Sydney Opera House
As residents of the northern hemisphere, the first thing we noticed when we stepped outside the international airport in Sydney, Australia is that the sun is in the wrong section of the sky. Northern exposures are sought here, not southern exposures. The differences continue into the night sky, where the Southern Cross is one of the dominant constellations. This city of more than four million people, however, doesn't feel that much different than any northern hemisphere city -- it is full of lively energy, friendly people, and some of the best beer in all of the Pacific Rim.
And so it would seem that we find ourselves "down under" (despite a lack of women glowing and men plundering). The season is late spring / early summer, the days are a glorious 27 degrees Celsius, and the 2008 PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour is set to put the finishing touches on a highly successful second season with the APPT Sydney Grand Finale. Last night saw many of the players gather on the 17th floor of the Star City Hotel and Casino in the Astral Bar for a welcome party. The libations were generous and flowing all night as patrons were treated to a live jazz band, and outdoor patio and sweeping views of the whole of downtown Sydney and its harbor.
What began three months ago at the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino in Macau will come to an end over the course of the next week. The first of three Day 1 flights will go off today, with the eventual champion of the tournament to be crowned on Sunday. With so much money up for grabs we expect the field to be full of the best poker players this side of Moscow.
Play kicks off at 12:30pm local time (8:30pm U.S. EST) each day. We look forward to bringing you all of the action, as it happens, direct from the tournament floor. See you then!
The players are taking their seats here at the Star City Casino in anticipation of the opening flight of the 2008 PokerStars.net APPT Sydney Grand Final.
Tournament Directory Danny McDonagh is going through some of the formal announcements before play is expected to get underway in a few minutes time.
Grant Levy
Following a brief introduction the players were welcomed by a local rendition of "The Gambler" before last year's APPT Sydney Grand Final Champion and Sydney local Grant Levy uttered the immortal words "Shuffle up and deal!"
The structure of today's event is a little different to the earlier APPT events, and is fitting for a Grand Final!
Players will enjoy a 20,000 chip starting bank, which is double the starting bank of previous APPT events. The level duration has also been increased to 75 minutes, which should provide plenty of game time.
Play will start at 50/100 and we anticipate playing around seven to eight levels of play today, depending on how many players survive that long! The early signs indicate that we'll have roughly 150 starters today, with registration still open.
Today's field has produced the cream of Australian poker talent with a few international pros and PokerStars qualifiers sprinkled around the room.
Some of the notable players in today's lineup include Jay "Seabeast" Kinkade, Harris Pavlou, David Saab, Leo Boxell, Michael Chrisanthopoulos, Tony "Bond18" Dunst, David Lee, Steve "StevoL" Leonard, Celina Lin, Kent Hunter, Jarred "FlopNutsOnYou" Graham, Jovan Scekic, James "Andy McLEOD" Obst, Julian Powell, Vanessa Rousso and Chad Brown!
Shane Dye
Australian Shane Dye is better known for being one of Australia's finest-ever jockeys, however he has recently turned his attention to the world of poker with some success.
He is off to a great start today after calling bets preflop and on the flop of . The turn was the and after his opponent fired out 4,000, Dye moved all of his chips into the middle. His opponent laid it down and Dye is first out of the gates to jump up to nearly 30,000 chips.
Brendon Rubie, fresh off his victory in the $750 No-Limit Hold'em event earlier this week, is off to a bright start with an early pot.
A player in late position player raised to 300 before Rubie popped it up to 750 from the small blind. His opponent made the call. The flop was and Rubie check-raised his opponent's 800 chip bet, making it 1,600 to go. His opponent called once again.
The turn was the and the 3,000 chip bet from Rubie was enough to take it down.
. The turn was the 
and after his opponent fired out 4,000, Dye moved all of his chips into the middle. His opponent laid it down and Dye is first out of the gates to jump up to nearly 30,000 chips.
and Rubie check-raised his opponent's 800 chip bet, making it 1,600 to go. His opponent called once again.
and the 3,000 chip bet from Rubie was enough to take it down.
