Luke Brabin was all in preflop with a three-bet shove from the big blind holding the 
. He was up against Ryan Hong, who had raised the button and then called Brabin's shove with the 
. The flop, turn, and river ran out 
, and Hong won the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
95,000 | 68,100 |
|
Busted |
With 648 official entries in the 2015 Aussie Millions Main Event, a prize pool of AU$6,480,000 has been generated. The top 72 places will be paid out, and the winner will earn AU$1,600,000. Second place will also become a millionaire, with a prize of AU$1,000,000.
Click here for full payout information.
The Aussie Millions has a rich history, dating all the way back to 1998 when Alex Horowitz won what was then referred to as the "1998 Australian Poker Championships" and played in limit hold'em. The buy-in that year was $1,000, and that buy-in remained the same for 1999. In 2000 and 2001, the buy-in was increased to $1,500. For 2002's version, the buy-in was bumped up to $5,000, and in 2003 and on it has always been $10,000.
In 1999, the game was changed to pot-limit hold'em, and then no-limit hold'em from there on out. The largest event to date was in 2008 when Alexander Kostritsyn topped a field of 780 players to win $1,650,000.
The Aussie Millions is without a doubt the Southern Hemisphere's most prestigious poker tournament, and another impressive field of over 600 runners is in the making this time around. For the second year running, the event is partnered with the PokerStars.net Asia-Pacific Poker Tour, and many agree that the partnership has been beneficial on both sides.
Below is a historical table of the event, dating all the way back to 1998:
| Year | Entries | Prize Pool (AU$) | Winner | First Prize (AU$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 74 | $74,000 | Alex Horowitz | $25,900 |
| 1999 | 109 | $109,000 | Milo Nadalin | $38,150 |
| 2000 | 109 | $173,500 | Leo Boxell | $65,225 |
| 2001 | 101 | $151,500 | Sam Korman | $53,025 |
| 2002 | 66 | $330,000 | John Maver | $150,000 |
| 2003 | 122 | $1,220,000 | Peter Costa | $394,870 |
| 2004 | 133 | $1,330,000 | Tony Bloom | $426,500 |
| 2005 | 263 | $2,630,000 | Jamil Dia | $1,000,000 |
| 2006 | 418 | $4,180,000 | Lee Nelson | $1,295,800 |
| 2007 | 747 | $7,470,000 | Gus Hansen | $1,500,000 |
| 2008 | 780 | $7,758,500 | Alexander Kostritsyn | $1,650,000 |
| 2009 | 681 | $6,810,000 | Stewart Scott | $2,000,000 |
| 2010 | 746 | $7,460,000 | Tyron Krost | $2,000,000 |
| 2011 | 721 | $7,210,000 | David Gorr | $2,000,000 |
| 2012 | 659 | $6,590,000 | Oliver Speidel | $1,600,000 |
| 2013 | 629 | $6,290,000 | Mervin Chan | $1,600,000 |
| 2014 | 668 | $6,680,000 | Ami Barer | $1,600,000 |
| 2015 | 648 | $6,480,000 | --TBD-- | $1,600,000 |
We're not 100% sure of the preflop action, but we do know that Jeff Rossiter somehow got his stack of approximately 32,000 all in preflop from the small blind and was in great shape to double against James Rann, who was on the button.
Rann: 
Rossiter: 
The 
flop paired Rann's five, but he needed either another or an ace to eliminate Rossiter. The 
turn didn't do it, but the 
river did. It was a brutal card for Rossiter, who was kind enough to shake hands with the tables and wish them luck before taking his leave from the 2015 Aussie Millions Main Event.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Steven Tabb's fortunate to still be in the Main Event after a cooler saw him get his chips in way behind only for him to wriggle out and double up.
Macdonnell was on the button and Tabb was in the big blind with 45,100 that all went in preflop.
Macdonnell:
Tabb: 
The board ran 
to make Tabb a flush. Macdonnell dropped to 38,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
38,000 | 5,100 |
How the action unfolded remains a mystery, but one thing is for sure, Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel got his stack of 35,000 or so all in on a 
flop and was up against Richard "nutsinho" Lyndaker.
Lyndaker: 
Seidel: 
Seidel got it in good with a set, but Lyndaker was drawing to a flush. The turn gave Lyndaker even more outs to a straight, but it'd be the black that would complete his flush on the river to send Seidel to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
80,000 | 25,100 |
|
Busted |
Mike McDonald has risen to around 120,000 after making a full house with big slick and getting Thomas Vo to pay him off.
Both players had made it to the river where the board read . McDonald was in the big blind and moved all in for his remaining 28,600. Vo was on the button and didn't look happy but still made the call only to muck when his Canadian opponent opened .
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
120,000 | 50,000 |
During the break we saw Chicago pro Rob Edelstein sitting by himself looking a bit downtrodden. Such a look is usually a result of elimination, and a quick check with him proved that was indeed the case.
According to Edelstein, his last hand came after 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up Felix Stephensen opened for 1,800 from early position and Edelstein opted to try for a steal by shoving all in for his last 12,000. It didn't work though as Stephensen opted to make a call.
Stephensen: 
Edelstein: 
Edelstein was behind but he was drawing to two live cards. The 
flop wasn't particularly interesting, and neither was the 
turn. Edelstein needed either a six or seven to stay alive, but it was not meant to be as a 
peeled off to improve Stephensen to Broadway.
"Get some sunshine," Edelstein replied when asked what he's up to next. He then explained he'll be heading to South Florida for a big tournament. As they say, "On to the next one."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Erik Seidel has taken a small pot off Phillip Gruissem to get back up to 34,000, still down on the 55,000 he started the day with.
Gruissem opened the pot with a raise to 2,300 and two players called, including Seidel in the big blind. The German star continued for 4,700 on a 
flop and Seidel was the only caller. The board ran out 
and both players checked it down.
Gruissem opened 
, losing out to the 
of Seidel.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
55,000 | 10,600 |
|
|
34,000 | -7,100 |
Level: 9
Blinds: 500/1,000
Ante: 100
