flanagan in 6th when his ace-queen couldn't improve against Brotha D's pocket fives. Tim English fell in 5th followed by Chris Levick in 4th place as suddenly we were three-handed.

Meanwhile Luke Edwards had been fighting hard to stay in contention with his short stack, but it always seemed to be one step forwards, two steps back for the young Melbourne player. Eventually he found some momentum and when he turned a flush to bust Jie Gao's flopped straight, he found himself in the chip lead heads up with Brotha D.

However major tournament titles are not won easily and the heads-up battle was an intense affair. Both players had chances to win the title, with Brotha D's double check-raise with an open-ended straight draw missing the mark, while Edwards' flopped set didn't deliver a full house after Brotha D had turned a straight.

The tides eventually turned the way of the Kiwi, and when Edwards pushed preflop with king-queen, Brotha D made the call with ace-seven and another ace on the flop was enough to take it down.

October 30th. Just six weeks since his breakthrough victory in Auckland and Brotha D is lifting yet another major poker trophy as the ANZPT Darwin champion. So much for being an "amateur" poker player. He becomes the first player to win both APPT and ANZPT titles, and the first non-Australian to win an ANZPT title. Congratulations Brotha D!

Final Results:
1st Danny 'Brotha D' Leaoasavaii - $57,000
2nd Luke Edwards (PokerStars Qualifier) - $37,000
3rd Jie Gao (PokerStars Qualifier) - $21,500
4th Chris Levick (PokerStars Sponsored) - $18,000
5th Tim English - $15,000
6th Anthony Flanagan - $12,000
7th Billy "The Croc" Argyros - $10,000
8th Trevor Potts - $8,000
9th Bruno Portaro - $6,500
10th Tony Hachem (Team PokerStars Pro) - $5,000
11th Angelo Limanis - $5,000
12th Ben Savage (PokerStars Qualifier) - $5,000

What a week it's been in Darwin as we've made history on so many levels. Besides Brotha D's memorable victory, we've seen a record prize pool for tournament poker in the top end, and Tony Hachem's historic back-to-back Player of The Year honours. Off the felt, qualifiers have enjoyed Kakadu and Lichtfield National Parks, and bar-hopping down Mitchell Street with ANZPT Social Coordinator Danny McDonagh. It's been a week that we'll never forget and we look forward to coming back again next year for something even bigger and better!

That's a "rap" from Darwin and the ANZPT for 2010.

Many thanks to Tony Jackson and his SKYCITY Darwin staff for their wonderful hospitality this week as they've hosted and run a world-class tournament. If you're in Darwin then we highly suggest coming down to the casino and checking out the facilities. You won't be disappointed.

Also many thanks to the efforts of Shane Eecen and Cherry for their wonderful final table photography.

If you're looking for more ANZPT events then don't worry, Season 3 of the ANZPT will be upon us sooner than you think with the SKYCITY Adelaide Casino set to host the opening event once again in early February 2011. Until then many of the region's players will be heading to Macau for the Macau Poker Cup Championships before venturing to the exotic islands of Philippines for the PokerStars.net APPT Cebu.

Until then, thanks for your company and so long from the Top End!

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 time, Edwards decided to move all in. It was an additional 530,000 and Brotha D didn't take too long to make the call.

Edwards: [kh][qs]
Brotha D: [ad][7d]

The window card was ugly for Edwards as the flop landed [ah][jh][5c] to give Brotha D a pair of aces, leaving Edwards to a gutshot ten or runners to stay alive. The [3c] turn didn't help and Edwards was left with only four outs. It wasn't to be, as the [4h] completed the board to end his courageous run in 2nd place for a pay day of $37,000.

That leaves Brotha D as our ANZPT Darwin champion. He becomes the first Kiwi to win an ANZPT title and creates history as the first to win both APPT and ANZPT titles. Even more incredibly is that he's achieved this feat within a matter of weeks.

A huge congratulations to Brotha D who takes home the trophy, a massive novelty cheque and $57,000 in prize money.

We'll be back with a complete wrap of the day's action for you shortly.

10:15pm: Game on!

Luke Edwards is back following a big double up in a preflop clash with Brotha D. Edwards raised to 60,000 from the button before Brotha D popped it up to 160,000. Edwards moved all in for an additional 285,000 and Brotha D made the call.

Edwards: [9d][9h]
Brotha D: [ah][2s]

The board brought a sweat but ultimately was safe for Edwards as it arrived [2d][6s][3s][5h][7d]. Edwards doubled up to 800,000 and it's game on once again!

10:02pm: Brotha D rivers a chop

Luke Edwards raised the button to 60,000 and Brotha D defended his big blind with a call. The flop landed [4h][qd][4d] and both players checked. The turn was the [8d] and Brotha D led out for 90,000. Edwards moved all in over the top for another 332,000 and Brotha D made the call.

Edwards: [kd][8s]
Brotha D: [7d][8c]

Both tabled a pair and flush draw but Brotha D was in bad shape as he was behind on both counts. However the river brought the [4c] to give both players fours full of eights and they chop it up!

9:55pm: Edwards straightens up

Luke Edwards limped in from the button and Brotha D checked his option in the big blind to see a flop of [7h][3c][qh]. Brotha D check-called for 30,000 and the turn brought the [6s]. Again Brotha D check-called, this time for 60,000 as the [2h] hit the river and Brotha D decided to lead out with a bet of 125,000.

"Really?" questioned Edwards as he slid out calling chips.

"You got it," replied Brotha D as Edwards revealed [5c][4h] for the straight. Just what he needed to chip back up to 680,000.

9:50pm: Play resumes

The players have returned and the cards are back in the air with the blinds up to 12000-24000 with a 3000 chip ante.

Brotha D holds a comfortable lead with 1.46 million to Luke Edwards' 460,000.

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 Luke Edwards raised it to 70,000 from the big blind. Brotha D made the call and the flop landed [ks][qd][8d]. Both players checked and the [th] hit the turn. Edwards led out for 100,000 before Brotha D raised it to 250,000. Edwards cringed, looked at the tournament clock and made a reluctant fold as the break couldn't have come at a better time.

Edwards is down to just 460,000 with Brotha D now commanding 1.46 million.

9:18pm: Massive flop, small pot for Brotha D

Luke Edwards limped in from the button and Brotha D popped it another 40,000 in the big blind. Edwards made the call and the flop landed [kc][td][5c]. Brotha D fired out 75,000 and Edwards called before both players checked down the [ad] turn and [2s] river.

"I was massive!" exclaimed Brotha D as he opened [tc][9c] for a flopped pair and flush draw, but his pair of tens was enough to collect the pot.

9:10pm: Easy come, easy go

Another huge hand has this time seen Brotha D land a double up to grab the lead back once again. Catching the action on a flop of [kh][jc][3h], Edwards led out for 45,000 from the big blind with Brotha D making the call to see the [td] hit the turn.

Edward fired again for 60,000 before Brotha D announced a raise to 160,000. Edwards confidently declared himself all in and Brotha D snap-called.

Edwards: [3c][3s]
Brotha D: [qc][9s]

Edwards had flopped a set but Brotha D hit his gutterball on the turn to make the straight. Edwards was still a paired-board away from the trophy but it wasn't to be as the [8d] fell on the river. Brotha D doubles to 1.12 million with Edwards back down to 800,000.

9:00pm: Check-raised twice but Edwards doubles up

The momentum has suddenly swung full circle as Luke Edwards has made a remarkable comeback with a huge double up through Brotha D.

It all started with Edwards raising the button to 50,000 with Brotha D making the call. The [9d] was exposed as the burn card before the flop was spread [jd][qh][9c].

Brotha D checked and Edwards fired 65,000. Brotha D announced a check-raise to 165,000 with Edwards making a quick call.

The turn was the [5s] and Brotha D checked again to Edwards who put 160,000 into the middle, leaving himself 320,000 behind. However he was put to the ultimate test as Brotha D check-raised him again by declaring himself all in.

Edwards spent several minutes in deep thought before making the call.

Brotha D: [tc][6d]
Edwards: [qc][9h]

"Good call," sighed Brotha D, but he was still a chance to grab the trophy with his open-ended straight draw as Edwards showed two pair. The river was the [qs] to fill Edwards to a full house as he takes a near 3:1 chip lead with around 1.42 million to Brotha D's 500,000.

8:49pm: Another river raise by Brotha D

Brotha D raised the button to 55,000 and Luke Edwards made the call in the big blind. They checked the board of [4c][4d][jh][7h][jd] to the river and that's when things got interesting.

Edwards led out with a bet of 75,000 but Brotha D responded with a raise to 300,000. Edwards went into the tank for a good three minutes before making a reluctant fold as Brotha D regains the ascendency in this heads-up contest.

Brotha D is up to 1.14 million with Edwards back down to 780,000.

8:35pm: Level up, blinds 10000-20000, ante 2000

8:20pm: Edwards claws some back

Each player committed 60,000 on the flop of [3d][8h][5s] before the [4s] was checked though as the [ad] completed the board on the river. From the big blind, Luke Edwards led out with a bet of 160,000.

"That's so sick!" exclaimed Brotha D before he made a crying call.

Edwards showed [3h][3c] for a set as Brotha D flashed [as][5c] for two pair. Edwards is back up to 820,000 with Brotha D still in front with 1.1 million.

8:12pm: Nice river raise by Brotha D

Brotha D is continuing to get the better of Luke Edwards after winning another big pot at showdown. We caught the action on the turn with Edwards leading out for 40,000 on a board of [6c][2h][kh][jd]. Brotha D called and the river was the [5s]. Edwards came out with another barrel worth 60,000 and Brotha D sat back in his chair as the two exchanged some friendly probing about each other's holdings.

While it appeared that Brotha D was considering a call, he surprised all by announcing a raise of an additional 100,000. Edwards thought for a moment before matching the bet.

