2018 WSOP International Circuit The Star Sydney

AU$5,000 Challenge
Day: 1
Event Info

2018 WSOP International Circuit The Star Sydney

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
a9
Prize
255,311 AUD
Event Info
Buy-in
5,000 AUD
Entries
205
Level Info
Level
21
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
40,000

Seymour Takes From Pritchard

Level 3 : 200/400, 400 ante

Marc Seymour raised to 1,100 from under the gun and was called by Jason Pritchard in the small blind.

Both players checked the {2-Hearts}{6-Spades}{6-Hearts} flop before the {7-Diamonds} came on the turn.

Pritchard bet 1,500. Seymour raised to 3,600. Pritchard called.

"Five-high," annonced Pritchard, after both players checked the {6-Clubs} on the river.

Seymour then flipped over his {a-Diamonds}{j-Hearts} for trip sixes with an ace-kicker and took down the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Marc Seymour au
Marc Seymour
39,000
14,000
14,000
Jason Pritchard au
Jason Pritchard
18,400
-6,600
-6,600

Tags: Jason PritchardMarc Seymour

Wong Doubles

Level 3 : 200/400, 400 ante

On a board of {6-Clubs}{a-Hearts}{5-Clubs}{9-Diamonds}{9-Spades} Pak Wong moved the last of his 7,800 chips into the middle and was called by his opponent.

Wong then tabled {6-Diamonds}{6-Spades} for a full house and took down the pot after his opponent mucked his hand.

Player Chips Progress
Pak Wong
Pak Wong
28,000
3,000
3,000

Tags: Pak Wong

Min Gets a Big River Bet Paid Off

Level 3 : 200/400, 400 ante

Action was already on the river in a three-way pot between Tristan Bain, Michael Kanaan, and Jinah Min with the board showing {Q-Spades}{J-Diamonds}{2-Spades}{Q-Clubs}{3-Diamonds}.

Kanaan was first to act and he checked over to Bain. Bain checked it as well and in late position, Min put out a bet of 7,000. Kanaan quickly released but Bain ended up calling. Min showed down her {2-Hearts}{2-Clubs} for a full house and it would be good enough to earn her the pot.

Bain, after getting off to a hot start, has dipped to around 20,000 while Min now sits above 30,000 chips.

Player Chips Progress
Jinah Min au
Jinah Min
33,000
33,000
33,000
Michael Kanaan au
Michael Kanaan
32,000
7,000
7,000
Tristan Bain au
Tristan Bain
21,000
-28,000
-28,000

Tags: Jinah MinMichael KanaanTristan Bain

Awerbuch Chips Back Up

Level 3 : 200/400, 400 ante

With the board showing {j-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{9-Spades}{k-Spades}{4-Spades} Hannah Lee checked from the big blind before the decision fell on Chad Awerbuch in the hijack. He bet out 7,100 which sent Lee into the tank.

Lee eventually mucked her {j-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds} for two pair relinquishing the pot to Awerbuch.

Awerbuch cheekily revealed the {7-Clubs} before raking in the pot to see him go above starting stack.

Player Chips Progress
Hannah Lee au
Hannah Lee
41,000
16,000
16,000
Chad Awerbuch au
Chad Awerbuch
28,000
3,000
3,000

Tags: Chad AwerbuchHannah Lee

Former Main Event Winner Joe Hachem Joins the Field

Level 3 : 200/400, 400 ante
Joe Hachem
Joe Hachem

While an already stacked field has shown up for the $5,000 Challenge here at the Star Sydney, the field just got a little bit tougher.

Entering in the middle of level two is the leader of the Australia all-time money list and former Main Event Champion Joe Hachem. Over the course of his poker career, Hachem has earned over $12 million in live tournament cashes, with over $8 million of those earnings being World Series of Poker specific. In total, Hachem boasts 31 lifetime cashes in the World Series of Poker.

