Event 1 - $1,100 No Limit Holdem (2-Day Event) Day 1 | 2008 Aussie Millions

01-05-2008 12:03 UTC+10

Actor Michael Vartan Playing in the Aussie Millions

[user25067]

Michael Vartan, star of the ABC television series "Alias" and "Big Shots" as well as the films "Monster-in-Law," "One Hour Photo" and "Never Been Kissed" is playing in today's event. Tucked away at a tournament table in the back of the high-limit cash game area, Vartan looks quite inconspicuous, sporting a scruffy beard and a backwards baseball cap. The female Poker News reporters are all in the process of swooning.

Vartan told the Sydney Morning Herald a few days ago that he is in Australia not only to play poker, but to find a "nice Aussie girl" to settle down with. He described himself as "a very tight player, I wait for a good hand and play very aggressively."

Vartan has been honing his game online and this reporter hopes to see him at a final table!

Tags: Michael Vartan

01-05-2008 12:08 UTC+10

Mickey Guttman Doubles Up with Aces

[user24788]

A player from middle position opened up for a raise of 150. The cut off called. Guttman raised to 650 from the small blind. Middle position player folded and the cut off called.

The flop was {10-Spades}

. Guttman fired out 1,700. The cut off moved all in for about 2,000 more. Guttman went into the tank before he called with pocket Aces. His opponent tabled J-10. The turn and river were blanks. Guttman's pocket Aces held up and he doubled up. Guttman increased his stack to over 6,000.

Tags: Mickey Guttman

01-05-2008 12:12 UTC+10

Can't Stop the Quoc

[user24788]

Quoc Nguyen is among the players in today's field. Stay tuned for more "Can't Stop the Quoc" updates.

Tags: Quoc Nguyen

01-05-2008 12:17 UTC+10

Gary Benson Pulls a Hellmuth

[user24788]

Phil Hellmuth is notoriously late for tournaments and often shows up late in "Hellmuthian" fashion in order to pysche out his opponents. Today, Gary Benson arrived forty minutes late for an unspecified reason. He sat down at Aussie Sarah's table, just to her left. On the first hand that he was dealt, Benson picked up pocket Aces. He flopped an Ace too and managed to win a pot worth about 1,000. His stack is a shade under 5,000.

Tags: Gary Benson

Level: 2

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

01-05-2008 12:20 UTC+10

Tony Hachem Crippled on Consecutive Hands

[user25067]

Tony Hachem opened the pot from early position with {K-Hearts}

and got one caller. The flop was {A-Diamonds}

. Hachem bet out and was called. The turn was the {3-Spades}

. Hachem checked, his opponent moved all in, and Hachem reluctantly folded.

On the very next hand, Hachem made another early position pre-flop raise and was called by the big blind. The flop was {A-Hearts}

. Hachem bet 600, the big blind moved all in for 1100, and Hachem called. The big blind turned up {A-Spades}

for two pair, while Hachem showed {A-Clubs}

for top pair, top kicker. The turn and the river did not improve his hand and he's now down to only 900 in chips.

Tags: Tony Hachem

01-05-2008 12:23 UTC+10

Jethro 1, Lisandro 0

[user24788]

Jeff Lisandro stumbled a bit when he lost a hand to Jethro Horowitz. Lisandro raised to 150 from early position. Horowitz bumped it up to 450. Lisandro called. The flop was {Q-Diamonds}

. Lisandro checked. Horowitz bet 550 and Lisandro called.

The turn was the {4-Diamonds}

and both players checked. The river was the {Q-Spades}

and both players checked again. Horowitz tabled {J-Hearts}

and won the pot. Lisandro mucked his hand and slipped to under 3,000. Horowitz increased his stack to over 5,000.

Tags: Jeff Lisandro Jethro Horowitz

01-05-2008 12:36 UTC+10

Sticky Stumbles

[user57954]

In a raised pot, three players including Emad Tahtouh and Mike "Sticky" Guttman took a flop of {5-Clubs}

. The action checked around and the turn brought the {A-Diamonds}

.

Sticky leads out with a bet of 1,500 chips, Emad folds and a player in middle position goes into the tank. After several long minutes 'time' is called on the player and he decides to push in his last 2,000 chips which Sticky calls.

The river blanks and the middle position player flips pocket queens which is good enough to take down a nice pot as Sticky mucks his hand.

Tags: Emad Tahtouh Mike "Sticky" Guttman

01-05-2008 12:45 UTC+10

Reading Your Own Press...

[user24788]

Dory Zayneh took down the Poker News Cup back in October. His victory is currently featured in the latest issue of Bluff magazine. Several players were spotted reading the latest issue including Zayneh, who thumbed through Bluff in between folding hands.

Tags: Dory Zayneh

01-05-2008 12:46 UTC+10

Tony Hachem Sleeps with the Fishes

[user24788]

Tony Hachem is among the early bustouts in today's event after having moved all in pre-flop for his last 900 chips holding pocket sixes after three players had limped into the pot before him.

A player to Tony's left then moved all-in over the top of Hachem's bet with pocket sevens, prompting the remaining players who'd limped into the pot to get out of the way.

There would be no miracle six for Tony, who found out afterwards that another player folded the other two sixes, leaving him drawing quite dead.

Tags: Tony Hachem