Michele Guzzardi Leads Early ANZPT POY Race

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Aussie poker star establishes early lead in the hunt for ANZPT Season 5 POY

Australian's Michele Guzzardi has established an early lead in the race to be crowned Australia New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT) Player of the Year (POY) at the end of ANZPT Season 5.

With only two events out the way there is still all to play for, but the Aussie has set himself up nicely following strong performances in Melbourne and Auckland.

Guzzardi had been joint first with Ashley Warner and Paul Hockin after the trio decided to split the POY points in the final of the Melbourne Main Event, but he fared better at the felt than his rivals in Auckland to carve out a lead.

Indeed, Warner and Hockin have both paid for their failure to take a grip of proceedings in the latest Auckland event, with Jie Gao leapfrogging the pair to take second as they now sit joint third.

Perth will host the next ANZPT stop in February 2013, and Guzzardi will be hoping to establish a bigger lead when the action gets underway in two month's time.