January 27th, 2009
Ongame Blogger signing off…
“And now…the end is near…And so I face…the final curtain”
In a week that came and went in a flash, 16 of our Partners players joined the total field of 681 all vying it out for the AUD $2,000,000 first prize and the coveted Gold Bracelet that comes with it. As with any poker tournament, there’s always early casualties, players who fall just short of the money, and those who receive a “payday”. The 2009 Aussie Millions was no different. In the early stages of the Day 1’s, the 2 eliminations that stand out, has to be PAF’s Juoni Huovila’s “Big Slick” against Chris Chronis’ “Pocket Rockets”. Jimmy Rasmussen, of Scandic Bookmakers was eliminated in even harsher circumstances. His pocket Queens dominating Tony G’s pocket 10’s, only for Tony G to flop a “boat” instantly!
We had 3 players in the money this time, for a grand total of AUD $100,000! Veli-Pekka of RedKings collected AUD $15,000. Inthavong “Souri” Sourideth of Prime Poker took AUD $20,000. The final RedKings player, Christian Heich was awarded AUD $65,000 for his fantastic week of poker. As I suspected, the final table of the Aussie Millions needed a Christian Heich there making boisterous moves and gut wrenching re-raises. Luckily, there’s quite a few live events left for this year, and if your blogger were a betting man, he’d be putting his wages on the German final tabling a few of those.
The 2009 Aussie Millions has ended and now the multitudes of people that descended upon Melbourne from every corner of the globe will return to their little patch of turf they call “Home”. Your blogger is also one of those who must return to the land of which he came!
It’s been a wonderful tournament, in a wonderful location, with wonderful weather. If you happen to find yourself over this side of the world, you really should have a “gander” through Melbourne, and visit the amazing Crown Casino Entertainment Complex. But for now…
…I bid you farewell!
January 27th, 2009The Final Table…
As you all know by now, there was almost a representative from our Partners players at the final table of the 2009 Aussie Millions…but alas, it wasn’t to be.
The final table consisted of Zach Gruneberg, Barny Boatman, Elliot Smith, Richard Ashby, Stewart Scott, Peter Rho, Rajkumar Ramakrishnan and Sam Capra. With only 2 Aussies at the final table, Joe Hachems call for an Australian to win the 2009 Aussie Millions was still alive. It took 218 hands to decide the winner with Stewart Scotts A♠ A♦ holding up against the A♥ J♣ of Peter Rho. I’m sure Hachem was pleased with the result, as Australian Stewart Scott was crowned the Aussie Millions winner or 2009!
1st – AUD $2,000,000 – Stewart Scott
2nd – AUD $1,000,000 – Peter Rho
3rd – AUD $700,000 – Elliot Smith
4th – AUD $400,000 – Rajkumar Ramakrishnan
5th – AUD $300,000 – Sam Capra
6th – AUD $210,000 – Zach Gruneberg
7th – AUD $150,000 – Richard Ashby
8th – AUD $100,000 – Barny Boatman
That Man Heich…
Just moments ago, RedKings player Christian Hiech gets himself into the action. The German is fearless in his pursuit for glory!
With Heich betting 40k preflop, Stewart Scott on the button, is the only caller. The flop is thumped against the felt 2♦ 8♥ 6♥ . Heich leads out into the pot with a bet of 60k. Stewart Scott raises the RedKings player to 130k. In a display of controlled power that Heich has been proudly displaying all day, he re-raises Scott to 245k. The media begin to surround the table, and all the railbirds watching the hand unfold, begin their whispers. Scott then moves all-in…it’s an amazing move, that leads Heich with a big decision. His 2009 Aussie Millions is on the line if he calls. The German announces call. Every man and his dog has surrounded the table now! The cards get to breathe and Scott shows 9♥ T♥ . Heich flips over his T♣ T♠ . It’s not quite a coin toss as the German is slightly ahead. He needs to dodge the 7’s and Hearts left in the deck. There’s now more people watching this hand than “Obama’s inauguration”. The dealer pulls out the turn… 2♥ …Nightmare! Scott hits one of his outs. Heich is in real bad shape now. To continue in the 2009 Aussie Millions, he’ll have to hit the last 10 in the deck, or one of the remaining 2’s. He’s got 3 outs. After 100 years (give or take), the dealer finally pulls the river out… 5♠ . It’s all over for the fantastic Christian Heich. He’s understandably devastated and leaves the tournament floor after shaking the hand of each player seated at Table 10.
The young German has earned a huge amount of respect during his ride here at the Aussie Millions. As well as finishing in 14th place and taking home AUD $65,000, he’s gained a great deal of admirers. Barney Boatman for one looks a little sad to see the RedKings player leave the tournament. I’m in pieces. I genuinely though he could have claimed the Gold Bracelet. Not to take anything away from the players remaining in the tournament, but everytime the extremely entertaining German made a move, it pumped even more life and excitement into the event. I personally believe the final table needed a Christian Heich at it…
January 23rd, 2009Beer Time!!…I mean, Dinner Break…
RedKings player, Christian Heich, has had a great finish to the end of level 19.
