Main Event
Day 1a Started
2012 PokerStars.net ANZPT Season 5 Auckland
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2012 PokerStars.net ANZPT Season 5 Auckland
Buy-in
2,000 NZD
Entries
207
Level
23
Blinds
12,000 / 24,000
Ante
4,000
Welcome to ANZPT Auckland!
![[user162117]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Welcome to the SKYCITY Auckland Casino for the second stop of the 2012 Pokerstars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour from Auckland, New Zealand.
It’s the first time in its four-year history that Auckland will play host to an ANZPT event. The last time we were here for a live PokerStars event was back in 2010 for season four of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), when local Danny "Brotha D" Leaoasavaii bested a field of 218 runners to be crowned champion and walk away with NZ$170,000. He was the third Kiwi in a row to capture a title in Auckland, after Daniel Craker’s and Simon Watts’ victories. Will a local be able to keep the trend going, or will a visitor finally be able spoil the party?
With a buy-in of NZ$2,200, and the field sizes of 306, 263 and 218 over the past three visits to Auckland, players from all around the Asia-Pacific will be looking to surpass those numbers and make this tournament the biggest this year in New Zealand.
The field is being split over three day ones, and in just under an hour, we will see the first group take to the felt at 6:30 p.m. local time. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on the floor providing all the live coverage, so be sure to stay tuned for the action!
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal!
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The cards are in the air with Tournament Director Danny McDonagh uttering the famous words of "shuffle up and deal" to get the event started.
As the action gets warmed up, Lynn Gilmartin gives us a quick look around the room.
Who's Here?
Some big names have been spotted early here in the poker room including Ashley Warner and Michael Guzzardi, who recently chopped three-handed in the ANZPT Melbourne Main Event. Others include Graeme Putt, Cole Swannack, Jesse McKenzie, Liam O’Rourke, Jackson Zheng and Ivan Zalac.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 |
Zheng Slips Early
Over on Table 7, Ashley Warner and Jackson Zheng just got involved in a hand together. It started with action folding all the way around to Warner on the button, and he raised to 250. Zheng called in the big blind to see the flop fall 
. Both players checked their option to see the 
drop on the turn. Zheng would this time lead out for 850, and found a call. The 
on the river brought a check from Zheng, before Warner threw out a bet of 1,200, which was met with an instant muck.
Zheng has had a rough start to the day, with his stack already falling rapidly in the first level of play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
23,000 | 3,000 |
|
|
11,200 | -8,800 |
McKenzie Takes One Out, But Gives it Back To Another
We arrived at the table to see Jesse McKenzie lose a big pot, but still have a sizable chip stack after being able to eliminate the first player from the tournament a few hands earlier.
McKenzie recalled to us how the player under the gun limped into the pot, as well as another, before he bumped it up to 500. Both players called to see the flop come 
, with two hearts. The first player bet out 1,200, which brought a fold from the next player, but not McKenzie, who raised to 4,200. His opponent made the call before going all in on the turn 
for her remaining 6,500 in chips. McKenzie called.
The hands were turned over, and McKenzie’s flopped set of fours meant his opponent was drawing dead holding the 
. The river came the , and McKenzie scooped in the pot as his opponent tapped the table and exited the room.
The hand were he lost it all back was caught when he and his opponent committed 1,000 in chips on a board reading 
. The turn fell the 
, and Mckenzie bet out 2,500, which was snapped-called by his opponent. On the river 
, McKenzie took one more shot, throwing out a bet of 4,000 in chips, but it didn’t faze his opponent, who quickly made the call.
“Do you have a spade?” asked McKenzie, motioning a fold.
”What do you have? I paid to see!” said his opponent, waiting until McKenzie showed to reveal her hand.
McKenzie mucked his cards, which the dealer then tabled, announcing that his opponent had the right to see his cards, because she made the call. His hand was turned over to show the 
for a pair of eights. Hiss opponent tabled 
for a rivered flush.
McKenzie’s up-and-down first level still has him sitting just short of the starting stack with 18,000 in chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
18,000 | -2,000 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 0
Hockin Up Top
Recent ANZPT Melbourne Main Event champion Paul Hockin has been spotted in the room, with a large stack accumulating in front of him.
Walking past the table, we saw a player open with a bet of 600, before Paul Hockin re-reaised to 1,600 in chips. The original player called to see the flop come out 
, then checked his option. Hockin threw out the same bet of 1,600, before being met with a min-raise to 3,200 in chips. Hockin looked at his opponent, then counted out a raise, before placing in 7,600 in chips. His opponent wasn’t very impressed, looking down at his cards and shaking his head, as his cards were mucked into the middle.
Hockin has made a great start, winning a few hands, as he moves to just over 35,000 in chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
35,500 |
Sheynin Gives Up on River
Five players saw the flop fall the 
, before the small blind checked his option. Slav Sheynin then made it 1,100 from the big blind, and found callers from the two opponent to his immediate left, before the button and small blind folded.
When the turn fell the 
, Sheynin bet out 3,000 which was met with quick calls from both players. The river 
brought a slight pause from Sheynin who jokingly said “you’re not going to fold, so I’ll just check.”
Both players did indeed check, and Sheynin mucked his cards, when one of them turned over 
for a flopped top pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,000 |