The PokerStars.net Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) is a series of major poker tournaments conducted throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Now in its sixth season, the tour has seen live Texas Hold'em tournaments held in Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast, with Auckland, Perth and Darwin joining the party over the past couple of years.
The key feature many of the events have in common is the low buy-ins involved: AUD$2,000 is the standard entry for most live Main Events on the tour, meaning many recreational players can take part and rub shoulders with bigger names from NZ and Oz.
A Brief History Of The ANZPT
Set up as an Australasian counterpart to PokerStars' other regional tours like the European Poker Tour (EPT) and Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), not to mention PokerStars' other regional tour in the immediate area - the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) - the ANZPT caters for poker nuts Down Under.
Focussing its attention on top venues in Australia and New Zealand like the Crown Casino in Melbourne – home to the Aussie Millions - and Star City in Sydney, the ANZPT is set to grow and grow.
New Zealand even gets a wintry leg in the form of the 'Snowfest' tour stop in Queenstown, where players can mix their après-ski action with pre-flop aggression.
Local Stars Take Down Pots
The ANZPT's debut season saw local player Scott Kerr work his way through a 249-player turnout at the Conrad Jupiters Casino in Queensland to win his share of the AUD$622,500 prizepool on offer.
Due to its popularity, Season 2 saw new stops in Darwin, Canberra and Adelaide to make the series a genuine competitor for the annual Aussie Millions at Melbourne's Crown Casino.
Big Winners
It wasn't until Season Four that some really impressive numbers were seen. 2012's ANZPT concluded with the Grand Final at the world-famous Crown Casino in Melbourne. The big winner was PokerStars qualifier Sam Razavi – a major talent from the UK - who won $326,125 after outlasting 256 players. In total during Season 4 there were 1,082 players who took part, from 41 different countries. Elsewhere on the tour, local legend Tony Hachem – brother of 2005 WSOP champion Joe Hachem – and Aussie Grant Levy have won ANZPT titles since the tour's inception.
How You Can Qualify Online
As with other major tours run by PokerStars, online satellites are plentiful and boast plenty of guaranteed seats and prize money.
From as little as 5 FPPs (Frequent Player Points) you can jump onto a 'Mega Path' qualifying route on the leading poker site, and work your way up to a major online final tablet.
If your wallet is a little bigger, however, consider jumping straight in at the money buy-in qualifiers - $2, $10, $50 – to win your seat into the $215 Grand Final which gives away seats into the next leg. Sit 'n' Go fans can also go straight for a single-table tourney at the same buy-in to try and win a seat.
Win A Superb Package
For ANZPT package satellites, winners receive a package that includes the tournament buy-in to the ANZPT Main Event, six nights' accommodation and USD$500 spending money which can be used as a contribution to your travel expenses, such as your air fare and taxes.
You normally need to make your own travel arrangements, and this can add up if you're flying across Australia to make it to a leg, and it pays to factor these costs into your plans. If you're thinking of trying to qualify online with PokerStars for a seat in the ANZPT, join today with a great, exclusive welcome bonus and make a deposit right away. If the cards are falling your way, you could soon be rubbing shoulders with Oz's best players at a top-class casino on the ANZPT!