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1:40am: End of Day 1b
That’s it! 7 levels in the books and Day 1b is officially done. It looks like we’ll have 106 survivors from today’s flight with Alex Rocha and KC Wong our chip leaders. Click here for a full wrap of today’s play and chip counts for the survivors.
1:30am: Four more hands
Level 7: Blinds 300/600 (100)
The tournament clock has been paused and players have been informed we will play four more hands before the conclusion of play for Day 1b.
1:25am: Wong gets it right
Level 7: Blinds 300/600 (100)
KC Wong is going to be challenging for the chip lead when the bags are tagged in a few minutes after eliminating Australian Michael Pedley.
On a flop of 10♦ 9♣ 4♥ Pedley bet 4,300 from the cutoff before Wong raised it to 8,700 in position on the button. Action folded back to Pedley who made the call before both players checked the 10♥ turn.
The river was the 5♦ and Pedley thought for a moment before betting out 13,000. It was then Wong’s turn to deliberate and he came back with a min-raise to 26,000 which was enough to put Pedley all in. He gave a shrug and tossed his chips in with J♦ 10â™ for trips but Wong had the better kicker with his K♣ 10♣ collecting the pot.
With that Wong climbs to around 160,000 which is right up there for today’s chip lead.
1:15am: Ward loses a chunk
Level 7: Blinds 300/600 (100)
A relatively new player to the table opened for 1,700 and, after he was ribbed by everyone for raising too often, it folded to Thomas Ward who three-bet to 5,600.
The initial raiser called and the flop fell 7♠Q♦ 5♥ . Ward led for another 3,600 which was met with a call before the 5♣ turn paired the board.
The New Zealander bet again, this time for 8,000 and was called as players saw the Jâ™ river. Ward picked up his last 15,700 in chips but instead opted to check. His opponent asked how much he was playing before wagering 9,000.
Ward quickly mucked after losing over half of his stack in the closing stages here.
12:55am: No diamonds for Smith
Level 7: Blinds 300/600 (100)
Elliot Smith is another on the short stack. In a recent hand, Smith opened under the gun to 1,500 and was faced with a three-bet to 3,800. Smith called and both players checked the 6♦ J♦ 2♦ monotone flop.
The 8♦ turn brought a fourth diamond and Smith took the opportunity to bet 4,200. His opponent called before both players checked down the 3♠river.
Smith tabled Aâ™ Qâ™ for ace-high and was pretty disgusted to see he’d been three-bet by 10♦ 9♣ . Smith was left shaking his head and he’s now left with just 10,000 in chips.
12:40am: Farrell not happy
Level 7: Blinds 300/600 (100)
Niall Farrell is left with a touch over 15,000 chips after being forced to fold for his tournament life. To make matters worse, it appears that Farrell folded the best hand.
The pot wasn’t that big but Farrell’s opponent splashed out enough chips to put Farrell to the ultimate decision on a board of Q♣ 9♥ 5â™ 8♣ Kâ™ .
Farrell went deep into the tank and the two exchanged some friendly banter. Farrell eventually made a reluctant fold of what he claimed was king-eight for two pair. His opponent rubbed some salt into the wound and flashed queen-nine to leave Farrell a little flustered and rather short stacked!
12:30am: Vlad the impaler
Level 7: Blinds 300/600 (100)
Following a limp from a player in middle position, and another from the small blind, Vladimir Troyanovskiy dropped another 2,000 in chips on top of the 600 he already had in front of him. The initial limped and the player in the small blind both called bringing a flop of 2♥ A♠10♣ .
The small blind checked before Troyanovskiy bet another 3,500 in chips. Next to act put in a raise to 10,000, a giant portion of his 21,000 stack, and with the small blind out of the way the decision was back on Troyanovskiy.
The Russian pondered his options and chose to put his opponent all in, sliding another stack of 20,000 into the middle. This sent the other player reeling, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. He took his time but did call to put himself at risk.
