2012 PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Day 1b: Demlakian Leads Stacked Field
The 2012 PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour Queenstown Snowfest Main Event continued on Wednesday with Day 1b action taking center stage. Forty-nine players took to the felt on the second Day 1 flight, and by the end of the night, only 31 remained. It was Ken Demlakian who emerged as the end-of-day chip leader, bagging up a hefty 70,750 in chips.
A stacked field began on Day 1b, but not all players could join Demlakian in securing a Day 2 berth. Some who began the day but fell by the wayside included Jacky Wang, Jesse “On The Mac” McKenzie, Alex Lynskey and last year’s ANZPT Queenstown sixth-place finisher, Tom Grigg.
Grigg had a roller-coaster day, but his tournament life eventually came to an end when he four-bet with AxQx and ran into an opponent's KxKx. No ace fell on the board and there would be no back-to-back Queenstown final tables for Grigg.
Those who fared better than the players left by the wayside will be right in the midst of the action come Friday’s Day 2 include James Honeybone, Ivan Zalac and Jonathan Dangio. Also surviving the night were the likes of Billy Argyros, Matt Wakeman, Michael Fadersen, Ben McLean and Ricky Kroesen.
No player on Day 1b managed to get even close to David Allan's Day 1a chip lead. Currently, Demlakian will begin Day 2 with the sixth largest chip stack. Of course, there is still another Day 1 flight remaining and so a new chip leader could emerge by Thursday evening. The top 10 chip counts from Day 1b can be seen below.
Top 10 Chip Counts From Day 1b
| Name | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| Ken Demlakian | Australia | 70,750 |
| James Honeybone | New Zealand | 60,875 |
| Ivan Zalac | Australia | 53,350 |
| Corey Kempson | Australia | 52,475 |
| Jonathan Dangio | New Caledonia | 51,450 |
| Martin Thompson | New Zealand | 45,700 |
| Ricky | Kroesen | Australia |
| Ben McLean | Australia | 37,650 |
| Mark Wittkopf | Germany | 34,650 |
| Billy Argyros | Australia | 32,675 |
The 31 survivors from Day 1b will be back at the tables this Friday, and the third and final Day 1 flight will begin on Thursday at 1230 NZST (Wednesday 1700 PDT). Make sure to join the PokerNews live reporting team as they continue to bring you all the action from the 2012 ANZPT Queenstown Snowfest Main Event.
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