The concept of poker tourism will never be the same after the first PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown. It's safe to say that not a single visitor to this stunning alpine town, nestled deep in the Southern Alps of New Zealand's South Island, has failed to sample at least one of the attractions on offer. Sure, regular regional stops like Sydney, Macau, Auckland or Seoul have their own distinct character and attractions galore, but Queenstown's allure is unique.

Such is the proximity of Queenstown's best aspects is that you can take a jet-boat ride in the morning, dine atop Bob's Peak after riding the Skyline Gondola for lunch, cruise Lake Wakatipu in the afternoon and be back before the sun sets behind the nearby snow-capped mountains.

Whether it's been flying down the slopes at Coronet Peak like PokerStars.net Team Australia pros Emad Tahtouh, Eric Assadourian and Tony Hachem, soaring through the air on the world's biggest bungy swing with 2007 PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final winner Grant Levy or taking a nail-biting plane flight to Milford Sound with Team Asia's Celina Lin and PokerStars Sponsored player Lee "Final Table" Nelson, everyone has tasted the delights of this popular destination.

It may be the world's adventure sports capital, but Queenstown has also proved popular with players who enjoy a gourmet bent to their dining, with enough top quality bars and restaurants to ensure that a different dining schedule could be planned for each evening.

The cherry on the pie has been the PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Main Event, hosted at the boutique SKYCITY Casino in the heart of the town. A field of 134 players ensured a prize pool of more than NZD $300,000, and those who thought that the long trip to Queenstown would detract from the quality of the field were sorely mistaken.

On top of the PokerStars contingent of Hachem, Levy, Tahtouh, Assadourian, Lin and Nelson, the SKYCITY Alpine Adventure attracted many of the region's best players, including 2009 Aussie Million winner Stewart Scott, ANZPT Melbourne winner Chris Levick, 2006 NZ Poker Champs runner-up Nick Nicolaou, ANZPT Sydney Main Event runner-up Lisa Walsh, 2008 APPT Macau High Roller second-place finisher Andrew Scott, NZ celebs Dan Sing, Brooke Howard-Smith and Mike King, 2009 NZ Poker Champs Main Event winner Soren Eriksen and a swag of top Aussie and Kiwi pros.

ANZPT chief Danny McDonagh devised a unique schedule that spread players across four day-one flights, allowing everyone the chance to partake in organised day trips or just kick back between tournament sessions.

The field of 134 players was reduced to 92 for day two, which featured two flights of 46 and ended with 18 players progressing to the final day.

Local property developer John Guthrie looked to have a stranglehold on the event as he took a huge chip lead into day three and the final table, but his charge faltered as 21-year-old PokerStars qualifier Andrew Hinrichsen and 46-year-old former Queenstown resident Danny Chevalier were left to decide the title and who would take home the first prize of NZD $87,435.

The battle started with Hinrichsen (the day 1C chip leader but one of the short stacks coming into the final nine) holding a narrow chip lead - 1.4 million to 1.1 million - over Chevalier, who certainly held the edge in experience after two final tables at the 2009 Melbourne Poker Championships.

After a heads-up duel that lasted just over 30 minutes, Chevalier has edged out to a handy chip lead and claimed the title when he called Hinrichsen's all-in with [ah] [7h] for the nut flush on a flop of [qh] [5h] [4h]. Hinrichsen's [qc] [10c] was crushed by the time the turn came [8s], with the river [as] confirming Chevalier's victory.

"I lived here for 11 years so Queenstown is like a second home for me. It was great to win this event in front of what is virtually a home crowd," Chevalier, who ran a day spa in Queenstown before selling up and heading back to Australia, said.

The first year of the PokerStars.net ANZPT now returns to Australia for the season finale - a five-day event that will be held from August 5-9 at both Treasury Casino in the state's capital of Brisbane and Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast.

The overall ANZPT Points title will also be decided in Queensland, with PokerStars.net Team Australia pro Tony Hachem leading the field after continuing his amazing record of an in-the-money finish in all four ANZPT events.

On behalf of the SKYCITY crew here in Queenstown (and those who made the trip south from Auckland to lend a hand) and the ANZPT team, we hope you've enjoyed the coverage from New Zealand over the past six days. It's time to pack away the skis and dig out the twin-fin for a slice of sun and surf in Queensland!

The chase for the PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Main Event crown is down to the final two after Glenn Maiden and Mark Walker were eliminated in third and fourth positions respectively.