Troyanovskiy: A♦ Q♥
Opponent: A♣ Kâ™
Troyanovskiy’s opponent was out of his seat despite being in front, but when the K♣ turned he sat back down. Unfortunately for him that was short lived as the dealer presented the J♥ river completing a Broadway straight for Troyanovskiy.
While his opponent exited the tournament area, Troyanovskiy stacked up a total of around 100,000 in chips.
12:15am: Time for the last level
Level 7 is upon us. That means only 90 minutes of play remain. Blinds are 300/600 with a 100 ante.
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12:00am: Final break of the night
It’s the last scheduled break of Day 1b. Play returns in 15 minutes.
11:50pm: Check-raise from the champ
The 2005 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem is at the tables tonight, he registered more than halfway through Day 1b here. He just clashed with and got the best of Antonis ‘Toothpick Tony’ Kambouroglou.
The board was showing K♠Q♣ 3♥ and Hachem in the under the gun seat made a bet of 1,500. Kambouroglou called and the 3♠paired the board on the turn.
Hachem then checked before Kambouroglou fired 2,200 into the pot. Wanting to play for more, Hachem bumped it up to 4,500 which made Kambouroglou lean back in his seat. Kambouroglou counted his stack but ultimately relinquished his hand.
The champ brings himself back up to around the starting stack of 30,000.
11:35pm: A full house
Level 6: Blinds 250/500 (75)
It’s unusually busy in the Crown Poker Room, and the entire casino, for late on a Monday night. First-time visitors to Melbourne might be fooled into thinking our locals have an extremely active social life, and while that may be true for many, it’s not really the norm for a Monday night I assure you.
Of course the reason for the full house is that it’s Australia Day eve, which means tomorrow is a public holiday. It’s a day of a celebration of everything that makes our country so great so of course that means getting a day off from work. That also often means a night of fun the evening before.
So not only are the poker tables full, but most of the casino is bubbling with activity, in the restaurants and across the main gaming floor. And in true Australian tradition most of them will be nursing a hangover tomorrow.
11:20pm: Chop chop
Level 6: Blinds 250/500 (75)
There’s a pretty tough table paying out in the back corner of the satellite room and it includes Henrik Tollefsen, Pratyush Buddiga and Thomas Ward all seated next to each other. We caught the three of them play a small pot that started with Tollefsen raising the button and the other two defending their blinds.
The flop landed J♣ 7♠9♠and Buddiga checked to Ward who bet 2,100. Tollefsen folded but Buddiga made the call.
The turn was the 8♥ and both players checked before Buddiga tossed out 5,500 on the 6♦ river. Ward snap-called and tabled J♠10♦ for the straight but had to be content with just half as Buddiga showed the same hand with his J♥ 10♥ .
11:05pm: Busto for Balsiger
Level 6: Blinds 250/500 (75)
Word has it that 2012 November Niner Jake Balsiger has been eliminated from the tournament. The story goes that after a player opened to 1,200 before him, Balsiger moved his last 10,400 in over the top.
The raiser made the call and Balsiger saw the bad news that his pocket tens were in bad shape against his opponent’s pocket jacks. The jacks would hold to send Balsiger packing.
10:45pm: Ward wins one
Level 6: Blinds 250/500 (75)
November’s APPT Macau runner up Thomas Ward is in the mix today. He just took down a pot after defending his blind to a rival’s cutoff open of 1,200.
Ward checked the 6♣ 7♣ K♠flop and his opponent made a bet of 1,650. The New Zealander called but on the 6♦ turn both players checked it to the J♠river. That card would see Ward make a hefty bet of 4,000, which was called before long by the other player in the hand.
Tabling K♦ 8♦ for flopped top pair, Ward collected the chips when his opponent mucked. That brings him up to just over start stack for now.
10:30pm: Play resumes
Level 6: Blinds 250/500 (75)
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10:15pm: 15 minutes away from the action
The remaining players are off on another scheduled break. We’ll be back in 15 minutes.
