18+. Jogue de forma responsável. Sicad.pt

Srij Gordon Moody Sicad 18+

2020 Aussie Millions

Aussie Millions Highlights

Aussie Millions Highlights

Dia 5 Concluído

Karamalikis Leads with 14 Left in Aussie Millions Opening Event

Jonathan Karamalikis
Jonathan Karamalikis

Less than 12 months on from being named in the Australian Poker Hall of Fame, Jonathan Karamalikis has bagged the chip lead with 14 players remaining in the 2020 Aussie Millions Opening Event.

Coming into the day slightly below average, the Australian navigated his way through the field of 221 that started the day to sit with over 2,349,000 in chips, slightly ahead of Michael Egan who bagged up 2,267,000.

Karamalikis, who sits with almost US$5 million in lifetime cashes, last won an Aussie Millions Championship ring back in 2010 after winning a A$1,650 Bounty Event for A$122,700. He also has four previous final tables at the prestigious festival stretching back to 2008.

Opening Event End of Day 2 Chip Counts

PlayerChip Count
Jonathan Karamalikis2,349,000
Michael Egan2,267,000
Jung Woon An1,660,000
Ryan Henry1,455,000
Egor Bulychev1,442,000
Timothy Morgan1,348,000
Jo Snell1,281,000
Samuel Jefferies1,230,000
Andrew Shanahan998,000
Jason Elvliano803,000
Zack Cowrie613,000
Sohrab Rezvanpour513,000
Bo Jin473,000
Robbie Stewart332,000

The main thing on the minds of players at the start of the day was the money bubble, with 162 players guaranteed a cash of A$2,730. Loni Harwood, Joey Weissman and former Opening Event champion Benedikt Eberle were all eliminated before the bubble eventually burst midway through the second level of the day.

Eliminations in the money included David Yan (139th - $3,070), Jackson Warne (132nd – $3,070), Kristy Moreno (123rd - $3,415), 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event winner Tyron Krost (109th - $3,415), Ivan Deyra (101st - $3,755), Marc Macdonnell (93rd - $3,755), Corentin Ropert (78th - $4,095), Quan Zhou (75th - $4,095), Gautam Dhingra (73rd - $4,095).

H.O.R.S.E. runner-up Julien Sitbon (71st - $4,435) also cashed, along with fellow European Bart Lybaert (58th - $4,435) and Anthony Spinella (39th - $5,290), Daniel Hachem (32nd - $5,975), Martin Jacobson (21st - $9,555) as well as start-of-day chip leader David Tang (18th - $11,095).

Julien Sitbon
Julien Sitbon

Opening Event Remaining Payouts

PlacePayout (AUD)Payout (USD)
1$341,325$235,514
2$210,775$145,435
3$125,445$86,557
4$90,625$62,531
5$61,450$42,401
6$44,375$30,619
7$37,550$25,910
8$32,425$22,373
9$27,315$18,847
10$20,825$14,369
11-12$16,555$11,423
13-14$13,825$9,539

The tournament resumes on Thursday, January 9 at 12:10 pm and will play down to a winner. Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued highlights from the 2020 Aussie Millions.

Tags: Anthony SpinellaBart LybaertBenedikt EberleCorentin RopertDaniel HachemDavid TangGautam DhingraIvan DeyraJoey WeissmanJonathan KaramalikisJulien SitbonKristy MorenoLoni HarwoodMarc MacDonnellMartin JacobsonMichael EganQuan ZhouTyron Krost

Aussie Millions "Golden Ticket" Winner Krost Back Year After Year

Tyron Krost
Tyron Krost

It's no exaggeration that Tyron Krost is the Charlie Bucket of the poker world. Back in 2012, he defeated seven of the eight former Aussie Millions Main Event winners to win the Aussie Millions Tournament of Champions.

The prize for this feat? Not a chocolate factor à la Willy Wonka, but a "Golden Ticket" nevertheless that would grant him a lifetime of buy-ins to the $10,000 Aussie Millions Main Event.

"I definitely look forward to it every year," said Krost. "I've got the Golden Ticket so it brings me back every year! It always makes me feel young coming back. It's good to play poker because I feel really young when I play it!"

Now ten years after his victory, Krost runs a family-owned office furniture business, with offices in Melbourne and Sydney. However, we spotted him in the Opening Event, and told PokerNews it was an "absolute pleasure" to be back.

