2009 Aussie Millions

Event 9 - $10,500 Aussie Millions Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info

2009 Aussie Millions

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aa
Prize
2,000,000 AUD
Event Info
Buy-in
10,000 AUD
Prize Pool
6,810,000 AUD
Entries
681
Level Info
Level
27
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000

Kastle Does Everyone One Better with Quads

Kastle keeps the flies at bay
Kastle keeps the flies at bay
Casey Kastle showed up in Melbourne with a completely shorn head, a new look since the last time we saw him at APPT Manila. Kastle's stack has a new look after taking 13,000 chips off of Jeff Madsen. In a four-way raised pot, Kastle called a bet of 2,200 from Madsen on a flop of {5-Spades} {5-Hearts} {7-Spades} and called another 3,400 on the {5-Clubs} turn.

When the river fell {6-Clubs} Madsen checked to Kastle, who bet 7,000. That bet put Madsen in the tank for well over a minute. He finally called, and then mucked when Kastle showed him {5-Diamonds} {3-Diamonds} for quad fives. Kastle is up to 32,000 now.

Tags: Casey KastleJeff Madsen

Patrick Fletcher Eliminates a Player

Patrick Fletcher grinding away
Patrick Fletcher grinding away
Sydney player Patrick Fletcher has quietly been grinding away most of the day, for the most part staying out of the big action pots.

We just so happened to catch him eliminating an opponent not long ago. On a flop of {3-Hearts}{4-Hearts}{3-Diamonds} Fletcher's opponent bet 1,400 at him, and was raised to 4,000. The opponent then moved all in for 7,600 and Fletcher called.

When the players tabled their cards, Fletcher's {a-Diamonds}{4-Clubs} was well ahead of his opponent's {k-Diamonds}{4-Spades} and when the turn {a-Clubs} hit, the hand was over.

Fletcher's opponent was already headed for the rail, as the meaningless {7-Hearts} completed the board. Fletcher rolls over 38,000 chips.

Tags: Patrick Fletcher

Solomons Tames Portaro

Both Bruno Portaro and Johnny Solomons called a raise on the button of 600 and saw a flop of {10-Hearts}{5-Clubs}{9-Diamonds}. Solomons led out for 900 and only Portaro made the call.

The turn fell the {K-Hearts} and this time Portaro took the lead, betting out 1,400. Solomons made the call and when the river landed the {5-Spades}, he called Portaro's 2,000-chip bet.

Portaro tabled {A-Hearts}{J-Diamonds} for ace high, while Solomons tabled {9-Spades}{10-Clubs} for two pair and the pot as he jumps to 44,000 in chips, while Portaro slips to 48,800.

Tags: Bruno PortaroJohnny Solomons

Casale Doubles With Set

Antonio Casale must have wanted to get in on the action. Shortly after Grant Levy doubled up with a set, Casale flopped his own set and he similarly doubled. Casale's {6-Clubs} {6-Diamonds} found a mate on a flop of {2-Clubs} {J-Hearts} {6-Spades}. All of the chips were in the middle on the {Q-Hearts} turn, with Casale's opponent showing {A-Clubs} {A-Diamonds}. The river blanked {3-Hearts}, giving the win and the pot to Casale. He's up to 51,000.

Tags: Antonio Casale

All I Need is Aces Against Kings a Few Times...

Marty Smyth one of the leaders
Marty Smyth one of the leaders
For Marty Smyth that dream showdown occurred at a crucial time. Getting tangled up with one of the other bigger stacks at the table, the players got their stacks into the middle preflop and Smyth showed down his {A-Hearts}{a-Diamonds}, in good shape against the {K-Clubs}{k-Spades} of his opponent.

The board ran out {3-Diamonds}{9-Spades}{5-Diamonds}{9-Diamonds}{10-Hearts} to eliminate the player holding Kings and catapult Smyth over 75,000.

Tags: Marty Smyth

The Bright Lights of Table 15

Table 15 is stacked with poker talent, featuring the likes of Max Veenhuyzen, Tony Dunst, Jason Gray and Grant Levy. Two recent hands brought our attention to the table.

First, we found Grant Levy tabling {10-Hearts} {10-Diamonds} on a flop of {10-Spades} {4-Diamonds} {J-Hearts} after an opponent called all in against Levy and tabled {Q-Diamonds} {Q-Spades}. "Give him a nine so I can sweat it," Levy instructed the dealer. The {8-Clubs} that hit the turn was almost as good. In the end, Levy dragged the pot after the river blanked {2-Clubs}. He's now up to 37,000.

A short time later, Dunst and Veenhuyzen were at it. Dunst checked the turn of a {8-Spades} {10-Clubs} {4-Clubs} {5-Clubs} board to Veenhuyzen, who made it 2,700 to go. Dunst thought things over and called. Both players checked the {5-Diamonds} river. Veenhuyzen showed down {7-Hearts} {8-Hearts} for two pair, eights and fives, and the winning hand. His stack climbed to 33,500.

Tags: Grant LevyJason GrayMax VeenhuyzenTony Dunst

Solomons' Golden Ticket

Johnny Solomons found his golden ticket
Johnny Solomons found his golden ticket
Johnny Solomons might not be a big name in the poker world, but he does have an interesting story.

A regular cash game grinder at Crown Casino, he got his hands on a general $250 Phase Two Aussie Millions ticket from a guy who couldn’t use it. Saving a few bucks, and thinking what the hell, he bought it off him and headed home after a good day on the felt.

Arriving home, his seven-month old Staffy puppy was whipping her tail and barking loudly after being in the house all day. Being close to dusk he thought a nice stroll down to the beach via the river would do the both of them some good. The gentle stroll turned into a beach wrestle to burn some energy before returning home, only to find that the Phase Two ticket that sat in his hoodie pocket had now vanished.

Annoyed, angered and pretty much a little peeved-off, Solomons decided to drive back to the beach to search; but alas nothing came of it. On the bike he went to retrace his every footstep, and again nothing came of it. Nightfall approached and a dropped head followed as Solomons returned home along the beaten path by the river. With his eyes still darting back and forth, his focus was thrown to a tiny folded blue-bordered piece of paper only meters off the track and from the slow-twisting river.

Solomons had found it, but that wasn’t the end of it. He ventured to Crown Casino to parlay that Phase Two ticket into an $1,100 Phase Three ticket before sneaking past the bubble to claim his 2009 Aussie Millions seat in today’s flight.

Will his "golden ticket" reap him the gold and riches of the Aussie Millions? Can this near-lost piece of paper be his road to AU$2,000,000? Sitting with 40,000 chips as we head into the fourth level, we can only wait and see . . .

Tags: Johnny Solomons

Level: 4

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 25