Chris Chronis raised to 30k. The German, on small blind, pumps it up to 106k. Chronis calls it and the flop is splashed out Q♣ 8♥ 4♣ . The RedKings players bets out with 105k. Chronis calls it. The turn lands 6♥ . Heich checks, and Chronis bets for 200k. The German then pushes all-in…for 678k in total. As you may well imagine, Chronis goes into the tank on this one. What feels like a lifetime later, The Australian folds. Heich flashes his A♠ K♦ . Yeah…that’s right. You’re not having troubles with you computer monitor, the RedKings player has Ace high!! I’m gobsmacked that he’s still pulling off moves like that at this stage of the tourney. If I had a hat on, I’d have taken it off to him. Another brilliant play from the young German. He’s catching the eye of a lot of people now with his big boisterous moves. Me? I just stand there, pen in hand, in total awe of some of the plays he continues to make. For the record, Chris Chronis got knocked out about 10 minutes later. I think our man broke him…
Table 10 has gone to “Super” shorthanded now…
Seat 1 – Empty
Seat 2 – 1,100,000 – Dixon Ruecker
Seat 3 – Empty
Seat 4 – 800,000 – Barny Boatman
Seat 5 – 1,000,000 – Christian Heich
Seat 6 – 1,700,000 – Stewart Scott
Chip leader is American Peter Rho, who sits behind a behemoth of a stack…over 2,300,000!
January 23rd, 2009Table 10 Update…
Table 10 is holding a lot of chips…here’s what it looks like!
Seat 1 – Empty
Seat 2 – 620,000 – Dixon Ruecker
Seat 3 – 1,000,000 – Chris Chronis
Seat 4 – 750,000 – Barny Boatman
Seat 5 – 890,000 – Christian Heich
Seat 6 – 1,200,000 – Stewart Scott
Christian Heich has a few more chips now, and the RedKings player is able to get back involved in some more pots of his choosing! Can the German sensation get a little rush going?
Average stack is 850,000 between the remaining 16 players.
Heich’s All-in!…
Christian Heich has just put his 2009 Aussie Millions life on the line!
All-in preflop against Chris Chronis, the German shows A♣ K♦ to Chronis’ T♠ T♦ . he’s behind. The flop lands Q♠ K♠ 6♥ . He’s landed a brilliant flop and romped ahead as favourite to take down the pot! The turn comes K♥ . Beautiful, beautiful card! If the RedKings player can dodge one of the remaining two 10’s in the deck, he’ll double up. He stares at the river as it’s dealt out… 9♥ !! BOOM!! RedKings player, Christian Heich doubles up and takes the 670k pot!
That’s more like it! Another one of those please!
January 23rd, 2009“The Price of Poker is Going up…”
Level 19 is just around the corner! That’s 6,000/12,000 and antes of 2,000. Christian Heich isn’t getting it all his way anymore and his stack trend is pointing the wrong direction. The RedKings player now has 530k in front of him.
Seat 1 – 110,000 – Frank Ellis
Seat 2 – 830,000 – Dixon Ruecker
Seat 3 – 1,100,000 – Chris Chronis
Seat 4 – 530,000 – Barny Boatman
Seat 5 – 530,000 – Christian Heich
Seat 6 – 1,400,000 – Stewart Scott
Chip leader is still Rajkumar Ramakrishnan with close to 2 million in chips!
January 23rd, 2009Game on!…
Christian Heich was involved in some 3 way action there.
The board read 5♦ Q♣ 5♥ … J♣ . Action was checked around to The RedKings player throws 40k into the pot just over 80k. Dixon Ruecker folds and Stewart Scott calls. The river lands 6♠ . The German bets 95k and Scott calls it. Christian show 4♠ 5♠ for trips 5’s and Scott mucks his hand. He’s up to 770,000 now.
News just in…Micahel Tureniec just bust. We’re going down to 3 tables!
January 23rd, 2009Heich suffers a set back…
RedKings player Christian Heich just this second ran into some trouble.
Getting to his table as the river landed, the board read 2♠ 8♣ 8♠ … K♣ … 2♣ , The German bets 125k and Dixon Ruecker calls him. Ruecker shows 5♣ 7♣ for a flush, and the RedKings player folds. He’s now dropped to 600,000 in chips.
On the table next to him, start of the day chip leader Michael Tureniec was all in with 8♥ 8♦ against Zach Gruneberg’s A♥ A♦ . The flop landed 9♦ T♦ 3♠ . With an 8 already folded, he was in trouble. The turn cam Q♠ . He needed any Jack or 8 to keep his Aussie Millions alive. He speaks to the deck…”Jack…Jack”. The river comes out J♣ and the Swedish railbirds erupt along with Tureniec. He’s got 450k now.
There’s 19 player left and the blinds are 5,000/10,000 with an ante of 1,000.
January 23rd, 2009The 1 Million club…
The first break has just passed as quickly as it came. RedKings player Christian Heich, hasn’t had too many hands during level 17 and will start level 18 with 820,000. On his table, the shortstacks of Boatman and Ruecker are still battling away vying for their place on the final table. Chris Chronis and his mighty stack have now joined us at table 10.
Seat 1 – Empty
Seat 2 – 730,000 – Dixon Ruecker
Seat 3 – 1,400,000 – Chris Chronis
Seat 4 – 300,000 – Barny Boatman
Seat 5 – 820,000 – Christian Heich
Seat 6 – 1,300,000 – Stewart Scott
Other notable big stacks, are those of Rajkumar Ramakrishnan (1,600,000) and Zach Fellows (1,200,000). There’s now 21 players left, putting the average stack at a whopping 650k! We’ll be playing down to a final table of 7 players today…14 left to go!