Walker, a 28-year-old machine operator from Cambridge on New Zealand's North Island, pushed all-in with [5c] [3c] on a flop of [7d] [5s] [10h]. Danny Chevalier was quick with the call, and showed [jh] [10s] for top pair. The board ran out [10d] [9h], giving Chevalier trip 10s and a big pot, while Walker was out in fourth.

About 20 minutes later, Glenn Maiden decided it was time to make a stand with [jc] [2c] on a flop of [qh] [jd] [4c] but found himself out-kicked by Andrew Hinrichsen's [js] [9h]. The nine played as the board completed [5c] [ad], allowing Hinrichsen to regain the chip lead he narrowly lost to Chevalier, while Maiden took home a prize of NZD $33,165.

The elimination of Maiden means the first SKYCITY Alpine Adventure trophy will be leaving New Zealand for Australia, where Chevalier and Hinrichsen (the final PokerStars qualifier in the tournament) both reside.

The players have taken a brief break before beginning their heads-up showdown, with Chevalier leading narrowly on 1.4 million from Hinrichsen with 1.1 million in chips.

Scores of spectators are packed around the table on the main gaming floor of SKYCITY Casino here in Queenstown, with the Saturday night punters providing plenty of encouragement for the remaining two players. Blinds are about to increase to level 20 (8000/16,000 with an ante of 2000).

Andrew Hinrichsen's charge towards the PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Main Event title retains the momentum of an avalanche after claiming the scalp of Steve Smith.

The 21-year-old from Melbourne, who qualified for this event on PokerStars, made a ballsy call on the flop of [jd] [4d] [10s] with [qd] [9d] against the [js] [9s] and top-pair of Smith. One of Hinrichsen's many outs landed on the turn - [2d] - with the irrelevant [6s] on the river leaving Smith shaking his head as he bowed out in fifth.

Like the charge of John Guthrie yesterday, the momentum appears to be with Hinrichsen as he closes on a remarkable comeback from just 69,000 in chips at the start of the final table to be chip leader with four players left.

Play has considerably tightened up since the elimination of Smith, which gives us the chance to complete some housekeeping before the SKYCITY Alpine Adventure champion is decided.

An NZD $1100 buy-in two-man teams event was played earlier today with Melbourne's Cohen brothers, Hugh and Julian, taking down the title ahead of PokerStars.net Team Australia duo Eric Assadourian and Tony Hachem.

And a satellite is currently underway for the final event in the first season of the PokerStars.net ANZPT, which will be held at Conrad Jupiters and Conrad Treasury Casinos in Queensland. This will be the first major poker tournament ever held in Queensland.

ANZPT commissioner Danny McDonagh said a unique format had been devised meaning the event will be played at two venues concurrently.

"This is a great opportunity to firmly place Queensland as a new and exciting addition on the Australian poker tournament map. What makes this event even better is that there is no admin fee for ANZPT Queensland. The entire $2500 buy-in per player goes back into the prizepool," McDonagh said.

ANZPT Queensland will be a five-day event held from August 5-9 at both Treasury Casino in the state's capital of Brisbane and Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast. The event has a cap of 280 players plus 20 alternates. All players qualifying through to day three will play at Jupiters Casino. Those players who commenced play at Brisbane and make the final table will receive a complimentary night's accommodation at Jupiters Casino Hotel.

Not only will the first ANZPT Queensland champion be decided, the race for the inaugural ANZPT Points title will be decided. The overall points' champion will win a PokerStars.net sponsorship to the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT).

Sponsorship includes Main Event entry, accommodation and return economy airfare from an Asia Pacific destination (or equivalent travel allowance if residing outside this area). Sponsorship will apply to all Season 4 APPT Main Events during 2010. Based on the projected number of APPT events in 2010, this prize is valued at approximately AUD $60,000.

The race for the PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Main Event title has been turned on its head after the elimination of four players in quick succession.

First out was David Bradford, who committed his short stack with [ah] [10d] against John Pye's [ad] [9s]. A nine in the window was enough for Pye to scoop the pot, sending Bradford out in ninth position.

PokerStars qualifier Will Mauga struggled for any traction at the final table and was KOed in eighth position when his [ad] [10h] found Danny Chevalier holding [as] [qd], and the board of [6c] [kd] [7d] [9c] [4s] sailed past both players as Mauga finished eighth.