"You have a jack eh?" said Brotha D

Edwards nodded and Brotha D revealed [qd][qh] for an excellent river value bet as he slapped the table in delight. Brotha D is up to 1.34 million with Edwards now down to 580,000.

8:00pm: First blood to Brotha

Brotha D has drawn first blood in this heads-up contest, winning a big pot on the river uncontested, before then taking down the first pot that reach showdown.

Luke Edwards raised the button to 35,000 and Brotha D called to see a flop of [qh][2c][6d]. Brotha D checked and Edwards bet 40,000. Brotha D called and the [4h] hit the turn. Brotha D again check-called, this time for 60,000 as the [6c] hit the river. Both players checked it down.

"Ten-high," sighed Edwards as Brotha D revealed [jd][2d] for a lowly pair of ducks which was enough to take it down. Brotha D has now squared it up as both players have about 960,000 each.

7:50pm: Heads-up play commences

The players are back and the cards are in the air with the ANZPT Darwin title and $57,000 on the line.

After being short-stacked for most of this tournament, Luke Edwards will enter heads-up play with the chip lead, holding 1,190,000 chips to Brotha D's 748,000.

7:35pm: Jie Gao eliminated in 3rd place

With all the frantic action with multiple eliminations in a row, we expected the final three players to enjoy a little deep-stacked play. It wasn't to be.

We jumped to the table at the cry of "all in" and "call" as Luke Edwards and Jie Gao had their chips in the middle. The board read [7d][th][jh][2h] when Gao bet out 50,000 and Edwards raised another 70,000. Gao moved all in and Edwards insta-called.

Gao: [9d][8c]
Edwards: [kh][9h]

Gao had flopped the straight but Edwards turned the second nut flush to leave Gao drawing dead as the [jd] completed the board. Edwards had him covered as Gao departed in 3rd place for a collect of $21,500.

There will now be a ten-minute break as everyone catches their breath and the table is setup for heads-up play.

7:30pm: Chris Levick eliminated in 4th place

Chris Levick's quest to become the first player to win multiple ANZPT titles has fallen just short as he has been eliminated in 4th place.

Levick moved all in from the button for around 126,000 and Luke Edwards made the call in the small blind.

Levick: [as][6s]
Edwards: [3c][3s]

It was another huge race but the board favoured Edwards as the board ran out [4c][2d][js][7c][qc]. Levick finishes in 4th place, collecting $18,000 for his efforts as Edwards is now up to 650,000 chips.

7:20pm: Level up, blinds 8000-16000, ante 2000

7:19pm: Tim English eliminated in 5th place

Bang, bang, bang! We've lost another player as Tim English has been eliminated from the tournament in 5th place. He moved all in for around 160,000 over the top of the opening raise of Jie Gao who instantly called.

English: [6c][6s]
Gao: [jh][js]

The board fell [5d][td][9h][qh][ad] to see English pick up $15,000 for his efforts. And then there were four!

7:18pm: Anthony Flanagan eliminated in 6th place

Brotha D opened with a raise to 30,000 before Anthony Flanagan moved all in from the big blind for around 230,000 more. Brotha D took a few moments to deliberate before announcing a call.

Flanagan: [ac][qd]
Brotha D: [5s][5d]

It was a huge flip to win and it went the way of Brotha D as the board ran out [jd][8c][7s][4d][ks]. Flanagan exits in 6th place for $12,000 in prize money as Brotha D moves up to 750,000.

7:11pm: Billy Argyros eliminated in 7th place

Action folded around to Billy "The Croc" Argyros on the button who moved all in for around 120,000 chips with Luke Edwards making the call in the big blind.

Argyros: [ah][3d]
Edwards: [7c][7s]

Crocky couldn't watch as the board was spread [js][th][td][2s][9s]. It left Edwards pair in front to collect the pot and eliminate Argyros in 7th place for a win of $10,000.

7:05pm: Chop it up!

Billy "The Croc" Argyros opened with a raise to 36,000 from under the gun and play folded to Jie Gao in the small blind who moved all in. Arygros insta-called with [ah][kc] to have Gao in trouble with his [as][tc], however the board would arrive [9h][3h][9d][3s][jh] to leave both players to play the two pair on board with their ace kicker. Chop it up!

Meanwhile the high-stakes event has kicked off nearby with some of the entrants including Joel Feldman, Ricky Kroesen, John Maklouf, Leo Boxell, Bruno Portaro, Martin Kozlov and Ben Savage.

6:55pm: Another double for Edwards as Crocky takes a hit

Luke Edwards moved all in preflop from early position and action folded around to Billy "The Croc" Argyros in the bid blind who went into the tank.

Argyros was clearly pained by the decision as he told himself "C'mon Crocky" on several occasions before making a crying call.

Edwards: [ac][jc]
Argyros: [9s][9c]

The race was on but the board again favoured the brave as it ran out [ad][ts][3d][ah][5d]. Edwards doubles up to 300,000 to leave Argyros with just 150,000.

6:48pm: All in or fold

With the blinds now hitting dizzy heights, the short stacks really only have one weapon in their arsenal - all in. We've seen Jie Gao use it effectively with several all-in shoves over the top of opening raises from Brotha D to pick up nice pots.

Luke Edwards and Tim English have also been able to move all in and steal the blinds and antes recently without contest. It's a matter of time before something has to give!

6:30pm: Lucky Eddy

Action folded to Luke Edwards on the button who did what he does best - he moved all in. This time he found a caller in Brotha D in the big blind who showed [ad][5c]. Edwards would need some help with his [7c][td].

It didn't arrive on the [2h][2s][6s] flop but the [th] turn was just what he needed as he would now only need to fade an ace to double up. The river was the [ks] and Edwards is now back to 150,000. It was merely a flesh wound for Brotha D who still has 660,000.

6:20pm: Play resumes

The players are back from the break and the cards are back in the air. Brotha D is a big chip leader with 730,000 with Anthony Flanagan next best with 330,000.

With the blinds now up to 6000-12000 with a 1000 ante there's going to be some pressure on short stacks Luke Edwards and Jie Gao.

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 pocket jacks!

5:52pm: Brotha D turns up the heat

Tim English raised the button with Brotha D and Jai Gao defending their blinds as the flop landed [8c][6s][9s]. Action checked around and the [6d] paired the board on the turn. Brotha D checked and Gao bet out 35,000. English folded but Brotha D came back with a check-raise to 80,000. Gao thought for a moment before making the call.

The river as the [ad] and Brotha D moved 120,000 into the pot to put Gao to a decision for the majority of his quickly diminishing stack. After a few minutes of thought Gao flashed the [9c] and folded. He's down to 150,000 with Brotha D extending his chip lead to 730,000.

5:35pm: English finds two-outer ace from space

Luke Edwards raised to 23,000 from the button before Tim English moved all in from the small blind for 95,000. Brotha D folded his big blind but Edwards made a quick call.

Edwards: [th][ts]
English: [ac][2d]

The flop was [9h][4d][kh] giving no help to English, and it got worse as the [7h] hit the turn to take away another out, but it didn't matter as English found the [ad] on the river to stay alive! He's now up to 200,000 and back in contention.

After copping a one-outer on day one, Edwards can add a two-outer to his collection as he's now on the short stack with 45,000.

5:30pm: Levick chops with Flanagan

Chris Levick opened in late position to 30,000 before Anthony Flanagan popped it up an additional 50,000. Levick and Flanagan then exchanged a few words before Levick announced himself all in with Flanagan making the call.

Levick: [ah][kh]
Flanagan: [ad][kc]

There were no surprises on the [jd][9c][8d][3s][9h] board as both players chopped it up.

5:25pm: English doubles through Levick

Tim English moved all in for 49,000 from middle position and action folded to Chris Levick in the big blind who made the call.

English: [ac][3c]
Levick: [ks][6s]

The board was spread [ah][2h][6c][8c][th] to pair English's ace for the double up to over 100,000, much to the delight of his supporters on the rail.

5:10pm: Level up, blinds 5000-10000, ante 1000

5:00pm: Levick flexes

Brotha D opened to 22,000 with Chris Levick calling on the button to see a flop of [as][4h][6s]. Brotha D fired a bet of 27,000 with Levick making the call before both players checked the [5h] turn.

On the [qd] river Brotha D checked over to Levick who rocked back in his chair. After some inaudible banter Levick fired a bet of 60,000. Brotha D insta-folded, flashing the [ah] as Levick showed the [qs].

A few moments later Levick was putting more pressure on his opponents as he shoved all in over the top of the bet of Tim English on a flop of [ad][8s][5c]. English let it go as Levick moves up to 270,000.

4:40pm: Brotha D takes big chip lead

Brotha D got things going with a raise to 22,000 from the cutoff. Jie Gao called on the button and Billy "The Croc" Argyros came along in the big blind to see a flop of [kd][8s][jd].

Argyros checked to Brotha D who made it 40,000 to go. Gao quickly called as Argyros stepped aside. The turn was the [3s] and both players checked to see the [5c] complete the board.

Brotha D slid out a stack of orange for a bet of 100,000 to send Gao deep into the tank. He eventually came out with a call but Brotha D flipped [as][ad] on the table and slammed the table in delight as Gao flashed the [ks] and mucked.

Brotha D is now a clear chip leader with 585,000 as Gao falls to 280,000.

4:28pm: Levick likes a double

Chris Levick has found some voice on this final table as he strives to become the first player in ANZPT history to win multiple titles.

The action started with Brotha D raising to 22,000 from under the gun. Levick moved all in for an additional 59,000 and Brotha D made the call.

Levick: [ac][qh]
Brotha D: [ah][9d]

The board fell [jh][3s][6c][7d][qs] to leave Levick to double through to about 170,000.

4:12pm: Trevor Potts eliminated in 8th place

Immediately following the resumption of play Trevor Potts moved all in for his last 81,000 chips with Brotha D making the call on the button.

