Live updates from day 3, level 20 (blinds 8000-16,000, ante 2000) of the PokerStars.net APPT Auckland Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from SKYCITY Casino in Auckland, New Zealand. Click refresh to see the latest updates below, while the latest selected chip counts can be found by clicking here.
5.30pm: Smith out, final table decided
The final table for the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Auckland Main Event has been decided after the elimination of Shilton Smith in 10th position, for NZD $11,046. Chip leader with less than 20 players remaining, Smith endured a combination of killer blows.
In a battle of the locals, Richard Lancaster shoved over the top of Smith's pre-flop raise of 40,000, with Smith calling for what appeared to be most of his stack. Lancaster showed A♦ J♦ while Smith fancied his chances with K♣ K♥. But his pulse was racing when the flop fell 9♦ 8♦ 4♠, the turn was 9♠ and the river a heart-breaking T♦ to make Lancaster's flush.
That left Smith with just over 50,000 in chips, and they were quickly committed with T♠ 9♠ against the K♦ 9♥ of Jens Walther. The German PokerStars Qualifier hit top pair on the flop of 9♦ 6♠ 2♥, Smith picked up a flush draw on the turn 2♠ but it was all over with the river 8♥.
In a remarkable day of poker, it took just over four levels to slash the field from 32 to the final nine. Six of them were in the top 10 chips counts at the start of day three.
The chip leader is French Poker Stars Qualifier Gerome Guitteau on 1.2 million ahead of Jason Brown (710,000), American Michael Shinzaki (620,000), NZ PokerStars Qualifier Simon Watt (580,000), Richard Lancaster (570,000), another local PokerStars Qualifier Lance Climo (350,000), German PokerStars Qualifier Jens Walther (335,000), Australian-based Chinese player Ke Sijia (295,000) and PokerStars Player Assadour Assadourian (230,000).
We'll be back, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, for tomorrow's PokerStars.net APPT Auckland AKA SKYCITY Festival of Poker Main Event at SKYCITY Casino from 12.15pm tomorrow.
5pm: Action aplenty at SKYCITY
As day three of the PokerStars.net APPT Auckland Main Event winds down, the action is only just cranking up in the SKYCITY Casino poker room. The first hand has just been dealt in the NZD $220 SKYCITY Festival of Poker Ladies Event, which will be followed later this afternoon by the NZD $10,000 APPT Auckland High Rollers event.
Players in the Main Event have just taken their seats after the second break of the day, with 10 players vying for a spot at the final table of nine. There's no short stack under immediate attack, with Assadour Assadourian's 260,000 the smallest stack in play.
German PokerStars Qualifier Jens Walther had looked under threat until he doubled through Simon Watt with J♠ J♦. He looked in a world of hurt against the Kiwi's A♣ K♥ but the board ran out 5♦ K♠ T♦ 7♦ A♦ to make him a flush.
