Event 3 - $1,100 Omaha Hi-Lo | 2009 Aussie Millions

01-12-2009 13:13 UTC+11

Welcome Down Under, Ivan Demidov

[user67765]

Another high-profile player spotted in today's field is Ivan Demidov. The young Russian was one of the infamous "November Nine" and many people's tip to take out this year's World Series of Poker Main Event final table. He eventually finished second to Peter Eastgate.

In October he made history after his success in Europe, where he became the first-ever player to reach the final table of both the WSOP and WSOPE with a third-place finish in London. Not only that, but remarkably he achieved the feat in the same calendar year.

Demidov is good friends with fellow Russian and last year's Main Event Champion Alexander Kostritsyn, who must've put in a good word for the Aussie Millions and enticed Demidov to make the trip down under. With over $6 million in earnings in 2008, we look forward to seeing much of this highly talented and respected player over the coming weeks.

Tags: Ivan Demidov

Level: 2

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

01-12-2009 13:11 UTC+11

They Call it "Oma-draw" for a Reason

[user75032]

Players started with 50 big bets in their stacks today. That makes pots relatively cheap at this stage of the tournament. As a result, the play has started out like something you might expect in a $5-$10 game. We are seeing plenty of six and seven-way flops, and very few of those players are folding before the turn. With each pot having two potential winners, players seem happy to draw, draw, and draw some more.

01-12-2009 13:05 UTC+11

Today's Format

[user67765]

Today's players are starting with a 5,000 chip start bank with the blinds commencing at 25/50, going up every 40 minutes. The structure is relatively good for one of the smaller buy-in events, with plenty of play expected due to the nature of the split-pot games.

01-12-2009 12:51 UTC+11

The Champ is Here!

[user67765]

Another very interesting table has emerged over in the high-limit area of the Crown Poker Room. It features the likes of local tournament player Karib Karib, PokerNetwork Player of the Year Sam Youssef, APPT Manila Champion Van Marcus, online phenom Josh "JJProdigy" Field, PokerNews reporter Justin Dorazio, and 2008 Aussie Millions Main Event Champion Alexander Kostritsyn who is making the first appearance of his 2009 Aussie Millions campaign.

Tags: Alexander Kostritsyn

01-12-2009 12:48 UTC+11

Table Draws

[user75032]

Today's event has turned up a small field, but it's loaded with world-class talent. The feature table showcases David Steicke, Abel Cabrera, Rainer Quel and Michael Guttman, but several other tables could just as easily qualify as feature tables. James Potter, Trung Tran and Dan Shak are all together at one table; at the opposite end of the tournament floor Jason Gray, Michael Guzzardi and Harry Demetriou find themselves sharing a table.

01-12-2009 12:32 UTC+11

Cards Are in the Air!

[user67765]

Event #3 of the 2009 Aussie Millions is underway. A small but talented field have taken their seats for some split-pot excitement! They will be playing eight-handed tables the whole way today.

Level: 1

Blinds: 25/50

Ante: 0

01-12-2009 11:05 UTC+11

Two Plus Three Equals Omaha Fun!

[user75032]

Today is Day 4 of the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championships and that means that Event #3 -- $1,100 Omaha Hi-Lo is on tap. This is the only fixed-limit Omaha event on the 2009 Aussie Millions schedule; there are two pot-limit events later in the festival. It is also a one-day event. Since Omaha Hi-Lo is a split-pot game, we expect the tournament to go late into the night and have already arranged for a caffeine IV drip to be delivered to media row.

$1,100 Omaha Hi-Lo is a brand new event for the Aussie Millions. At the 2008 Aussie Millions, fixed-limit Omaha Hi-Lo was played only as part of Event #10, a $2,200 mixed-game event consisting of pot-limit hold'em, pot-limit Omaha and fixed-limit Omaha Hi-Lo. Therefore we have no measuring stick for how many runners to expect today. We do know that the fixed-limit $10-$20 Omaha cash game has been a staple in the Crown Poker Room since the start of Event #1 last Friday. In fact, it hasn't broken at all since at least Saturday evening. Perhaps that will translate into a sizable field.

The pots will start being split at 12:30pm local time, in about ninety minutes. See you then.