"I think Crown run a really great event. There's a good range of buy-ins, from the very, very big ones to the smaller ones and there's something to play every day. There are a great selection of satellites too. It's one of those events that you go to and are busy on a lot of the days. What they offer is really good."

2020 Aussie Millions
2020 Aussie Millions

With not just the poker community, but the entire world looking back at the last decade, Krost says that there are a lot more similarities than differences between now and when he won the Aussie Millions Main Event back in 2010.

"I'm surprised at how little has changed over the years. The field sizes are a bit bigger, which is great, so there's a lot of growth despite everything that's happened in the last ten years. The poker room looks pretty much the same if I remember correctly! The structures are probably a little bit better, and the field strength is probably marginally better - but not hugely."

Krost believes that the lack of differences may be down to Australia's location and the insulation it has from the rest of the poker world, thereby reducing the effect changes in the European or North American poker world has on it.

Crown Casino Melbourne
Crown Casino Melbourne

"It's a bit far away(!)," he said. "It's not like you can hope across and play something for the weekend, and therefore you've got a lot of the same people who play here every year, so there's definitely a bit of insulation. But the tournaments are pretty good here throughout the year.

"I mean, I don't play as much as I did ten years ago, but it's still really good."

Tags: Tyron Krost

Strong Start for Sitbon at Second Aussie Millions

Julien Sitbon
Julien Sitbon

After enjoying success during his first Aussie Millions in 2019, Julien Sitbon hasn't taken it easy in the run-up to his second Championship.

Since registering a third-place finish in a A$2,500 No Limit Hold'em event last year, and apart from a summer spent in Vegas, all of Sitbon's cashes have come in Australia. Not only in Melbourne but in Sydney and the Gold Coast too.

All of this has meant that the Frenchman comes in with a wealth of experience playing against these tournaments.

"I've been in Australia for a while, and it's turned out great so far!" Sitbon told PokerNews "So I'm used to these kinds of fields. I was really excited to play the Aussie Millions before going back to Europe."

Julien Sitbon at the 2019 Aussie Millions
Julien Sitbon at the 2019 Aussie Millions

Sitbon played in the first Opening Event flight, bagging a healthy stack of 200,000. This left him with three days off that he put to good use, playing the H.O.R.S.E. event, eventually finishing second to Dzmitry Urbanovich.

"It's great when there's a H.O.R.S.E. tournament at a festival because it's a fun game to play. This was a really tough field for me because I'm not used to playing these games. I played one in Vegas two years ago, but I knew these players were good from the moment I sat down."

Despite the quality of players, Sitbon made it to heads-up with a strong chip lead but came up against one of the best mixed game players in the world.

"He was the best player [at the table] for sure. That's no exaggeration. I started with an advantage, but I knew that in H.O.R.S.E. as long as you have three or four big bets it could still change easily. A couple of times it went back to level, and at one point he only had two big bets. Then he came back, but then he went down, and then came back again."

Aussie Millions H.O.R.S.E. Final Table
Aussie Millions H.O.R.S.E. Final Table

Eventually, the pair agreed to a deal and after playing on Urbanovich secured victory, taking home his first ANTON Jewellery Championship ring, something that Sitbon himself wants to get his hands on after two deep runs in as many years.

"I love visiting Crown because the people are really welcoming and really nice. I'd love to win a ring here because I love coming to Australia. It would be a great souvenir to bring back to Europe.

"So I hope it will happen. If not now, then it will be next year...maybe."

Tags: Dzmitry UrbanovichJulien Sitbon

Bubble Bursts in Opening Event; 162 Players Remaining

Javad Etaat (Seat 3) bursts the bubble in the Opening Event
Javad Etaat (Seat 3) bursts the bubble in the Opening Event

It didn't take long on Day 2 of the 2020 Aussie Millions Opening Event for the money bubble to burst, as the starting field of 221 was whittled down to 162 in just over a level and a half.

Loni Harwood was one of the players to bust short of the money, as she got her last 15 big blinds in with {k-}{q-} but ran into the {k-}{k-} of an opponent and failed to improve.

Joey Weissman was another early casualty, with 2018 Opening Event champion Benedikt Eberle busting six spots off the money. He was looking for a vital double with {a-}{q-} against the {8-}{10-} of an opponent, but two eights on the flop left him drawing dead and he was eliminated just before the bubble eventually burst in the second level of the day.

With the blinds 1,500/3,000, Javad Etaat had raised from middle position and a short-stack just flatted in middle position.

