Poker faces and bracelet winner descend on SKYCITY Auckland as it becomes New Zealand's poker paradise

The SKYCITY Festival of Poker is here!

With New Zealand’s most anticipated poker tournament less than a week away, poker players from across New Zealand and the world are packing their focus, determination and poker faces and heading to SKYCITY Auckland, New Zealand’s Home of Poker, for the third annual SKYCITY Festival of Poker.

The Main Event will start on 15 September and there are still seats available for players to buy their way into the tournament for a chance to take away one of the largest prize pools* in New Zealand poker history.

Two notable players heading to the tournament are Australian Tony Hachem, who is proving to be a force of reckoning in tournaments in the pacific region, and New Zealander Lee ‘Final Table’ Nelson. With over 50 final table appearances, Lee is looking to add one more to his impressive tally.

An exciting entrant this year is the 2009 winner of the SKYCITY Festival of Poker and recent World Series of Poker bracelet winner Simon Watt.

Simon says, "I'm looking forward to and excited about defending my SKYCITY Festival of Poker Main Event title in what is New Zealand's biggest and best poker tournament."


SKYCITY General Manager of Casino Operations, Ejaaz Dean is confident that this year’s tournament will be one to remember.

“With so many quality players coming to SKYCITY Auckland both from NZ and abroad the tournament will be an exciting one to follow.

“The two years this tournament has been running kiwis have taken out the title and we expect another great show with local players honing their skills to an international level. It will be exciting to see New Zealand’s only World Series of Poker bracelet winner and defending Festival of Poker Champion Simon Watt vying to out bluff and out play the extensive field and take home the title for 2010.”

Buy-in into the Main Event is NZD $3,250.00 with the field capped at 360 players. For more information, including structures, schedules, terms and conditions and how to buy into this tournament, see www.festivalofpoker.co.nz.

SKYCITY Poker is located at SKYCITY Auckland and boasts 18 world-class tables and plays host to four tournaments throughout the poker year, including the SKYCITY Auckland Anniversary Poker Champs, Lee Nelson Deep Stack Series, SKYCITY New Zealand Poker Open and the SKYCITY Festival of Poker. SKYCITY Poker also hosts the annual SKYCITY Blue September Challenge of the Codes charity poker tournament which raises money and awareness for the New Zealand Prostate Cancer Foundation of NZ.

R20 Game Responsibly
*The actual prize pool is based on the actual number of entrants.

ENDS