10:10pm: Bicknell hates to let it go
Level 5: Blinds 200/400 (50)
We are lucky to have some great female players participating in the Aussie Millions Main Event today. It’s great to see Sarah Bilney in action, Errolyn Strang is going strong, and we also have the 2013 WSOP Ladies champion in the field with Canadian Kristen Bicknell.
We just caught Bicknell in a very tricky decision for a fair chunk of her stack.
Bicknell had bet 2,400 on the turn and was faced with a bet of 6,100 from KC Wong on a board of 8♠7♦ K♠8♦ 4♠.
Bicknell only had around 13,000 in her stack so it was almost half her chips to make the call and she was pained over the decision. There was about three minutes left in the level, but Bicknell would eat up another five minutes of the break before Wong apologetically had to call the clock otherwise he just wouldn’t get a break.
Bicknell eventually made a crying fold as the cards were sent into the muck.
9:55pm: Strang’s stranglehold
Level 5: Blinds 200/400 (50)
We arrived at the table just in time to see a raising war between Errolyn Strang and her opponent in the small blind. The latter had led for 6,000 on a board of 6♥ J♥ Q♣ .
Back on Strang she clicked it back to 13,000 before facing another raise, this one to a total of 21,000. It didn’t take long for Strang to risk her tournament life as she pushed all in for 34,000 on top.
The player in the small blind deliberated for a minute or so before mucking in a disgruntled manner.
“Did you have kings?” asked Strang.
Her opponent confirmed that her read was correct and she put him out of his misery showing Jâ™ J♣ for a flopped set. The pot was pushed Strang’s way as she stacked up a total of 90,000 in chips.
9:35pm: Habb finding some voice
Level 5: Blinds 200/400 (50)
We don’t have the details of the hand, but local player Mikel Habb has apparently won a sizable pot to now be among the chip leaders.
“One hundred baby,” said Habb as we walked past his table. “No, one hundred seven.”
Habb final tabled the WSOP APAC Main Event back in 2013 and is known for his fine array of verbal banter at the tables which is exactly what he started to deliver to his tablemates after counting out his newly-found wealth.
“I told you to check!” said Habb to the player who had obviously lost the key pot. “I told you I would get you!”
9:20pm: Smith lays it down
Level 5: Blinds 200/400 (50)
After an open and a call from two players before him, Jay Smith raised it up on the button from 1,200 to 3,200. The other two called and the dealer fanned out the 7♦ 4♦ 10♠flop.
It checked through to Smith who continued for 4,900. The initial raiser decided to call but after giving it a lot of thought, the third player gave it up. The dealer turned the 8♣ and when it was checked to Smith again, he asked how much his opponent was playing. The 27,650 was counted out in front of him before Smith barrelled for 12,000 in chips.
A call saw the 4â™ river peel off and without much hesitation Smith opponent moved in for his remaining 15,650.
“That’s strong” winced Smith. “I don’t know what to do.”
Smith went into the tank while his opponent hunched over with his eyes closed. Eventually Smith made the fold and his opponent claimed he had ace-king of diamonds.
That hand knocks Smith back down to a stack of around 40,000.
9:00pm: Levy silenced
Level 5: Blinds 200/400 (50)
The fast-talking Daniel Levy has been silenced. After a raise to 850 from middle position, Levy defended his big blind to see a flop of J♥ 6♠Q♠.
Levy checked to his opponent who continued for 900, but Levy responded with a quick check-raise all in for 5,125 in total. His opponent thought for a few moments before splashing in the call.
Levy showed Q♥ 9♥ for top pair but that was bettered by his opponent’s Q♦ K♥ .
It looked like Levy was going to survive when the 9♠peeled off to give him two pair, but that door was quickly closed when the 10♦ landed on the river to give his opponent a straight to send Levy to the rail.
8:45pm: And we’re back
Level 5: Blinds 200/400 (50)
Players are now back in their seat and ready for the final three levels of the night. Blinds are now 200/400 with a 50 ante.