Level 2 closing in…
The blinds are 4,000/8,000 with an ante of 1,000. That’s 18k in the pot before any action is even a thought. In the first 90 minutes, we’ve already lost 6 players. Don’t worry, I’ll do the mathematics…22 people remain giving an average stack of 620k. Christian Heich isn’t pushing too hard just yet, but the RedKings player has moved over the 1 million mark!
Seat 1 – Empty
Seat 2 – 650,000 – Dixon Ruecker
Seat 3 – 110,000 – Kelly Kim
Seat 4 – 180,000 – Barny Boatman
Seat 5 – 1,020,000 – Christian Heich
Seat 6 – 1,300,000 – Stewart Scott
The honour of chip leader has now changed. Rajkumar Ramakrishnan has close to 1,600,000 in front of him. He has that many chips, the tournament director has gone off to get an extra table leg to strengthen up his side of Table 14!
January 22nd, 2009Christian “Heichs” it to the summit!…
Day 3 is no more! “Long Live Day 4!”…well…not for too long though.
Christian Heich has had an absolute stormer! The Red Kings player started Day 3 just shy of 169k, quite a way down the pecking order, but today…my oh my! He has 880,000 and sits way up at the glorious heights of 2nd place! If Sweden’s Michael Tureniec hadn’t knocked out Leonid Cai just before the end of Day 3, the German would’ve been the chip leader of the 2009 Aussie Millions going into Day 4! But let’s be a little realistic for a minute, 2nd in the chip count is not exactly a bad day at the office! He seemed content after the day had ended and told me that he enjoyed playing on the short-handed table after the redraw. The German chatted away with Tureniec whilst playing, and down their end of the table alongside Annette Obrestad, there wasn’t a frown between the 3 of them! He tells me he’s a tad on the tired side, as all he’s done for the past 3 days seems to be wake up, play poker, and sleep. I mentioned that I hoped he has another 2 days of that and he tilted his head in agreement, whilst giving a little charismatic smile.
Interested in the top 5 chip counts?…Of course you are!
1,072,000 – Michael Tureniec
880,000 – Christian Heich
862,000 – Chris Chronis
840,000 – Rajkumar Ramakrishnan
807,000 – Annette Obrestad
HOT OF THE PRESS!! Just as I finish off for the night, the redraw for Day 4 comes in!
Table 11
Seat 1 – 370,000 – Hoi Cheung
Seat 2 – 318,000 – Dixon Ruecker
Seat 3 – 380,000 – Kelly Kim
Seat 4 – 153,000 – Barny Boatman
Seat 5 – 880,000 – Christian Heich
Seat 6 – 293,000 – Sorel Mizzi
…Barney Boatman! 12:30 kick off tomorrow…you really don’t want to miss any action!!
January 22nd, 200986 people go through to Day 3…
On a day where we lost 6 of our Partners players, 3 earned safe passage through to tomorrow’s 2009 Aussie Millions Day 3. A grand total of 86 people are through to Day 3 from the 681 that started the event at 12:30 on Sunday afternoon.
The explosive day of poker for Christian Heich resulted in the Red Kings playing taking 168,500 through with him. Veli-Pekka Penttinen stood up and was counted today, as he overcame difficulty upon difficulty. I can’t recall how many times the Red Kings player almost got to half of the average stack only to be chopped down. The young Finn looks tired and confirms it when I ask. He tells me “It’s been a tough day”. He’s done exceptionally well to make it through to Day 3, and has shown great composure throughout the entire day. As I approached “Souri” of Prime Poker, he looks at me opens his eyes wide, and exhales a giant breath! He tells me his table was “crazy”. Every time he had a reasonable hand, someone always went over the top in a big way, and he’d be forced to fold. He also informs me “It’s been a really tough day”. The Frenchman has played very consistent today, and takes 72,300 onwards to Day 3. The average stack is now 158k.
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 168,500
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 79,800
“Souri” of Prime Poker – 72,300
It has been a day that needed patience, endurance and of course…decent hands. The players will rest now and return here at 12:30 to continue their quest for the AUD $2,000,000 prize!
…Your blogger will be here earlier 
Tick!…Tock!…Tick!…Tock!…
As the extinction of Day 3 draws ever closer, the players are beginning to look tired and battle worn. Only 29 players remain now, and the average stack sits at 470k. It’s quite clear that after 12 hours of play, no one wants to make a bad call due to tiredness, and the field has tightened up. Christian Heich’s table is fairly balanced and there hasn’t been any real notable changes in chip counts, for the Red Kings player or the other others at his table.
Seat 1 – 300,000 – Hoi Cheung
Seat 2 – 230,000 – Leonid Cai
Seat 3 – 230,000 – Jonathon Plens
Seat 4 – 860,000 – Annette Obrestad
Seat 5 – 750,000 – Michael Tureniec
Seat 6 – 750,000 – Christian Heich
Big stacks floating in the tourney are Rajkumar Ramakrishnan (900k), Stewart Scott (820K), Chris Chronis (750K), Richard Ashby (650k), and Annica Ivert (600k). The one time “chip stalker” of our Partners players, Barney Boatman, is still in with 270k! I give a secret whisper of “Go On Barney” every time he’s in a pot!
January 22nd, 2009So close…
The light at the end of the tunnel has almost arrived for the players now.
Red King’s player, Christian Heich’s chip trend points the wrong direction, as the German drops down to 175k. Prime Poker’s “Souri” is going strong with 150k in chips over on the newly named “Annica Ivert Show”. She has an incredible stack of over half a million in chips in front of her. Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings continues to hold on for dear life with a 35k stack. He’s been in the wars today, and table leader, Stefan Mattsson informs me that he’s pushing the Finn around a fair bit.
