Surprises At New Zealand Poker Champs
Top players Lee Nelson and Gary Benson were knocked out within three hours of the first round of the New Zealand Poker
Champs at Christchurch Casino.
Lee Nelson was tipped by most to make it to the final table but the cards went against him. James Reid from The Feelers
put pressure on Nelson during the game but Reid was also knocked out shortly after.
Gary Benson was out after just 2 hours and gutted. “It’s the first time I’ve been knocked out this early since Vegas
many many years ago.”
Young Australian player Mark Vos also went just after the 3pm break – and Dan All In Chung has also just gone.
Who will make it through to day two – at this stage it’s anyone’s guess with prominent players being knocked out at the
same rate as the lesser knowns.
Day one of the New Zealand Poker Champs sees two separate competitions – the first round started at 10am and the next
round starts at 7pm. Each round sees around 75 players go head to head until around 30 remain. At the end of each
competition, each player’s chips will be sealed in a bag, which will be kept under lock and key until day two.
Tomorrow’s tournament for the remaining 60 players will begin at midday. They will collect their chips from the previous
day and continue playing off. This will be a knock out competition which will end only when one player has all the
chips.