2009 Aussie Millions $1,100 PLO: Lee Nelson Surges to Win

January 22 2009, John Hartness

Lee Nelson came into the final table of the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship Event #11, $1,100 Pot Limit Omaha, in the middle of the pack, but quickly asserted himself as the dominant force among the final nine. Nelson took out most of the competition himself on the way to his first Aussie Millions title of 2009 and the AUD $32,400 top prize. After laying waste to the final table, Nelson's rush to victory paused for a lengthy heads up match with Ranier Quel before he finally vanquished his last opponent to grab the title.

David Bach took the chip lead into the final table, as the chip stacks and seat cards looked like this:

Seat 1: Rainer Quel - 51,500
Seat 2: Nathan Snow - 62,700
Seat 3: Sandra Propper - 54,800
Seat 4: Lee Nelson - 78,200
Seat 5: Rene Freymann - 106,500
Seat 6: David Bach - 122,000
Seat 7: Nino Ascenzio - 94,700
Seat 8: Kenny Ng - 98,000
Seat 9: David Morton - 51,200

Bach claimed first blood at the final table when he busted David Morton in ninth place ($2,400). Morton re-potted from the small blind with , and Bach was the lone caller. The flop came down and Morton pushed all in. Bach called with and Morton's aces were in the lead. That all changed on the turn when the gave Bach trip nines. The on the river was no help to Morton, and his tournament was done.

Sandra Propper fell in eighth place ($3,600) when she and Lee Nelson got the chips in preflop. Propper's trailed Nelson's , and the board brought her no help as it ran out . Nelson's aces were good enough to claim the first notch on his gun belt.

Nelson then wrested the chip lead from David Bach in a huge pot where Bach raised preflop and Nelson re-potted. Bach called, and the flop came down . Nelson checked, and Bach bet the pot. Nelson thought for a moment before making the call for his tournament life, but finally slid the rest of his stack into the pot and tabled . Bach showed , and the board ran out to double Nelson up and move him into the dominant chip lead.

Kenny Ng got all his chips in preflop with and was drawing to stay alive against Rene Freymann's . The board was no help for Ng, running out , and Freymann made a set on the river to send Ng to the rail in seventh place ($5,400).

David Bach tangled with Lee Nelson one final time when he raised pot from middle position, then called Nelson's re-pot from the big blind. Nelson bet out enough in the dark to put Bach all in, and Bach called as the flop came down . Nelson flopped the open-ended straight draw with , and Bach showed . Nelson made his straight when the landed on the turn, and the came on the river to send Bach home in sixth place ($7,200).

Nelson then bounced Rene Freymann in fifth place ($10,800) to increase his chip lead over the field. After some preflop raising and re-raising, Freymann moved the last of his chips in the middle on a flop of . Nelson made the call with for top two against Freymann's . The on the turn made two pair for Freymann, but made the full house for Nelson. Freymann did not make a full house on the river, and he became another victim of the Lee Nelson elimination machine.

Nathan Snow joined the act when he busted Nino Ascenzio in fourth place ($14,400). Ascenzio moved in on the flop, and Snow thought for a moment before calling. Ascenzio's was ahead on the flop, as Snow could only muster a pair of deuces with his . The on the turn changed nothing, but the on the river made two pair for Snow and busted Ascenzio.

Snow then busted in third place at the hands of Lee Nelson when he called all in preflop with . Nelson showed another big pocket pair with , and never gave up the lead as the board ran out . Nelson's kings and threes were better than Snow's queens and jacks, and Snow fell to the eventual champ. Snow earned $19,200 for his impressive finish.

With almost a 6:1 chip lead and momentum on his side, Lee Nelson was poised to make short work of Rainer Quel as heads up play began. Quel had other ideas, though, and the heads-up match lasted for nearly four hours before Nelson finally bested his opponent and claimed his gold championship ring. After losing and regaining the chip several times, the final hand came almost out of nowhere. Quel raised pot from the button, and Nelson called to see the flop. Nelson checked, Quel moved all in, and Nelson quickly called. For a change, it wasn't Nelson holding the aces, as Quel tabled . Unfortunately for him, Nelson's had flopped two pair. When the turn and river ran out , Quel was the runner-up for $24,600. Lee "Final Table" Nelson lived up to his moniker as he claimed the $32,400 top prize and the Aussie Millions Event #11 gold championship ring.

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