Robert Spano

Robert Spano, an Aussie who is a regular in Australian and US poker scene with over USD 1.3 million in live-tournament earnings, said the National Cup Championship is his very first entry in an APT tournament and is looking to make a deep run.

Spano, who just arrived last night, said he had planned on playing last year, but circumstances delayed his trip to Asia until this year.

"It's been fantastic so far!" Spano said of his experience so far. "The staff are so pro-active... everything is very well run."

Spano currently sits with about 150,000, which represents about an average stack and plenty to work with in his quest to secure a spot into the final day tomorrow.