We happened by Leo Boxell's table and saw him paying off an opponent who held 
on a 
board. We're not sure what Boxell's hand was as the dealer had already mucked them, but we did hear someone else at the table say, "Unlucky, Leo."
It may have been a bad beat, but whatever the case, Boxell was left with just 2,400.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,400
7,600
|
7,600 |
Jim Collopy has just had salt rubbed into his wounds after busting from the tournament early in the second level. By the time our PokerNews Reporter made it to the table, Collopy was all in and had lost the hand. He gathered his things and quickly left the tournament area. At this point the dealer said he had chips left and all the players at the table tried to call out to him. When none of calls where hear, our PokerNews reporter came to the rescue and ran up the escalators to let Collopy know.
On the way down the escalator and on the way to the table, Collopy filled us in on the hand. Apparently Collopy raised to 800 preflop behind 5 limpers. Only one opponent called and the flop came 
. Collopy led for 1,000 and his opponent popped it to 3,500. At this point Collopy shoved and his opponent hesitated to make the call, which shocked Collopy as his opponent held for top set. Collopy's 
wouldn't be enough when the turn and river bricked.
The worst part about this whole experience? By the time Collopy arrived back at the table, it was discovered that the dealer had made a mistake and Collopy in fact had zero chips left.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
||
The 2012 Aussie Millions Poker Championship kicked off this week, so we decided to catch up with Peter Costa, 2003 Aussie Millions Main Event winner, to see what he's been up to since his big win, what he thinks about the Aussie Millions, and how winning one of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the world changed his life. Here is a small snippet of our interaction, though you can view the entire interview here.
In your opinion, what is it that makes the Aussie Millions such a special event?
"Top of the list is simple — the people. What a great melting pot of niceness Australia seems to have assembled. Then of course, we have Crown itself. I simply love this place above anywhere else I have played poker. My wife and I have often thought that Australia could one day become our home but as it is, Vegas is just fine for us at the moment."
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Level: 2
Blinds: 75/150
Ante: 0
On our second pass through the room, we spotted a pretty tough lineup over at Table 47. Joseph Cheong is currently seated in Seat 3, with Dan "djk123" Kelly seated to his immediate left. Then, in Seat 7, we have Jim "Mr_BigQueso" Collopy. Could get interesting.
We also noticed 2011 Aussie Millions Champion David Gorr seated at a nearby table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,000 | |
|
|
||
|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
|
||
|
10,000 | |
Just before the players took their seats in the final flight here in the opening event, there was a new exciting game, captivating the attention of players throughout the Crown Poker Room.
The game is called "Baccpo", named as such for being a hybrid between baccarat and poker. Baccpo is generally (generally meaning - since it was invented just a couple of weeks ago) spread as a table game and dealt like a blackjack, but played like baccarat. Today, the first ever Baccpo tournament and Baccpo cash game was played.
While most of the players in the Baccpo tournament barely knew the rules, they all took to the seats with hopes of taking down a $10,600 Aussie Millions Main Event seat that Crown had generously offered up as a prize in the freeroll tournament. In the end, the first ever Baccpo tournament champion was Paul Sing and for now, he is the worldwide (read: only) Baccpo ambassador.
As far as we can tell, the game was played and dealt like draw poker. The hand rankings are the same as in baccarat, but three-card hands are always better than two-card hands. For example, a three-card nine is the best hand and that will always beat a two-card nine. All three-card nines are the best hand and if two or more players have that hand, they will chop. The only hand that can beat a standard three-card nine is 
. That hand is the nuts of Baccpo!
Just like you, we are intrigued, confused and excited all at once. What we can tell you is that the game looks as if players can run huge bluffs and Crown Poker will be seeing if the game can catch on amongst poker players throughout the Aussie Millions.
PokerNews recently received the following press release, which is a reminder of tomorrow's great event:
On Sunday 15 January 2012, the official film studio of the Aussie Millions ‘Studio 3’ will play host to what has become renowned as the most high profile poker fundraising event in the country. Created by poker king, Joe Hachem, and Australian cricket legend, Shane Warne, the day will raise much needed funds for seriously ill and underprivileged children throughout Australia for The Shane Warne Foundation.
With over 200 players already registered, and a prize pool valued at over $65,000 up for grabs – including a Las Vegas High Roller Package for 1st Prize – potential players are encouraged to register their seats at http://www.tswf.com.au .
The Joe Hachem and Shane Warne Charity Poker Tournament gives members of the public the unique opportunity to play alongside some of the world’s most successful poker players, sports stars and celebrities - all of whom are sure to challenge even the most accomplished amateur player. To play in the tournament entry is $1150 (with $500 re-buys), and non-playing guests can join the festivities for $200.
Event Name: The Joe Hachem and Shane Warne Charity Poker Tournament
Date: Sunday 15 January 2012
Time: 1:00pm
Location: Studio 3, the official film studio of the Aussie Millions (Level 3, The West End)
We saw a player storm out of the tournament area with disgust and quickly made our way to his table to see what happened. On the very first hand of the day, the unknown player had held 
and was up against George Giannopoulos's 
on a board reading 
.
We're guessing the money got in on the flop, and it was a one and done for the unknown player. Meanwhile, Giannopoulos received an early double, allowing him to start the tournament with double the starting stack!
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
20,000 |
We've just completed our preliminary pass through the tournament floor and there are quite a few notables in today's field.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
10,000 | |
|
||
|
|
10,000 | |
|
|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
|
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|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
|
|
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|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
|
10,000 | |
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