Potts: [ad][jc]
Brotha D: [kd][ks]

Potts would need an ace from space but the flop was a blank looking [8h][qc][4d]. The dealer then burned and turned the magical [as] to the roar of Potts' railbirds however their celebrations were short-lived as the [kh] hit the river to give Brotha D the two-outer!

SKYCITY Adelaide qualifier Trevor Potts heads home with $8,000 in his pocket for his 8th place finish.

4:10pm: Play resumes

The players are back following the break with Jie Gao holding the big stack, just ahead of Anthony Flanagan and Brotha D.

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 the call.

Edwards: [ac][ts]
English: [7c][7s]

The first four community cards were spread [6h][8h][6c][jc] but the [th] on the river gave Edwards a pair of tens for the double up to 185,000 to leave English short with 118,000.

3:45pm: Crocky shows his teeth

Billy "The Croc" Argyros has found a vital double up to stay alive at the expense of Trevor Potts. It was Argyros' [ac][ks] up against Potts' [qs][qc] as the board ran out [6c][kh][8s][ah][3d] to give Crocky two pair for the double up to 170,000. Potts is down to 100,000.

3:30pm: Gao gets aggressive

Jie Gao raised from early position and Trevor Potts made the call on the button to see a flop of [2s][7h][6h]. Gao checked and Potts made it 28,000. Gao instantly check-raised to 100,000 to send Potts into the tank. He eventually let it go as Gao's aggression nets him another nice pot.

3:20pm: Bruno Portaro eliminated in 9th place

Trevor Potts opened with a raise to 18,000 before Bruno Portaro moved all in for a little over 60,000. Potts asked for a count before making the call.

Portaro: [as][kc]
Potts: [8d][8h]

The board bricked out [2h][6c][4h][7s][ts] to leave Potts' pair in front to eliminate Portaro in 9th place for a score of $6,500. His elimination also means that his soft toy kiwi remains locked in the trophy cabinet for the eventual winner to do with as they please!

3:15pm: Portaro survives

Luke Edwards raised the hijack position to 14,000 before Bruno Portaro moved all in from the cutoff for around 60,000. Action folded back to Edwards who quickly called.

Portaro: [ac][7c]
Edwards: [ah][qs]

Portaro was in bad shape and staring down the barrel of elimination but the board ran out [5h][as][4d][5d][5c] to give both players the same full house as Portaro chops to stay alive!

3:13pm: Bluffin' Brotha

Trevor Potts raised the hijack position to 16,000 with Bruno Portaro and Brotha D calling to see a flop of [jd][js][th]. Action checked around and the turn brought the [3h]. Again it checked through and the river was the [9c]. Brotha D led out for 26,000. Potts thought for a moment before folding and Bruno quickly followed as Brotha D flashed [6d][4d] for the airball!

3:00pm: Level up, blinds 3000-6000, ante 500

2:58pm: River check-raise for Flanagan

Anthony Flanagan has jumped into the chip lead after a big river check-raise against Bruno Portaro. Both players had committed 35,000 on the turn before Flanagan checked the river on a board of [4d][3d][jc][qc][9s]. Portaro fired 42,000 but Flanagan responded by moving all in.

Portaro deliberated for several minutes before eventually releasing to save his last 110,000 for a better spot. Meanwhile Flanagan is now up to 340,000 and into the chip lead.

2:52pm: Flush for Flanagan

Anthony Flanagan opened with a raise from middle position with Jie Gao making the call in the big blind. The flop landed [kd][qs][4s] and Gao check-called the bet of 17,500 from Flanagan as the [th] hit the turn.

Both players checked and the river was the [3s]. Gao led out for 25,000 and Flanagan quickly called.

Gao opened [ah][jd] for a Broadway straight but he'd been rivered as Flanagan showed [7s][6s] for the flush. Gao slips to 220,000 with Flanagan up to 260,000.

2:46pm: Portaro keeping it small

It's been very slow going here on the final table in Darwin but we recently saw a rare flop after Bruno Portaro decided to flat-call the preflop raise from Billy "The Croc" Argyros. He was probably regretting his decision after he check-folded on a [qc][jc][3d] and flashed pocket tens.

"They were good," replied Argyros as he flashed the [7h].

2:22pm: Brotha D chips up

Action folded to Brotha D who raised to 16,000 with Jie Gao calling on the button and Billy "The Croc" Argyros coming along in the big blind to see a flop of [3s][ad][6s].

Argyros checked and Brotha D bet 16,000. Gao called as Argyros stepped aside. The turn was the [4c] and both checked before Brotha D splashed the pot with a bet of 28,000 on the [9c] river. Gao deliberated for a few moments before making a crying call with pocket jacks but Brotha D showed [ah][5d] to take it down.

2:16pm: Small one for Gao

The first hand to reach a showdown at this final table has gone the way of chip leader Jie Gao. Tim English raised the button and Gao defended his big blind to see a flop of [qc][4d][3c]. Gao check-called for 13,000 before both players checked the [th] turn and [qd] river.

English tabled [kc][6d] for king-high as Gao opened [ah][3h] for bottom pair to take it down.

2:10pm: Edwards battered early

The players are feeling each other out in the early stages of this final table, but Luke Edwards has taken a bit of a battering so far. He's open raised on three occasions and each time been faced with a three-bet. Both Tim English and Bruno Portaro were able to collect nice pots from Edwards, before Billy "The Croc" Argyros shoved over the top of Edwards' third open. Edwards cringed but gave it up once again to slip to 150,000.

2:00pm: Final Table Draw

Seat 1: Brotha D - 285,600
Seat 2: Jie Gao (PokerStars qualifier) - 347,500
Seat 3: Chris Levick (PokerStars sponsored) - 194,000
Seat 4: Billy "The Croc" Argyros - 96,000
Seat 5: Tim Flanagan - 213,500
Seat 6: Trevor Potts - 166,000
Seat 7: Luke Edwards (PokerStars qualifier) - 194,000
Seat 8: Bruno Portaro - 126,500
Seat 9: Tim English - 302,500

The clock has been wound back to the start of Level 16 with the blinds at 2500-5000 and a 500 chip ante.

The players are now in the seats and have completed the final table formalities as the cards are once again back in the air in the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event!

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: [qc][js]
Potts: [ad][7d]

There was no chanting this time by Hachem as fate took over and ran the board out [ks][2c][6c][as][qs] to end his great run in 10th place for a collect of $5,000.

With that elimination our final table of nine is now set. There will be a short break as the players set up on the final table.

1:28pm: Angelo Limanis eliminated in 11th place

After Jie Gao raised the button, Angelo Limanis shoved his stack all in from the big blind with Gao making the call.

Limanis: [kh][qd]
Gao: [ad][ts]

The board ran out [th][tc][8h][qc][4c] to give Gao trips and the pot to eliminate Limanis in 11th place for $5,000 in prize money.

1:25pm: Hachem doubles

Tony Hachem moved his last 28,000 in preflop from the small blind with [9d][tc] and was called by Anthony Flanagan in the big blind with [as][js].

Hachem had his head in his lap and couldn't watch as the board ran out [9c][jh][6d][th][3d] to give Hachem two pair for a double up to 58,000.

1:22pm: Edwards doubles through Hachem

After laying down pocket queens preflop a few moments ago to Chris Levick's pocket kings, Tony Hachem raised and then called it off when Luke Edwards shoved for his last 82,500 from the small blind.

Hachem showed [tc][th] and was racing with Edwards' [ac][kd]. Hachem was pleading with the dealer for "nothing stupid" but shrieked in despair as the board was spread [2c][4c][3s][9c][3c] to give Edwards a flush for the double up.

Edwards is up to 170,000 and has some chips to play with for the first time in a long time, as Hachem is now down to his last 25,000 and in desperate trouble.

1:15pm: Ben Savage eliminated in 12th place

Action folded around to Anthony Flanagan in the small blind who raised it up to 20,000. Ben Savage made the call to see a flop of [kc][5h][6d]. Flanagan checked and Savage tossed 20,000 into the middle. Flanagan re-checked his hole cards before moving his stack into the middle. Savage was quick to make the call.

Flanagan: [ks][jc]
Savage: [kd][qd]

Savage was in a dominant position to double up but that all changed when the [js] spiked on the turn to give Flanagan two pair. Savage would need a river lady but it wasn't to be as the [6c] completed the board to eliminate the PokerStars qualifier in 12th place for a collect of $5,000.

1:00pm: Level up, blinds 4000-8000, ante 500

12:58pm: English rockets past Crocky

It's been a rather slow start to the day with Luke Edwards pushing his short stack around and Bruno Portaro chipping up.

However we've just seen our first big pot of the day with Billy "The Croc" Argyros and Tim English clashing in a battle of the blinds.

Argyros limped in from the small blind before Tim English popped it to 16,000 in the big blind. Argyros deliberated before splashing the pot with a re-raise to 36,000. English considered his options for several minutes before moving a stack of yellows into the middle to declare a call.

The flop landed [3c][kd][2h] and Argyros led out for 35,000. English responded by moving all in and Argyros snap-called.

Argyros: [ks][qc]
English: [ac][ah]

The turn was the [8d] and river the [3h] to give English a massive double up towards the chip leaders with 290,000 as Agyros slipped to 85,000.

12:38pm: The last hurrah

We're in the Poker Zone of the SKYCITY Casino in Darwin for the final day of play from the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event. Twelve players remain but only one will head home as the last ANZPT champion of the year.

Yesterday the headlines were dominated by the herculean effort from Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem who had to come from behind to claim the ANZPT Player of the Year honour after a mentally draining day on the felt. With the pressure off, Hachem will return today with nothing to lose as he again looks to make history as the first player to claim multiple ANZPT titles.

