Event #9: $25,000 Challenge
Dia 1 Concluído
Event #9: $25,000 Challenge
Dia 1 Concluído
The 2016 Aussie Millions $25,000 Challenge attracted 100 of the game's best to Crown Melbourne on Friday. In the first eight levels 22 of them took advantage of the single reentry option, which brought the total field up to 122 entries, up from 104 the year prior.
The huge turnout created a AUD$2.928 million prize pool that will be distributed to the top 14 finishers with the eventual winner taking home AUD$790,560. After 12 levels of play, just 26 players remained in contention for the top prize, with Steve O'Dwyer and his stack of 519,000 leading the way. O'Dwyer is looking for yet another high roller score after winning the PCA $50,000 Singe-Day High Roller for $945,495.
"It went good almost the whole way," O'Dwyer said after bagging. "One bad hour, but now I'm at my peak."
Others who bagged on Day 1 were Jason Les (406,000), who sits in second place; Australian big stacks Alexander Lynskey (346,000) and Michael Egan (326,000), online stars Ben Tollerene 263,500 and Daniel Cates (221,000); former champ Igor Kurganov (314,000), and Team PokerStars Pros Eugene Katchalov (399,000) and Yaxi Zhu (219,500).
Of course not everyone was so lucky. Among those to take a shot only to bust – in some cases twice – were Brian Rast, Antonio Esfandiari, John Juanda, 2014 Aussie Millions champ Ami Barer, Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier, and defending champ Alex Trevallion.
The surviving players will return at 2:30 p.m. local time on Saturday with the plan of playing down to a winner. Be sure to join us then as the PokerNews Live Reporting Team brings you all the action straight from the tournament floor.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Steve O'Dwyer |
519,000
79,000
|
79,000 |
|
||
Jason Les |
406,000
66,000
|
66,000 |
Eugene Katchalov |
399,000
99,000
|
99,000 |
|
||
Rainer Kempe |
357,500
47,500
|
47,500 |
Alexander Lynskey
|
346,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
Michael Egan |
326,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
Oliver Price |
318,000
-12,000
|
-12,000 |
Igor Kurganov |
314,000
-6,000
|
-6,000 |
|
||
Jason Koon |
268,000
62,000
|
62,000 |
|
||
Ben Tollerene |
263,500
-6,500
|
-6,500 |
Dominik Nitsche |
258,000
-24,000
|
-24,000 |
|
||
Dean Spagnuolo | 257,500 | |
Phanlert Sukonthachartnant |
239,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
Daniel Cates
|
221,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
Yaxi Zhu |
219,500
-60,500
|
-60,500 |
|
||
Chance Kornuth |
204,000
-46,000
|
-46,000 |
|
||
Sam Greenwood |
162,500
42,500
|
42,500 |
|
||
Brian Roberts |
159,000
-21,000
|
-21,000 |
Michael Weiss |
153,000
36,000
|
36,000 |
Benny Spindler |
148,500
-53,500
|
-53,500 |
Daniel Neilson |
129,000
48,000
|
48,000 |
Byron Kaverman |
123,000
53,000
|
53,000 |
|
||
Niall Farrell |
109,000
9,000
|
9,000 |
|
||
Philipp Gruissem |
98,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
||
Erik Seidel |
80,000
-15,000
|
-15,000 |
|
Chance Kornuth raised from first position and Sam Higgs shoved from the small blind. Cates folded his big blind and Kornuth instantly called with . Higgs tabled and failed to improve on . The last hand of the night proved disastrous for Higgs, no Day 2 for the home town player.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Sam Higgs | Eliminado | |
|
The clock was paused with 4:59 left for the night, and it was announced just two hands would be played for the night. Almost time for bagging and tagging, we'll be back with all the chip counts right after.
Elliot Smith got his short stack all in preflop holding the only to run into the far superior of Byron Kaverman.
The flop gave both players a straight draw, meaning Smith was now looking for a jack. The turn wasn't it, and neither was the river.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Elliot Smith | Eliminado |
Elliot Smith opened the button and Alexander Lynskey three-bet to 25,000 from the small blind. Byron Kaverman folded his big blind and action was back on Smith. He made it 48,000, and called the all in shove for 165,500 that followed by Lynskey instantly.
Alexander Lynskey:
Elliot Smith:
The board ran out and Smith was left with just 5,000 in chips.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Alexander Lynskey
|
338,000
193,500
|
193,500 |
Elliot Smith |
4,500
-160,500
|
-160,500 |
Ben Tollerene raised to 9,000 from the cutoff and was met by a three-bet to 23,000 by Oliver Price on the button. Both blinds folded, Tollerene called, and then both players checked the flop. When the appeared on the turn, Tollerene check-called a bet of 23,000 and then checked for a third time on the river.
Price slid out a stack of chips for a bet of 100,000, which had Tollerene covered. The online pro hit the tank and debated what to do with his remaining 85,000.
"I really don't think you're bluffing," he told Price. He guessed perhaps pocket fours, but eventually called off.
He was wrong because Price had been bluffing with the , which meant Tollerene's was good enough for the double.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Oliver Price |
330,000
-130,000
|
-130,000 |
Ben Tollerene |
270,000
205,000
|
205,000 |
After Elliot Smith opened under the gun, Jeff Rossiter three-bet all in for what looked to be 60,000. Smith made the call and Rossiter discovered he was in bad shape.
Rossiter:
Smith:
The flop made things interesting as Rossiter picked up a flush draw, but he was left wanting as the blanked on the turn followed by the river.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Elliot Smith |
165,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
Jeff Rossiter | Eliminado |
After unknown action we saw Elliot Smith all in from the big blind for 66,000 and he was up against Sam Higgs, seated on the button.
Smith:
Higgs:
The board ran out and Smith received a late-night double up.
Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
---|---|---|
Elliot Smith |
135,000
34,500
|
34,500 |
Sam Higgs |
42,000
-68,000
|
-68,000 |
|