Huge poker prizepool heading to Auckland

Sky City are expecting this year's main event will produce a prizepool of around $300,000.

The top card sharks in Australasia will flock to Auckland this weekend for the $2200 buy-in main event of Sky City's 2017 Auckland Poker Championships.

Sky City are estimating around 800 players have participated in satellite tournaments to qualify for the main event, which is expected to generate a prizepool of $300,000.

The four-day tournament is the highlight of the two-week long poker series and Sky City Senior Gaming Operations Manager Martin Coughlan said he is excited at attracting the best poker players in the country.

"With the 2017 Auckland Poker Championships we wanted to up the ante with a Main Event buy-in that would attract top local and international players and result in a more attractive prize pool," said Coughlan. "We hope to continue attracting more of Australasia's top talent and look forward to putting on a successful week."

Over the past seven years, the main event has seen five Kiwi winners take home winnings ranging from $55,000 to more than $250,000.

The highest profile player at this year's main event is Shurane Vijayaram, the amateur Aussie who won this year's Aussie Millions main event for $1.6 millon.

Vijayaram has one of the greatest rags-to-riches stories in the poker world. In January, he paid $130 to enter a poker tournament at Melbourne's Crown Casino, which he won, earning himself a $10,600 ticket into the Aussie Millions main event.

Then, over eight days, the amateur outlasted a field of 724 entrants, which included virtually every single top poker pro from around the globe, to take home the $1.6 million dollar first place prize.

Other upcoming side events at Auckland Poker Championships:
Thursday 1 June, 7.15pm - Pot Limit Omaha, $330 - buy in.
Monday 5 June, 12.30pm - Deep Stack No Limit Holden $440 -buy in.

Auckland Poker Championships main event:
Friday 2 June, 6.30pm - Day 1a
Saturday 3 June, 6.30pm - Day 1b
Sunday 4 June, 12.30pm - Day 2
Monday 5 June, 1.00pm - Final table

Full tournament schedule, registration details and full terms and conditions for the 2017 Auckland Poker Championships can be viewed Here.