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7:30pm: Dinner Break
The players are now taking a scheduled 75-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 8:45pm local time.
7:20pm: Matusik leads to dinner
Level 4: Blinds 150/300 (25)
As we approach the dinner break, we thought we’d take a look for some of the bigger stacks in the room.
Spanish pro Josep Maria Galindo is up over 100,000, but our current chip leader is none other than “Chewing Gum” Peter Matusik.
Matusik is a former ANZPT champion and holds the distinction of being the highest money earner in the history of the now defunct tour.
Matusik is sitting pretty on 125,000 and well on the way to matching the mark set by our Day 1a chip leader in James Obst.
7:00pm: Triple check from Troyanovskiy
Level 4: Blinds 150/300 (25)
Russian pro Vladimir Troyanovskiy just scored himself a sizable pot after tangling with two other players. Troyanovskiy raised under the gun to 700 and the players on the button and the big blind made the call.
The 4♣ J♣ 6♣ flop prompted the big blind and Troyanovskiy to check before the player on the button took a stab for 1,200 in chips. With the big blind now out of the way, Troyanovskiy called and the two remaining players went to the 10♥ turn. This time a check-call of 3,000 from Troyanovskiy and the river 10♦ paired the board.
Troyanovskiy checked a third time and his opponent fired out again, this time for 7,500. It was then that Troyanovskiy sprung the trap, dropping a stack worth 27,500 out in front of him. The move was met with an exasperated look from the other player, who now had his tongue out trying to decipher the bet.
After some time in the tank he showed the table 8♣ 7♣ and let go of his flopped flush.
“Nice hand boss. We’ve got to treat our international visitors now and again” said tablemate Laurence Hall as Troyanovskiy climbed to around 52,000 in chips.
6:40pm: Balsiger fighting back
Level 4: Blinds 150/300 (25)
It folded around to Jake Balsiger on the button who made a raise to 700 in chips. The small blind came along, as did Dean Francis in the big blind and they saw a flop of A♣ 2♠7♣ .
The action checked through to Balsiger and he fired for 700 again. The small blind mucked but Francis decided to call and the dealer turned the 8♦ . Both players checked before the 5♦ river rolled off.
Francis siezed the opportunity to take the betting lead, dropping 1,100 in chips into the middle. Balsiger made a quick call and the cards went on their backs.
Francis: 10♥ 2♥
Balsiger: A♠4♥
Francis had bottom pair but it was no match for Balsiger’s flopped pair of aces. The latter collected the pot and brought his stack to 21,200.
6:20pm: Unlucky lady brings Barrett undone
Level 4: Blinds 150/300 (25)
After winning one of the Crown Poker satellites late last night, Josh Barrett jumped into Day 1b of the Main Event today and continued the momentum in the early levels of today to build up a healthy stack.
However it’s all come undone in rather unfortunate fashion. Barrett recalled to us that he committed his chips on the turn holding ace-king on an A-T-3-2 board with his opponent making the call with a dominated ace-queen.
Barrett was looking good to win a pot worth around 65,000 but a river queen was the three-outer that sent Barrett crashing to the rail.
6:00pm: Play resumes
Level 4: Blinds 150/300 (25)
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5:45pm: 15 minutes to stretch
Players have just commenced another 15-minute break. Coverage will resume momentarily.
5:40pm: Esfandiari misses monster pot
Level 3: Blinds 100/200 (25)
Antonio Esfandiari was just a little unlucky to not win a massive pot with a pocket aces versus pocket kings hand that ultimately saw the pot pushed to a third player.
We picked it up on the flop of 5♠Q♠K♦ with Esfandiari leading out with a bet of 1,525 from under the gun. Ali Ghezelbash min-raised to 3,050 and a third player cold-called that raise. The table folded back to Esfandiari who also made the call.
The turn was the A♠and it was checked to Ghezelbash who bet 3,000. That was called by both opponents and the three players saw the 10♦ complete the dangerous board.
