2012 PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Day 1a: David Allan Leads Record Single-Day Field
The first of three Day 1 flights at the 2012 PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Queenstown Snowfest Main Event kick off with a bang on Tuesday. A capped field of 51 took to the felt, making it the largest one-day field in the event’s history. This number of players also puts 2012’s tournament on target to surpass last year's field of 127. At the end of the first Day 1 flight, only 27 players had secured a Day 2 berth, and Australia's David Allan finished as chip leader.
Allan is perhaps better known for his tremendous online poker resume. He is "dave798111" online and one of the most feared players in the region. The majority of his chips were added late in the night when the following hand took place.
We arrived on the turn, but it was recalled to us that Allan had bet 1,200 on the flop of 10♥7♦3♥ and Richard Lancaster called in position from the button. The turn brought the 4♣ and Allan let go with another bet, this time for 3,350. Lancaster responded with a raise to 7,500 and Allan spent a few minutes in the think-tank before making the call.
The river brought the 5♠ to put four to a straight on the board. Allan checked, and Lancaster reached for 9,500 and tossed it forward. Allan gave a shrug and quickly flicked out a call. Lancaster gave a smile through clenched teeth as he opened A♥Q♥ for just ace high. Allan took a moment to make sure his opponent had nothing before he revealed A♠5♦ for just a lowly pair of fives. “That’s why I don’t win tournaments, because I can never call there!” exclaimed one player at the table as Allan raked in the very handy pot at the end of the day.
Plenty of the best players from around the region joined Allan at the tables at the start of the day, but not all survived. Some who hit the rail during the day included Michael Egan, Tristan Bain, Minh Nguyen, Daniel Neilson and Jackson Zheng.
Joining Allan with plenty of chips on Day 2 is David Wonson, Richard Lancaster, Bobby Zhang and 2011 ANZPT Sydney champion, Michael Kanaan. Also still in contention are the likes of Fergus Spary, Ryan Boswell, Greg Familton and World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner, Andrew Hinrichsen.
All of those players will be looking to join last year's winner Marcel Schreiner as an ANZPT Queenstown champion. Schreiner, who took home NZD$94,300 for his efforts, was an unlikely international victor hailing from Germany. This year's event continued the multicultural trend of tournaments in New Zealand, with a total of five nations represented on Day 1a. The field included players from the Czech Republic , Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Lithuania, with four of these countries seen below in the top ten chip stacks from Day 1a.
Top 10 Chip Counts From Day 1a
| Name | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| David Allan | Australia | 98,200 |
| David Wonson | Australia | 92,575 |
| Michael Kanaan | Australia | 88,350 |
| Laurynas Levinskas | Lithuania | 84,625 |
| Antonin Duda | Czech Republic | 79,450 |
| Fergus Spary | New Zealand | 67,250 |
| Gregory Familton | New Zealand | 51,325 |
| Bobby Zhang | Australia | 47,700 |
| Cole Swannack | New Zealand | 37,950 |
| Richard Lancaster | New Zealand | 35,700 |
The 27 surviving players from Day 1a will continue their quests for the ANZPT title on Friday, while Day 1b will begin on Wednesday at 1230 NZST (Tuesday 1700 PDT). Join the PokerNews live reporting team as they continue to bring you all the action from the 2012 ANZPT Queenstown Snowfest Main Event.
Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
