Aussie Millions Main Event Hones in on Record Field; Former Final Tablist Richard Ashby Bags Big
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The 2019 Aussie Millions Main Event is tantalisingly poised heading into Day 2 after 364 players entered on Day 1c, leaving the tournament just three players short of equalling the record field set twelve months ago.
Late registration remains open for one more level when play resumes tomorrow, and with recent years attracting anywhere from three to 13 new entries, the figure of 800 looks within reach.
| Year | Entries | Day 1a | Day 1b | Day 1c | Day 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 797* | 165 | 268 | 364 | |
| 2018 | 800 | 212 | 196 | 379 | 13 |
| 2017 | 725 | 212 | 184 | 322 | 7 |
| 2016 | 732 | 180 | 207 | 337 | 8 |
| 2015 | 648 | 183 | 173 | 289 | 3 |
*denotes entry still open for one level into Day 2
Day 1c Leaders, Survivors
It was a case of déjà vu with the Day 1c chip leader, with Cole Swannack bagging 208,200, just over 10,000 chips more than he managed when bagging the Day 1b chip lead last year. With two cashes under his belt this year in Aussie Millions side events, he'll be aiming to banish memories of 2018 where he failed to make the money.
Also bagging big in 1c was Pim De Goede (187,100), 2007 Aussie Millions Main Event seventh-place finisher Richard Ashby (180,000), Ben Lai (153,000), Ben Wu (140,100) and Sosia Jiang (139,200).
Other notables through to Day 2 include Tobias Ziegler, Dara O'Kearney, Maria Ho, Michael Soyza, Ana Marquez, Thomas Muehloecker, Martijn Gerrits, Dominik Nitsche, and Terminator Champion Ioannis Angelou-Konstas.
Aussie Millions Main Event Day 1c Action
Shortly after former international cricketer, Shane Warne announced 'Shuffle up and Deal,' there was a cry of "Seat open" as Julien Martini's aces were cracked by the straight of Weiming Yu. Warne would later join him in busting on Day 1c.
Former champions Ami Barer and Shurane Vijayaram were both in attendance, but unfortunately both would bust midway through the day, Vijayaram losing out fives against ace-jack, and Barer losing a flip with ace-king against fives.
It was better news for defending champion, AU$25,000 Challenge runner-up and AU$50,000 Challenge champion Toby Lewis. Seemingly the man to beat this week in Melbourne, Lewis will join fellow former champions Tyron Krost and David Gorr in Day 2.
Other players from last year's final table enjoyed mixed fortunes, with Stefan Huber busting but Mike Del Vecchio making it through to Day 2 with an above-average stack.
Players to bust on Day 1c included Kitty Kuo, Gautam Dhingra, former AU$25,000 Challenge champion Alexander Trevallion, Michael Addamo, Artur Koren, Kristen Bicknell, Natalie Teh, AU$25,000 Challenge winner Rainer Kempe and Yevgeniy Timoshenko.
For the players advancing, they will be part of the 425 players returning for Day 2 which gets underway at 12:30 pm on Wednesday. Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage of what looks like another record-breaking Aussie Millions Main Event.
Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.
