It wasn't long ago that the number of casino-based poker tables in New Zealand's could be counted on one hand, the country's most famous poker player spoke with an American accent and the country's North Island was a tournament poker wasteland every bit as barren as the volcanic plateau in Tongariro National Park.

Slowly but surely, New Zealand has caught up with the rest of the world. The nation's largest casino, SKYCITY Auckland, is now home to one of the region's finest poker facilities that regularly hosts tournament series catering to players of all budgets and levels of experience.

The man with the American accent who helped put New Zealand poker on the global map, PokerStars Player Lee "Final Table" Nelson, now shares the local spotlight with numerous players of international standing. And with pub and club competitions feeding the demand for tournament poker throughout the country, the numbers playing the game have never been higher.

The new guard of NZ poker players were again out in force in the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Auckland Main Event, where they went head-to-head against the region's best, including PokerStars.net Team Australia Pros Grant Levy, Tony Hachem, Eric Assadourian, Emad Tahtouh and Team Asia's Celina Lin. Among the field of 263 players were most of the country's new guard - guys like Josh Egan, James Honeybone, Neil Stewart, Shaun Goldsbury and defending champion Daniel Craker.

Another name can now be added to that list - 26-year-old software developer Simon Watt from the North Shore district of Auckland. After qualifying for this event via a $22 rebuy event on PokerStars, Watt quietly picked his way through the field and by day two, he was among the chip leaders and entered the final table mid-field, but confident of a good showing.

Fellow PokerStars Qualifier Gerome Guitteau did most of the damage at the final table, but Watt waited patiently and pounced when the opportunity arose. Watt was level in chips with the Frenchman when the heads-up duel started, and dispatched him within 15 minutes.

For the second year, the PokerStars.net APPT Auckland is staying on New Zealand soil and with so many polished young players coming through the ranks, it's unlikely to be leaving anytime soon.

The next stop on season three of the PokerStars.net APPT is a familiar country, but a new venue. We're off to the Shangri-la Mactan Resort in Cebu, Philippines (after two years at the Hyatt in Manila) for the 100,000 PHP (approximately USD $2150) buy-in APPT Philippines tournament, which will run from November 11-15.

On behalf of my PokerStars blog partner Landon Blackhall, local photographer Phil Crawford and the APPT and local PokerStars teams, farewell from Auckland, New Zealand and the 2009 SKYCITY Festival of Poker.

Live updates from the final table & level 23 (blinds 15,000-30,000, ante 5000) 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.

6.20pm: Simon Watt wins, Gerome Guitteau eliminated in second place, NZD $142,020

We were expecting an epic heads-up stoush between two PokerStars Qualifiers, France's Gerome Guitteau and Auckland's own Simon Watt but the battle lasted only a few hands and for the second consecutive year, the APPT Auckland Main Event championship title stays on home soil.

Watt raised to 75,000 from the button, Guitteau re-raised to 200,000 from the big blind and then called after Watt's three-bet to 450,000. On the flop of [7c] [10h] [8s], Guitteau moved all-in; Watt snap-called and rolled up [ad] [4s] but was trailing the Frenchman's [jh] [8c].

The Kiwi crowd rose out of their seats in anticipation, then the roar went up when the [as] spiked on turn. The [qs] blanked out on the river and when the chips were cut down, Guitteau was left with just 540,000.

Two hands later Guitteau moved it all in with [kc] [7c] but found himself in a race against Watt's [5h] [5c]. The flop of [qh] [6d] [js] kept the Kiwi ahead, but the almost scripted sweat came when the dealer produced the [9d] on the turn.

Needing any king or 10 to double through, a repeat [jc] fell on the river, eliminating Guitteau in second place. The Kiwis are already gearing up for a big celebration as Simon Watt pockets the first place prize of NZD $209,085 and the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Auckland Main Event champion's trophy.

