[user67765]
One of the premiere events of the 2009 Aussie Millions arrives today with the $100,000 Challenge. The world's most recognizable players in the industry will be here today for one of the biggest buy-in tournaments in the world.
We are expecting around 30-40 players here today and a large gathering on the rail as millions of dollars will be up for grabs.
The action kicks off at 2:30 p.m. local time, roughly thirty minutes from now. Stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the live updates from the tournament floor.
[user67765]
The players have taken their seats and the cards are in the air. We have three tables in action, with a few dead stacks/late arrivals in play. The prize pool is going to be well over AU$2 million.
[user67765]
There should be plenty of room to play today as players are starting with 100,000 in chips and blinds at 500/500.
Today's action is the "Speed Poker" format. Preflop will be pot limit and then no limit post-flop. Each player will have thirty seconds to act on their hand, but have two thirty second time extension buttons that they may use at anytime during the event.
[user67765]
Here's the current lineup for the $100,000 Challenge:
Table 29
Seat 1: Chris Ferguson
Seat 2: Tony Bloom
Seat 3: Alexander Kostritsyn
Seat 4: Michael Sampoerna
Seat 5: Erik Seidel
Seat 6: Jason Gray
Seat 7: Sandor Demjan
Seat 8: John Hennigan
Table 31
Seat 1: (empty)
Seat 2: Jeff Lisandro
Seat 3: Dan Shak
Seat 4: JC Tran
Seat 5: Sergey Rybachenko
Seat 6: Bill Jordanou
Seat 7: Jamie Pickering
Seat 8: John Juanda
Table 32
Seat 1: Andrew Robl
Seat 2: Nam Le
Seat 3: (empty)
Seat 4: Patrik Antonius
Seat 5: Masa Kagawa
Seat 6: Gus Hansen
Seat 7: Tony G
Seat 8: David Steicke
[user80015]
Gus Hansen raised it up to 6,000 preflop. With the table starring at him with a confused look, the dealer told him that it was pot limit preflop and no limit afterwards.
Hansen responded with. "Oh good, because I grabbed the wrong chip!". Hansen took the pot down and is off to an early start on his table
[user80015]
The action folded around to Patrik Antonius, in the cutoff, and he opened to 1,500. The small blind got out of the way and Gus Hansen raised it up to 6,500 total.
Antonius made the call and on a flop of , Hansen led for 10,000. Antonius called. The on the turn and Hansen checked the action over to Antonius, who led out for a pot bet of 35,000. Hansen thought for some time before folding.
As Hansen slipped down to 90,000, Antonius has taken over his table chip lead with 120,000 in chips.
[user67765]
David Steicke
In a battle of the blinds and with 15,000 already in the pot, Tony G checked from the small blind over to the big blind, David Steicke, on a board of .
Steicke fired out a bet of 11,000 and Guoga made the call. The river was the and Guoga checked once again to Steicke, who fired out a healthy 20,000 bet. Guoga went into the tank and used one of his allocated time extension buttons before tossing his cards into the muck.
Steicke jumps out to 125,000 with Guoga down to 80,000.
[user80015]
Catching the action on the turn with the board reading , Alexander Kostritsyn led into Tony Bloom with a 10,000 bet.
While Bloom enjoyed his massage, he threw in two 5,000 chips to make the call. The river brought the , and this time Bloom took control of the pot by leading out with a bet of 17,000. This was enough to force Kostritsyn's cards into the muck. Bloom is up to over 110,000.
[user80015]
Action folded around to Tony Bloom in the cutoff and he popped it up to 1.500. Erik Seidel, from the blinds, raised it to 5,000 total and Bloom quickly made the call.
On a flop of , Seidel checked and Bloom made a bet of 7,000. Seidel called and again checked over to Bloom following the peeling on the turn. Bloom slid out a bet of 16,500, which was immediately followed by Seidel grabbing a stack of chips and slamming them in front of his capped cards.
The bet amounted to 50,000 and Bloom shook his head as he threw his cards in the muck. Seidel moved to 125,000 and Bloom dropped down to his starting stack.
![[user67765]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
, Hansen led for 10,000. Antonius called. The 
on the turn and Hansen checked the action over to Antonius, who led out for a pot bet of 35,000. Hansen thought for some time before folding.
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and Guoga checked once again to Steicke, who fired out a healthy 20,000 bet. Guoga went into the tank and used one of his allocated time extension buttons before tossing his cards into the muck.
, Alexander Kostritsyn led into Tony Bloom with a 10,000 bet.
, and this time Bloom took control of the pot by leading out with a bet of 17,000. This was enough to force Kostritsyn's cards into the muck. Bloom is up to over 110,000.
, Seidel checked and Bloom made a bet of 7,000. Seidel called and again checked over to Bloom following the 
peeling on the turn. Bloom slid out a bet of 16,500, which was immediately followed by Seidel grabbing a stack of chips and slamming them in front of his capped cards.