All three players checked and the cards were on their backs. Esfandiari slammed his A♣ A♦ down on the table with some confidence, and Ghezelbash was relieved the board didn’t pair as he showed K♣ K♥ . However the pot wouldn’t go to either of them, with the third player tabling J♣ 10♥ for the straight.
It was almost a massive collision, but in the end, Esfandiari was left with 20,000 in chips.
5:25pm: Buddiga bets big
Level 3: Blinds 100/200 (25)
Pratyush Buddiga didn’t waste any time after busting the $100,000 Challenge today – he’s already among the Main Event field and raking pots.
The most recent of which saw a player raise to 450 in chips, and after another player came along, Buddiga joined him and defended his big blind. The flop was a draw-heavy 9♣ 10♥ Q♥ and Buddiga checked to the initial raiser who also opted for the passive approach. The player on his left, however, bet out for 900. Buddiga continued with a call and the initial raiser discarded his hand.
The turn brought the K♥ and both players checked before the J♠river put a straight on the board. Buddiga then decided to overbet the river for 5,500, sending his opponent into the tank.
Ultimately the latter couldn’t call, flashing the J♣ and forfeiting the pot to Buddiga.
5:05pm: Boris Becker bullies Psaros
Level 3: Blinds 100/200 (25)
Tennis legend Boris Becker is here for Day 1b today and already he’s off to a good start. The Australian Open champion of 1991 and 1996 is here contending for another of Australia’s most prestigious tournaments.
A recent hand saw Becker get the best of Jim Psaros after the tennis star raised from the hijack to 550. Psaros called from the small blind and the pair of them went to a flop of 4♣ 7♥ A♣ .
It checked to Becker who barrelled for a further 625 but Psaros put in a raise to 1,525. It was then that Becker reached deep into his stack and before he could even finalise a bet Psaros has thrown his hand away.
Becker now sits with over 40,000 in chips.
4:45pm: Aussie icons collide
Level 3: Blinds 100/200 (25)
A couple of great Australian poker cult heroes are none other than Dennis Huntly and Antonis ‘Toothpick Tony’ Kambouroglou and they find themselves seated together on Table 27.
They recently collided in a pot on a board of 5♥ 5♣ 3♣ J♦ 6♦ . Huntly bet 2,700 on the river and Toothpick deliberated long and hard before making the call.
Huntly tabled 7♠5♠for trip fives as Toothpick grumbled something inaudible as he flashed J♣ Q♣ . Huntly is back up to 35,000 with Toothpick slipping to 25,000.
4:30pm: Bobble heads up
Level 3: Blinds 100/200 (25)
We’ve seen some impressive card protectors in our time but this one might just take the cake. Jay Smith from Newcastle is sitting down with a bobble head replica of himself playing poker (see below).
We caught up with Smith on the first break and he said he likes his table draw and is feeling good. His chip stack reflects that so far with the Aussie climbing to 42,675 from the 30,000 chip start bank.
After qualifying on PokerStars for just $22, Smith will be looking to make a Chris Moneymaker story of his own this week here in Melbourne.
4:15pm: Play resumes
Level 3: Blinds 100/200 (25)
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4:00pm: Take a break!
Players are now on their second break of the day. They’ll be back to it in 15 minutes.
3:40pm: Enjoying the serenity
Level 2: Blinds 100/200
A few late arrivals are slowing slinking into their seats in the Main Event, and one of those has quietly taken his seat in the back corner of the satellite room.
A lot of players don’t enjoy the quietness of the back room. They prefer the atmosphere of the main room, but for Antonio Esfandiari perhaps the change of scene might work in his favour.
He’s so used to being swamped by fans and having railbirds clinging to his every move at the table, so he might enjoy the serenity of the back room where no one will even know he’s there.
