The top poker players in New Zealand will this weekend converge on Christchurch casino, hoping to take home a share of the likely $550,000 prize pool generated from one of the country's biggest poker events.
The 2018 New Zealand Poker Champs start on Saturday with a $440 deepstack turbo tournament and culminates next weekend with a $1650 buy-in main event tournament which is expected to drum up a prizepool of $300,000.
In between there are ten 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 100% of the $2250 prizepool goes to the Key to Life charity, which is focused on changing societies view of suicide. Christchurch casino is providing a free ticket to the main event for the winner.
The New Zealand Poker Champs Main Event has produced six Kiwi winners over the past six years after Ben Rendall won $75,000 last year, Jack Efariamo won $50,000 in 2017 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.