6pm: Jason Brown eliminated in third place, NZD $82,845

The aggressive play of New Zealand's Jason Brown aggressive play has finally brought him undone as he was eliminated in two hands from the PokerStars.net APPT Auckland Main Event.

PokerStars Qualifier Simon Watt raised to 80,000 from the button, Gerome Guitteau folded from the small blind and Brown announced that he was all in. Watt didn't hesitate, snap-calling with [kc] [kd], well ahead of his compatriot's [5h] [5c].

There was no help for Brown as the board was spread [4d] [kd] [ah] [6h] [6d], leaving him with just 200,000 which he moved into the middle on the next hand holding [kc] [4c] after Guitteau raised from the button to 75,000.

Guitteau called, tabling [jh] [9d]; the flop of [7h] [9c] [3c] put the Frenchman ahead, but gave Brown the nut flush draw. The outs for the straight draw were added when the dealer produced the [6s] on the turn, but Brown would be eliminated when the river spiked [9s] giving trips to Guitteau.

We're now set for an intriguing heads-up battle as Guitteau is now on 2.6 million in chips, but Watt is hot on his heels with 2.3 million and in with a great chance to keep the APPT Auckland Main Event title on home soil two years in a row.

5.30pm: Ke Sijia eliminated in fourth place, NZD $55,230

French PokerStars Qualifier Gerome Guitteau has gained the outright chip lead after eliminating Ke Sijia. The Chinese player limped in from under the gun, New Zealand PokerStars Qualifier Simon Watt folded while Guitteau and Jason Brown called from the small and big blind respectively.

The dealer produced the flop of [jh] [2d] [10d]; Guitteau and Brown checked to Sijia who opened for 70,000. Guitteau then reached for two stacks of orange 5000 chips and made it 200,000 to go. Brown said adios, Sijia made the call and it was heads-up to the turn [3h].
Guitteau shoved all-in and Sijiya snap-called, tabling [10h] [9h] for middle pair and a flush draw but was behind Guitteau's [jd] [7d]. Needing any nine, 10 or heart, the dealer produced red paint, but it was in the form of the [qd], sending Sijia to the rail.

With only three players remaining, Guitteau is back in the chip lead with 2,240,000, but the two Kiwis are hot on his heels. Brown is in second place with 1,460,000 and Watt is third with 1,197,000 in chips. The trio have discussed and reached a deal.

5pm: Kiwi quinella at head of count

Players are taking their second break of the day with the clock just ticking past 5pm local time here at SKYCITY Casino in Auckland. There's still a big crowd packed around the final table, although there's plenty of interest in the teams event at the other end of the room where PokerStars.net Team Australia Pros Tony Hachem, Eric Assadourian and Grant Levy are keeping the field on their toes.

Heading into level 23, Jason Brown leads narrowly on 1.52 million from fellow Kiwi Simon Watt (1.5 million), Gerome Guitteau (1.33 million) and Ke Sijia (550,000).

Live updates from the final table & level 22 (blinds 12,000-24,000, ante 4000) 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.

5pm: One for the folks at home

Earlier today, the nine final table participants spoke with our PokerStars.tv team:

Watch APPT Auckland 09 : Meet the Final 9 on PokerStars.tv

4.45pm: Brown back in the black

New Zealand's Jason Brown was the chip leader after day two and is again showing plenty of aggression on the APPT Auckland Main Event Final table.

China's Ke Sijia raised from under the gun to 70,000 and the action folded around to Brown who re-raised all-in from the big blind. Sijia went into the tank and Brown stood up, staring him down and trying to egg him into a call. Sijia eventually open-mucked [10h] [10d] and Brown pushed his hole cards towards him and said, "Pick one." Sijia turned up a [kh] and Brown took down the pot.

A few hands later, Sijia raised to 60,000 before the flop from the cut-off, New Zealand PokerStars Qualifier Simon Watt called from the button, Gerome Guitteau called from the small blind and Brown announced he was all-in. The other three players folded and Brown took down the pot.

