Poker Player Wins New Zealand Monopoly Champs

Poker Player Wins New Zealand Monopoly Championship

Andrew Dimock (26), who earlier this year won the New Zealand Poker Champs, today won the title of New Zealand Monopoly Champion at the grand finals held at Britomart in Auckland.

Rich uncle Pennybags And Daniel McVeagh (right) from Hasbro congratulates New Zealand Monopoly Champion Andrew Dimock.

Andrew, who lives in Christchurch, will go on to represent New Zealand at the World Monopoly Championship being held in Tokyo in October this year. The 2004 World Monopoly Championship will bring together Monopoly Champions from more than 40 countries who will play for a $US15,140 grand prize. The prize money is equivalent to the money included in a standard Monopoly set.

Andrew took out today’s championship scoring $4,964 worth of assets after a 90-minute game. First runner up, and stand-by for the World Championship, was Real Estate agent Adrian Sutherland, from Tolaga Bay, with $2,804 in assets. Second runner up was Ashley Couper from Christchurch with $2,360 in assets. The fourth player Matthew Morris, from Martinborough was bankrupt after 68 minutes of play. Each of the competitors had either won or come second at the North Island or South Island Monopoly Championships, which were held earlier this year.

Andrew, who came second in the 1996 New Zealand Monopoly Championship, says that with 15 minutes to go it was still anyone’s game. “The game was pretty intense! I based my strategy on negotiation and just rolling the dice,” he says. “I’m pretty good at board games and after wining the Poker Champs in March I’m really happy.”

The New Zealand Monopoly Championships were hosted by Hasbro New Zealand, the distributor of the game in this country. Teresa Mitrovic, Marketing Manager for Hasbro says the search for the New Zealand’s best Monopoly players has been a great success. “Today’s final game brought the best players in the country together and it’s been an exciting game of skill and strategy. ”

Monopoly is one of the world’s most popular board games and is currently sold in 80 countries and published in 26 languages.