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

10-08-2008 15:36 UTC-12

Nousiainen Makin' Moves

donpeters

Teresa Nousiainen, from Finland, has been at Greg Raymer's table all day long. This has not scared her away from playing her game and really increasing her stack.

In the latest addition to her chip stack, Nousiainen raised up the action to 900. A player in the small blind called, as did Raymer in the big blind.

The three players saw the flop come down {Q-Spades}

and it was checked over to Nousiainen. She bet out 2,400 and only the small blind called.

The turn was the {6-Spades}

, pairing the board. Nousiainen bet again, this time she made it 5,000. Her opponent would have had to call off the rest of his stack, but opted to fold instead.

Nousiainen has steadily increased her stack throughout the day to just over 30,000 and is among the chip leaders so far.

Tags: Greg Raymer Teresa Nousiainen

10-08-2008 15:36 UTC-12

Break it Up

[user66118]

The clock has been paused, and the players are on their second 10-minute break.

Level: 5

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 25

10-08-2008 15:47 UTC-12

We're Back

donpeters

Cards are back in the air for the fifth level of the day.

10-08-2008 15:51 UTC-12

Out on the Town

[user66118]

We've already lost five tables full of players here in the first four hours, and those who qualified via PokerStars will have a few days' vacation to recover and rehash their tournament performance. Fortunately for them, there is quite a bit to do here in Auckland when you're not playing poker.

With a city of some 1.4 million permanent residents, this area seems primed for major tournament poker. SKYCITY itself is home to two casinos which feature all of the typical table games and machines, as well as a beautiful and comfortable poker room. Once you step outside of the hotel and casino, the city is laid out before you, and there is certainly no shortage of things to do and see. You can take a hike up a dormant volcano or down into a canyon, swim with sharks, race a world-class yacht, ski Mt. Ruapahu, raft the Kaituna River, hurl yourself off the Harbour Bridge on a bungee cord, catch a sick wave at one of the surf beaches, or just about anything else you can imagine. Many of Auckland's activities and attractions are within half an hour of the central city. Buses are frequent, and there is a sophisticated train network that runs throughout much of the central and southwest areas. What's more, numerous ferries are available to help tourists and residents alike make full use of the city's harbor side location. All of this provides a major international draw for tourists and poker players alike.

10-08-2008 16:04 UTC-12

Opening Party

[user66118]

With hundreds of players arriving over the past couple days to get in on the action in Auckland, PokerStars decided to throw a private Polynesian Welcome Party last night for those who earned their seats through the site. The open bar was a big hit among the Day 1 crowd, even those who were scheduled to start today in the first flight. PokerNews' Gloria Balding was there to cover all the action off the felt:

10-08-2008 16:20 UTC-12

Sabat Pays Up

donpeters

Edward Sabat got off to a bad start on the day and it took a lot of work to build back to a healthy amount of chips. On this hand, Sabat saw the flop of {K-Clubs}

with a few other players. Sabat check-called an opponents bet, leaving them heads up to see the {10-Hearts}

on the turn.

Sabat checked again and his opponent fired 1,325 into the pot. Sabat called again.

The river was the {Q-Diamonds}

and Sabat checked. His opponent bet 1,300 and Sabat went into the tank before making the call. His opponent turned up {9-Clubs}

and announced that he had a straight. Sabat mumbled, "You could have gotten a lot more out of me," as he mucked his hand.

Sabat is down to 11,000 chips after the hand.

Tags: Edward Sabat

10-08-2008 16:37 UTC-12

The Saab Runs Well

donpeters

Tony Hachem hasn't stop commenting on the fact that David Saab is winning every hand he plays. According to Hachem, he either gets there or has the better hand hold up the entire way. Saab has been laughing along with Hachem about the whole ordeal, claiming that he's been running well for a few years now. Saab is over 35,000 in chips.

Tags: David Saab Tony Hachem

Level: 6

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 50

10-08-2008 16:56 UTC-12

"I'll Take One"

[user66118]

Even APPT President Jeffrey Haas Took a Quick Time-Out

The action seems to have slowed a bit here in the last two levels. Perhaps the players can feel the end of the day approaching in just a couple hours and they are holding out to make Day 2. Or perhaps they were distracted a little by the Speight's Girls, who are making laps around the tournament room offering beer to the players and spectators. Maybe if enough of the players start drinking, the action will loosen up a bit once again.