The LK Boutique $250,000 Challenge, which has now taken place five times at the Aussie Millions, kicked off yesterday with 23 entries, including two by Doug "WCGRider" Polk and three from Scott Seiver, though that number could go up as registration and reentry are open until the start of play today.
On Day 1, several players hit the rail and did not return including Ryan Fee, Isaac Haxton, Steve O'Dwyer, Philipp Gruissem, and Sam Trickett. Whether or not they give it another go today remains to be seen.
Leading the 10 survivors is Phil Ivey, who has captured this title two out of the last three years. Ivey bagged 958,000 in chips, with the aforementioned Polk sitting in second place with 863,000. Other notables still in contention are Richard Yong and Ole Schemion, who finished winner and runner-up respectively in the $100,000 Challenge. Yong took home AU$1.87 million for the win, while Schemion earned AU$1.35 million.
Cards will be in the air at 2:30 p.m. local time. Once registration closes the prize pool and payouts will be tallied up, and then it'll be onward to crown a LK Boutique $250,000 Challenge champion. The plan is to play down to the final table of seven in Crown's poker room, and from there the finalists will relocate to the featured TV table in the exhibition hall to finish things off. We'll be here every step of the way to bring you all the action straight from the tournament floor, so stay tuned!
In the first hand of the day, Ole Schemion open-shoved for 149,000 under the gun and Doug "WCGRider" Polk, who was next to act, made the call. The rest of the players got out of the way and the cards were turned up.
Schemion:
Polk:
The flop didn't do the young German any favors, and neither did the turn. Schemion, who finished runner-up in the AU$100,000 Challenge two days back, slapped the table in hopes of hitting a king on the river, but it wasn't in the cards as the blanked.
One hand after Ole Schemion fell on Table 10, fellow German Igor Kurganov followed him out the door.
It happened when Kurganov raised to 50,000 from the button and Doug Polk three-bet all in from the big blind. Kurganov thought for a bit before calling off for approximately 550,000, and he no doubt regretted it.
Kurganov:
Polk:
Kurganov was dominated, and things got even worse when the flop delivered Polk a set. The turn gave Kurganov some hope to a gutshot straight, but it didn't come in as the blanked on the river.
Make it three for three! The first three hands at Table 10 have all resulted in eliminations.
The most recent was Brian Rast, who finished fifth in the Aussie Millions Main Event yesterday for AU$315,000 and opted to buy-in to this event at the start of play. His time lasted exactly three hands.
His demise came when he jammed under the gun for 241,000 and Isaac Haxton three-bet shoved for 246,000 from the cutoff. The rest of the players folded and Rast found he had some major kicker problems.
Rast:
Haxton:
The flop changed nothing, though the turn did give Rast a flush draw. The dealer burned one last time and put out the . It was a blank as far as Rast was concerned.
"I almost made the final table," he joked before taking his leave from the tournament.
With 25 total entries in this year's 2015 Aussie Millions LK Boutique $250,000 Challenge, a prize pool of AU$6.105 million was generated. The top five spots will pay, with a min-cash earning the players AU$551,000.
The top prize will be what everyone is chasing, and that's set at a whopping AU$2.205 million.
Jason Mo shoved his last 275,000 or so all in from middle position and action folded to Scott Seiver, who called from the big blind.
Mo:
Seiver:
Seiver woke up with the granddaddy of all hands, and Mo needed some luck to stay alive. The flop was as dry as could be, and the turn left Mo drawing to a ten. The river was not it, and Mo took his leave in ninth place.
With that, the final table is set. The final eight players will now take an hour break and relocate to the Exhibition Hall to play it out at the TV table.
Dan Smith was all in for 280,000 from the big blind over an open from Phil Ivey from middle position. Ivey snapped it off with the to have the of Smith in bad shape.
The flop, turn, and river ran out , and Smith was out in eighth place. Ivey improved to over 1.8 million.
Doug Polk raised to 55,000 from under the gun, Phil Ivey called on the button, and then Isaac Haxton reraised all in from the big blind for what looked to be between 700,000 and 800,000. After Polk folded, Ivey went deep into the tank. He counted out the chips to make the call, but couldn't quite seem to get up the courage to push them into the middle. Eventually, though, Ivey did call, and this is when he saw the bad news.
Haxton tabled the , and the cowboys had Ivey's in bad shape.
The flop gave Ivey the lead with a pair of aces, and Haxton was left needing to come from behind. The turn was the , and that meant Haxton was drawing dead going to the river. The completed the board to finish Ivey with a full house and send Haxton out the door in seventh place.
With that, Ivey moved back into the chip lead with what should be around 2.7 million in chips. Remember, he's won this event twice in the four previous years it's been held, first in 2012 and then again in 2014. Last year, Ivey defeated Haxton heads up to earn the title.
Could this one be Ivey's third LK Boutique $250,000 Challenge title?
Two days ago Richard Yong topped a field of 70 entrants to win the AU$100,000 Challenge for AU$1,870,000. His good friend, Phil Ivey, joined him for the winner's photo, but now the defending champ has sent the businessman to the rail.
It happened when Ivey opened for 55,000 and Yong moved all in from the big blind for 307,000. Ivey dropped in a call and the cards were tabled.
Yong:
Ivey:
Yong was ahead, but Ivey was drawing to two live cards. The flop kept Yong in the lead, but then the dealer burned and turned the to pair Ivey. Yong needed an ace on the river to survive, but it wasn't meant to be as the bricked.
Yong leaves empty handed in sixth place while the remaining five players are guaranteed at least AU$551,000.
From under the gun, Erik Seidel moved all in for what looked to be between 250,000 and 300,000. Play folded around to Doug Polk in the big blind, and he quickly made the call after having woke up to the . Seidel had the .
No help came for Seidel on the , and he was eliminated in fifth place for a payday worth AU$551,000.
flop didn't do the young German any favors, and neither did the 
turn. Schemion, who finished runner-up in the AU$100,000 Challenge two days back, slapped the table in hopes of hitting a king on the river, but it wasn't in the cards as the 
blanked.
flop delivered Polk a set. The 
blanked on the river.
turn did give Rast a flush draw. The dealer burned one last time and put out the 
. It was a blank as far as Rast was concerned.
![[user68268]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
turn left Mo drawing to a ten. The 
of Smith in bad shape.
, and Smith was out in eighth place. Ivey improved to over 1.8 million.
in bad shape.
completed the board to finish Ivey with a full house and send Haxton out the door in seventh place.
flop kept Yong in the lead, but then the dealer burned and turned the 
.