Guitteau is still the chip-leader with 1,630,000 but the field is evening out as New Zealand's Simon Watt (1,320,000) and Jason Brown (1,240,000). Sijia is the short stack with 680,000 in chips.

4.20pm: Richard Lancaster eliminated in fifth place, NZD $42,606

Not long after the clock ticked into to level 22, New Zealand's Richard Lancaster made a move for his last 220,000 after French PokerStars Qualifier Gerome Guitteau's raise of 70,000 in early position.

Guitteau snap-called and tabled [ah] [qh] but Lancaster was the favourite with [ac] [kc]. The local crowd was behind their man, cheering as the flop came down [3h] [jd] [8s]. The cheers turned to "oohs" as the turn produced the [10h], giving Guitteau a chance to make the straight with any king or nine.

Sure enough, the [kd] landed on the river; Lancaster and the other players knew that the New Zealander had been eliminated, but there was a moment of confusion from the crowd as the tournament director had announced that Lancaster had doubled up. He quickly corrected his mistake and the crowd gave Lancaster a great ovation.

The 35-year-old real estate agent collects NZD $42,606 for his fifth-place finish, leaving Jason Brown and PokerStars Qualifier Simon Watt as the last two Kiwis on the final table. Guitteau moved up to 2.1 million in chips (about 50 per cent of the chips in play) and back into the lead.

4pm: Simon says, gimme the chip lead

The action has slowed down as the final five players continue on the PokerStars.net APPT Auckland final table, but New Zealand's Simon Watt is closing in on chip leader Gerome Guitteau. The action folded around to China's Ke Sijia who limped in from the small blind, Watt checked his option in the big blind and it was heads-up to a flop of [2h] [2d] [9c].

Sijia checked, Watt led out for 30,000 but Sijia raised to 100,000. Watt thought about it for a short while before making the call. The dealer produced the [jh] on the turn; this time, the New Zealand PokerStars Qualifier led out for 140,000. Sijia sent his cards into the muck and Watt moved up to 1,350,000 in chips.

Live updates from the final table & level 21 (blinds 10,000-20,000, ante 3000) 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.

3.45pm: Jens Walther eliminated in sixth place, NZD $31,560

German PokerStars Qualifier Jens Walther has been added to the ever-growing list of scalps of French PokerStars Qualifier Gerome Guitteau after being eliminated in sixth place for NZD $31,560. The action folded around to Guitteau who insta-shoved with [5s] [5c] and Walther moved his last 220,000 into the middle with [as] [qh] and it was off to the races.

The flop of [7d] [6s] [4s] kept the Frenchman ahead and added more outs to a straight draw. Needing an ace or a queen to double up, there was no help as the turn and river ran out [9s], [9d] to send the German to the rail and Guitteau's stack close to 2,000,000 in chips.

3.30pm: Assadour Assadourian eliminated in seventh place, NZD $23,670

There's not a spare seat in the house as spectators have packed the stands to watch on the action continues on the APPT Auckland Main Event final table. Having placed 31st in this event last year, Assadour Assadourian had most of the crowd on his side but has been eliminated in seventh place after a massive pot with four-way action.

French PokerStars Qualifier Gerome Guitteau raised in early position to 52,000, Richard Lancaster made the call from the button and China's Ke Sijia made up the difference in the small blind, as did Assadourian from the big blind.

The flop came down [7h] [8d] [jh]; Sijia checked, Assadourian moved all in for around 135,000 but Guitteau re-raised to 500,000. Lancaster folded and Sijia open-mucked [ah] [8h], leaving the Australian PokerStars Player to fight it out against Guitteau.

Guitteau rolled up [8c] [7c] for two pair and Assadourian showed [qc] [js] for top pair, but needed a lot of help. The turn of the [2c] gave him a few more outs and his son, PokerStars Team Australia Pro Eric Assadourian called for the deuce, jack or queen.