He won't be the only one seeking that accomplishment as 2009 ANZPT Melbourne champ Chris Levick is also lurking in the field. Levick has been laying low for much of the tournament but will have the final table experience to post a real threat this afternoon.

Another threat is undoubtedly the Australian Poker Hall of Famer in Billy "The Croc" Argyros. Crocky has enjoyed himself in the Top End and an ANZPT title will be the icing on the cake in a remarkable poker career.

However they are all chasing Jie Gao who used his hyper-aggressive style to collect plenty of chips on the bubble to claim the overnight chip lead. Gao has a previous ANZPT final table to his credit so will be looking to go all the way this time around.

Here's how they will line up:

Jie Gao (PokerStars Qualifier) - 299,000
Billy "The Croc" Argyros - 247,000
Danny "Brotha D" Leaoasavaii - 231,000
Tony Hachem (PokerStars Team PRO Australia) - 187,000
Tim English - 165,000
Chris Levick (PokerStars Sponsored Player) - 153,500
Trevor Potts - 146,000
Angelo Limanis - 114,000
Anthony Flanagan - 103,500
Ben Savage (PokerStars Qualifier) - 103,500
Bruno Portaro - 102,000
Luke Edwards (PokerStars Qualifier) - 76,000

The players are all safely in the money so we should see a few fireworks early on before our official final table is formed.

Before play kicked off there was a special ceremony for the Player of the Year awards with Tony Hachem, John Maklouf and Andrew Scarf recognized for their outstanding achievements this season.

Our final twelve have taken their spots in the same seats as yesterday and the cards are once again in the air!

Let's take a closer look at our final twelve:

Jie Gao, Melbourne, Victoria, PokerStars Qualifier (299,000)

Our chip leader entering the final day of play is PokerStars qualifier Jie Gao.

Jie has only been playing poker for three years, primarily in no limit holdem tournaments, but he has already collected a string of results to his credit. His biggest score came at the ANZPT Melbourne event last year where he finished 6th for $27,250. It's worth noting that both Chris Levick and Ben Savage were also on that final table, so they will be very familiar with Jie's aggressive style.

Billy "The Croc" Argyros, Donvale, Victoria (247,000 chips)

He may be outside of his home state, but Billy "The Croc" Argyros feels right at home in croc country here in the top end. Argyros is one of the country's most decorated players with results dating back to the Stone Age across every poker discipline imaginable.

With six WSOP cashes, one WPT cash and two Aussie Millions gold rings to his credit, Argyros sits 9th on the Australian All Time Money List with nearly one million US dollars in career earnings. It's no wonder that Billy has been inducted into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame as one of the greats of our game.

Of course a little luck doesn't hurt either, and Billy had a share of it when his ace-queen found a lovely lady on the river against Aaron Benton's ace-king to stay alive in the tournament. Billy then burst the bubble with the elimination of Daniel Laidlaw to enter the final day placed second in chips. This is one wild croc that's going to be difficult to handle!

Danny "Brotha D" Leaoasavaii, South Auckland, New Zealand (231,000 chips)

The coolest man in the hottest town, Brotha D is well known as the Godfather of New Zealand hip hop and, more recently, the APPT Auckland champion.

Brotha D has been playing poker for three years but has proven he has the game to match it with the best in the region. Earlier this week, Brotha D took down a $550 No Limit Holdem side event and will bring plenty of final table confidence to the felt.

After hitting quad aces on the third hand of Day 3, Brotha D carried that momentum and remained relentlessly aggressive on the bubble to ensure he entered the final day as one of our chip leaders.

Tony Hachem, Melbourne, Victoria, Team PokerStars PRO Australia (187,000 chips)

Where do you start to describe one of the most highly decorated players on the Australian circuit? The "little brother" tag is no longer a consideration for the man with eight ANZPT cashes, one title and back-to-back Player of the Year awards to his name.

Hachem started day three with a goal to win the POTY title. With that now in the bag he can now focus on becoming the first player to win multiple ANZPT titles. A humble, generous and gracious guy away from the felt, Hachem is an inspiration for many young poker players and a great ambassador of the game.

Sitting fourth in chips, expect Hachem to open up his game on the final day with the pressure off and the title within reach.

Tim English, Melbourne, Victoria (165,000 chips)

This 25-year old from Melbourne may look innocent enough at the table, but his online poker background means he has the game to get frisky on the felt if he wants to. And he's no stranger to big final tables, with a 5th place finish to his credit at the 2008 APPT Grand Final in Sydney worth a healthy $140,000.

Away from the felt, Tim enjoys the outdoors and staying fit - a rare quality for a poker player.

Tim is also unlikely to be copping any penalties from Twittering his updates at the final table as he says that he hates iPhones with a passion!

Chris Levick, Malabar, New South Wales, PokerStars Sponsored (153,500 chips)

It's been a quiet twelve months for Chris Levick since his big win in the ANZPT Melbourne event last year. Levick's win helped him to second place on the Season 1 ANZPT Player of the Year which earned him sponsorship into several 2010 events including this one in Darwin. Chris is putting that sponsorship to good use as he looks to become the first player to win multiple ANZPT titles.

Chris had a bit of luck early on day two when his pocket tens were all in against pocket jacks and he spiked a lucky ten to stay alive. He's now sitting neatly in the middle of the pack and will bring plenty of experience and skill to the final table.

Chris credits Jeff Lisandro as his biggest influence in poker, so if anyone can close the deal and win tournaments it's the Australian Poker Hall of Fame Legend.

Trevor Potts, Langhorne Creek, South Australia (146,000 chips)

The lone South Australian remaining in the field, Trevor Potts is a 46-year old Cellarhand who has been playing poker for about five years after being attracted to the game as a kid watching his father's home games.

After qualifying for this event through a satellite at SKYCITY Casino in Adelaide, Trevor is fortunate to still be in the tournament after his defining moment came late on day one when he spiked a one outer queen on the river to crack Luke Edwards' pocket kings. From there Trevor had ridden his luck all the way to a final day berth.

Off the felt, Trevor enjoys cricket and a flutter on the horsies, so it's a good time of the year for him to enjoy some gambling success. This is Trevor's first major tournament cash.

Angelo Limanis, Melbourne, Victoria (114,000 chips)

After it seemed like he couldn't get his stack above starting stack for three days, Angelo Limanis now finds himself on the final day of the ANZPT Darwin Main Event. Perhaps following in the footsteps of ANZPT Melbourne champ Martin Kozlov's success as short-stack ninjas?

Angelo is a 36-year old Demand Manager from Melbourne who was inspired to get his hands dirty in poker five years ago following Joe Hachem's famous 2005 WSOP victory. Angelo is well-known in his home casino at Crown as a regular cash game and tournament grinder with his career highlight coming from a cash result at a WSOP event this year.

Angelo got himself motoring in this event when he won a flip with queen-jack against Bruno Portaro's pocket sevens and he'll be looking to carry the momentum all the way to his largest tournament cash.

Anthony Flanagan, Bolton, England (103,500 chips)

Anthony Flanagan has one of the more unique stories to bring to the ANZPT. This 32-year old Chef from the United Kingdom was backpacking around Australia when he heard about a wee poker tournament. Anthony jumped into a last-chance satellite at SKYCITY Darwin Casino (since according to Danny McDonagh, backpackers must satellite in and cannot buy-in directly) and won his seat into the Main Event.

With a modest tournament record to his name, Anthony says that this tournament has been his biggest highlight in poker to date as he looks to become the first player from outside Aus/NZ to capture an ANZPT title.

Ben Savage, Melbourne, Victoria, PokerStars Player (103,500 chips)

Ben Savage is a 38-year old professional poker player and "natural ranga" from Melbourne with a string of tournament success to his credit. His largest result came with a runner-up finish in the 2006 Victorian Poker Championships Main Event for $81,000, and he also had a deep run in this year's Aussie Millions Main Event. This could be back-to-back ANZPT final tables for Ben after his 5th place finish in the ANZPT Melbourne earlier this month for $42,625.

Ben claims that he has yet to find himself all in during this tournament. It's this Phil Hellmuth-esque approach to tournament poker which is proving successful for Savage as he eyes off another final table.

Bruno Portaro, Melbourne, Victoria, (102,000 chips)

Bruno Portaro is no stranger to big tournaments having been a regular on the Australian poker tournament scene for several years. In fact Bruno has a previous ANZPT final table to his name at the inaugural ANZPT event in Adelaide last year.

Bruno was a chip leader entering that final table but clashed with another big stack to bow out in a disappointing 8th place. Bruno will be desperate for a better result this time around in Darwin - a place that he called home for 14 months. He'll have some work ahead of him as the second shortest stack of the field with 102,000 chips.

Although not a qualifier or sponsored player, Bruno has been proudly wearing the PokerStars patch this week and he believes it has inspired him to greatness.

Luke Edwards, Barwan Heads, Victoria, PokerStars Qualifier (76,000 chips)

Luke Edwards is a 26-year old who works in the Information Technology industry by day, but by night he's forged an impressive poker career in the five years he's been playing the game. Luke is primarily a six-max cash game specialist but enjoys the tournament rush with a pair of cashes at the APPT in Auckland and a deep run in the ANZPT Gold Coast event this year.

Luke has battled with a short stack for large periods of this tournament, but displays a fearless approach to the game, as evident by the fact that he says he enjoys downswings. Sicko.

While Hachem will return tomorrow to strive to become the first player ever to win multiple ANZPT titles, he has already made history today when he secured back-to-back ANZPT Player of the Year honours.

The ANZPT Player of the Year rewards excellence and consistency, and Hachem has proven that he has both in spades. Hachem has cashed in 8 out of the 13 events in ANZPT history, which is a staggering success rate, and his breakthrough win in Perth earlier in the year got the monkey well and truly off his back.

