Latest Season 2 Post

The opening paragraph was already penned, spruiking the success of the old guard, and the "Empire Strikes Back" headline ready to post. Surely this major tournament debutant Angelo Hamataj couldn't outpoint Mike Ivin, a player with more than 40 years of experience, especially once he held a big chip...more

6.30pm: Angelo Hamataj crowned ANZPT Sydney champion It took more than 90 minutes of heads-up play and wild swings in the respective chip stacks until Angelo Hamataj was crowned ANZPT Sydney Main Event champion for 2010. It's been a final table characterised by big confrontations and dramatic hands, and...more

4.50pm: Michael O'Grady eliminated in fourth place, AUD $60,656 And then there were three - Michael O'Grady's tournament ended in fourth after he shoved over the top of a pre-flop raise to 96,000 from Angelo Hanataj in the small blind. O'Grady called and revealed 3♦ 5♠. His cards were...more

The writer in me loves a good storyline. When play kicked off today for Day 4 of the 2010 ANZPT Queenstown Main Event, several of those "good storylines" were in play. Could the overnight chip leader, Vesko Zmukic, go wire to wire? How would the Season 2 point races affect...more

9:51pm: Andrew Watson eliminated in 2nd place -- Julian Cohen wins ANZPT Queenstown Main Event! After Andrew Watson started trending downwards, he didn't seem to be able to stop. On the final hand of the tournament, Watson opened all in from the button for about 450,000. Julian Cohen snap-called with...more

7:01pm: Short dinner break The last four players, who have been at it for almost seven hours now, have been given 30 minutes to find something to eat. 6:54pm: Spilkin's check-raise doesn't get the desired result On a paired flop of 8♥T♦8♦, Michael Spilkin checked to the pre-flop raiser, Andrew...more

When news broke that Perth had been added to the schedule for season two of the PokerStars.net ANZPT, players rejoiced on either side of the country. For the first time, Western Australia's best would be able to test themselves against the best of the best from the eastern seaboard....more

7.15pm: Tony Hachem wins ANZPT Perth; Aleks Lackovic eliminated in second place One of the most remarkable runs in Australian poker history continues with the crowning of PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Tony Hachem as the first PokerStars.net ANZPT Perth champion, winning AUD $132,750. Just as we'd settled in for...more

5pm: Hachem snares the lead Players took an extended break to talk about a deal, but there was no decision and the trio are back at the table. Three-handed, pretty tight, pick your marks, right? Uh-uh. Tony Hachem has taken off the gloves and is the new chip leader...more

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

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

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

We were expecting big things from this final table, and from the moment that the first hand was dealt, right through to the intense heads-up battle, it was pure entertainment for the crowd here on the rail of the Jupiters Poker Room that watched it all unfold. We rocketed out...more

6:15pm: Ricky Kroesen eliminated in 2nd place; Nauv Kashyap wins the ANZPT Gold Coast! Ricky Kroesen was down to around 600,000 when he moved all in from the button. Nauv Kashyap snap-called in the big blind and the cards were on their backs. Kroesen: K♦2♦ Kashyap: T♣T♠ The board was...more

6:00: Ten-minute break 5:50pm: Nothing like flopping the nuts Nauv Kashyap raised to 110,000 from the button and Ricky Kroesen made the call in the big blind. They saw a flop of 9♦A♦5♦ and Kroesen checked to Kashyap who fired 130,000. Kroesen made the call. The turn was the 3♠...more

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

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

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

10.45pm: Jason Gray wins ANZPT Canberra, John Maklouf eliminated in second place And just like that, it's all over - after some fine post-flop play, the deciding hand was a pre-flop clash of Jason Gray's 4♠ 4♣ against the A♠ 3♦ of John Maklouf. Gray shoved all-in after Maklouf...more

7.10pm: Anyone's title John Maklouf has taken off the gloves and become the aggressor as the difference in the three stacks narrows. Jason Gray made it 73,000 before the flop, Maklouf called and the flop fell 4♦ 7♠ 7♥. Gray bet 75,000, Maklouf called and the turn came T♣....more

The 2010 PokerStars.net ANZPT Canberra Main Event final table has been decided. The nine players are chasing a first prize of AUD $95,930 and the title of the first ANZPT Canberra champion. Play will continue at level 19 (5000/10,000 with an ante of 1000). Each of the players sought...more

Rennie Carnevale hadn't planned to play the PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event. After winning one of the preliminary events, he'd decided to take the cash and preserve his bankroll. His flight back to Sydney, near his Wollongong home, was booked and his bags were packed when an email arrived...more

7.15pm: Andrew Scarf eliminated in 2nd place, Rennie Carnevale wins the ANZPT Adelaide Main Event title The bulldozer ride of Rennie Carnevale continued in the heads-up duel as he crushed Andrew Scarf into submission to capture the 2010 PokerStars.net ANZPT Adelaide Main Event title and the first prize of...more

5.30pm: Scarf scarring the opposition After those two quick eliminations, Andrew Scarf remains at the head of the chip count on 1.7 million but Octavian Voegele's KO of Billy "The Croc" Argyros has elevated him to second chip position on 900,000. Dan Neilson is next on 790,000 million, with...more