2013 PokerStars ANZPT Auckland Day 1a: Eric Chang Leads
Season 6 of the Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) kicked off at SKYCITY Auckland Casino on Wednesday with Day 1a of the ANZPT Auckland Main Event. A relatively small field of 44 players partook in the first of three starting flights of the NZ$2,200 buy-in event. The ANZPT staff is confident that number will be eclipsed on both Day 1b and Day 1c, as a field of over 200 players is highly expected.
There were seven levels of action on Day 1a. When it was all in the books, New Zealand’s Eric Chang was the chip leader with a stack of 95,100. Chang soared into the chip lead early in the day and never really faltered as he steadily added to his stack.
ANZPT Auckland Day 1a Top 10
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Chang | 95,100 |
| 2 | Nathan Gubieski | 78,900 |
| 3 | William Han | 67,000 |
| 4 | Paul Gahan | 59,700 |
| 5 | Ben Rendall | 59,700 |
| 6 | Junior Marurai | 57,800 |
| 7 | Dean Blatt | 55,400 |
| 8 | Nicolas Oger | 44,300 |
| 9 | Allister Williams | 37,700 |
| 10 | Zhou Jiang | 35,200 |
Australia’s Nathan Gubieski also accumulated a hefty stack on Day 1a, finishing with 78,900 in chips. Gubieski had a great finals two levels, which culminated in the elimination of an opponent. Gubieski held the K♦Q♠ against the at-risk player’s A♠J♦. The board ran out 4♦K♣5♥3♣4♠, and Gubieski added the chips to his growing stack.
Some of the other players who survived Day 1a included William Han, Ben Rendall, Dean Blatt, Raybon Kan, and June's APPT Macau High Roller champion Xiao Yu Jia.
As always, while many survived and thrived, others weren’t as fortunate. Some of the notable names to hit the rail throughout the day include affable Kiwi Jack Efaraimo, Raj Ramakrishnan, Kevin Clark, and Australian Poker Hall of Fame member Leo Boxell.
One of the players who had a very short day at the felt was Jesse McKenzie as he found himself on the rail within the first two levels of action. McKenzie recalled to us his elimination hand which saw him call an all-in bet facing a river shove on a A♠9♠2♥7♥Ax board. McKenzie held just the K♠5♠, having history with the opponent and thinking there was a good chance he was in front. Unfortunately for McKenzie, the player held the 10♣7♣ and sent McKenzie to the rail.
While those eliminated won’t be calling themselves the next ANZPT Auckland champion, a fresh batch of hopefuls will hit the felt for Thursday’s Day 1b. The action kicks off at 12:30 p.m. local time, so be sure to join the PokerNews Live Reporting Team for all the ANZPT Auckland live updates.
Photo courtesy of Poker Asia Pacific.
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