Hachem displayed a unwavering focus today, knowing that once Aaron Benton was eliminated in 15th place, all he needed to do was survive to reach the money. It took nerves of steel as Hachem was forced into a position where he laid down some big hands on multiple occasions. However his game has never been about taking big flips or risks, as he has proven his ability to continually grind out small-ball pots and make as few mistakes as possible.

Once Daniel Laidlaw became our bubble boy in 13th place, Hachem's vision had been achieved and the prestigious honour was once again his for another twelve months.

Earlier in the day 32 players returned to the SKYCITY Casino with the goal of reaching some monetary rewards for three days of hard work here in Darwin. The action was frantic early as the local contingent struggled to survive, but once the first dozen players were out of the way, play crawled to a screeching halt.

It took a long time before our final two tables were reached as hip hop king "Brotha D" stormed into the chip lead, thanks largely to a fortunate hand against Stephen Holloway. Brotha D held [kd][qs] against Holloway's [ks][kc] with all the chips in preflop, but the board ran out [8c][8h][qd][jd][qc] to give Brotha D a full house. It was a cruel blow to Holloway, as Brotha D continues a rich vein of form that has seen him capture the APPT Auckland title last month and an ANZPT Darwin side event trophy earlier in the week.

With Aaron Benton and Tony Hachem both still alive, the attention and pressure turned onto both PokerStars sponsored players. Ironically in crocodile country, it would be a friendly croc that would ultimately spell the demise for Benton.

Billy "The Croc" Argyros may wear a goofy hat, but he's an Australian Poker Hall of Famer for a reason as evident by yet another deep run in a major Australian tournament here in Darwin. However he can thank the poker Gods after his ace-queen found a lucky lady on the river to cripple Benton and his dominant ace-king.

From there Benton couldn't recover and bowed out in 15th place and tantalizingly close to the money and his own ANZPT POTY aspirations.

The last Darwin local was Nick Ergos but he departed in 14th place, and when Daniel Laidlaw unsuccessfully pushed his [8c][7c] into the [ac][kh] of Argyros, the final twelve players were set.

The hyper-aggressive style of Jie Gao has earned him the distinction of chip leader but it's a stellar line up returning on Day 4. There are previous ANZPT, APPT and Aussie Millions champions still in the field and several young guns waiting for their moment to shine.

Here's how they will line up tomorrow:

Jie Gao (PokerStars Qualifier) - 299,000
Billy "The Croc" Argyros - 247,000
Danny "Brotha D" Leaoasavaii - 231,000
Tony Hachem (PokerStars Team PRO Australia) - 187,000
Tim English - 165,000
Chris Levick (PokerStars Sponsored Player) - 153,500
Trevor Potts - 146,000
Angelo Limanis - 114,000
Anthony Flanagan - 103,500
Ben Savage (PokerStars Qualifier) - 103,500
Bruno Portaro - 102,000
Luke Edwards (PokerStars Qualifier) - 76,000

For those in Darwin looking to catch a glimpse of the final table action we'll be heading downstairs into the hub of the casino in the traditional poker zone for the conclusion of this event. Can Tony Hachem (or Chris Levick) become the first player to win multiple ANZPT titles? Can Billy "The Croc" Argyros continue to thrive in his natural crocodile habitat? Can Bruno Portaro win and rescue his trapped toy duck from the trophy cabinet?

Tune into the PokerStars Blog from 12:30 local time (GMT+9:30) tomorrow to find out!

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 all in preflop from the hijack position for roughly 65,000 but Billy "The Croc" Argyros snap-called in the cutoff.

Laidlaw: [8c][7c]
Argyros: [ac][kh]

The board was spread [th][3s][3h][kc][2d] to pair up Argyros' king and eliminate Laidlaw from the tournament empty-handed.

With that elimination we congratulate Tony Hachem who has accomplished a remarkable achievement in back-to-back ANZPT Player of the Year titles.

Jie Gao will end the day as our chip leader with Argyros, Hachem, Brotha D, English and Levick all in good shape. We'll bring you a complete wrap of the day's action for you very shortly.

End of Day 3 Chip Counts

8:00pm: Bubble action

There have been a couple of close moments on the bubble but so far no eliminations as the bubble rolls on.

Luke Edwards stayed alive after moving all in from the cutoff for his last 71,500. Chris Levick claimed to fold pocket eights in the small blind and Tony Hachem said he folded ace-queen in the big blind as Edwards is let off the hook.

On the other table things weren't quite as friendly as Jie Gao put the maximum pressure on Bruno Portaro. In a raised pot, three players took a flop of [th][9s][td] with Portaro betting out 18,000. Gao quickly called as Tim English released his hand.

The turn was the [ks] and both checked to see the [jc] complete the board on the river. Portaro let rip with another bet of 23,000 but Gao immediately responded by moving all in. Portaro cringed but let his hand go to save his last 100,000 chips for a better spot, as Gao flexes his muscles as chip leader.

7:46pm: Hand-for-hand on the bubble

Since we're now on the money bubble, play is hand-for-hand across our two tables. The next player eliminated will head back home with nothing but a story to tell as the remaining twelve will be guaranteed a pay day of $5,000.

7:45pm: Ergos eliminated as Hachem looks likely for POTY honours

We've lost our last local player as Nick Ergos has fallen just short of a cash result. His last chips went in preflop with [ad][7c] against the [jc][js] of Tony Hachem.

With Hachem continuously chanting for "nothing stupid" the board ran out [kh][ks][4c][3d][6c]. Ergos has been eliminated as Hachem raked in the pot and now looks pretty safe to reach the money and back-to-back ANZPT Player of the Year titles as he sits with 180,000 chips.

7:35pm: Play resumes

The players are back and the black 100-denomination chips have been coloured up and raced off which should make our chip counting duties a lot easier!

Tim English still holds onto the chip lead with around 260,000, just ahead of Jie Gao who holds 240,000 and Brotha D with 210,000.

Tony Hachem sits with 110,000 and is closely watching the short stacks which include Nick Ergos, Ben Savage, Daniel Laidlaw and Angelo Limanis who all have about 90,000 each.

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 low to try and squeak into the money.

7:00pm: Portaro finds some voice

Bruno Portaro has found a massive double up through chip leader Tim English. Billy "The Croc" Argyros raised from the button to 14,000 before English made it 36,000 to go from the small blind. Action was then with Portaro who rocked back in his chair before declaring himself all in. Argyros quickly folded and English made the call of the additional 56,500.

Portaro: [jd][js]
English: [2d][2s]

Portaro managed to fade a deuce on the board of [qh][4h][as][6h][5c] to double through to close to 200,000 as English slips back to the pack with about 300,000.

6:43pm: Aaron Benton eliminated; Tony Hachem in prime position for ANZPT POTY

Action folded around to Tim English who moved all in from the small blind with Aaron Benton making the call in the big blind.

English: [ah][3s]
Benton: [qd][8h]

The board ran out [7d][7c][4c][3d][5h] to leave Benton unable to connect with the board this time around to see his run in the ANZPT Darwin Main Event come to an end.

Benton's elimination means that Tony Hachem now only has to survive two more eliminations to cash to win the ANZPT Player of the Year title for the second consecutive year.

6:38pm: Benton won't die

Aaron Benton is not going down without a fight as he's just doubled up through Angelo Limanis. Benton moved all in from the cutoff for his last 18,300 with Limanis calling in the big blind.

Benton: [6d][5c]
Limanis: [td][8s]

Benton would need to connect with the board and he did so as it landed [9s][qc][4h][6c][ah]. Benton is now up to nearly 40,000 and around eight big blinds.

6:35pm: Dixon done

Clint Dixon raised to 20,000 before Jai Gao moved all in. Dixon made the call with [as][kh] as Gao showed [7d][7s]. The race was on but the board bricked out [6c][jc][9s][5c][8c] to leave Gao's pair in front and end the run of Dixon in 16th place. Nick Ergos is now the lone local flying the flag for Darwin as the rest of the field are from interstate or overseas.

6:30pm: Benton crippled by Crocky

One of the most significant all-in clashes of the entire ANZPT season has seen Aaron Benton crippled at the hands of Billy "The Croc" Argyros.

Crocky raised to 15,000 from the cutoff before Benton raised an additional 45,000 from the big blind. Crocky moved all in and Benton made the call with [as][kh] to have Argyros in bad shape with his [ac][qc].

The board fell [2h][9s][js][8c][qd] and Argyros spiked a pair of queens on the river to stay alive. He doubled to 200,000 to leave Benton on his knees and his ANZPT POTY chances in jeopardy as he's down to just 22,000.

6:20pm: Level up, blinds 2500-5000, ante 500

6:15pm: Portaro's friend locked up

Tony Hachem raised to 12,000 before Bruno Portaro moved all in for an additional 38,000 to send Hachem into the tank.

"Where's ya thing?" asked Hachem referring to Portaro's squeaking soft toy that has been driving most of us nuts all day.

"They've locked it up in the box over there...." replied Portaro, pointing to the trophy cabinet. "He's looking after my bracelet!"

(Apparently another act of sabotage by Danny McDonagh after Portaro threw the toy at him)

Back to the hand, and Hachem folded and Portaro flashed the [ac].

6:10pm: Benton still alive

The other man still in the race for ANZPT POTY honours is Aaron Benton and he just found a much needed double up to stay alive. He was all in preflop for his last 46,000 with [ah][5c] against Billy "The Croc" Argyros' [7d][7s].

The board ran out [8h][4h][3h][jh][5s] to give Benton the nut flush to stay alive.

"Yes! Still alive baby!" yelled Benton as he's up to nearly 100,000.

6:00pm: Hachem under the pump

As we approach the bubble now there's an interesting dynamic developing with the ANZPT Player of the Year race, and we just saw a good example of it in a hand with Tony Hachem.

Hachem is desperate to cash to climb up to the top of the ANZPT POTY leaderboard, which means that he is a little vulnerable right now as he doesn't want to bust.

