2012 Aussie Millions

$100,000 Challenge
Day: 1
Event Info

2012 Aussie Millions

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
22
Prize
1,012,000 AUD
Event Info
Buy-in
100,000 AUD
Prize Pool
2,200,000 AUD
Entries
22
Level Info
Level
14
Blinds
15,000 / 30,000
Ante
0

Le Nursing the Short Stack

Nam Le
Nam Le

Nam Le is the shortest stack in the room and situated on the outer table. He hasn't been getting involved in any pots, but the expressions on his face look as though he's just not getting anything playable. We'll surely be keeping an eye on him as the blinds keep passing around the table to see how he is doing.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Nam Le us
Nam Le
43,000
-18,000
-18,000
WPT 1X Winner

Tags: Nam Le

Le Doubles

Le still the short stack, but feeling better now
Le still the short stack, but feeling better now

Just moments after we wrote about Nam Le nursing the short stack, he found a double up and is back to 70,000 in chips. Here's how it went down.

From the button, Dan Smith raised to 8,000 and Le called from the big blind. The flop came down {K-Diamonds}{Q-Clubs}{2-Spades} and Le led for 7,000 with 13,000 behind. Smith took nearly all of his allotted time and then raised enough to put Le all in. Le quickly called and tabled the {K-Spades}{9-Diamonds}. Smith held the {A-Hearts}{9-Spades}.

The turn brought the {5-Hearts} and kept Le in front with his pair of kings. Smith needed an ace on the river, but couldn't find it when the dealer landed the {8-Hearts} on the end of the board and Le doubled up.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Dan Smith us
Dan Smith
380,000
-34,500
-34,500
WSOP 1X Winner
WPT 1X Winner
Run It Once
Profile photo of Nam Le us
Nam Le
70,000
27,000
27,000
WPT 1X Winner

Tags: Dan SmithNam Le

Mercier Quadruples Up

Joe Hachem opened the pot with a raise to 10,000, and he found calls from Mikhail Smirnov (button) and Gus Hansen (small blind). It's a good spot to find a big hand in the small blind, and Jason Mercier liked what he saw enough to squeeze all in for 40,500 total. It looked like Hachem called, though we can't be sure. What we do know is that Smirnov reraised and isolated himself against Mercier with a chance at the knockout.

Showdown
Smirnov: {A-Diamonds} {3-Diamonds}
Mercier: {A-Hearts} {K-Diamonds}

The board ran out {K-Hearts} {7-Diamonds} {2-Clubs} {3-Clubs} {4-Spades}, and Mercier manages to find a big quadruple up to crawl back into contention.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Jason Mercier us
Jason Mercier
162,000
57,000
57,000
WSOP 6X Winner
EPT 1X Winner

Tags: Jason MercierJoe HachemMikhail SmirnovGus Hansen

Mercier's Tournament Comes to an End

Jason Mercier
Jason Mercier

Just a few hands after doubling up through Mikhail Smirnov, Jason Mercier was all in for a second time. It was Smirnov that he was up against once more and this time Mercier was behind.

Mercier: {8-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}
Smirnov: {10-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}

The flop came down {Q-Spades}{9-Diamonds}{2-Clubs} and Smirnov stayed in front. The turn {6-Spades} meant that Mercier was just one more card away from elimination. Unless Mercier could catch an eight on the river, his tournament would be over.

The river card was the {9-Clubs} and Mercier had missed. Smirnov had him covered and Mercier headed to the rail in 10th place. The remaining nine players will now rejoin at one table. We'll have those seating assignments and chip counts for you shortly.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Jason Mercier us
Jason Mercier
Busted
WSOP 6X Winner
EPT 1X Winner

Tags: Jason MercierMikhail Smirnov

Draw and Counts

Level 5 : 2,000/4,000, 0 ante

We're down to nine players now, and they've been combined around the unofficial final table. Here's how they set up right now:

SeatPlayerChips
1Tony G160,000
2Gus Hansen363,000
3Nam Le69,000
4Sam Trickett100,500
5Phil Ivey138,000
6Mikhail Smirnov324,500
7Joe Hachem472,500
8Sorel Mizzi210,000
9Dan Smith363,000

Mizzi Takes First One

Level 5 : 2,000/4,000, 0 ante

Sorel Mizzi just picked up the first hand at the nine-handed final table. He opened with a raise to 8,000 from middle position and found calls from Dan Smith out of the hijack seat and Sam Trickett in the big blind. The flop came down {3-Clubs}{2-Spades}{2-Hearts} and Trickett checked. Mizzi bet 12,500 and both of his opponents folded.

Tags: Sorel MizziSam TrickettDan Smith

Level: 6

Blinds: 2,500/5,000

Ante: 0

Le Losing Ground

Gus Hansen raised to 12,500 to open the pot, and Nam Le flatted with his shortening stack. Heads-up, they took a {Q-Diamonds} {A-Clubs} {6-Diamonds} flop, and Hansen checked it over. When Le bet 8,000, though, he clicked it back to 16,000, and Le tanked and folded.

He's under 50,000 now.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Nam Le us
Nam Le
49,000
-20,000
-20,000
WPT 1X Winner

Tags: Nam LeGus Hansen

Stacked Final Nine

Level 6 : 2,500/5,000, 0 ante

Between the nine players who have made it down to this last table of play, there's $56,571,193 in career live tournament earnings. Three of them have World Series of Poker gold bracelets: Phil Ivey (8), Joe Hachem (1) and Gus Hansen (1), four of them have World Poker Tour titles: Hansen (3), Ivey (1), Hachem (1) and Le (1) and all but two of them have seven figures of live tournament earnings. That's one heck of a group of players.