The flop came {4-Clubs}{j-Hearts}{4-Spades} and Etaat checked to his opponent who shoved for 17,000. Etaat called.

There was a wait for all other hands to finish, and the cards were turned over. The at-risk player showed {q-Spades}{q-Diamonds} for an overpair to the board, but Etaat showed {j-Diamonds}{j-Spades} for jacks full. The turn {k-Diamonds} and river {6-Diamonds} changed nothing and Etaat sent his opponent to the rail, guaranteeing the remaining players A$2,730.

Today at the Aussie Millions

2020 Aussie Millions
2020 Aussie Millions

From a starting field of 1,665 total entries, just 221 players remain in the 2020 Aussie Millions Opening Event with Day 2 set to get underway later today at 12:10pm

Several well-known players are still in contention for the ANTON Jewellery Championship ring, but first they will have to make the money, with 162 players paid.

Flight2019 EntrantsPlayers Advancing2020 EntrantsPlayers Advancing%change
11661824228+45.78%
21912425538+33.51%
32132630740+44.13%
44465626835-39.91%
573613859380-19.43%
Total1,752 1,655  

Only six players bagged at least 200,000 in chips, with David Tang the overall chip leader with 277,300. Julien Sitbon bagged up exactly 200,000 on the first flight of the tournament. He then finished second in Event #2: H.O.R.S.E. and will be hoping for another deep run in this tournament

Opening Event Top Six Chip Counts

PlayerChip Count
David Tang277,300
Jason Giuliano248,100
Keiron Laifoo237,400
Nicholas Suter217,300
Zackery Lowrie213,800
Julien Sitbon200,000
Julien Sitbon
Julien Sitbon

Payouts were also confirmed overnight, with a total of 162 places paid, witha min-cash worth A$2,730 (~US$1,884).

Making the final table of eight will guarantee a player A$32,452 (~US$22,373) and the winner will walk away with A$341,325 (~US$235,514) and the coveted ANTON Jewellery Championship ring.

Opening Event Payouts

PlacePayout (AUD)Payout (USD)PlacePayout (AUD)Payout (USD)
1$341,325$235,51419-21$9,555$6,593
2$210,775$145,43522-24$8,360$5,768
3$125,445$86,55725-27$7,165$4,944
4$90,625$62,53128-36$5,975$4,123
5$61,450$42,40137-45$5,290$3,650
6$44,375$30,61946-54$4,780$3,298
7$37,550$25,91055-72$4,435$3,060
8$32,425$22,37373-90$4,095$2,826
9$27,315$18,84791-108$3,755$2,591
10$20,825$14,369109-126$3,415$2,356
11-12$16,555$11,423127-144$3,070$2,118
13-15$13,825$9,539145-162$2,730$1,884
16-18$11,095$7,656   

Opening Event Day 2 Seating Draw

tableSeatPlayerChip Count
251Gautam Dhingra170,900
252Amanda Onions70,000
253Yunye Lu144,400
254Cameron Bisset99,500
255Robbie Stewart83,500
257Loni Harwood30,200
258Shoshiro Karita24,900
259Keiron Laifoo237,400
    
261Christian Nolte120,000
262Jordan Tentori149,200
263Philipp Kampf39,000
264Steven Morris49,900
265Andrew White62,300
266Robert Sanchezcallol28,900
268Bridges Roe96,700
269Gyeongbyeong Lee32,800
    
271Vikrant Gupta161,700
272Maximilian Lehmanski80,500
273Luc Meritan63,100
274Steve Pappas63,100
275Weichung Auyong88,200
276Ivan Sergeyev37,100
277Sean Ragozzini122,800
278Ramin Hurmuzniya60,000
279Paul Hockin84,500
    
281Pierce Mckellar54,100
282Yee Lee18,500
283Florian Ferroni44,900
284Scott Wilson49,200
285Xingwei Tong109,000
286Taryn Boden32,700
287Roy Agresta173,100
288Soren Vohrs77,600
289Daniel Gabriel112,000
    
291Nipun Java55,700
292Richard Balkau72,200
293Javad Etaat102,900
294Raymond Ou28,800
295Andrew Yates83,200
296Tristan Bain91,000
297Antonio Fazzolari152,600
298Michael Kosmis70,200
299Samuel Deering49,000
    