In a recent hand Chris Levick opened to 11,000 before Hachem made it 27,000. Action folded to Anthony Flanagan on the button who moved all in for an additional 132,700. Levick folded and Hachem went into the tank.

It had to be going through Hachem's mind that perhaps Flanagan was pressuring him light and after a good five minutes of deep thought Hachem made a reluctant fold saying, "There's just too much at stake." Flanagan flashed [qh][qs].

Flanagan is up to 200,000 with Hachem down to 100,000.

5:50pm: Chin out

Another previous chip leader has busted out of the tournament as local Mark Chin has been felted by Jie Gao. It was a battle of the blinds as Gao popped it up to 19,000 from the small blind before Chin moved all in from the big blind for around 55,000. Gao insta-called with [jh][jc] as Chin would need to catch with his [qh][th].

The board fell [5d][3c][6d][6c][td] to leave Gao's jacks in front as he took the pot and eliminated Chin in 17th place.

5:40pm: Overnight chip leader sent to the rail

Overnight chip leader Byron Henderson has been eliminated just short of the money. He was down to his last 30,000 in chips when he moved all in with [ad][7h], only for Angelo Limanis to move all in over the top with a dominant [as][ks].

The board fell [5c][jc][9d][kc][4c] to eliminate Henderson as Limanis has some chips to play with for the first time today as he's up to 100,000.

5:33pm: Benton bitten by the Croc

Billy "The Croc" Argyros opened to 11,000 before Aaron Benton re-raised to a total of 30,000. The table folded back to Argyros who moved all in for a total of 66,000 with Benton making the call.

Argyros: [qc][qs]
Benton: [as][qh]

The board landed [kc][2s][kh][td][3h] to leave Argyros' queens in front for a big double up. "The Croc" jumps to 140,000 with Benton back down under 100,000.

5:22pm: Redraw Final Two Tables

Table 5
Seat 1: Nick Ergos - 50,000
Seat 2: Chris Levick - 80,000
Seat 3: Tony Hachem - 96,000
Seat 4: Bruno Portaro - 125,000
Seat 5: Anthony Flanagan - 150,000
Seat 6: Brotha D - 245,000
Seat 7: Ben Savage - 55,000
Seat 8: Luke Edwards - 125,000
Seat 9: Trevor Potts - 60,000

Table 6
Seat 1: Tim English - 225,000
Seat 2: Clint Dixon - 85,000
Seat 3: Aaron Benton - 170,000
Seat 4: Byron Henderson - 30,000
Seat 5: Jie Gao - 110,000
Seat 6: Mark Chin - 70,000
Seat 7: Angelo Limanis - 65,000
Seat 8: Daniel Laidlaw - 95,000
Seat 9: Billy "The Croc" Argyros - 70,000

5:15pm: Two down, 18 left

After one elimination in two hours, we've just seen two simultaneous eliminations to see our field reduced to our final 18.

Constantin Harach was first to go when he pushed his open-ended straight draw holding [tc][9c] on a flop of [3h][8s][jc] against Aaron Benton who made the call with his [kc][js] for top pair. The turn was the [kh] to improve Benton to two pair and the river bricked the [as] to eliminate Harach.

At the same time a short-stacked Christian Meza was all in with [kd][tc] but failed to improve against an opponent's [ac][jc] when the board ran out [js][qs][th][6d][jd].

18 players remain and they are now redrawing for the final two tables of play.

5:10pm: Play resumes

With just one elimination in that last session, we're still stuck at 20 players remaining.

"They'll have to start dropping soon!" commented Billy "The Croc" Argyros during the break.

You would think so, with the blinds now up to a sizeable 2000-4000 with a 400 ante. Brotha D has shot into the chip lead with 245,000 with Tim English next best on around 190,000.

Also during the break there was an attempted attack that squeaking dodo of Bruno Portaro. ANZPT Commissioner Danny McDonagh was spotted wielding a knife and about to cause some serious damage to the soft toy out on the balcony, but a protective Portaro managed to interfere with the attempt just in the nick of time. The squeak lives on!

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 [9c][8c][4c]. Brotha D check-called for 15,000 before both players checked the [jc] turn. On the [6h] river Brotha D led out for 30,000 and Chin went into the tank.

After several minutes of deep thought he may the call, but mucked when Brotha D showed [kc][jh] for the second nut flush.

Chin slips to 145,000 with Brotha now up to 245,000 and the chip lead.

4:40pm: Limanis stays alive

Angelo Limanis has been all in 72 times today according to Tony Hachem, and he made it number 73 when he moved all in preflop from middle position with [qc][jh]. Bruno Portaro made the call with pocket sevens but he lost the race when the board ran out [6c][th][qs][4s][8c]. Limanis paired his queen to double up to around 70,000.

4:30pm: Shorties survive

A couple of the short stacks in the field have just doubled up to stay alive as we are now within eight places of the money.

Luke Edwards moved all in preflop with [jc][tc] and was called by Brotha D with [ah][9h] but the board of [3c][ac][4d][5d][7c] gave Edwards a flush for a double to around 70,000.

A moment later it was Constantin Harach all in with his short stack holding [ad][jd] as chip leader Tim English called with [ks][3s]. The board landed [2c][qs][4h][td][qh] to leave Harach's ace-high in front to double back to 30,000.

4:25pm: Brotha D lays down a bad beat

Brotha D opened with a raise from early position to 8,500 and action folded to Stephen Holloway in the big blind who moved all in for an additional 30,800. After a few minutes of deliberation, Brotha D made the call.

Brotha D: [kd][qs]
Holloway: [ks][kc]

Brotha D would need something special, but he's a man in form as the board ran out [8c][8h][qd][jd][qc]. A cruel blow to Holloway send him to the rail as Brotha D continues on his merry way.

4:15pm: Portaro stirring up some action

Bruno Portaro and his tablemates might be starting to strain a little from the tight play at the moment, as we've just seen a couple of big moves made.

The first saw Anthony Flanagan limp in from early position, with Portaro and Clint Dixon calling in the blinds to see a flop of [2c][9c][4h].

Action checked to Flanagan who bet 3,500. Portaro announced a check-raise to 13,500 which force a fold from Dixon, but Flanagan moved all in over the top. Portaro showed a [9s] and folded as Flanagan returned serve and flashed a [3s].

Next hand, Daniel Laidlaw opened to 6,700 from early position and Portaro made the call on the button to see a flop of [9h][td][9c]. Laidlaw led out for 12,500 but Portaro announced himself all in over the top. Laidlaw gave it up as Portaro regained some chips to get himself to 140,000.

4:00pm: Level up, blinds 1500-3000, ante 300

It was a slow level, with little action and no eliminations. Let's hope the new blind level will speed things back up again!

3:40pm: Savage's slow play scare

Ben Savage raised to 5,500 and found callers in Jie Gao and Aaron Benton to take a flop of [4c][2s][4d]. Action checked around and the [9c] hit the turn. Benton checked from the small blind as Savage bet out 15,000. Gao called in position as Benton got out of the way.

The river brought the [9d] and both players checked.

"What a horrible river!" exclaimed Savage as he opened [2h][2c] but it was good as Gao mucked.

3:25pm: No eliminations, but more double ups

The play has slowed up this level with no eliminations as yet, but we have seen a couple of double ups.

Christian Meza doubled through Luke Edwards in a battle of the blinds. Meza pushed his last 16,200 from the small blind with [kc][jd] and Edwards called with [qs][th] in the big blind. The board was spread [4h][3d][jh][tc][ah] to double Meza to 35,000.

At the same time, a bigger double went the way of Tim English as his ace-queen got paid off on a queen-high flop against Nick Ergos' queen-jack. The pot of 160,000 was pushed the way of English to jump him back up with the chip leaders as Ergos falls to 80,000.

3:16pm: Potts doubles through Meza

SKYCITY Adelaide qualifier Trevor Potts is still hanging in there following a double up at the expense of Christian Meza. Potts raised from middle position, Meza moved all in from the small blind and Potts made the call.

Potts: [ts][th]
Meza: [ah][kh]

The race was on but the board bricked out [2c][4s][8h][9d][8c] to give Potts a double up to 80,000 with Meza slipping into the danger zone with 22,000.

3:05pm: Gao gets away

A scary looking river has just cost Aaron Benton some chips in a hand against Jie Gao. Catching the action on the turn, both players put 15,000 into the middle as the board read [5s][kh][ac][qd]. The river was the [5c] and Gao checked to Benton who bet 20,000.

Gao sighed and flashed king-queen before tossing his assumed counterfeited two pair into the muck. As it turns out, the river might have saved Gao his stack as Benton claimed to have held jack-ten for the straight.

"Why didn't you push the turn?" asked Benton. "You push the turn, I get your stack!"

Benton is up to 105,000 with Gao down to 80,000.

3:00pm: Play resumes

The players are back with 21 remaining in contention for the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin title. Both Tony Hachem and Aaron Benton are still alive, along with Billy "The Croc" Argyros. Our chip leader is Mark Chin with close to 200,000, followed by Nick Ergos with around 155,000.

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 his last 11,600 with [jd][tc] but he ran into the [ac][as] of Constantin Harach. The board landed [5s][3s][7h][3c][8h] to see Kanochkin eliminated in 22nd place.

2:33pm: Manolas KO'd

George Manolas raised from the button to 5,000 before Christian Meza shoved all in from the small blind for 36,300. Manolas thought for a few moments before making the call.

Meza: [ac][tc]
Manolas: [7d][7h]

The board fell [qd][3s][td][jd][6h] to pair up Meza's ten and leave Manolas down to his last 4,000 in chips.

