Marcel Schreiner from germany is the new Pokerstars champion

Marcel Schreiner from germany is the new Pokerstars champion

Tonight Marcel Schreiner from Germany became the third NZPT Queenstown Champion, outplaying 126 rivals to take home the 2011 Pokerstars.net NZPT Queenstown - SKYCITY Snowfest Championship trophy and the highest prize yet for an NZPT Queenstown event of NZD $94,300.

The Final Table began with nine players left from an original starting field of 127 from 19 different countries, including 49 from New Zealand, battling for a record total prize pool for Queenstown poker of NZD $342,900.

After twelve hours, Marcel took the Championship title from Queenstown local Matty Yates with a full house. Matty takes home NZD $60,000 for second place and John Waterman from Nelson, New Zealand won NZD $35,150 for placing third.

Although in its third year, 2011 was the first time the Pokerstars.net NZPT Queenstown - SKYCITY Snowfest was part of two world poker tours and it attracted some of the sport's finest talent, including Australia's only World Series Champion (2005) Joe Hachem and 2009 NZPT SKYCITY Festival of Poker Champion and World Series bracelet winner, New Zealander Simon Watt. Joe fell in love with Queenstown saying "Queenstown has my heart. It has it all - great food, great coffee, great scenery."

SKYCITY Queenstown's Executive Manager Michelle Baillie is pleased with the way the tournament has run.

"Once again we are thrilled to have hosted such a great poker tournament at SKYCITY Queenstown Casino and we are proud of the positive impact the tournament has had on Queenstown tourism. As well as the players, friends and family being in Queenstown for a week supporting local businesses, there has been a group of international poker bloggers including video bloggers who have broadcast some fantastic footage of Queenstown out across the world. We congratulate Marcel and look forward to working with the Pokerstars.net team on next year's event."

The final table standings and payouts earned are as follows:

1. Marcel Schreiner - Germany - NZD $94,300.00

2. Matty Yates - New Zealand - NZD $60,000.00

3. John Waterman - New Zealand - NZD $35,150.00

4. Carl Knox - New Zealand - NZD $29,145.00

5. Daniel Laidlaw - Australia - NZD $24,000.00

6. Tom Grigg - Australia - NZD $19,715.00

7. Xiao Dong Xia - New Zealand - NZD $16,290.00

8. Hugh Cohen - Australia - NZD $12,860.00

9. Jonathan Karamalikis - Australia - NZD $10,280.00

ENDS

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