Poker players heading to town

Photo / Greg Bowker

A field of local and national card sharps are honing their competitive skills for Auckland's first big poker tournament of the year.

The second annual SkyCity Auckland Anniversary Poker Championship
kicks off on Monday, for those with dreams of being the next Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth or Joe Hachem.

A week of action includes Satellites, Friday's $330 buy-in Opening Event, Saturday's Six-Handed tournament, and the Main Event - an $1100 buy-in showdown that should attract around a hundred players.

They will be battling it out for a prize pool that will start with $50,000 from the casino and is expected to climb to well above that.

But the action on the baize next week is not just for the blokes.

Local women get the chance to strut their stuff on Sunday afternoon. Those not still in the Main Event will fight for the title of Auckland Anniversary Ladies Champion in a $115 buy-in event.

Some of the top poker players in the world are female, such as Annie Duke and Jennifer Harman.

Last year it was Aucklander Matt Cheer who bet, called, raised and bluffed his way to the Anniversary tournament title, fending off a field of 119 opponents on the way.

The tournament went for 36 gruelling hours, with Cheer cleaning up just after 1am on the Tuesday, winning a total of $35,540 out of a total prize pool of $119,000.

We'll find out who is the 2010 Auckland Anniversary Champion on February 1.

If you fancy your chances you're not too late to enter - players can still buy into the tournament up until play starts on January 31.