Those chips were all in preflop a few hands later with Luke Edwards, Chris Levick and Brotha D making the call to see a flop of [4s][2s][5h]. The live players checked to Edwards who bet 6,000 into the side pot. Levick called and Brotha D folded as the [ks] hit the turn. Levick checked and quickly folded when Edwards released another 12,000.
Edwards opened [5c][5s] for a set as Manolas was drawing dead with his [kd][td]. The meaningless [2h] landed on the river to see Manolas eliminated in 23rd place.

2:25pm: Edelstein jacked

Morry Edelstein is out in 24th place after the lucky threes weren't so lucky this time around. Clint Dixon opened with a raise to 12,000 before Edelstein moved all in for 23,500. Action folded to Daniel Laidlaw who moved all in from the cutoff for 57,300. Dixon got out of the way and the cards were on their backs.

Edelstein: [3s][3d]
Laidlaw: [jc][jd]

The flop was a dramatic [2d][3c][js] to give both players a set and leave Edelstein drawing to just one out. It didn't come on the [8h] turn and [9s] river to jump Laidlaw up to nearly 100,000 in chips.

2:20pm: Holloway's turn for a double

Stephen Holloway is another short stack to double up as he got his chips in on a flop of [5h][ah][4d] holding [as][ks] against Chris Levick's [ac][qd]. The turn was the [7d] and river the [5h] to double Holloway up to 80,000 with Levick slipping to 50,000.

2:15pm: Ladies kind to Clint

Byron Henderson opened with a raise to 6,000 before Clint Dixon moved all in for a total of 58,900. Henderson deliberated for a few moments before he committed to a call.

Dixon: [qh][qs]
Henderson: [as][ks]

The flop of [5d][4c][2d] gave Henderson a few extra outs to a straight but it wasn't to be on the [9c] turn and [ts] river. A huge double up for Dixon as he's now up to 120,000 with Henderson slipping to 75,000.

2:05pm: Seccafien straightened out

David Seccafien has been sent to the rail after Nick Ergos flopped a straight. It was Ben Savage who raised preflop but he check-folded on the [jd][qs][9c] flop as Seccafien bet 15,000 and then called the check-raise shove from Ergos.

Seccafien opened [qh][th] for top pair and a straight draw but Ergos held [ts][8s]. The turn was the [ac] and river the [6c] to eliminate Seccafien in 25th place. Ergos is now up to 125,000.

ANZPT Player of the Year race goes down to the wire!

One of the most intriguing aspects to the ANZPT finale here in Darwin is the Player of the Year race which has provided some thrilling moments throughout the year. After his early form, including a win in Perth, Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem looked like he was set to make it back-to-back ANZPT POTY titles. However John Makouf with three final tables and four cashes surged into the points lead, narrowly ahead of Andrew Scarf with two final tables and four cashes.

There are approximately AU$90,000 in prizes being awarded to the top three players, and with the ANZPT Darwin event the last chance to grab points, plenty of the focus today is on Tony Hachem and Aaron Benton in their quest for the top prize.

Here's the current top ten:

1st John Maklouf 203.8
2nd Andrew Scarf 202.65
3rd Tony Hachem 191.65
4th Aaron Benton 174.45
5th Michael Spilkin 162.9
6th Rennie Carnevale 159.55
7th Ricky Kroesen 148.65
8th Daniel Neilson 139.55
9th Bradley Bower 138.75
10th Vesko Zmukic 136.1

So the permutations are as follows:

For Tony Hachem to claim ANZPT Player of the Year:
- Finish 8th or better, or
- Finish 12th or better if Aaron Benton doesn't cash

For Aaron Benton to win ANZPT Player of the Year:
- Finish 11th or better if Tony Hachem doesn't cash
- If Tony Hachem does cash and finishes 9th or below, Aaron Benton must win the tournament
- If Tony Hachem finishes 8th or better, Aaron Benton cannot win POTY

John Maklouf is guaranteed of finishing at least third, but he'll need both Tony Hachem and Aaron Benton to miss the money to take out the ANZPT Player of the Year title.

1:50pm: Benton doubles through English

Aaron Benton is alive and kicking in the race for the Player of the Year title as he just doubled up through Tim English.

Benton moved his last 39,100 in preflop with [ac][th] against English's pocket eights and connected with the board as it ran out [2c][tc][7h][jd][5h].

Benton is now up to 80,000.

1:45pm: Krepapas cut

Alex Krepapas doubled up once but couldn't make it two in a row as he pushed his last 12,400 with [kc][jd] and was called by Anthony Flanagan's pocket fours.

Krepapas was calling for paint but it didn't arrive on the [ks][as][6h][5s][9d] board.

1:43pm: Level up, blinds 1000-2000, ante 200

1:40pm: Double Dixon

Clint Dixon has found a double up when he pushed with [js][8s] flush draw on a board of [ks][as][6h] against Alex Krepapas who tabled [ad][jd] for top pair.

The turn [5s] completed his flush as the meaningless river was the [9d]. Dixon doubled to 50,000 to leave Krepapas down to just 5,000 in chips.

Meanwhile Joel Feldman has lost his battle with his short stack to become our 27th place finisher.

1:28pm: Limanis cripples Feldman

Joel Feldman open-shoved the button and Angelo Limanis made the call in the small blind.

Feldman: [ah][2s]
Limanis: [as][tc]

The board ran out [ks][qh][kc][8h][6s] to give Limanis a double up to around 35,000 and leave Feldman crippled to just 1,300 in chips.

Feldman was all in blind next hand, but somehow manage to find a straight holding [2c][8d] to chop the pot and stay alive with 2,700 in chips.

1:15pm: Finally a little luck for the locals

After being crippled when his pair, straight and flush draw suffered from "too many outs syndrome" against Morry Edelstein's pocket aces, Clint Dixon pushed his last 14,700 chips preflop with [3s][3d] but ran into the aces once again, held by Joel Feldman.

The flop was a blank [kc][6c][2s] but just as Alex Krepapas commented that he folded a three, the case [3c] landed on the turn. Feldman had a flush draw but it missed on the [jh] river as Dixon doubled up to around 32,000. Feldman hasn't had a good start to the day as he's down to 21,000.

1:00pm: Locals dropping away

It's been a bad start to the day for the locals as another has bit the dust. Darryl Orrock was happy to make it through to Day 3 as it meant he got another day off work, but his run has just come to an end at the hands of Daniel Laidlaw.

Orrock was all in preflop with [ac][8c] as Laidlaw showed [td][th].

The flop of [tc][qc][2s] brought a real sweat as Laidlaw flopped a set but Orrock found a
flush draw. The [3s] turn and [9s] river were the right colour, but wrong suit as Orrock was sent to the rail.

He was shortly followed by Lachlan Nicholson who fell with pocket sixes against ace-ten to see us down to 27 players and our final three tables.

12:50pm: Portaro trips Flanagan

Bruno Portaro limped in from the hijack and action folded to Anthony Flanagan in the big blind who added another 2,500 to the bet. Portaro called and the flop fell [kd][jc][9s].
Flanagan led out for 5,500 and Portaro called as the [ah] hit the turn. Flanagan checked and Portaro tossed 10,500 into the middle with Flanagan making the call as the [jh] completed the board on the river.

Portaro was busily squeaking his soft toy which appears to be a duck-like bird, but received a warning from TD Danny McDonagh to only squeak when it was his turn to act. Flanagan gave him a chance to squeak as he checked the action over but Portaro checked behind.

Flanagan tabled [ac][qc] but Portaro showed [jd][th] for trips to collect the pot. Flanagan slips to 100,000 with Portaro up to 140,000.

12:43pm: Level up, 800-1600, ante 200

The final thirteen minutes of Level 10 has been completed and we're now into Level 11.

12:40pm: Crocky finds some bite

Billy "The Croc" Argyros has just ended the tournament of Doug Stanes. There was plenty of action preflop as Daniel Laidlaw committed over a third of his stack before folding once Stanes and Argyros both moved all in.

Stanes tabled [ad][kd], Argyros showed [ah][ac] as Laidlaw commented that he would've had two outs.

The board landed [4d][4s][5h][6c][jd] to give Crocky a near triple up as Stanes hits the rail. He was soon followed by another local in Terry Wallis as we're down to 29 players.

12:35pm: That's a bit ruff

Our first elimination of our day didn't take long as local player Clayton Dwyer has run his [kd][kh] straight into the [ad][as] of Brotha D.

Incredibly the board was spread [ah][ac][3s][8c][td] to give the hip hop king quads and send Dywer to the rail.

Although he plays poker for fun Dwyer is actually no stranger to the intensity of tournaments as he's well known in these parts as being one of Australia's finest Rock-Paper-Scissors players.

Dwyer has competed on the world stage as a World RPS Championship finalist for five years as well as having RPS results around Australia, New Zealand, Norway and the United States.

His RPS profile lists his likes as spaghetti bolognaise and paper, while his dislikes are New Zealanders and dynamite.

Dwyer has one other claim to fame. He was once on the front page of the local newspaper for the headline Dogs Ate My Car. Strange but true.

12:30pm: Round 3 - Fight!

There's plenty of blood, sweat and a few tears left on the felt after the first two days of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event as our field of 100 has been reduced to our final 32 players. They return today for "Round 3" knowing that a knockout blow is only ever one hand away and their three days of toil may end up being for nought.

We're still a long way away from the money with only the top 12 players collecting a profit here at the SKYCITY Darwin Casino. After the frantic action yesterday we can expect the pace of play to slow up considerably today once we inch closer to the money. And it's not all about the cash today, with those vital ANZPT Player of the Year points potentially worth more than the cash itself.

Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem and 2009 APPT Sydney champion Aaron Benton are currently locked in an intense battle with ANZPT POTY leader John Maklouf for the honour of the Player of the Year title. There will no doubt be plenty of nervous moments and a few anxious railbirds should these two hang around a little longer.

Benton is a little short stacked but Tony Hachem is sitting with an average chip stack as they chase the runaway chip leader Byron Henderson. Others still in contention include Brotha D, Billy "The Croc" Argyros, Ben Savage, Chris Levick and Tim English.