Although Esfandiari didn’t enjoy a recent pot that went against him. He raised under the gun to 400 and found four callers to flop of 9â™ Kâ™ 7♥ . Esfandiari continued for 1,300 and John Caridad flat-called in position before the player in the big blind check-raised to 4,600. Esfandiari cringed before making a crying fold as Caridad also let it go.
“Can I see?” poked Esfandiari but the player didn’t oblige. Esfandiari slips to 25,000 chips.
3:25pm: Kempson caught out
Level 2: Blinds 100/200
We arrived at the table to what looked like a three-bet from Corey Kempson out of the small blind to 2,100. After a call from one opponent the flop was spread 4♥ 3♠9♦ .
Kempson continued for 3,100 but when that was met with a call he slowed down on the 2♠turn. Both players checked to the K♥ river which inspired Kempson to bet again, this time bombing it for 8,500. His opponent paused momentarily before flicking in a call and Kempson tabled Q♣ J♦ for queen high, his opponent well ahead with 10♠10♣ .
That hit drops Kempson down to around 21,000 in chips.
3:10pm: Farrell climbing
Level 2: Blinds 100/200
The board read 6♣ A♠10♣ 7♠when Niall Farrell, first to act in the big blind, checked his option. The player on the button made a bet of 2,200 and Farrell gave it some thought, before confirming the amount and committing to a call.
The 6â™ river saw Farrell check again and his opponent announce “Eight” while throwing a 1,000 chip into the middle. The dealer informed him that since he didn’t clarify 800 or 8,000 and only threw in a 1,000, that the bet was 800. The player responded with a thumbs up and Farrell matched the bet.
“I missed” came the admission from Farrell’s opponent, as the EPT Malta champion tabled A♦ 3♦ for a flopped top pair to take down the pot. Farrell brings his stack to around 38,000 with that hand.
2:50pm: O’Grady run down by Portaro
Level 2: Blinds 100/200
Picking up the action on a flop of 9♣ 7♥ 10♦ , Bruno Portaro led out from the small blind with a bet of 1,100. Michael O’Grady made the call as a third player got out of the way.
The 2♦ fell on the turn and Portaro checked it over to O’Grady who bet 2,725. Portaro took a moment and tossed out a yellow chip to signal a call as the 4♦ completed the board on the river. Portaro decided to take the lead again as he threw out a bet of 6,000. O’Grady beat him into the post with a call and showed 10â™ 9♥ for top two pair but he’d been run down by Portaro’s A♦ Q♦ nut flush.
“F*ck off!” sighed O’Grady. “Better to be lucky than good!”
O’Grady slips to 24,000 with Portaro jumping to 35,000.
2:40pm: Chewing Gum Pete motoring early
Level 2: Blinds 100/200
Peter Matusik, or “Chewing Gum Pete” as he’s known in these parts, is a former ANZPT champion. He’s also one of the early chip leaders here on Day 1b of the Main Event.
Matusik was up over 75,000 early on, but we just witnessed him lose a small chunk of change. Facing a board of Q♦ 5♣ 9♣ 4♦ J♥ , Matusik’s opponent bet 6,000 into the middle with Matusik making the call.
The player tabled K♦ K♥ which was good as Matusik flashed the Q♠and mucked. Matusik is still in good shape with 67,000 in chips.
2:30pm: Play resumes
Level 2: Blinds 100/200
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2:15pm: First break
Players have stepped away from the tournament floor for their first break. Cards will be back in the air in 15 minutes.
2:00pm: $100k Challenge Day 2 getting under way
Level 1: Blinds 50/100
As Day 1b of the Main Event slowly warms up in the first levels of the day, across the room some of the most notable poker players in the world are taking their seats for Day 2 of the AU$100,000 Challenge.
Yesterday there were 29 unique entrants for the event, with another eight re-entries, boosting the total number of entrants to 37. Late registration is still open today so there may be a few more latecomers taking their seats to share in a price pool that may exceed AU$5,000,000.
The chip lead entering Day 2 is tied between Stephen Chidwick and Brian Rast, while Igor Kurganov made it through to Day 2 after personally firing four bullets into the event.
