Kia Ora from APPT Auckland!
![[user80015]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Welcome to the SKYCITY Auckland Casino for the third stop of the 2010 PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour from beautiful Auckland, New Zealand!
Last night saw many a drop of crisp Spring rain cover this highly populated and cultural city located on the North Island, but with yet another poker tournament gracing the land known as Aotearoa - or the land of the long white cloud - those clouds have parted as the sun now shines brightly over this alluring city.
Not only is this the third stop in season four, but also the third time the APPT has stopped in Auckland following Daniel Craker's and Simon Watt's victories here in 2008 and 2009 respectively. After collecting his maiden victory, Craker went on to claim a small cash in the following year before software developer Watt bested 263 player field before continuing his development as a player by collecting cashes in New Zealand, Australia and Las Vegas; most importantly his bracelet in this year's World Series of Poker in Event 11: $1,500 No Limit Holdem.
With the buy-in being NZ$3,250 or approximately $2,830, and the field sizes of 306 and 263 over the past two visits to Auckland, the players that are in town - both locally, differing islands and across the Tasman Sea - will be looking to eclipse that to make this tournament the biggest in New Zealand history!
From the shores of Australia, online young guns Tom Grigg, Ricky Kroesen, Daniel Neilson and Andrew Hinrichsen, along with now tournament stalwarts Leo Boxell, Michael Spilkin, David Borg, Aaron Benton and PokerStars.net Team Pros Tony Hachem are here to wave the Aussie flag proudly. However, defending their home soil with just as much guts and determination as their beloved All Blacks rugby union team, PokerStars.net Team Pro Lee Nelson, New Zealand Poker Open Champion Jackson Zheng, Auckland Poker Championships winner James Honeybone, Richard Lancaster, Phillip Willcocks, Koray Turker, and Cole Swannack will also be in attendance.
With the field being split over two day ones, today will see the expected smaller of the two fields take to the felt at 12:15 p.m NZST with the PokerNews Live Reporting Team on the floor providing all the live coverage from the 2010 PokerStars.net APPT Auckland Main Event from the SKYCITY Auckland Casino!