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 175,000
“Souri” of Prime Poker – 150,000
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 35,000
Final 5 tables…
Day 3 of the 2009 Aussie Millions continues to claim victims and we’re now down to 5 tables. That means there’s 30 people left. For every table that breaks up now until the final 2 tables, the payouts are increased a step. It’s AUD $40,000 at the moment! Having broken a table, that means Christian Heich’s table will welcome a new player to seat 4 .It’s none other than…Annette Obrestad! The table of the Red Kings player now looks like…
Seat 1 – 275,000 – Hoi Cheung
Seat 2 – 330,000 – Leonid Cai
Seat 3 – 260,000 – Jonathon Plens
Seat 4 – 820,000 – Annette Obrestad
Seat 5 – 750,000 – Michael Tureniec
Seat 6 – 760,000 – Christian Heich
The average stack is 454k, and there’s plenty of people under that amount. Expect the Aussie Millions death toll to rise…
January 22nd, 2009Musical Chairs…
It’s a game of “Musical Chairs” here…except there’s no music. The seating redraw has taken place and and there’s only 33 players left.
Christian Heich’s new table has over 2,3 million chips on it. That’s a lot of chips…and there’s only 5 players seated there! The Red Kings player executes every move on a pot with careful thought and precision. It’s enthralling poker to witness. Here’s how the Germans table looks.
Seat 1 – 315,000 – Hoi Cheung
Seat 2 – 375,000 – Leonid Cai
Seat 3 – 270,000 – Jonathon Plens
Seat 4 – Empty
Seat 5 – 780,000 – Michael Tureniec
Seat 6 – 620,000 – Christian Heich
The blinds are now up to 3,000/6,000 with a 1,000 ante.
January 22nd, 2009Cruise control…
Red Kings player Christian Heich, has moved into “auto-pilot” and is slowly accumulating chips and inflating his already over-sized stack. He sits there proudly behind a 660k Mountain!
News from table 12. The biggest name left in the tournament has just been eliminated. It is of course, Patrick Antonius. With the board reading J♣J♥8♥ … 3♦ … 5♣ Antonius bets out 70k. Elliot Smith folds, but Richard Ashby moves all in for 400k and covers the Finn. Antonius goes into the tank, and after a good 4 or 5 minutes, it looks like he’ll never decide. He calls time on himself, and with 5 seconds left he makes the call. The superstar of poker shows K♠ J♠ for trip Jacks. Ashby turns over J♦ 5♦ for a full house that he caught on the river. Antonius gets a big applause as he leaves the tournament area AUD $20,000 richer. Probably only pocket change for him, but it’s another “In The Money” finish.
When we get down to 36 players, the structure of play will change. There will be a seating redraw and play will commence short handed style, with 6 players per table.
The blinds are 2500/5000 with antes of 500. The average sits at 350k and 39 players are fighting it out.
January 22nd, 2009Feeding Frenzy…
The dinner break has arrived for the remaining 43 players. I’d bet the shirt on my back that everyone is in need of it!
The insane pace of today has slowed down to just “manic”. There’s just one lone soldier left in the 2009 Aussie Millions. Red Kings player, Christian Heich, is still mixing it up with all the big guns, and doing it very well indeed. The German will come back from the 75 minute sabbatical to a stack in front of him up at the dizzy heights of 570k. The average stack is around 320k, so he’s in great shape for the day.
At 40th position the prize money goes up to AUD $25,000…
January 22nd, 2009In need of some “Snowmen”…
Red Kings player Veli-Pekka Penttinen, has made it to the final 6 tables of the tournament despite never getting his stack over half the average amount in the past 2 days!
Just before the break, the Finn announced all-in preflop for his 74k stack. David Docherty calls instantly. Veli-Pekka turns over A♠ 8♦ . Docherty then proudly shows off his A♥ A♣ . The Finn is miles behind. The flop lands 5♠ 7♦ J♥ . Not a whole lot of help. He’s in need of anything remotely near his 8♦ to continue his 2009 Aussie Millions dream. It’s all on the line again for Veli-Pekka. The turn is thrown out…Q♠ . He’s drawing dead…the Red Kings player is out. The river is an 8♣ but it’s all a little too late. He finishes in 47th position and collects a cool AUD $20,000! He tells me he’s very happy with his tournament and that he enjoyed the whole experience of the Aussie Millions.
He’s not the only Finn not picking up any hands today, I asked Patrick Antonius how he was getting on and he replied “So so. Nothing happens…”
“Wunderbar”…
German sensation, Christian Heich is playing some fantastic poker. The Red Kings player was earlier involved in the an action pot. He’s raised preflop and gets a caller. The flop lands A♣ A♥ J♦ . It’s checked to Christian who puts out a bet of 20k. He’s then raised up to 60k. The Red Kings player then re-raises his opponent to 120k. His opponent eventually folds. The German then shows his hand… K♠ Q♠ . Yes…you read it correctly, King high. His opponent folded a A♦ T♦ , and isn’t over the moon about it. Yet again, brilliant moves from the Aussie Millions Event 1 winner! He’s got an Aussie Millions Gold Ring, can he get the Aussie Millions Gold Bracelet?
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 580,000
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 46,000
Red Kings lead the way…
The break has now passed and the blinds have been raised to 2k/4k with a 500 ante. That’s going to cost the players 10k a lap!
