Aussie Kevin Blackwood made a miraculous comeback heads up to win the opening event of the 2016 Aussie Millions Poker Championship and its $275,300 first-place prize at Crown Entertainment Complex on Monday.
Phachara Wongwichit dominated the final table, taking a 5:1 chip lead into heads-up play, but could not beat Blackwood, who also took home an exclusive LK Boutique Aussie Millions Championship ring by ultimately defeating a field 1,320 players put together over four starting flights this week.
The event's third and final day began with 17 players at 12:30 p.m. Monday and was quickly whittled down to nine with German Ferenc Riech going from chip leader to the final table bubble in a big hurry.
The final nine began with American Jacob Elmore Dahl and Brit Louis Salter in a dead heat for the chip lead and Wongwichit close.
Salter would soon separate himself from the pack with some aggressive play and it would take two 60-minute levels before the first player was felted.
Finally, Patrick Fletcher shoved a weak ace and Wongwichit called with a small pair, holding to send Fletcher home ninth and take the lead.
Canadian Sean Giesbrecht then ran kings into Sinan Aydogan's aces and spiked a king on the river to double through. Aydogan exited eighth a few hands later.
A short stacked Dahl jammed eights on an six-high flop into Alexandre Thomas' set of threes to say goodbye seventh.
But it was Thomas himself who busted sixth, running a weak ace into Wongwichit strong one, leaving Wongwichit with more than four million chips five handed.
Stephen Koutsouvelis busted fifth when he lost a coinflip versus Blackwood's pair and Giesbrecht was the next player out, becoming yet another to run a weak ace into Wongwichit strong one.
Wongwichit had over seven million chips when three-handed play began and when he busted Salter third, getting lucky with a dominated ace of his own, he took a 5:1 chip lead into heads up play with Blackwood.
Within an hour, Blackwood had turned things around and taken the lead himself, running extremely hot and pummelling Wongwichit into virtual submission to secure his first Aussie Millions title.
Phachara Wongwichit was chipped down further until only eight big blinds remained when Kevin Blackwood moved all in from the small blind. Wongwichit peeked at his cards and then made the call to find himself slightly ahead preflop.
Wongwichit:
Blackwood:
Blackwood took the lead on the flop and stayed in it until after the turn and river had completed the board. Wongwichit was eliminated in second place and Event #1 had crowned its winner in Kevin Blackwood.
Sinan Aydogan made it 200,000 under the gun and Sean Giesbrecht pushed all in for 900,000 exactly.
Aydogan snap called with the and it was a classic cooler with Giesbrecht on the .
The board rolled out to the turn, but as we mentioned before, it's Giesbrecht's birthday, and the poker gods handed him a gift with the miracle on the river, doubling him up.
Aydogan was left with 30,000 in chips and although he doubled once, and split a pot a hand later, his luck ran out the very next hand when his pocket sevens lost a race to big slick.
Phachara Wongwichit raised to 110,000 from early position and short stack Ferenc Riech defended his big blind to see the flop . The German, who came back from the previous break as chip leader and then lost the majority of his stack with two expensive small pocket pairs, gave it some thought before announcing all in.
Wongwichit snap-called within one second and they turned them over:
Riech:
Wongwichit:
The German was all in and at risk for around 430,000 and needed a four or an ace to stay alive. The on the turn barely changed anything before the on the river sent Riech to the rail in 10th place for a payday of A$18,950.
and stayed in it until after the 
turn and 
river had completed the board. Wongwichit was eliminated in second place and Event #1 had crowned its winner in Kevin Blackwood.
but managed to get there and hold on an 
board to send Salter packing third.
and was dominating Giesbrecht's 
.
and play has moved three handed with Giesbrecht taking fourth.
and Blackwood made a boat to sink Koutsouvelis.
, taking Thomas with it.
flop and Thomas snap-called with the 
run out.
. 
to the turn, but as we mentioned before, it's Giesbrecht's birthday, and the poker gods handed him a gift with the miracle 
on the river, doubling him up.
