The boys from PokerStars.tv have done it again with a couple of highly interesting and entertaining interviews. Firstly with David “Superman” Saab and the charming Celina Lin and if that wasn’t enough another one with PokerStars online qualifier Carter Gill.
Watch APPT Auckland 08: Celina Lin and David Saab on PokerStars.tv
Watch APPT Auckland 08: Assassinato and Carter Gill on PokerStars.tv
Throughout the day the team from PokerStars.tv managed to steal a few precious minutes from previous APPT Champions Eddie Sabat and Grant Levy. The video blogs and the insights from these players are here:
Watch APPT Auckland 08: Eddie Sabat Interview on PokerStars.tv
Watch APPT Auckland 08: Grant Levy Interview on PokerStars.tv
By James Potter and Eliot James
Day 1a of the Pokerstars.net APPT SkyCity Auckland Festival of Poker has come to a close after playing a friendly seven levels. After a great day of poker we have 59 players left out of the 168 that started the day. After starting with 10k stacks, the average now is just a shade over 28,000.
The most notable early departure was Emad Tahtouh who unfortunately never got started. The other big name player to go was Team PokerStars Pro Greg Raymer who was knocked out in one of the last few hands of the day when he pushed his small stack in with 10-10 but ran into J-J.
Much of the cream certainly rose to the top with sponsored players Celina Lin and Tony Hachem making it through. Local Simon Davis finished the day strongly with 33,000 chips. Australian Peter Aristidou with nearly 50,000 in chips will also be well in the hunt on Day2.
At this point they will all be chasing Nathanael Seet from Singapore who has around 80,000 most of which he got late in the day. Running chipcounts have been posted throughout the day on the PokerStars Blog, and a final count will be added once the numbers have been released.
The poker was especially hot all day and special mention to Eric Assadourian who won the Pot Limit Omaha event and has now played three PLO tournaments in New Zealand for three wins. His dad also made it through Day 1a so it has been a good day for the family.
Tomorrow Eric makes it onto the felt for the Main Event, along with fellow PokerStars Sponsored player Grant Levy and Team PokerStars Pros Joe Hachem and Lee Nelson. We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow for Day 1b at 12.15pm NZ time!
By James Potter and Eliot James
The last level today is 300/600 with a 75 ante. This is always an exciting time as some of the good players try and build a stack as other players desperately try and make it through to Day 2.
There have been many short stacks surviving in the last half an hour but the most notable knockout was David “Superman” Saab. Saab had seen his stack dwindled down to 20K before he lost the rest in a “train wreck” of a hand after his top pair ran into a set.
“I can go from chip leader to bubble boy in a matter of seconds, that’s my style. I thought I was in front so I pushed my chips in.”
Peter Aristidou is also on the march and has 45k in chips. Peter is a quite ahchiever on the poker table and is deadly with a big stack. Teresa Nousiainen from Finland also just lost a big pot when her J-J was cracked by A-K but she still has nearly 30,000.
By James Potter and Eliot James
One of the interesting things going on at the PokerStars APPT SkyCity Auckland Festival of Poker is the inaugural World Poker Seminar. This exciting concept was developed by Team PokerStars Pro’s Joe Hachem and Lee Nelson. Joe and Lee host the events, with the help of some of their friends, and are also intending to take the concept to other cities around the world.
The idea is simple: it’s a seminar to help poker players improve and develop their game. There were over 20 players turning out, who ranged from the novice to some very seasoned players, all of whom were keen to see their game move to another level. Lee took 5 minutes out of his busy schedule to explain his motivation behind the seminars.
“I have always enjoyed teaching and I have always wanted to give something back to the game that has given so much to me. I wanted to take the next step from the books that I have written and wanted to try a live teaching format with my mate Joe. If you are going to do something, then do it right. I really feel that we have a formula that will turn learners into good players and good players into even better ones.”
Budding New Zealand pro player James Honeybone, who made the final table of APPT Seoul in 2007 and would love to do the same on home turf in Auckland this year, attended the conference and was the first to sing its praises.
“It was a great thrill to attend today. I have always been a student of the game and chance to learn like the likes of Lee and Joe is something that not everyone gets to do. I especially found the Q and A part of the seminar invaluable because I got the chance to ask some of the tough questions that the very best hate answering.”