$100,000 Challenge Day 1 | 2012 Aussie Millions

01-22-2012 17:14 UTC+11

Player	Chips	Progress
Dan Smith	208,500 78,500	78,500

Tobias Reinkemeier	200,500 13,500	13,500
Phil Ivey	131,500 11,500	11,500

Mikhail Smirnov	130,500
Gus Hansen	123,500 23,500	23,500

Daniel Alaei	119,000 -6,000	-6,000

Daniel Cates	116,000
Sam Trickett	108,000 8,000	8,000
Jason Mercier	107,000 7,000	7,000

Erik Seidel	97,500 -2,500	-2,500

Joe Hachem	96,000 -6,000	-6,000

Sorel Mizzi	96,000 -9,000	-9,000
Jonathan Karamalikis	85,000 -15,000	-15,000
Nam Le	84,500 -15,500	-15,500

Tony Bloom	82,500 -17,500	-17,500
JC Tran	79,500 -25,000	-25,000
Mike Watson	78,000 -22,000	-22,000

Masa Kagawa	70,500 -29,500	-29,500
Dan Shak	42,000 -29,000	-29,000
Daniel Negreanu	17,500 -8,500	-8,500

Tom Dwan	16,500 -51,500	-51,500

The televised feature table is now the table with Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey. Although we won't be able to update too much from that table, we will be able to bring you much more coverage of the Jason Mercier and Sam Trickett table.

Level: 2

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 0

01-22-2012 17:24 UTC+11

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Level 2 : 500/1,000, 0 ante

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01-22-2012 17:36 UTC+11

Hansen Bests Trickett

donpeters

Level 2 : 500/1,000, 0 ante

Gus Hansen check-called a bet of 4,000 on the {7-Diamonds} {5-Hearts} {3-Hearts} from Sam Trickett before the {4-Diamonds} landed on the turn. Hansen checked and Trickett bet 7,000. Hansen called. The river was the {A-Spades} and both players checked.

Hansen showed the {A-Clubs} {A-Diamonds} for a set of aces to beat Trickett's {10-Hearts} {9-Hearts} for a busted flush draw and won the pot.

Tags: Gus Hansen Sam Trickett

01-22-2012 17:41 UTC+11

Watson First Player Eliminated

donpeters

Mike Watson has become the first player eliminated from action in the 2012 Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge. He fell at the hands of defending champion Sam Trickett, who is now up to 180,000 in chips.

Trickett raised to 2,500 from under the gun and Watson flat-called in the cutoff seat. Gus Hansen called from the big blind and the three players saw the flop come down {K-Spades} {6-Spades} {5-Clubs} . Hansen checked and Trickett bet 5,500. Watson put in a raise to 15,500 and Hansen folded. Trickett took a little bit, then reraised all in. Watson called all in for around 70,000 total.

Watson: {A-Clubs} {K-Diamonds}
Trickett: {4-Spades} {3-Spades}

Watson held the best of it with top pair, top kicker, but wasn't anywhere near safe just yet. Trickett had a world of outs with an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw. Watson didn't even hold a spade to take away a possible out from Trickett.

The turn added even more outs for Trickett when the {3-Hearts} fell and gave him a pair of threes. Watson now needed to dodge a spade, a deuce, a seven, a three or a four on the river to stay alive.

The river landed with the {2-Clubs} and gave Trickett his straight. Watson was eliminated and headed to the rail before anyone else in the field.

Player	Chips	Progress
Sam Trickett	180,000 72,000	72,000
Mike Watson	Busted

Tags: Mike Watson Gus Hansen Sam Trickett

01-22-2012 17:46 UTC+11

No Second Title for Shak

donpeters

Dan Shak, the 2010 champion of this event, was just eliminated up on the televised feature table.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dan Shak	Busted

Tags: Dan Shak

01-22-2012 17:59 UTC+11

Negreanu Fighting Back

donpeters

From middle position, Daniel Negreanu raised to 2,000. Tobias Reinkemeier made the call from the small blind and the flop came down {K-Hearts} {6-Diamonds} {3-Clubs} . Reinkemeier checked and Negreanu bet 2,500. Reinkemeier called.

The turn was the {A-Diamonds} and both players checked. They also checked the {8-Clubs} river card.

Negreanu announced a king and then showed the {K-Spades} {10-Clubs} . Reinkemeier mucked and Negreanu chipped back up.

Even though Negreanu is down, he's been in this situation before earlier this year. At the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 Super High Roller, Negreanu was very short early on, but fought hard and battled his way to a fifth-place finish for $250,900. Maybe this one is shaping up the same way. Only time will tell.

Player	Chips	Progress
Tobias Reinkemeier	186,000 -14,500	-14,500
Daniel Negreanu	27,000 9,500	9,500

Tags: Daniel Negreanu Tobias Reinkemeier

01-22-2012 18:00 UTC+11

Preflop Battle of the Aussies

donpeters

Joe Hachem raised from the cutoff seat to 2,500 and Jonathan Karamalikis three-bet from the big blind to 6,500. Hachem four-bet to 16,500 and Karamalikis gave it up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joe Hachem	108,000 12,000	12,000

Jonathan Karamalikis	87,000 2,000	2,000

Tags: Jonathan Karamalikis Joe Hachem

01-22-2012 18:02 UTC+11

It Just Won't End

[user66118]

Under the gun, Jason Mercier raised to 2,000, and he found action in three places as Masa Kagawa (button), Gus Hansen (small blind), and Sam Trickett (big blind) came along for a four-way flop.

The dealer spread out {3-Clubs} {4-Clubs} {6-Diamonds} , and Mercier continued out with another 3,000. Kagawa called, Hansen tanked and folded, but Trickett decided to check-raise. He made it 11,500 total, sending Mercier as deep into the tank as the shot clock will allow. He was eventually given his ten-second warning, then a countdown: "Five... four... --"

"All in," Mercier announced, and that folded Kagawa quickly. Trickett had flopped the straight with {2-Hearts} {5-Hearts} , though, and he made the quick call with a chance to eliminate Mercier. He'd need to fade the flush outs to do it, though, and really, the {A-Clubs} {9-Clubs} was never in much danger if you know how these things go with Jason Mercier.

The {7-Clubs} turned right on fourth street, and that's easy enough. "Of course!" Daniel Negreanu chimed in from the adjacent table. The river {10-Spades} was unimportant as Mercier had already secured his double, and that pot moves him up to 154,000 as it knocks Trickett back down around starting.