From the 16 players representing our Partners, the 2 remaining players hail from Red Kings. Christian Heich has been in and around the action all tournament, and today is no different. He was up to the dizzy heights of 620k for a spell, but the action has taken it’s toll on everybody playing today. The German still has an awesome stack of 500,500 and is among the chip leaders. Veli-Pekka Penttinen has been solid throughout the tournament, and has practically played Days 2 and 3 with less than half of the average stack. The Finn is still short stacked with 113,500. I’m beginning to wonder the kind of damage he could do if he finally reaches a decent stack amount…
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 500,500
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 113,500
There’s 52 players left with an average stack of 262k. The prize money goes up to AUD $20,000 in position 48!
January 22nd, 2009All-in for “Souri”…
Just 5 minutes before the break, Prime Poker’s “Souri” makes a move all-in for 37k putting his 2009 Aussie Millions life on the line. He’s called by the small blind. The cards get some air. “Souri” shows Q♦ 9♠ … his opponent shows T♣ T♠ . The Frenchman is quite behind at this point, and will need some help to stay alive. The dealer slaps down the flop 4♥ 6♣ 9♥ . He’s given a little bit of help, but he’s going to need a lot more. The turn is cast out onto the table 8♥ . No help for the Prime Poker player, as the river leads him into needing a Queen or a Nine. Can he hit one of his 5 outs? The burn card is tucked away…(he needs to hit or he’s out) the river is sent to the end of the community cards…(”Souri” eyes it hoping it’s the miracle card he needs)…the dealer flips it over…T♥ . He’s gone…
Speaking to him after, he tells me that he was pretty much forced to push all-in as his stack was so small. He leaves in 54th place with AUD $15,000 to show for all his hard work!
The Bubble Finally Bursts…
After an eternity of the tournament holding onto the “Bubble”, the last 64 players of the 2009 Aussie Millions are no longer in hand-for-hand play. Normal service has now resumed and now, now it’s time for some real poker!
There’s been chip movements all over the entire tournament floor. Christian Heich is making moves on everyone at his table and has climbed up to around 620k!! It’s not confirmed, but the Red Kings player looks like the chip leader at the moment. Veli-Pekka Penttinen, also of Red Kings sits with 72k in front of him. Prime Poker’s “Souri” has 55k. Upon the Bubble being burst, the Frenchman announces to me with a smile, “Now I can go all-in!”.
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 620,000
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 72,000
“Souri” of Prime Poker – 55,000
Will he? Won’t he?…
Only a few minutes of the tournament being at the Bubble, there was an all-in situation where a player holding a top pair of Kings was called by his opponent with a meager 4♦ 2♣ . The flop was full of clubs. Another club would burst the bubble. The club landed on the turn, much to the displeasure to the guy holding the Kings. I learned a couple of new swear words over then next 30 seconds, and then someone reminded him that another club would chop the pot. The river came…and it was a club! There’s a glorious roar throughout the tournament, and everybody’s laughing.
The Bubble is still out there waiting to be claimed…
January 22nd, 2009Monster stacks…
Red Kings player Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings is now sitting with a 120k stack. He’s looking fresh and ready for a long day ahead, but he informs me that his table is “tough” and lets out a sigh. He’s sitting down from the Annica Ivert who started out the day as chip leader, and is holding that position well. Prime Poker player “Souri”, is sitting with 110k in front of him. He tells me that he’s landed on another crazy table again. He’s laughing at the situation, and I can see why. There will be no “Limp-fests” at table while Christian Heich of Red Kings and Annette Obrestad are there.
The German player is enjoying himself out there in the action. He tells me of a previous hand on his first table. There’s a bet to 6k just after his blind, and a few callers behind him. It get’s around to the Red Kings player and he raises to 23k. Everyone proceeds to fold after they each take their turn in the tank. Christian takes down the pot and shows his hand… 6♣ 2♦ . The table then goes on tilt! Brilliance, pure brilliance!! He has an enormous stack now over on table 13. With the board showing 4♥ A♠ T♣ … 5♥ , Christian checks. Annette Obrestad bets 60k into the 100k pot. The Red Kings player then raises to 140k. Obrestad tanks for quite sometime and eventually mucks. He now sits with a stack of around 470k!
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 470,000
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 120,000
“Souri” of Prime Poker – 110,000
The 15 minutes break has just ended and now the blinds have been pumped up to 1500/3000 with an ante of 500. There’s quite a few shorts stacks out there, so there’s going to be plenty of action in this level! 69 people left…
January 22nd, 2009Bubble draws closer…
The bubble is fast approaching now. With 73 people remaining, here’s how the stacks are looking.
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 335,000
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 120,000
“Souri” of Prime Poker – 135,000
The average stack is about 175k. In 15 minutes time there will be a break, and with the break comes what? Oh yes, that’s right…level up! It’ll be 1500/3000 with an ante of 500. That 8,5k a lap!
January 22nd, 2009Early moves…
With the blinds up to 1200/2400 and an of 400 ante, there’s 6,800 in the pot before the cards are even dealt. Christian Heich of Red Kings had made some early moves and has inflated his stack up to the 300k mark! At the same table as the German, fellow Red Kings player Veli-Pekka Penttinen is going steady and owns around 75k in chips.