301Quan Zhou51,900
302John Lombardo80,900
303Michel Bouskila5,400
304Connie Graham60,900
305Nali Kaselias23,200
306Jamie Maddox42,400
307Dean Brown98,500
308Wei-cheng Yin36,800
309Maxwell Young17,100
    
311Haven Ten50,500
312David Rodwell47,900
313Jeremy Pekarek91,700
314Kristy Moreno50,400
315Jim Giannoukos25,100
316Julian Dight71,600
317Sohrab Rezvanpour140,800
318Sean Dorgan37,800
319Lucas Morritt46,000
    
321Peter Lai39,400
322Robert Raymond93,900
323Travis Endersby74,700
324James Gilbert87,700
325Sik Chan19,600
326Sladjan Pantos111,700
327Florian Fuchs47,300
328Izuchukwu Oparaocha169,400
329Joey Weissman12,200
    
331Paul Abela89,800
332Giovanni Massa39,000
333Yang Lei32,900
334Ryan Henry86,500
335Benjamin Richardson23,200
336Aboozar Azarnoush58,800
337Ivan Deyra80,300
338Darren Mundy20,000
339En-ching Wu76,200
    
341Rahul Rastogi41,300
342Joshua Mcswiney69,900
343Jonathan Karamalikis65,900
344Aurelien Chenais64,600
345Kuo Hung56,300
346David Kelly59,600
347Thomas Donaldson43,300
348Arif Mustafa75,800
349Tim Coumuolidis96,800
    
351Joo Snell161,000
352Pereda Guillen111,000
353John Thomson36,300
354James Frazer86,100
355Daniel Clemmet140,900
356Ehsan Amiri102,800
357Petros Aristidou24,500
358Luke Edwards78,000
359Andrew Shanahan108,200
    
361Omer Silajdzija97,400
362Michael Rattigan25,800
363Davor Derek60,400
364Myeong Park93,300
365Wu-wei Dai27,800
366Simon Burns99,500
367Katsuya Sotsuka124,100
368Zackery Lowrie213,800
369Ante Kutlesa37,500
    
371Wan Gan52,700
372Niko Koop53,900
373Martyn Ward94,600
374Russell Mildon45,300
375Amit Shorey98,600
376Iii Spinella139,400
377Jackson Warne64,700
378Landen Lucas93,000
379Teresaann Natoli52,400
    
381David Yan30,800
382Michael Harb122,300
383Adrian Salter26,200
384Hun Lee73,400
385Samuel Salt58,800
386Rayner Loi59,000
387Wei Zhang140,300
388Nathan Goodall51,400
389Gino Provenzano26,900
    
391Rabindranath Nadarajan77,300
392Colton Blomberg50,200
393Bo Jin99,900
394Jun Jia103,000
395Carmino Desciscio41,000
396Nathan Susnig90,100
397Kohei Miura35,100
398Jamie Lee68,700
399Benedikt Eberle47,700
    
401Nicholas Suter217,300
402Yixin Wen40,400
403Paul Hill97,500
404David Veigli38,800
405Alexandros Palantinis37,100
406Thomas Gleeson85,600
407Nathan Obrien55,300
408Zhankang Chen81,300
409Dejan Boskovic123,400
    
411Daniel Wojcik67,200
412Stevan Krmpotic15,100
413Jensen Chow95,400
414Naim Mouchaileh147,200
415Joshua Mansellnilsson77,000
416Eoghan Odea44,800
417Roland Rokita135,600
418Marc Macdonnell153,200
419Daneil Hinh36,100
    
421James Hawketts78,000
422David Wells35,900
423Corentin Ropert78,800
424Michael Tran126,900
425Christopher Smitton13,600
426Kwang Nguyen167,600
427Quanbin Zhong27,900
428Tanya Hill57,800
429Alan Xerri66,200
    
431Panayotis Flourentzou57,100
432Qiang Fu119,800
433Joseph Antar62,900
434Daniel Hachem56,800
435Bjorn Ostby65,100
436Michael Behnert47,600
437Rody Kaka78,100
438Fadi Sayegh48,000
439Rehman Kassam143,000
    
441Paul Altis121,500
442Sarkiss Osalian43,200
443Jinsoo Kang41,800
444Brett Murtagh42,600
445Julien Sitbon200,000
446Jacob Howes52,400
447Tatjana Zizic24,200
448Josh Mitchell38,800
449Michael Egan165,000

Aussie Millions Highlights

Dia 5 Iniciado