John Pye was next to go - his [as] [10s] initially looked in good shape on a flop of [js] [10h] [3h] against the [ad] [kd] of Mark Walker, the turn was a rag [6h] but the [qc] on the river made Walker's straight and Pye was on his way to pick-up NZD $12,060 for seventh.

While all this was happening, chip leader John Guthrie was leaking faster than a melting glacier with the pivotal hand in his downfall coming when young Aussie PokerStars qualifier Andrew Hinrichsen turned a straight against Guthrie's trip kings to win the biggest pot of the tournament, worth 630,000.

Unbelievably, Guthrie was on his way just two hands later when Hinrichsen's pocket sixes held up against the former chip leader's pocket fours, and Guthrie was out in sixth - his 850,000-plus chips disappearing in a little over an hour. Ironically, Guthrie displaced a curtain as he left the table, which tumbled onto spectators - curtains indeed!

The short stack coming into the final table, Hinrichsen now leads on 710,000 with five players remaining, followed by Danny Chevalier on 600,000, Glenn Maiden with 430,000 (after just doubling through Mark Walker, who has 420,000) with Steve Smith the short stack on 210,000. There is 20 minutes remaining in level 18, with the blinds at 5000/10,000 (ante 1000) and the chip average 500,000.

New Zealanders love nothing more than to beat Australia - no matter what the sporting arena. The Kiwis are in prime position to chalk up another one over their trans-Tasman rivals after the final table for the PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Main Event was decided.

There are seven New Zealanders taking on two Australians for the first SKYCITY Alpine Adventure trophy, and the chips are firmly in possession of the local contingent.

Local property developer John Guthrie took a massive chip lead into the final table with 888,500 - or 30 per cent of the chips in play. His good friend and former Queenstown mayor David Bradford also reached the final table, albeit with the shortest stack of 53,500.

The two Aussies in contention are also the only two remaining PokerStars qualifiers - 21-year-old Andrew Hinrichsen from the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell and 25-year-old NZ-born Will Mauga, who lives in Brisbane.

Danny Chevalier looms as the dark horse - he final-tabled at two events in the recent Melbourne Poker Championships and is a regular in high stakes cash games at Crown Casino in Melbourne where he lives after running his own business in NZ for many years.

John Pye, Steve Smith and Mark Walker are waving the flag for the North Island contingent while Glenn Maiden, the manager of the Wharf Casino in Queenstown, is also assured plenty of local support.

The final table was decided when a pair of Queenstown locals, Paul Chisnall and David Bonham bowed out in 10th and 11th positions respectively, assuring each a payout of NZD $4523. There's only a short break while players fulfil some media requirements and when the final table starts in a few minutes, the blinds will be wound back to level 16 (3000/6000 and an ante of 500).

PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown main Event final table

Seat 1: Will Mauga (Australia) PokerStars Qualifier 106,500
Seat 2: Glenn Maiden (New Zealand) 321,500
Seat 3: Steve Smith (New Zealand) 186,000
Seat 4: Andrew Hinrichsen (Australia) PokerStars Qualifier 69,000
Seat 5: John Pye (New Zealand) 211,000
Seat 6: David Bradford (New Zealand) 53,500
Seat 7: Danny Chevalier (Australia) 481,000
Seat 8: Mark Walker (New Zealand) 150,000
Seat 9: John Guthrie (New Zealand) 888,500

Seat 1: Will Mauga (Australia) PokerStars Qualifier (106,500 in chips): Born in New Zealand but a resident of Brisbane since he was two-years-old, this 25-year-old painting contractor who runs his own business is married with three children. He qualified for this event via an $11 buy-in event on PokerStars and enjoys playing online when he can. He enters this final table in seventh chip position.

Seat 2: Glenn Maiden (New Zealand, 321,500 in chips): The manager of the Wharf Casino, this Queenstown local has been playing poker for five years. The 37-year-old earned a seat for the ANZPT Queenstown Main Event via Card Sharks, a locally-run and based free-to-play poker competition. He has played in a number of major events around New Zealand and is second in chips heading into this final table.

Seat 3: Steve Smith (New Zealand, 186,000 in chips): He's one of several tradesmen who've put their hands to good use during this tournament. The father of two has been playing poker for about three years and is a regular at SKYCITY Casino in Auckland where he enjoys playing cash games and tournaments. The 42-year-old builder has thoroughly enjoyed his time in Queenstown: "What an awesome place," he said.