The river bricked out [4s] and the crowd gave the last Aussie in the field rapturous applause as he went off to the cage to pocket NZD $23,670; Guitteau is now dominating this final table with 1.7 million in his stack.

3pm: Richard's riches disappear

New Zealand's Richard Lancaster is back in the pack, now sitting on 415,000 after being at the wrong end of an aces-versus-kings battle against China's Ke Sijia in a hand just before the break.

Lancaster raised it up from the button to 45,000 holding [ks] [kd], Sijia re-raised from the small blind to 108,000, Lancaster shoved and Sijia snap-called, rolling up [as] [ad]. The board ran out [qh] [7h] [2c] [8s] [6h] to put Sijia back in contention with 1,030,000 in chips.

Live updates from the final table & 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.

2.30pm: Lance Climo eliminated in eighth place, NZD $18,936

New Zealand PokerStars Qualifier Lance Climo had been applying the pressure in this level, pushing all in and stealing the blinds and antes, but has been eliminated in eighth place at the hands of fellow Kiwi Simon Watt who is now on 830,000 in chips.

Climo led out from middle position and made it 48,000 to go before the flop, Watt re-raised from the big blind to 130,000. Climo snap-shoved for about 230,000 total, Watt beat him into the pot and turned over [ad] [kc], ahead of Climo's [ac] [10s].

Watt stayed in the lead on the flop of [3c] [2c] [jh] and had it all but in the bag when he paired his king with the turn [ks]. Needing a queen to stay alive, Climo was off to the cage to collect his NZD $18,936 payday when the river bricked out [2d].

2.15pm: Michael Shinzaki eliminated in ninth place, NZD $14,202

Michael Shinzaki will putting his NZD $14,202 prizemoney to good use on his tour of New Zealand after being eliminated in ninth place at the hands of French PokerStars Qualifier Gerome Guitteau.

Guitteau raised to 42,000 pre-flop from the button, Shinazki moved all-in from the big blind for 340,000 and Guitteau called, tabling [ac] [jd], well ahead of Shinzaki's [kd] [5h]. The board was spread [7c] [ah] [10s] [9h] [kh], sending Shinzaki off to the Queenstown slopes and Guitteau back into the chip lead with around 1.5 million in his stack.

2pm: The Aussie battler

Australia's Assadour Assadourian is proving that poker is in the family's blood after moving up to 430,000 through New Zealand's Jason Brown. Brown made a raise from the cut-off to 36,000 before the flop; Assadourian made the call and they both checked a flop of [10h] [7c] [as].

Assadourian fired out a bet of 40,000 and Brown would call on both the turn [2d] and the river [js]. Assadourian turned up [ac] [kc] at the showdown, Brown mucked and the applause went up from his supporters.

There seem to be a few Kiwis among the Aussie cheering section as the father of PokerStars Team Australia Pro Eric Assadourian is bringing his own style of play and enthusiastic banter to the table, earning him the status of crowd favourite.

Live updates from the final table & level 19 (blinds 6000-12,000, 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.

1.30pm: Head or heart?

Richard Lancaster has moved up the counts to 990,000 after making a great read on Michael Shinzaki. The American raised it up to 24,000 from early position and the action folded around to Lancaster in late position who made the call. Shinzaki then check-called Lancaster's bet on the flop of [2h] [js] [10d]. When the dealer produced the [qh] on the turn, Shinzaki led out for 94,000, Lancaster made the call then Shinzaki fired out 130,000 on the river [3h].

Lancaster went into the tank for about three minutes before making the call - amazingly, Shinzaki instantly mucked his hand and a gasp went up from the gallery, followed by some solid support. "I had to go with my gut," Lancaster said as he raked in his chips. Shinzaki slipped to 420,000 after that hand.

1pm: Better late than never

After a slight delay due to the late (and sheepish) arrival of Ke Sijia, play is underway at the final table. The loudest cheering section belongs to Lance Climo, with a big contingent of family and friends having made the 120-kilometre trip north from Hamilton to Auckland.