Last year, Hachem nearly made the final table of this event, finishing 10th and collecting $20,362. He'll look to improve upon that with a strong finish again this year, but he's off to a cold start and sits with right around 17,000, so he'll have some work to do.

Player Chips Progress
Joe Hachem au
Joe Hachem
17,000
17,000
17,000
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner
WPT 1X Winner

Tags: Joe HachemThe Star Sydney

Level: 3

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 400

Putt on the River

Level 2 : 200/300, 300 ante

Tolly Sakellariou raised to 1,000 from the cutoff and was called by Nurlan Boobekov on the button as well as Robert Spano and Graeme Putt in the blinds.

The four players checked the {q-Hearts}{j-Diamonds}{8-Spades} flop before the {8-Diamonds} dropped on the turn. Spano checked. Putt bet out 1,600. Sakellariou folded. Boobekov called. Spano folded as well.

The river brought the {4-Hearts} and Putt fired out 1,600. Boobekov folded quickly following the bet.

Putt then tabled his {4-Clubs}{4-Spades} for a rivered full house before raking in the pot.

"That's why he's a Hall-of-Famer," announced Spano following the hand.

Player Chips Progress
Nurlan Boobekov au
Nurlan Boobekov
47,000
2,000
2,000
Graeme Putt nz
Graeme Putt
35,000
10,000
10,000

Tags: Graeme PuttNurlan BoobekovRobert SpanoTolly Sakellariou

Boobekov Takes Down a Four-Bet Pot

Level 2 : 200/300, 300 ante

Tolly Sakellariou opened with a raise to 800 from early position and next to act, Nurlan Boobekov three-bet making it 2,300. Action folded around to the blinds where Sanjeev Joshi put in a cold four-bet to 6,200 from the big blind. Sakellariou folded while Boobekov called to make heads-up action.

The flop came down {7-Spades}{4-Diamonds}{2-Clubs} and Joshi continued with a bet of 4,500. Boobekov called to see the {J-Clubs} on the turn. There both players checked and they checked again on the {3-Diamonds} river. Joshi showed up his {A-Spades}{K-Clubs} while Boobekov showed down his {Q-Clubs}{Q-Spades}. With his overpair, Boobekov was able to take down the pot and that chipped him up to around 45,000.

Joshi was left with just over 15,000 after the hand.

Player Chips Progress
Nurlan Boobekov au
Nurlan Boobekov
45,000
20,000
20,000
Sanjeev Joshi au
Sanjeev Joshi
17,900

Tags: Nurlan BoobekovSanjeev Joshi

Sawyers Applies the Pressure

Level 2 : 200/300, 300 ante

Nathan Sawyers raised to 800 from the cutoff and was called by Hassib Younan on the button.

The flop came {7-Spades}{9-Diamonds}{2-Diamonds} and Sawyers checked. Younan bet 1,000. Sawyers raised to 2,600. Younan called.

The turn brought the {2-Clubs} and Sawyers fired out 3,500. Younan mucked almost immediately.

Player Chips Progress
Nathan Sawyers au
Nathan Sawyers
43,000
18,000
18,000
Hassib Younan au
Hassib Younan
18,000
-7,000
-7,000

Tags: Nathan SawyersHassib Younan

Varma Lets One Go

Level 2 : 200/300, 300 ante

Action folded middle position where Hari Varma raised, making it 800. Matthew Wakeman called in the cutoff and the player on the button called as well.

The flop was {10-Hearts}{9-Diamonds}{3-Diamonds} and Varma continued with a bet of 1,700. Wakeman quickly let go. The player on the button tanked for a bit, then raised, making it 5,100. Varma called after giving it some thought.

On the {5-Hearts} turn, Varma thought for a bit, then checked. The player on the button tanked as well then put out a bet of 8,200. Varma tanked for a while, then folded allowing the player on the button to take down the pot.

Despite dropping the pot, Varma is still healthy with a stack of about 38,000.

Player Chips Progress
Hari Varma au
Hari Varma
38,000
38,000
38,000

Tags: Hari VarmaMatthew Wakeman