Click here for the Day 3 Table Draw

We'll be playing all the way down to our final table of nine this afternoon so lock your browser into the PokerStars Blog and keep whacking that refresh button as we bring you Day 3 of the ANZPT Darwin Main Event.

The players have now taken their seats, exchanged pleasantries and are now getting down to business as the cards are once again in the air.

We're also thankful there are no speed restrictions in poker tournaments, because the road toll today was dangerously high, providing a hugely entertaining day of poker in the SKYCITY Darwin Casino.

Day 2 of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Darwin Main Event claimed 40 casualties today, as our field of 72 was reduced to just 32 within five levels of play. At that point ANZPT Commissioner Danny McDonagh had seen enough carnage and called it a day.

Ricky Kroesen and Aaron Benton were fast out of the blocks while overnight chip leader Andy Hinrichsen was involved in one almighty head-on collision with Mark Chin. Hinrichsen held pocket eights while Chin tabled pocket jacks, so the chips were always going to fly when the flop landed [8d][2s][jh]. Hinrichsen couldn't find a one-outer and was eliminated soon after as Chin flew out to a massive chip lead as the first player across the 100,000-chip barrier.

Sam Rotar and Mishel Anunu were also soon on the rail while Ricky Kroesen's fall from grace was also sudden. After accidentally mucking the best hand at showdown, a rattled Kroesen pushed with middle pair holding [4c][5c] on a [2s][ts][4h] flop, only to see Clint Dixon make the call with [qh][td]. Kroesen didn't even stick around to watch the result as he made a hasty exit as the [as] turn and [8d] river completed the board.

Tim English was moving up the leaderboard, as was 2009 ANZPT Melbourne champ Chris Levick who found some justice and a double up, when his pocket queens held against the [jc][tc] of Brad Bower on a board that ran out [ac][th][7d][jh][ad].

The big story throughout the day was the race for the ANZPT Season 2 Player of the Year title. Four players remained in contention with John Maklouf, Andrew Scarf, Tony Hachem and Aaron Benton all closely watching each other's progress.

It seemed that all four were progressing comfortably but out of nowhere the two current points leaders in Maklouf and Scarf were eliminated simultaneously.

Maklouf ran his pocket queens into Anthony Flanagan's pocket kings while Scarf lost a preflop race with pocket eights against Peter Talias' king-queen. The double elimination blew the POTY door wide open with Hachem needing to finish 8th to be guaranteed of the title, while Benton was also a chance if he cashed and Hachem was eliminated.

This news seemed to inspire Benton as he went on a rush with the elimination of Serge Mazza to move up to 80,000. New Zealand hip hop king Brotha D was also looking strong as he continued his red hot form from Auckland after winning a side event here in Darwin during the week.

Meanwhile the rapid rate of eliminations continued as Matthew Pearson, Leo Boxell and Dan Neilson all fell away towards the later stages of the day.

However the big story of the day would only emerge in the dying minutes as Brotha D and Tony Hachem were involved in a controversial hand where Brotha D verbally indicated the strength of his hand which caused Hachem to lay down pocket kings preflop. Brotha D showed pocket aces and the table became irate at the possible breach of tournament rules. Brotha D copped a warning and it didn't seem to bother Hachem as he ironically picked up pocket aces against pocket kings moments later to bring us to our final 32 players and the end to the day.

It was a significant moment that several players may reflect upon in two days time if Hachem can make a deep run towards the title and the Player of the Year honours.

Avoiding all of the minefields and controversy was Byron Henderson who collected plenty of loose change to end the day as the chip leader with 143,800.

Mark Chin held onto his stack to end the day in second place with 139,400, while the others above the century included Anthony Flanagan (111,300), Tim English (107,700) and Jie Gao (101,300).

Team PokerStars Pro Tony Hachem finished with 66,100 while 2009 APPT Sydney champ Aaron Benton has some work ahead of him with 30,200.

Other notables safely through to Day 3 include Bruno Portaro (83,900), Ben Savage (82,400), Chris Levick (64,800), Brotha D (63,100), Daniel Laidlaw (47,500), Luke Edwards (40,400) and Billy Argyros (32,700).

Play recommences at 12:30pm local time (GMT+9:30) tomorrow as our final 32 players will play down until we reach our official final table lineup. We look forward to your company tomorrow where once again there will be no speed limits!

Table 4
Seat 1: Bruno Portaro (Australia) - 83,900
Seat 2: Clint Dixon (Australia) - 28,300
Seat 3: Morry Edelstein (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 25,000
Seat 4: Alexandros Krepapas (Australia) - 26,600
Seat 5: Anthony Flanagan (United Kingdom) - 111,300
Seat 6: Terry Wallis (Australia) - 44,800
Seat 7: Tony Hachem (Australia) (PokerStars Team PRO Australia) - 66,100
Seat 8: Angelo Limanis (Australia) - 14,600

Table 5
Seat 1: Doug Stanes (Australia) - 39,900
Seat 2: Bill Argyros (Australia) - 32,700
Seat 3: Tim English (Australia) - 107,700
Seat 4: Daniel Laidlaw (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 47,500
Seat 5: David Seccafien (Australia) - 65,400
Seat 6: Darryl Orrock (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 18,400
Seat 7: Constantin Harach (New Zealand) - 36,300
Seat 8: Aaron Benton (Australia) (PokerStars Sponsored Player) - 30,200

Table 6
Seat 1: Lachlan Nicholson (Australia) - 44,600
Seat 2: Luke Edwards (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 40,400
Seat 3: Stephen Holloway (Australia) (PokerStars Qualifier) - 56,200
Seat 4: Chris Levick (Australia) (PokerStars Sponsored Player) - 64,800
Seat 5: Clayton Dwyer (Australia) - 50,500
Seat 6: Danny "Brotha D" Leaoasavaii (New Zealand) - 63,100
Seat 7: Mark Chin (Australia) - 139,400
Seat 8: George Manolas (Australia) - 67,700

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 the day on 143,800, just ahead of Mark Chin who bagged up 139,400. Tim English and Jie Gao also finished above 100,000. Chris Levick, Aaron Benton, Billy Argyros and Tony Hachem are also safely through.

We'll have a complete wrap of the day's action and full list of chip counts for you shortly.

5:45pm: That was a crazy game of poker...

It's been a frantic last few minutes to the day as a series of eliminations, one triple up, and one rather heated argument has brought day two to a stunning close.

We lost Peter Talias and Philippe Bitar, before Joel Feldman found a massive triple up. With two limpers Feldman moved all in for 25,100 and was cold-called by Clint Dixon. Aaron Benton also made the call as Tony Kanochkin folded ace-jack.

With action on the side the two live players checked down a board of [qd][kh][3c][td][ad]. Dixon showed pocket nines, Benton mucked but Feldman had [ac][jh] for the nut straight for a big triple up.

At the same time a hand was going down on a nearby table involving Brotha D and Tony Hachem. Brotha D had opened to 3,500 from under the gun before Hachem popped it to 9,000. Table folded back to Brotha D who made it 25,000.

Hachem went deep into the tank before asking, "Have you got better than kings?"

Brotha D responded, "I can beat kings".

This comment caused Hachem to open-fold his own pocket kings. Brotha D then showed he was telling the truth as he flashed pocket aces.

This caused an uproar on the table as Ben Savage, Chris Levick and others were annoyed that Brotha D allowed Hachem to survive in the tournament by telling him that he held aces. While Brotha D didn't directly say that he held aces, telling your opponent what you have is against the tournament rules.

"He goes broke there if you don't tell him, which might cost me money!" exclaimed an irate Savage. While everyone agreed that Hachem had done nothing wrong by asking a probing question, the tournament directors agreed with Savage's comments and Brotha D received a verbal warning.

Just to cap it all off, a few moments later Hachem raised and short-stacked Daniel Jelich shoved all in with pocket kings, only for Hachem to call and turn over the pocket aces.

The board ran out [as][6s][4c][8d][5c] and Jelich was eliminated as the 33rd place finisher to bring the day's play to an end as Hachem ended the day on a high note with 66,100 in chips.

5:30pm: Elimination my dear Watson

Billy "The Croc" Argyros raised to 3,000 before Guy Watson moved all in for his last 11,900. Argyros thought for a moment or two before making the call.

Watson opened [ac][qs] for the best hand against Argyros' [ad][9d] but the board ran out [jh][2d][kd][5d][3c] to give Crocky a flush and eliminate Watson from the tournament. Argyros is back up to 35,000.

5:22pm: Ladies no help to Crocky

Billy "The Croc" Argyros is down to his last 20,000 chips after Nick Ergos just collected a nice pot without showdown. The board read [6c][2h][6h][ah] when Ergos fired 9,000 into the middle. Argyros made the call and the river was the [ks]. Ergos moved all in and Argyros flashed the [qh][qc] and folded as Ergos showed [jh][8h] for the flush to move up to 100,000.

5:14pm: Tec's mistimed bluff

SKYCITY Darwin satellite winner Tec Lay has bluffed his way out the door to reduce our field to the final four tables. The board read [tc][kd][9d][5h][2h] when Lay moved all in for roughly around 13,000 but his bluff with [jc][7s] was picked off by Ben Savage who tabled [ks][qc].

5:10pm: Brown out

Shortly following the recommencement of play, Mathew Brown lost his battle with his short stack to reduce our field to the final 37 players.

It was a battle of the blinds with Brown all in with [js][9h] and Brotha D making the call with [ac][kh]. The dealer spread the board of [3c][tc][ad][6c][3s] to eliminate Brown as Brotha D moves up to 65,000 chips.

5:05pm: Play resumes

The 38 remaining players are back and the cards are in the air for the final level of the day. We'll be stopping at the end of this level, or once we reach 32 players, whichever comes first.