In the first major action of the day, Sijia showed he's well and truly awake, managing to take a huge chunk of change from chip leader Gerome Guitteau in the early stages of this final table. Sijia raised it up pre-flop to 34,000 from the cut-off and was called down by Guitteau from the big blind and it was heads-up to a flop that read [qs] [6c] [7c].

Guitteau checked to Sijia who moved all-in for 263,000. Guitteau made the call, tabling [8h] [7h] for middle pair but was miles behind Sijia's [ah] [ac]. The turn and river ran out [qd] [5c] and Sijia doubled through to around 600,000 while Guitteau slips to 955,000.

12.30pm: Now for the Philippines

With the APPT Auckland title almost decided, players are starting to make their plans for the next event on the season three schedule, which will be played at the stunning Shangri-la Mactan Resort in Cebu, Philippines from November 11-15.

Watch APPT Auckland 09 : Qualify now for APPT Cebu on PokerStars.tv

Welcome to our coverage of the final table in the 2009 PokerStars.net APPT Auckland/NZPT SKYCITY Festival of Poker Main Event from SKYCITY Casino in Auckland. Play will be wound back one level to 6000/12,000 with a 2000 ante for the start of play. We should be underway in the next 20 minutes, around 12.30pm local time.

The final table features players from six different nations including four contenders representing the host nation and three Auckland locals. There is one European, one American, one Asian and one Australian player, again underlining the global appeal of the game and the popularity of the APPT among players across the world. For profiles of the nine players chasing the NZD $209,085 first prize, click here.

As the bleachers are assembled around the final table - resembling a pro wrestling steel cage for some strange reason - here are some unusual facts about New Zealand.

• The claim that there are 20 sheep for every New Zealander is wrong. It's actually about 9:1.

• Cropp River on New Zealand's South Island experienced 60 feet of rain during a 12-month period in 1997-98.

• New Zealand generates about 10 per cent of its electricity geothermally, or from volcanic heat.

• Wellington is the most southerly capital city of any nation on the planet.

• To become a New Zealand citizen, you still must swear an oath of loyalty to Queen Elizabeth II

• The claim by former NZ Prime Minister Robert Muldoon that "New Zealanders who go to Australia raise the IQ of both countries" has never been proved.

PokerStars.net APPT Auckland Main Event final table

Seat 1: Jason Brown (New Zealand) 709,000
Seat 2: Richard Lancaster (New Zealand) 568,000
Seat 3: Ke Sijia (China) 294,000
Seat 4: Assadour Assadourian (Australia) PokerStars Player 231,000
Seat 5: Simon Watt (New Zealand) PokerStars Qualifier 581,000
Seat 6: Gerome Guitteau (France) PokerStars Qualifier 1,204,000
Seat 7: Lance Climo (New Zealand) PokerStars Qualifier 350,000
Seat 8: Michael Shinzaki (USA) 620,000
Seat 9: Jens Walther (Germany) Poker Stars Qualifier 335,000

Watch APPT Auckland 09 : Day 3 Final 9 on PokerStars.tv

The structure available for today's play is:

Level 19: 6000/12,000 (ante 2000)
Level 20: 8000/16,000 (ante 2000)
Level 21: 10,000/20,000 (ante 3000)
Level 22: 12,000/24,000 (ante 4000)
Level 23: 15,000/30,000 (ante 5000)
Level 24: 20,000/40,000 (ante 5000)
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 (ante 5000)
Level 26: 30,000/60,000 (ante 10,000)
Level 27: 40,000/80,000 (ante 10,000)
Level 28: 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)
Level 29: 60,000/120,000 (ante 20,000)

Final table profiles for the PokerStars.net APPT Auckland Main Event brought to you by Sean Callander and Landon Blackhall from SKYCITY Casino in Auckland, New Zealand. The latest chip counts can be found by clicking here.