We’ll pick up our coverage of this event at the final table later in the week.
1:40pm: Butteroni bleeds a little
Level 1: Blinds 50/100
The action folded to 2015 November Niner Federico Butteroni and he brought it in for a raise to 225. The player to his direct left called, as did the two blinds and they went four-way to a flop of K♠7♥ 2♣ .
It was checked back to Butteroni who continued for 525. Two players folded but the big blind threw in a call to see the 2♥ turn. Both players checked and the dealer flipped over the 10♥ river.
The player in the big blind decided to lead at it for 1,000 and Butteroni looked less than impressed. After a few moments he gave up his hand and his opponent flashed A♦ 2♦ for turned trips.
“Running good my friend” Butteroni said with a laugh.
“For now” came the reply from his opponent as he raked in the pot.
1:20pm: Some interesting early action for Farrell
Level 1: Blinds 50/100
It’s a long way from Scotland to Australia but recent EPT Malta champion Niall Farrell is playing the rush with his first appearance at the Aussie Millions.
He’s off to a fast start with a couple of interesting pots in the first level of the day.
First we saw Farrell fire bets of 800 on the flop and 2,000 on the turn before the final board produced a unique 7♣ 7♠8♦ 7♥ 7♦ . With quads on board, it can often trigger some unusual play, but both players checked it down.
Farrell showed 10♦ 9♥ and his opponent could only laugh when he tabled 10♥ 8♥ as they chopped the pot with their ten-kicker.
“I was going to bet big on the river too, so maybe that card saved me money!” chirped Farrell.
The very next hand the Scot was back in the action with a three-bet to 800 which was cold called by the player in the big blind. Both players checked the 3♦ 7♦ Jâ™ flop before the big blind led out for 1,200 on the 2♦ turn. Farrell made the call and the river produced the Qâ™ . The big blind fired again for 1,700 but Farrell made the call and tabled Aâ™ A♥ which was too strong for his opponent’s 8♥ 8♣ .
1:00pm: The sharks are circling
Level 1: Blinds 50/100
Things are just kicking off here on Day 1b and we’ve already spotted several recognizable faces among the pack.
Last year’s EPT Malta champion Niall Farrell is in attendance, as is 2015 November Niner Federico Butteroni. Joining them is 2012 WSOP Main Event third-place finisher Jake Balsiger and the man who won this very event back in 2010 Tyron Krost.
Also scattered around the tournament floor are KC Wong, Henrik Tollefsen, Jim Psaros and Bruno Portaro. We’ll be keeping an eye out today for even more notables to take their seats.
12:45pm: Cards in the air on Day 1b
Level 1: Blinds 50/100
After a big opening day of the Aussie Millions Main Event, a fresh group of hopefuls have taken their seats in the Crown Poker Room for Day 1b.
Once again Ausssie Millions host Paul Khoury and Crown Poker Tournament Director Joel Williams welcomed players to the event before the microphone was handed to 2005 World Champion Joe Hachem for a special presentation on behalf of the Australian Poker Hall of Fame.
Hachem announced that Joe Cabret would be the newest induction to the Australian Poker Hall of Fame. With results dating back to 1989 among almost $1.5 million in live winnings, Cabret’s resume is highlighted by two final table finishes in the Aussie Millions Main Event – a 5th place finish back in 2003 and a runner-up result in 2013 for a AU$1,000,000 score. Congratulations Joe!
With the official proceedings out of the way, Hachem was left to give the instructions to dealers to shuffle up and deal as cards are in the air on Day 1b of the Main Event. We’ll be playing seven 90-minute levels today, with play to wrap up at 1:45am tonight.
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Take a look at the Aussie Millions official website for tournament schedules, structures, news and information from the Crown Poker Room in Melbourne.
Live updates brought to you courtesy of Brad Kain and Heath Chick. Photos by Jonno Pittock and Christian Zetzsche.
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