APPT Auckland Main Event Day 1a | 2008 PokerStars.net APPT Auckland

10-08-2008 12:45 UTC-12

Tahtouh Hurting

[user66118]

Emad Tahtouh opens the pot with a small button raise to 225. In the small blind, Antti Takala re-raises the pro, making it 800 straight. Tahtouh is the lone caller, and it's heads up.

The flop rolls out {J-Diamonds}

. Takala keeps control, flicking out 1,100 chips. Tahtouh wastes little time calling.

The turn comes the {A-Diamonds}

. Not letting up, the aggressor continues out once again, this time with a bet of 2,500. Tahtouh pauses to consider his options for at least four or five minutes, while table mate Greg Raymer carries the conversation. Tahtouh has just 4,250 chips left, and a call would commit more than half of his total stack. Finally, after a long session in the tank, Tahtouh releases his hand.

As the pot is being pushed to Takala, he pump fakes, and then does show down his holdings: {3-Spades}

. A frustrated Tahtouh lifts his hands and shrugs his shoulders. It's still early, but Emad has some work to do now.

Tags: Emad Tahtouh

10-08-2008 12:59 UTC-12

The Bigger Pair Holds Again

donpeters

In another big all-in confrontation preflop, Jy Loo had Kim Boege on the ropes when his pocket kings were up against Boege's pocket tens.

The board ran out {A-Hearts}

to give Loo all of his opponent's chips. Loo is looking strong with just over 17,000 chips.

Tags: Jy Loo Kim Boege

10-08-2008 13:09 UTC-12

Disqualified... Last Night

donpeters

There will be some extra dead money in the pot of the APPT Auckland Main Event. Two players slated to play today were involved in an altercation with each other last night and had to be removed from the premises. Both players have not been allowed to return and are therefore disqualified from the event with their buy in being forfeited and left in the prize pool. Their chips have been taken out of play and the remaining 160 players out of the 164 entrants for Day 1A are still going strong.

10-08-2008 13:25 UTC-12

Set of Sevens Good?

[user66118]

A crowd begins to gather around Table 8, so we head over to find Ned Stone making an all in bet for his last 5,700. With four community cards out, the board reads {8-Clubs}

. Action is on Luke Stanford, and he asks for a count of the pot, which the dealer obliges. When he learns the total, Stanford says, "I call," and he tables {7-Hearts}

, having flopped a set. Not to be outdone, Stone turns over {Q-Clubs}

, having turned a bigger set with queens. The river is close, but the {6-Clubs}

fails to give Stanford the fourth seven he needed, and he sends a double up Stone's way.

10-08-2008 13:26 UTC-12

Break Time

[user66118]

"Please be sure you remove your hats and sunglasses if you leave the tournament area," came the voice over the loud speaker. With that, the players are on their first 10-minute break of the day.

10-08-2008 13:36 UTC-12

Raymer Chipping Up

donpeters

Just before the break, Greg Raymer opened a pot preflop and was reraised by the player in the big blind, Carl Nolan. Raymer then came back over the top and Nolan made the call after some thought.

The flop came down {9-Diamonds}

and Nolan checked with the pot sitting at over 7,500. Raymer tossed an orange chip into the middle and announced "5,000." Nolan took a minute before folding {Q-Clubs}

face up on the table. Raymer tapped the table to acknowledge the fold and raked in the pot.

Raymer in well in charge of a stack over 23,000.

Tags: Carl Nolan Greg Raymer

Level: 3

Blinds: 100/200

Ante: 0

10-08-2008 13:38 UTC-12

Back From Break

donpeters

Cards are back in the air as the players scramble to get back in their seats.

10-08-2008 13:43 UTC-12

Joe Would Have Gotten Action

[user66118]

During the break, Tony Hachem came over to our table and was lamenting his luck during the first two levels. He said he was dealt both aces and kings and didn't get any action on either hand.

In the second hand of this level, action was on Hachem, and he looked down to see an unfavorable holding. "Danny, you and I need to have a chat, mate," he said to the dealer with a big grin. As he slipped his cards into the muck, he repeated, "You and I need a chat, mate."

Despite his early struggles, Hachem still has close to 9,000 chips to work with.

Tags: Tony Hachem

10-08-2008 13:55 UTC-12

Emad Doing Work

[user66118]

Back on Table 1, Chris Holmes comes limping in under the gun. Greg Raymer and Teresa Nousiainen follow suit, and action is on the short-stacked Emad Tahtouh in the small blind. He moves all in for his last 1,725 chips. Holmes re-raises all-in, and ends up isolating himself against the at-risk Tahtouh.

Holmes: {9-Hearts}