Seat 1: Jason Brown, Auckland, New Zealand (709,000 in chips): The married father-of-two was as high as 1,000,000 in chips on day three of this event, but had to battle through some tough spots and comes to the final table in second chip position. The 33-year-old Brown makes a living as a property investor but that's taking a back seat as his poker career takes off, having already scored a number of large cashes online and in live tournaments, including 14th in the USD $5000 event at this year's PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

Seat 2: Richard Lancaster, Auckland, New Zealand (568,000 in chips): This 35-year-old local real estate agent and father of one is one of the more experienced players at the final table. He's played in major tournaments around the world including Macau, Milan and the Aussie Millions in Melbourne. He also harnessed some valuable experience at last year's SKYCITY Festival of Poker, and qualified for his Main Event here via a live satellite. "I'm very confident heading into the final day - I want to take it for Auckland," the proud local said.

Seat 3: Ke Sijia, Kantong, China (294,000 in chips): The 42-year-old full-time poker player has been jetsetting between Australia and New Zealand in the past few years. He won his seat into the APPT Auckland Main Event via a $120 satellite here at SKYCITY. He learned the game online, playing under the name eagle_ke and though he's one of the short stacks, he says it's "unbelievable" to make the final table. "I'll still need to wait for good hands," he said.

Seat 4: Assadour Assadourian, Sydney, Australia - PokerStars Player (231,000 in chips): The surname may be familiar to a lot of people, but this time it's Assadour, the father of PokerStars.net Team Australia Pro Eric Assadourian that takes his seat on the final table with 231,000 in chips. The 56-year-old lighting company director is relying on his aggression to take down the APPT Main Event and add another trophy to the family pool room. "I've been starting short the last two days, but have always doubled up," says Assadour. "If this keeps going it should help me win!" He cashed 31st in the same event last year.

Seat 5: Simon Watt, Auckland, New Zealand - PokerStars Qualifier (581,000 in chips): A 26-year-old software developer, he was a former chip leader in this event with the size of his stack swinging wildly over the past two days. He is already assured a massive return on investment having qualified via a $22 rebuy event on PokerStars. With five years of experience under his belt, the Auckland local can't wait to take his seat among the final nine: "I'm very confident going into the final table," he said.

Seat 6: Gerome Guitteau, Paris, France - PokerStars Qualifier (1,204,000 in chips): Guitteau comes into the final table as our chip leader with more than 1.2 million in chips, a far cry from his early days learning the game of poker on his yacht while sailing the Indian Ocean. The 30-year-old full-time poker player was happy to reminisce about his nautical adventures, but it's not only Gitteau that's got game - his wife Claude-Estel is also a keen poker player, having placed ninth in the WCOOP Omaha Hi-Lo event. "It's nice to do well and get lucky for once!" Guitteau said.

Seat 7: Lance Climo, Hamilton, New Zealand - PokerStars Qualifier (350,000 in chips): Just days before the SKYCITY Festival of Poker Main Event, this bar owner won his spot in a Last Chance Seat Only satellite on PokerStars. The father of two has been playing poker for five years and this is by far his biggest result in the game. And he plans to make the most of the opportunity: "I'm going to be patient at the final table," he said.

Seat 8: Michael Shinzaki, Los Angeles, California, USA (620,000 in chips): Having made his start five years ago playing college home games, the 22-year-old UCLA sociology graduate has built up a bankroll online and is now travelling the world playing poker full-time. "It feels really nice to make the final table," Shinzaki said. "I've been playing really well and I'm looking forward to seeing more of New Zealand after this event." He'll have more than enough spending money, having made his first ever live major tournament cash here at SKYCITY Auckland.

Seat 9: Jens Walther, Germany - Poker Stars Qualifier (335,000 in chips): The story of this PokerStars Qualifier from Germany should give hope to every aspiring pro. After winning an APPT Auckland seat on PokerStars, he decided to take the opportunity to journey to New Zealand to play in his first live event. The 36-year-old, who works in the air conditioning industry, said he was "excited to be in New Zealand and playing at the final table".