Hachem to compete in New Zealand Poker Championships

Team PokerStars member and 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event champion, Joseph Hachem, has been confirmed to participate in the 2006 New Zealand Poker Championships, it was announced Tuesday. The poker pro will be competing against some of the world's best players in the event when it runs in early April, including recent Team PokerStars addition and 2006 Aussie Millions poker champ, Lee Nelson.

The New Zealand Poker Championships will take place at the Christchurch Casino in Christchurch, New Zealand, from April 1-8, 2006. Widely regarded as the nation's top poker series, organizers are expecting about 150 players from around the world to enter. The main event is offering a $200,000 prize pool, including a seat at the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas this August and a first place prize of NZ $60,000.

The week-long series will offer players a number of different championship events, including a $20,000 Celebrity Challenge for Charity; the $500 Canterbury Championship; a $300 Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha event; the $500 New Zealand No-Limit Omaha Championship; the $500 South Island Champs No-Limit Hold'em tournament; and the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em New Zealand Poker Championships. Satellites to the main event will run during the series, along with a media tournament.

Please see NZ Poker Championships for further details.