Over on table 13, “Souri” of Prime Poker has also had a good solid start. Getting to his table as the river arrived, I managed to see a little bit of the “Battle of the Blinds” action. Not a huge amount in the pot, but enough to make a difference to the Frenchmans stack. The board is splashed K♦ 3♠ A♣ … A♥ … J♦ . Annette Obrestad, on small blind, checks the river. “Souri” bets 17,500, and the young Norwegian calmly calls. The Prime Poker player shows Q♣ T♥ for an Ace high straight, Annette Obrestad folds showing one card A♦ . “Souri” now has 150k in front of him.
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 300,000
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 75,000
“Souri” of Prime Poker – 150,000
Day 3 begins…
Here we are…one day closer to the 2009 Aussie Millions final table! We have 3 players from our Partners still involved in the action, who will be hoping to dodge any pitfalls on the way to the cash. Scotty Nguyen had the honours of getting the tournament under way, in the way that only Scotty Nguyen can…”I wish everyone the best of luck…Shuffle Up and Deal Baby!”
Christian Heich of Red Kings begins the day with 168,500. He tells me he “hasn’t slept so well last night”. But the German still has the great character and presence about him that we’ve seen all week. He’s in Seat 4 on table 8. Veli-Pekka Penttinen is also on table 8. The Red Kings player sits in seat 2 and looks well rested. The big stack at the table is William Zemljaric, with 323,000. Over on table 13, “Souri” of Prime Poker sits in seat 3, and tells me he’s slept well. He looks very fresh and he’s still got that great big smile of his that’s been with him all week. “Souri” stack of 72,300 is over shadowed by Annette Obrestad’s mountain of 454,800. The Frenchman does have position on her though.
Fasten your seat belts…there’s bags of action lined up for today!
January 21st, 200945 minutes until Day 3…
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings is managing his short stack masterfully and keeping his 2009 Aussie Millions hopes alive. He’s out lasted 583 players so far in this epic journey. That’s almost as long as “Harold Bishop’s” time on the famous Australian TV show, Neighbours! Christian Heich of Red Kings is back on the hunt for chips again, and has now pumped his stack back up to around 260k. Prime Poker player “Souri” is doing incredibly well on the table known as “The Patrick Antonius Show”. The Frenchman has 140k now.
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 260,000
“Souri” of Prime Poker – 140,000
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 42,000
There’s 98 people left and 65th place draws closer…The Bubble! However, 64th will take home AUD $15,000…
January 21st, 2009“Swede” Memories…
Bet24’s Jerry Andersson has just been eliminated. Trying to steal the pot with K♠ Q♠ , he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar as his opponent called with A♣ K♥ . Brick after brick after brick came, and the Swede was sent to the rails. He was understandably a little disappointed, but took consolation in the fact of finishing in the top 100 players that participated in the 2009 Aussie Millions. Oh the memories!
Not bad for someone who’s never visited a casino before!
Get out the piggybank…
…because now it’s getting expensive! The blinds have been stepped up again and now sit at 1k/2k with an ante of 300. That’s now 5,400 a lap! Only 2 real shakers and movers to mention. “Souri” is now up to 122k. Christian Heich has taken another hit and owns 225k now. Remember the time when he was on his way to 400k? During the break he tells me “I’ll be happy to finish the day with 300k, that’s my target!”.
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 225,000
“Souri” of Prime Poker – 122,000
Jerry Andersson of Bet24 – 70,000
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 65,000
Pre-break Update…
The break will be here in less than 15 minutes with 111 players remaining. Average stack is now a crunching 122k! Here’s how the guys are fairing…
Christian Heich of Red Kings – 270,000
“Souri” of Prime Poker – 83,000
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings – 62,000
Jerry Andersson of Bet24 – 55,000
The stacks on some of the tables are enormous now…some ceiling panels may have to be removed!
January 21st, 2009And the beat goes on…
The players have all returned to their stacks and play commences at the cost of 800/1600 and antes of 200. Having used the break to regain their energy and rest their focus, you can expect some action in the closing 4 hours! From the 681 player that entered the 2009 Aussie Millions, just 120 players remain…55 left to go until the dreaded “Bubble”!
Red Kings player and one time 2nd place in the chip count, Christian Heich has had his marvelous stack dented. He still has 260k and seems to have dusted himself down and gone back into the fight. He’s still way above the chip average of 114k. Just as I approached Prime Poker player “Souri”, his table was in the process of being broken up. Being handed a chip rack for his stack, Barney Boatman commented to “Souri”, “I tell you something…you’ll need another chip tray!”. Both men are all smiles as they wander off to find their new tables. The Frenchman and his 100k stack, now sit on table 10…two spots before Patrick Antonius. Bet24’s Jerry Andersson is slowly but surely building a better stack and is now up to 75k. Red Kings player Veli-Pekka Penttinen refuses to let his short stack be a hindrance. The young Finn is battling away furiously and has 46k in front of him. At this rate, he might go on to win it!
January 21st, 2009Superstars…
The quality of poker at the 2009 Aussie Millions is eye-opening. With great quality poker, you get great quality players. Here’s a sample for all of you who never made the “Phileas Fogg 88 day Journey” to Melbourne.
Time For Fried Chicken…
The players are now enjoying their much needed dinner break. With the levels lasting 2 hours, I’m sure the players are thankful for their breather, although I’m sure that all they will talk about during their 75 minute break, are bad beat stories and “amazing” suck-outs.
