Paul Hockin Wins The PokerStars.com ANZPT Melbourne ($101,275)
Paul Hockin was crowned the first champion of the first leg of the PokerStars.com Australia New Zealand Poker Tour after a long, hard battle! The winner of the Melbourne Main Event took him a beautiful A$101,275 first place prize. But it wasn't easy for the 25-year old part-time professional!
The action at the final started off slow, but after two levels of treading water everyone seemed ready to rock. Peter Matusik, who started the final table second in chips, was the first player to go. He shoved his nut-flush draw all in on the flop against Michael Guzzardi who had top pair top kicker. His hand held up and the ANZPT Gold Coast champion was eliminated in 9th place for A$13,800.
Just a few hands later it was the runner-up of last year's ANZPT Player of the Year classification, Anthony Aston, who was eliminated. Aston got his money in pre flop with ace-jack, but Hockin showed a monster as he called his shove. Hockin knocked Aston out with pocket queens, and the youngster received A$18,975 for his 8th place finish.
The players kept dropping left and right, because only five hands later there was a massive three-way all in. Karan Punjabi moved all in under the gun, Ashley Warner called and Igal Augarten called as well. Augarten moved all in on a 
flop, and Warner callerd with pocket kings. Augarten had ace-queen of diamonds while Punjabi tabled two red eights. No help on the turn or river which quickly reduced the field to just five players. Punjabi received A$24,150 for his 7th, and Augarten took home A$31,050 for his 6th place finish.
At this point Warner had grabbed a huge chip lead, and Ismail Ismail had been waiting for a good spot to get his money in. Eventually the short stack moved in with ace-king and Michael Lo Giudice called with two black tens. Lo Giudice hit a set right away, and Ismail was knocked out even though he hit two pair. Ismail received A$37,950 for his 5th place finish.
Lo Giudice was still the short stack after knocking out Ismail, and about twenty minutes later he headed for the rail. The hand in which Lo Giudice was knocked out was really unfortunate as he hit the second nut flush, only to be busted by Warner's straight flush. Lo Giudice still had a nice payday and collected A$47,610 for his 4th place finish. With just three players left there was a deal made.
| Name | Chip Count | Deal Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ashley Warner | 3,460,000 | A$123,000 |
| Michael Guzzardi | 2,070,000 | A$112,000 |
| Paul Hockin | 1,150,000 | A$88,000 |
The ANZPT Player of the Year points were also chopped up. Each of the three remaining players received third-place points. The runner up finisher would receive an additional A$7,000 while the winner added A$13,275 to his already big payout!
The three-handed battle took more than three and a half hours as Hockin and Warner kept doubling each other up. Guzzardi was the innocent bystander, but eventually he was the one to finish in third place. Guzzardi was all in with two sixes against Warner's ace-queen, and the latter spiked two aces on the flop right away. No lucky six on the turn or river for Guzzardi who picked up A$112,000 for his efforts.
Warner lead Hockin 5,460,000 to 1,550,000 when the title fight began, but that was no guarantee for succes. Two double-ups later Hockin had taken a big lead, and Warner was eliminated not too long after that. On his final hand Warner moved in with 
and lost to Hockin's 
when the board ran out 
. Hockin was crowned as the new champion while Warner took home the biggest payout. Warner received A$123,000 for his 2nd place finish while Hockin added A$101,275 to his bankrol. Here's a look at the final table payout.
| Place | Name | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Hockin | A$101,275 |
| 2 | Ashley Warner | A$130,000 |
| 3 | Michael Guzzardi | A$112,000 |
| 4 | Michael Lo Giudice | A$47,610 |
| 5 | Ismail Ismail | A$37,950 |
| 6 | Igal Augarten | A$31,050 |
| 7 | Karan Punjabi | A$24,150 |
| 8 | Anthony Aston | A$18,975 |
| 9 | Peter Matusik | A$13,800 |
From the Crown Casino in Melbourne we would like to wish you a very good night, and until next time! The next ANZPT Main Event will start on November 21th in Auckland while the ACOP Macau Main Event is set to kick off on November 7th in the Grand Waldo Hotel and Casino.