The top poker players in New Zealand will this week converge on Christchurch casino, hoping to take home a share of the likely $400,000 prize pool generated from one of the country's biggest poker events.
The 2017 New Zealand Poker Champs started on Saturday with a $440 deepstack turbo tournament and culminates this weekend with a $1650 buy-in main event tournament which is expected to drum up a prizepool of $200,000.
In between there are eight different events, which range in buy-in from $250 to $1100 and include No Limit Holdem, Pot Limit Omaha, a women's event and a bounty event.
This year's series will also include a Key to Life charity tournament on Tuesday night, where 75% of the $400 buy-in goes to the prizepool, and 25% goes to the Key to Life charity, which is focused on changing societies view of suicide.
The New Zealand Poker Champs Main Event has produced five Kiwi winners over the past five years after Jack Efariamo won $50,000 last year and Jay Gilbert and Jason Brown split the purse in 2015, taking home $40,500 each. Australian Shane Hicks won $45,500 in 2014, Kiwi Steve Smith took $47,000 in 2013 and Paul Hockin won $35,000 in 2012.
