Simon Watt has won the Main Event at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour’s Auckland stop.

The Main Event, a no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament with a buy-in of 3,000 New Zealand dollars (NZD), or about $2,300 U.S., had 263 entrants and took place at the Sky City Casino in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.

For the victory, Watt, 26, a software developer from New Zealand, earned 209,085 NZD, or about $156,000 U.S.

Finishing runnerup in the tourney was Gerome Guitteau, who earned 142,020 NZD.

Taking third was Jason Brown, who earned 82,845 NZD.

Fourth was Ke Sijia, who earned 55,320 NZD.

Coming in fifth was Richard Lancaster, who earned 42,606 NZD.

Taking sixth place was Jens Walther, who earned 31,560 NZD.

Ending seventh was Assadour Assadourian, who earned 23,670 NZD.

Coming in eighth was Lance Climo, who earned 18,936 NZD.

Ending in ninth was Michael Shinzaki, who earned 14,202 NZD.

The next stop on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour is Cebu, the Philippines, from November 11-15, 2009.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)