This is how some of the remaining 37 players are currently faring on Day 1a of the ANZPT Auckland Main Event. As you can see, Australian Poker Hall of Fame member Leo Boxell has recently hit the rail, while Eric Chang is still looking like the chip leader
Eric Chang has recently seen his stack become one of the largest in the room. Most of those chips came into Chang’s possession on the turn of a board.
It was Chang versus one opponent and Chan had moved all in here into a pot of over 20,000. Chang had his opponent covered and the player went deep into the tank.
Eventually the player folded an face-up, sending the pot to Chang.
Leo Boxell has taken a nasty hit as William Han caught a fortunate turn card to land a big double up.
The chips went in on the turn on the board of , with Boxell’s crushed when Han caught a set with his . The river bricked the to see Han double up to over 40,000 with Boxell still alive, but perhaps a little frustrated, with a stack of 11,500.
We have been informed that there has been 73 PokerStars qualifiers for the ANZPT Auckland Main Event. That’s two more qualifiers than last year’s tournament. There is also two more satellites being held this evening, so there’s still time for online grinders to win a seat into ANZPT Auckland.
Most of those online qualifiers, roughly 50, will be at the felt for tomorrow’s Day 1b, which is more than today's entire field, so that’s certainly going to be a big day.
Mike Stecker didn’t have a great start to the day. His stack was quartered very early and since then he has been well below starting stack. However, Stecker has just scooped up a handy pot to now be just above 20,000 in chips.
We arrived at the action on the river of a board, with Stecker and one opponent going to showdown as a sizable pot had been built throughout the hand. The cards of Stecker’s opponent went into the muck and Stecker scooped up the pot when he showed .
As previously mentioned, Stecker, from the USA, has made an AZNPT final table in the past, but his best result was in 2010 when he finished 2nd in a $2,000 buy-in six-handed event at the Aussie Millions. Stecker picked up $78,400 for that result.
Considering it is only Day 1a of a six-day tournament (three total Day 1 flights included), we thought we would take this opportunity to have a look back at the first time PokerStars.net played an event in Auckland.
It was back in 2008 and it was ANZPT’s sister tour the APPT that played out within the walls of SKYCITY Auckland. There were 306 entries in the US$2,400 buy-in event and New Zealand's Daniel Craker overcame Matthew Konnecke heads-up to win the US$153,399 first-place prize.
That tournament was the first world-class poker tournament held in New Zealand and now here we are five years later, waiting to find out who the latest champion will be!
![[user162117]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
board.
face-up, sending the pot to Chang.
.
, with Boxell’s 
crushed when Han caught a set with his 
. The river bricked the 
to see Han double up to over 40,000 with Boxell still alive, but perhaps a little frustrated, with a stack of 11,500.
board, with Stecker and one opponent going to showdown as a sizable pot had been built throughout the hand. The cards of Stecker’s opponent went into the muck and Stecker scooped up the pot when he showed