Seat 4: Andrew Hinrichsen (Australia) PokerStars Qualifier (69,000 in chips): The youngest player at the final table and one of only two Australians to make it to the final nine, this 21-year-old travelled to Queenstown with friends and has made the most of the trip, including his first attempt at snowboarding. The 21-year-old has been playing poker for one year, mostly online cash games, and is highly regarded by his peers.

Seat 5: John Pye (New Zealand, 211,000 in chips): This 39-year-old painter/decorator from Auckland placed third in the 2008 New Zealand Poker Championships Main Event. The father of two has been playing poker for about five years and especially enjoys playing sit 'n' goes online. He led this tournament at numerous points over the past two days and is fourth in chips coming into the final nine.

Seat 6: David Bradford (New Zealand, 53,500 in chips): One of Queenstown's best known former residents, this 65-year-old lived here for 17 years and was Town Mayor for six years. Now living in Wellington, he's been a constant on the poker scene here for many years and has played in Las Vegas on several occasions with his good friend and fellow final table participant John Guthrie.

Seat 7: Danny Chevalier (Australia, 481,000 in chips): Arguably the most accomplished player at the final table, this 46-year-old lived in New Zealand for many years where he ran day spas in Queenstown and Rotorua before recently returning to Australia. He won a preliminary event and final table another during the 2009 Melbourne Poker Championships, and won a seat into this event in a live satellite here at SKYCITY Queenstown. He credits his love of poker to his grandmother Regine, who passed away last year aged 99.

Seat 8: Mark Walker (New Zealand, 150,000 in chips): A 28-year-old machine operator from Cambridge in the Waikato region of the North Island, this is his first live tournament despite having 18 months of poker experience under his belt. His deep run in this event is timely after he and his girlfriend recently found out they're expecting a baby. He is in sixth chip position overall heading into the final table.

Seat 9: John Guthrie (New Zealand, 888,500 in chips): A dominant chip leader coming into today's play, this wily veteran has a heap of poker experience, much of it coming along side his good mate and fellow final table participant David Bradford. The property developer celebrated his 60th birthday last week, and is hoping to carry his massive chip advantage all the way to the first PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown title.

Two more players have hit the rail, leaving just 11 players chasing a spot at the first PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Main Event final table.

Just as his chip count looked to be heading in the right direction, Sydney's Raj Ramakrishnan found himself in a hand with John Pye, with the money going in pre-flop. Pye's pocket queens took the lead against the pocket eights of Ramakrishnan and, with neither hand improving, the man who reached the final table of the 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event was out in 13th.

Australian Poker Stars qualifier Mark Measey picked the wrong spot to make a move, with John Guthrie making the snap call with [ah] [kc] against Measey's [10s] [4c]. An ace in the window of the board that flowed [ad] [9s] [ks] [3s] 4d] was enough to send Measey packing in 12th position.

Those chips replenished Guthrie's stack after he lost a 320,000 pot to Glenn Maiden. Guthrie called Maiden's all-in bet on the turn with the board showing [2h] [qc] [3h] [4h]. Maiden showed [kh] [10h] for the turned flush, while Guthrie found himself trailling on a rare occasion, holding [kc] [qd]. The river was the [4d], and Maiden was up to second outright in chips.

Mark Walker has also doubled through after winning a race with [9d] [9c] against Will Mauga's [ac] [kh], with the board running out [5d] [6d] [qs] [qh] [5h] to send Walker up to 270,000. Steve Smith also doubled through Will Mauga and holds more than 200,000.

Interesting to note that table one now comprises of five Queenstown locals - John Guthrie, David Bradford, Glenn Maiden, Paul Chisnall and David Bonham. Not bad for a town with a population of just over 10,000!

The tight play of day two has made way for several quick-fire eliminations early on day three of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Main Event at SKYCITY Casino. Only 13 of the 18 starters remain in the hunt for a spot at tonight's final table after a cut-throat opening hour of play.

With a crowd packed around the two tables in play, which have been relocated to the main gaming floor out of the Summit Room, didn't have to wait long for the first elimination of the day when PokerStars.net Team Australia pro Tony Hachem shoved in his short stack with 9c-8c on the opening hand. Steve Smith made the call, with his overpair holding up to confirm Hachem's fourth successive ANZPT cash and 18th-place finish.

Robert Wang, who qualified for this event from a satellite at SKYCITY Casino in Auckland, was next to go when he committed his remaining chips with [8d] [8c], and found a willing caller in chip leader John Guthrie with [qd] [ah]. The cards again fell Guthrie's way with the board running out [10h] [jd] [9d] [8h] [3c] to eliminate Wang in 17th.

