Kiwi Dealt 65th Billionth Hand at Poker Stars

July 27 - A player from New Zealand has been awarded the honor of having the 65th billion poker hand dealt to him at Poker Stars online poker site.

Christopher Small, who hails from Christchurch, was the lucky player to reach this magical milestone and score himself tens of thousands of dollars in prize money.

For several weeks now, the Poker Stars Mega Milestone promotion has captured the industry's attention, drawing players who were trying to get their hands on the cool cash prizes dished out by the online poker room.   A total of $770,000 in prize money was given away during the promotion, while over 1,600 players took home cash.

Small accessed his Poker Stars account on Sunday and headed to the $0.10/$.25 six max no limit hold'em poker tables.  This was just one of twenty four tables he was playing simultaneously, according to the multi poker player.

"I was 24-tabling and saw the pop up telling me I was involved in the 65th billionth game," he recalled. "I had ace-king when I looked at the table."

"My reaction was one of 'this must be a dream'," he said. "I couldn't believe it!"

Christopher Small eventually took home the big win after all the other players at the table moved all-in and the board ran out.

Small took home $68,420, while the other five players won $1,710 each.

On the Way to 100 Billion Hands

With the news that the milestone was reached, it has been calculated that Poker Stars is now two thirds of a way through to its 100 billionth hand.

The site has been through a lot since April, aka Black Friday, but it has managed to pay out nearly all its US players and is now looking to the future in a bid to capture more of the European market as it becomes regulated.