2011 PokerStars.net APPT Queenstown Day 1b: Schreiner Shines at the Top
Wednesday marked the start of Day 1b action at the 2011 PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Main Event.
The numbers were expected to increase from the first Day 1 flight on Tuesday, and while the 43 who took to the felt on Day 1b only count for a couple of more players, there are still plenty of players around town who have yet to play and will be eager to hit the tables on Day 1c.
After another short, six-hour day the field was whittled down to 28 players who managed to bag and tag some chips at the end of the day. They will return for play on Friday.
Some of the players who belong to the casualty list include Daniel Neilson, Grant Levy, Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem and local favorite Simon Watt.
On Wednesday, the field was again full of an eclectic mix of nationalities, including players from the Netherlands, Ireland, Russia, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Although the local players managed to come up trumps at the end of Day 1a, it was a different story on Day 1b.
Sitting atop the chip leaderboard at the end of the day with an impressive 72,600 in chips is Germany��s Marcel Schreiner. While Schreiner couldn��t manage to accumulate as many chips as the local players from Day 1a, he will still return on Friday with enough chips to give himself a fighting chance at making a run at taking an APPT title home to Germany.
Trailing Schreiner and bagging 62,100 in chips is New Zealander Matt Yates, while just a few thousand behind him with 54,550 in chips is Andrew Hinrichsen, fresh off his impressive 23rd-place finish at the 2011 WSOP Main Event.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Marcel Schreiner | Germany | 72,600 |
| 2 | Matt Yates | New Zealand | 62,100 |
| 3 | Daniel Laidlaw | Australia | 60,075 |
| 4 | Andrew Hinrichsen | Australia | 54,550 |
| 5 | Jonathan Karamalikis | Australia | 50,700 |
| 6 | Ryan McKay | Australia | 50,250 |
| 7 | Tom Grigg | Australia | 48,900 |
| 8 | Dale Philip | United Kingdom | 48,000 |
| 9 | Michael Pedley | Australia | 41,400 |
| 10 | Jeff Bucher | New Zealand | 36,275 |
Jonathan Karamalikis, the 2010 APPT Sydney Grand Final Champion, had a solid Day 1b and managed to finish the day with a healthy top-ten stack after nursing a fairly small stack through most of the day. PokerStars Team Online's Dale Philip looked as though he would finish the day as chip leader, but during the last level of the day Philip slid down the rankings.
The total number of entrants so far for the APPT Queenstown Main Event is 83, and even though it isn't quite the amount that was expected, there is still another Day 1 flight to be played and poker players are known for leaving things until the last minute.
The final Day 1 flight is set to begin at 1230 NZST (1700 PDT). Join the PokerNews Live Reporting Team as they again bring continuing coverage from the APPT Queenstown Main Event.
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