New Zealander Sam Williams looked in good shape with [ad] [kc] against the [qd] [10h] of Will Mauga but a board of [3c] [6d] [4h] [10d] [7d] did him no favours and he was KOed in 16th.

Cesar Cavagnero again lit up the room with his boundless enthusiasm, and he was more than happy to race Mark Walker's [qh] [7h] with [js] [10d]. The pot was sent Walker's way after the board fell [4c] [kd] [10h] [4h] [as], and the Argentinean was off to the cage to collected the prizemoney for 15th place

Aaron Golledge, the young PokerStars qualifier from Canberra, lost half his chips to Walker with pocket fives against pocket 10s, and made a final stand with [ah] [8d] against the [7c] [7d] of Raj Ramakrishnan.

The board came [2d] [qh] [2s] [5h] [4h], and Golledge left the tournament area on the final hand before the first break in 14th, while Ramakrishnan is back above 70,000 after being down to less than 10,000 late yesterday.

The remaining 13 players have retaken their seats with blinds up to level 16 (3000/6000 and an ante of 500). John Guthrie remains a massive chip leader with more than 700,000 in chips.

Queenstown has turned on a spectacular day - brilliant sunshine reflecting off the lake and surrounding snow-capped mountains, only the slightest breeze and just a hint of frost in the air - for the finale to the first PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Main Event.

Yesterday, 92 players took their seats in two groups during the afternoon and as the clock ticked past 1.30am this morning, just 18 players remained - all guaranteed a minimum cash of NZD $3015.

It was one of the most enthralling days ever in regional tournament history, as veteran local player John Guthrie piled up corpse upon corpse to finish the day with 683,500 - more than 20 per cent of the chips in play and almost triple the stack of his nearest rival.

But like a drive through one of the narrow canyons that surround Queenstown, tournament poker can throw up plenty of twists and turns and Guthrie's massive advantage could be eradicated in the time it takes to take the leap of faith from a bungy platform.

The odds are firmly in favour of the SKYCITY Alpine Adventure trophy staying on home soil as the chip count is dominated by New Zealanders. Aussie-based Kiwi PokerStars qualifier Will Mauga has 229,500, former Queenstown mayor and polished player David Bradford is on 213,000 while former chip leader John Pye holds 171,500 to remain firmly in contention.

The Aussie charge is headed by PokerStars.net Team Australia pro Tony Hachem. After initially struggling to find his feet on the tournament scene, Hachem has stamped an indelible mark on the first season of the ANZPT by cashing in all four events so far - an incredible achievement that may be hard to surpass as fields grow in the future. But he faces a steeper challenge today than the gondola route up Bob's Peak with just 43,500 in chips.

The stack of PokerStars qualifier Andrew Hinrichsen has swayed further than the Nevis Arc bungy swing over the past to days, but the young Aussie has enough chips (169,500) to muscle his way to the final table later today.

We should also make mention of the excitable Cesar Cavagnero, who made the long trek from Argentina for this event and somehow managed to scrape through after being all-in on at least 10 occasions during day two to finish with 46,000.

Raj Ramakrishnan remains on track to add a PokerStars.net ANZPT final table to his fourth place in the 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event, while Peta Golledge, the wife of Canberra PokerStars qualifier Aaron Golledge, faces another nail-biting day as her husband starts the final day as the outright short stack on 41,000.

Cards should be in the air by 12.30pm local time (1.30am GMT) so stay with us for what promises to be another enthralling day of poker here in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and the idyllic mountain town of Queenstown at SKYCITY Casino.

Table 1

Seat 1: Mark Measey (Australia) PokerStars Qualifier 94,500
Seat 2: David Bradford (New Zealand) 213,000
Seat 3: David Bonham (New Zealand) 54,500
Seat 4: John Guthrie (New Zealand) 683,500
Seat 5: Andrew Hinrichsen (PokerStars Qualifier) 169,500
Seat 6: Robert Wang (New Zealand) 59,000
Seat 7: Paul Chisnall (New Zealand) 68,000
Seat 8: Daniel Chevalier (New Zealand) 185,000
Seat 9: Glenn Maiden (New Zealand) 93,000