Red Kings player Christian Heich is playing phenomenally well! He has a stack in front of him worth something close to 375K! That’s over 10% of the total chips in play. The German looks relaxed and comfortable. Mind you, with a mountain of chips that size, even I’d look relaxed and comfortable! Prime Poker player “Souri” has around 96k in chips. The Frenchman (sitting between Barney Boatman and Annica Ivert) tells me his table is “Crazy!”. It’s apparently “All-in City” with Annica Ivert winning just about every all-in she’s involved in. Bet24’s Jerry Andersson isn’t in trouble yet, despite being on the wrong end of a few moves from Annette Obrestad. The Swede has around the 67k mark. The roller-coaster ride of Red Kings player, Veli-Pekka Penttinen, continues as the Finnish player will return from the dinner break with 28k in front of him.
Blinds will be 800/1600 with an ante of 200 when the players returns, so not too many mistakes are needed for someone to be sent packing from Day 2 of the Aussie Millions. Average stack is just under 95k and there’s 144 players left.
January 21st, 2009Crikey Mate!…
Prime Poker player “Souri” has been making good use of his stack and now has a very meaty 120k! Jerry Andersson of Bet24 has around the 64k mark just now. Red Kings player Veli-Pekka Penttinen hasn’t been able to improve on his 15k stack yet. He’s on thin ice at the moment as each lap is costing 3,400.
Man of the hour though, has definitely gotta be the sensational Christian Heich. The Red Kings player has a whopper of a stack. It took me nearly all level to count it, but he’s at 370k! He reached that pot courtesy of a runner runner straight. The German’s stack is so big, that all you can see is a mountain of chips at the table, and every now and then you see a had pop out of the side of the colossal stack. Mind you, after the pot, you should have seen the size of his smile!
The break is closing in!
Then there was 4…
Petri Pietelä of PAF has gone! He tells me, simply put, that he “bluffed at the wrong time” as his T♣ J♦ ran into J♣ J♥ .The cheery Finns told me his stack hadn’t stayed the same for more than 5 minutes at a time. Despite his elimination, he’s still all smiles and laughter.
Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings just took a hit there. As I walk past his table checking out his stack, the normally quiet and inanimate Finn is shaking his head. It turns out he was all in for 45k with big slick and against his opponents A♥ 3♥ . His opponent spiked a 3 on the river and the Red Kings player is left with a 15k stack.
The drama continues…
January 21st, 20094 hours in…
After the epic 2nd level of blinds, Red Kings player Christian Heich has around 200k. Prime Poker’s “Souri” has been making moves and is up to about 90k in chips now. Bet24’s Jerry Andersson has slowed down a little recently and has 52k in his possession. Petri Pietelä of PAF tells me he’s having a torrid time and only owns about 49k in chips. He also mentioned that having a table packed with good players, and getting bad cards, is not the best of combination’s! I have to agree with him there! Sitting across from Patrick Antonius can’t be easy. Veli-Pekka Penttinen or Red Kings is severely short stacked now in comparison to the blinds and only owns about 19k.
The blinds have just gone up to 600/1200 with an ante of 200. Only 168 players left now. The average stack is a whopping 81k! It’s costing 3,400 a lap now…I think we’re going to see some more all in’s!!
January 21st, 20095’s not so live…
Just after discovering JP of PAF has gone, Gala’s Grant Ferguson has hit the rail. Not looking so chirpy, the Scot tells me about his hand.
On small blind with 5♥ 5♦ , there’s a raise to 2k. Grant calls the extra amount wanting to see a flop. The flop lands 7♣ 4♥ 2♠ . The solid playing Scot checks and his opponent asks how many chips he has. He’s ultimately put all-in and shown 6♦ 7♦ for top pair. The turn is a 8♦ . He’s picked up a couple of extra outs, but the blank on the river sends Grant to the rails. He’s enjoyed himself and not too upset about getting knocked out in around 190th position.
Using my “mind reading skills”, I’m sure the next stop for the young Scot is the bar…and who can blame him!
We’ve lost one…
JP Hämäläinen of PAF has disappeared! He’s no longer on the tournament floor or at the bar. I think he’s gone. At last count he had around 30k in chips, so I’m quite interested in seeing what happened there!
…I hear more action!
January 21st, 2009Scotland the Brave…
Gala’s Grant Ferguson is tussling away and has been all in twice, with pocket Queens and an AJ on the big blind. Holding position over the Scot is 3rd place finisher of EPT Prague, Andrew Chen. Grant’s on about 24k now.
Red Kings player Christian Heich is continuing his momentum and now has a colossal sized stack of 205k! Briand McFadden sits 2 places down from The German. Another notable change in stack size is over on table 48. Veli-Pekka Penttinen has been pushing some chips and has transformed his 13k stack to a 39k one! PAF’s Petri Pietelä, with his 69k stack, has been moved tables and now sits a few spots along from another Finn, Patrick Antonious. Bet24’s Jerry Andersson has 55k and sits a couple of seats down from the youngest WSOP bracelet owner, Annette Obrestad. Prime Poker’s “Souri” has over 42k in front of him now. PAF player, JP Hämäläinen, looking cool as a cucumber, has around 30k.
There’s 211 people left and the blinds are 500/1000 with an ante of 100. With the average stack 65k, we only have to players above the mark. Plenty of time left and plenty of chips out there…
January 21st, 2009First level ends…
The first 2 hours of Day 2 has now passed and 7 of our Partners players have made it safely through.
