2012 PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Day 1c: Nurlan Boobekov Emerges as Leader
The third and final Day 1 flight of the 2012 PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Queenstown Snowfest Main Event came to a close on Thursday. At the end of the day, Nurlan Boobekov had emerged as the chip leader, bagging up a stack of 69,200.
Forty-nine entries from Day 1c, combined with 51 from Day 1a and the 49 from Day 1b, created a total field of 149 and a prize pool of NZD$402,300. The remaining players will be chasing the NZD$110,600 first-place prize. With 27 players surviving Day 1a, 31 surviving Day 1b and the 29 still alive after Thursday’s Day 1c, there are 87 players who are still in contention to become the 2012 Queenstown Snowfest champion.
Some of those who began Day 1c but fell short of securing a Day 2 berth include Jan Suchanek, Keith Walker, John Apostolidis, Matty Yates and Australian Poker Hall of Fame member, Lee Nelson. Nelson's run ended when he ran into Alicia Sale's AxAx. The short-stacked Nelson simply showed a Kx as he exited the tournament area.
Aaron Benton, Jarred Graham and Kristian Lunardi managed to use the final starting day as a springboard into Friday’s Day 2. 2011 APPT Melbourne champion Leo Boxell also survived Day 1c and is still in contention for the Queenstown Snowfest title.
Team PokerStars Pro Bryan Huang and PokerStars Team Online Pro Roy "GodlikeRoy" Bhasin are two other players who will be looking to make an impact in the late stages of this tournament. Huang and Bhasin both played on Day 1c, and both managed to bag up some chips at the end of the day.
Day 1c Top 10 Chip Stacks
| Name | Country | Count* |
| Nurlan Boobekov | Australia | 69,200 |
| Gary Retallick | Australia | 55,650 |
| John Shin | Australia | 47,825 |
| Kristian Lunardi | Australia | 47,600 |
| Aaron Benton | Australia | 44,050 |
| Craig Blight | Australia | 43,625 |
| Jarred Graham | Australia | 40,775 |
| Bryan Huang | Singapore | 39,925 |
| Yvo Molin | Thailand | 38,950 |
| Jason O'brien | Australia | 35,175 |
The overall chip leader heading into Day 2 is David Allan from Day 1a, who holds a stack of 98,200. Interestingly enough, the top five chip stacks are all from Day 1a, with Ken Demlakian from Day 1b and Day 1c's Boobekov filling the sixth and seventh spots on the leaderboard.
Day 2 will play out in a somewhat unique way with half the field engaged in three levels of action on Day 2a at 1230 NZST Friday (Saturday 1700 PDT). The other half will play three levels on Day 2b at 1600 NZST Friday (Saturday 2100 PDT). Surviving players from both Day 2 fields will then be combined later that same evening. Make sure to join the PokerNews live reporting team as they continue to bring you all the action from the 2012 ANZPT Queenstown Snowfest Main Event.
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