Table 2

Seat 1: Mark Walker (New Zealand) 86,500
Seat 2: Steve Smith (New Zealand) 112,500
Seat 3: William Mauga (Australia) PokerStars Qualifier 229,500
Seat 4: Sam Williams (New Zealand) 67,000
Seat 5: Cesar Cavagnero (Argentina) 46,000
Seat 6: Aaron Golledge (Australia) PokerStars Qualifier 41,000
Seat 7: Raj Ramakrishnan (Australia) 55,000
Seat 8: John Pye (New Zealand) 171,500
Seat 9: Tony Hachem (Australia) Team PokerStars Australia 43,500

Today's structure

Level 15: 2000/4000 (ante 500)
Level 16: 3000/6000 (ante 500)
Level 17: 4000/8000 (ante 500)
Level 18: 5000/10,000 (ante 1000)
Level 19: 6000/12,000 (ante 1000)
Level 20: 8000/16,000 (ante 2000)
Level 21: 10,000/20,000 (ante 2000)
Level 22: 12,000/24,000 (ante 3000)
Level 23: 15,000/30,000 (ante 3000)
Level 24: 20,000/40,000 (ante 4000)
Level 25: 30,000/60,000 (ante 5000)
Level 26: 40,000/80,000 (ante 5000)
Level 27: 50,000/100,000 (ante 10,000)
Level 28: 60,000/120,000 (ante 10,000)
Level 29: 80,000/160,000 (ante 20,000)
Level 30: 100,000/200,000 (ante 30,000)

John Guthrie is the chip leader heading into the final day of the PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown Main Event after a dramatic end to day two at SKYCITY Casino. The local winery owner and property developer holds more than 20 per cent of the chips in play (more than 650,000 with 2.5 million in play) with the business end of the tournament to come.

Proudly wearing the colours of Panorama Poker (named in honour of a local home game played in Panorama Terrace, Queenstown), Guthrie celebrated his 60th birthday last week and is firmly on target for quite the birthday present.

After eliminations had proceeded at glacial pace for much of the evening, they came thick and fast at the end with PokerStars Sponsored Player Ray Sukkar, and PokerStars qualifiers Mick O'Grady and Josh Egan among the last to be sent to the rail.

But the brutal beat of the evening came when Guthrie called Andrew Scott's all-in after they'd each popped it twice on a flop of [5c] [as] [qs]. Guthrie showed [ad] [10d], which trailled Scott's [ac] [jh] ... until the [10s] landed on the turn.

The normally affable Scott was clearly gutted by the beat, but returned to the table to shake Guthrie's hand before leaving the tournament area in 21st position. After a lean WSOP, the Hong Kong-based Aussie looked primed for a deep run here until Guthrie, who's ridden his luck all evening, intervened to win another massive pot.

The bubble burst early in level 15 (with blind at 2000/4000 and a 500 ante) in amazing circumstances. Poker Stars qualifier Tim Clarke shoved all-in on a board showing [js] [7c] [3h] [2h] with Guthrie making the call. Clarke's pocket aces looked in great shape against Guthrie's [jh] [10c], but the [jc] sent the rail over the top as the local hope scooped up the final pot of the night, worth more than 150,000.

Notable players to finish in the money included PokerStars.net Team Australia pro Tony Hachem, who celebrated a remarkable fourth successive ANZPT cash, Raj Ramakrishnan, John Pye and David Bradford.

The remaining 18 players, who are all guaranteed a payout of at least NZD $3015, will be back at 12.30pm tomorrow for the race to the first PokerStars.net ANZPT Queenstown championship trophy.

End-of-Day 2 chip counts:

John Guthrie, New Zealand, 683,500
William Mauga, Australia, PokerStars Qualifier, 229,500
David Bradford, New Zealand, 213,000
Daniel Chevalier, New Zealand, 185,000
John Pye, New Zealand, 171,500
Andrew Hinrichsen, Australia, PokerStars Qualifier, 169,500
Steven Smith, New Zealand, 112,500
Mark Measey, Australia, PokerStars Qualifier, 94,500
Glenn Maiden, New Zealand, 93,000
Mark Walker, New Zealand, 86,500
Paul Chisnall, New Zealand, 68,000
Sam Williams, New Zealand, 67,000
Robert Wang, New Zealand, 59,000
Rajkumar Ramakrishnan, Australia, 55,000
David Bonham, New Zealand, 54,500
Cesar Cavagnero, Argentina, 46,000
Tony Hachem, Australia, Team PokerStars Australia, 43,500
Aaron Golledge, Australia, PokerStars Qualifier, 41,000