Event #8: $100,000 Challenge
Day 1 Completed
2011 Aussie Millions
Event #8: $100,000 Challenge
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2011 Aussie Millions
Buy-in
100,000 AUD
Prize Pool
3,800,000 AUD
Entries
38
Level
14
Blinds
15,000 / 30,000
Ante
0
Final Table Set, Trickett In Control
![[user80015]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 8
: 4,000/8,000, 0 ante
After a long day packed inside Studio 3 and it’s poker-made TV set, the cameras and lights have finally been switched off as day one of the Event 8: $100,000 Challenge has been paused for the night.
We’ve seen your poker tournament, and we’ve raised it.
That is the motto of the Aussie Millions, and in the case of today’s event, it nearly delivered! Just a few weeks ago in the sunny Bahamas, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure hosted their own $100,000 Super High Rollers and managed to set a thirty-eight player field. With numbers of twenty-three and four over the past two years here at the Aussie Millions, no one really expected that we would flirt with the number that turned out at the PCA.
However, everyone underestimated the highly skilled – and highly bankroll heavy – players that were here in Melbourne, Australia as a record-equalling thirty-eight players lined up on the felt today.
WSOP bracelet holders Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, John Juanda, Erick Lindgren and Joe Hachem, alongside youngsters Jonathan Karamalikis, Jay Kinkade, Andrew Feldman, Justin Smith and Alexander Kostritsyn all took a seat. Throw in yesterday’s Full Tilt Poker $25,000 Shootout Invitational Champion and runner-up in David Oppenheim and James Bord, and the field was well and truly stacked.
With an AUD$3,800,000 prizepool set – which courtesy of the exchange rate, still manage to best the PCA prizepool by roughly $20,000 – everyone was gunning for top spot and the AUD$1,525,000 first prize.
Amazingly action was fast and furious as six players were shown the door before the first break, as the aforementioned players all found themselves on the rail throughout the day. Right from the outset it would be Sam Trickett who shone the brightest and never let the chip lead go as he continually built his stack – at a point surging into the seven-figure club – to end the day as the overall chip leader.
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Benyamine | France | 363,000 |
| 2 | Tony Bloom | England | 148,000 |
| 3 | Chris Ferguson | USA | 89,000 |
| 4 | Sam Trickett | England | 961,000 |
| 5 | James Obst | Australia | 571,000 |
| 6 | Jeffrey Lisandro | Australia | 454,000 |
| 7 | Erik Seidel | USA | 619,000 |
| 8 | David Steicke | Hong Kong | 622,000 |
With a final table of eight set, and only six players guaranteed money, the action on tomorrow’s final table is going to be some of the most heated every seen in the Crown Casino.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will again be on the floor providing all the live coverage from 2:00 pm EST, as we look to crown the Event 8: $100,000 Challenge Champion for the 2011 Aussie Millions!
Official End-of-Day Updated Chip Counts
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
961,000 | 6,000 |
|
622,000 | 162,000 |
|
619,000 | 169,000 |
|
571,000 | 126,000 |
|
454,000 | 104,000 |
|
363,000 | 8,000 |
|
148,000 | 13,000 |
|
89,000 |
Yu Sent Home Shy of Final Table
Level 8
: 4,000/8,000, 0 ante
Winfred Yu opened the cutoff to 18,000 and found a lone call from James Obst in the big blind.
Obst checked the 
flop as Yu pushed out a continuation-bet of 27,000.
The time counted right down to the very last second before Obst splashed the pot with a raise amounting to 61,000.
Yu paused slightly before moving all in with Obst quickly making the call.
Yu: 
Obst: 
In a rather sick final table bubble cooler hand, the 
on the turn changed little as Yu would still need one of the last jacks in the deck to stay alive.
Unfortunately for Yu however, the 
would land on the river to end his tournament in ninth place - just one spot shy of making the final table.
Four-Bet Victory for Benyamine
Level 8
: 4,000/8,000, 0 ante
Tony Bloom opened his button to 19,000 only to have Sam Trickett three-bet to 49,000 from the small blind.
With the action on David Benyamine, he bumped it up to 132,000 to force swift folds from both Bloom and Trickett.
As Bloom slips to 135,000, and Trickett to 955,000, Benyamine sldies up to the 355,000-chip mark.
Two Pair for Benyamine
Level 8
: 4,000/8,000, 0 ante
From the button, Tony Bloom raised to 19,000. David Benyamine called from the big blind and the flop came down 
. Benyamine checked and Bloom fired 21,000. Benyamine made the call.
The turn brought the 
and completed a possible flush draw. Benyamine checked and Bloom checked behind.
The river then completed the board with the 
and Benyamine bet 61,000. Bloom called him, but mucked his handwhen he saw Benyamine tabled the 
for two pair.
Bloom was knocked back to 160,000 while Benyamine increased to 305,000.
Lisandro Doubles with Diamonds
Level 8
: 4,000/8,000, 0 ante
Jeffrey Lisandro raised to 17,000 from the cutoff seat and Chris Ferguson called from the button to see the flop come down 
. Both players checked.
On the turn, the 
fell and Ferguson fired 30,000 after Lisandro checked. He got called and the dealer placed the 
out on the river. Lisandro shoved all in for 115,000 and Ferguson thought for a bit before making the call.
Lisandro tabled the 
for a diamond flush and won the hand. Ferguson dropped all the way back to 95,000 in chips.
A Millie, A Millie, A Millie
Level 8
: 4,000/8,000, 0 ante
On the turn, the board read 
. Sam Trickett checked and David Benyamine bet 10,000. Trickett raised to 30,000 and Benyamine called. The river completed the board with the and Trickett bet 27,000. Benyamine folded to give Trickett the pot.
Trickett now has just over one million in chips and Benyamine slipped back to 230,000.
Trickett Nearing One Million
Level 8
: 4,000/8,000, 0 ante
Tony Bloom raised to 18,000 from the button. He was called by Sam Trickett in the small blind and David Benyamine in the big blind.
The flop came down 
and Trickett checked. Benyamine checked as well and then Bloom fired 28,000. Trickett called and Benyamine folded.
The turn brought the to the board and Trickett checked. Bloom bet 44,000 and Trickett check-raised to 114,000. Bloom folded and dropped to 345,000 in chips. Trickett nearly reached one million in chips with this pot, now holding 980,000.
Evdakov Gone
Level 8
: 4,000/8,000, 0 ante
On the short stack, Nikolay Evdakov raised to 20,000 on the button. Tony Bloom three-bet to 60,000 from the big blind. Evdakov moved all in for 80,000 and Bloom called.
Bloom: 
Evdakov: 
Evdakov was all in and at risk, but he did hold the best of it going to the flop. Bloom held some live cards though.
The flop came down 
and kept Evdakov alive. He was only alive until the hit the turn though before the 
finished things off on the river. Evdakov was eliminated on the hand and Bloom saw his stack improve to 450,000 in chips.