Christian Heich of Red Kings is one of the chip leaders at the moment with around a 180k stack! Petri Pietelä representing PAF has 69k. He tells me his table is packed with “very good players”. Bet24’s Jerry Andersson has just under 57k. Prime Poker’s “Souri” has just shy of 34k and tells me his table is pretty tough. JP Hämäläinen of PAF has around 33k in chips and still looks relaxed. Scotsman, Grant Ferguson has had a cold first level and sits at 25k. While eating his sandwich during the break, I asked him how things were going. The Glaswegian replied “The dealers got it in for me. Everyone else gets Aces and stuff…I just get ****!”. Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings has also had a bad first level and is the short stack at his table with less than 13k.
So far in the first level of the day, an astounding 94 people have fallen away. The average stack is a shaving under 61k.
January 21st, 20097 left…
Table 32 has just witnessed some great action.
Arriving at the flop of 9♦ T♦ 9♥ , Hollywood Poker player Rodger Delehanty, was all in for 21,400. Christian Heich of Red Kings had called right behind him, and there’s another caller straight after the German. It’s a daddy sized pot right now up in the region of 75k. The turn churns out a K♥ . It’s Christian to act, and he bets 19k. The player after tanks for quite some time…and then calls. The river is dealt out… 9♣ . The Red Kings player announces all-in. There’s a fair bit of commotion going on now as the pot is now humongous! The other player tanks for an eternity and folds. Rodger has already packed his bags as he flips over K♠ 8♥ to make a full house of 9’s over Kings. Christian turns over his 9♠ T♠ giving the German quads! The Red Kings player now has over 140k!
January 21st, 2009Frei’s gone?
It appears as though Eurobet’s Frei Dilling-Kjaer is out. He’s not to be seen, so I’m taking it as he’s gone. More on that when I find out.
Bet24’s Jerry Andersson, is keeping up the momentum and now has 63k stacked up in front of him. PAF’s Petri Pietelä is also working away nicely and has in the region of 67k. The Finn examines his very nice stack, looks up with a twinkle in his eye, and gives a smile. Fellow PAF player JP Hämäläinen, informs me that he’s already been all-in 5 times!!
The other players are going steady, with 8 remaining. It’s extremely fast paced paced today, and they’re dropping like flies, nearly 80 people are already out!
January 21st, 2009Frei suffers a setback…
Frei Dilling-Kjaer of Eurobet just took a painful hit after a good start to the day.
The were plenty of chips in the pot when the flop came 8♣ Q♠ J♠ . The small blind moves for 20k. The Dane pushes all-in and his him covered. The small blind calls the all-in, and flips over A♥ A♦ . Frei turns over A♣ Q♥ . He’s behind…by a lot. The turn spits out a K♥ . needing a Queen to take the pot, or a 10 for a chop, the river came K♣ . Frei loses a huge chunk of change and is left with less than 20k.
January 21st, 2009Early movers…
Unsure of what happened over on table 4, but Bet24’s Jerry Andersson now has in the region of 55k! Petri Pietelä of PAF has also been shaking some trees and has around 53k The Finn is on the same table as the deep stack Aussie, Chris Chronis. Christian Heich of Red Kings is now up to 64k thanks to his “Sail Boats” . Calling an all-in of less than 10k pre-flop, his 4♠ 4♦ held up against the all-in mover with 2♠ 2♦ . The board landed 5♣ 5♦ K♣ … 4♣ … 7♥ and the German claims a scalp!
“Shuffle Up And Deal”…
Phil Laak announces to the dealers that’s time to get the show on the road.
Our guys are all looking well rested and ready for a long day of action ahead. Those who have had some time off seem to have spent it well. Getting massages, watching the tennis at the Australian Open, and generally enjoying their time here in sunny Melbourne. Petri Pietelä of PAF told me that he didn’t sleep too well last night though, and Gala’s Grant Ferguson tells me that he was up at 6 o’clock this morning! This might be a long 12 hours. For the sake of all the players from our Partners…I’m hoping it is!
January 21st, 2009Day 2 arrives…
In less than 30 minutes, Day 2 of the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship gets under way!
There’s 318 players today, that’s the unofficial number (which means I added them up myself). Our partners have 9 players involved today. They are…
Red Kings player, Christian Heich. The German takes 53,775 with him. Eurobets Frei Dilling-Kjaer, brings 52,900. PAF’s Petri Pietelä, carries in 39,275 chips. Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings, takes 35,350. Gala’s Grant Ferguson has 34,075. Jerry Andersson of Bet24 brings 33,025 with him. Jari-Pekka Hämäläinen of PAF has 28,450. Prime Poker’s “Souri” takes an even 19k. And last but not least, Irishman, Rodger Delehanty of Hollywood Poker has 18,575.
Expect the action to be furious and crazy…
January 20th, 2009Day 1 Finally passes…
Out of the starting field of 288 players, 145 fell before day 2 arrived. Four of our Partners players survived the onslaught of Day 1.
Christian Heich of Red Kings takes a very nice stack of 53,775 with him. PAF’s Petri Penttinen also carries a useful stack of 39,275. He tells me it would’ve been bigger if his Bullets had dodged a nasty river (something along the lines of a 4 outer I’m told). Jerry Andersson, representing Bet24, moves into Day 2 with 33,025 in chips. I’m pretty sure The Swede is already asleep by now, as he looked pretty spent at the end of todays play. Frenchman “Souri” also made it through today, and the Prime Poker player takes a round stack of 19k with him.
Tomorrow, see’s 5 levels of “never-ending” 2 hour blinds! That means if you include all the breaks, the players will be in action for 12 hours (hopefully).
Day 2 kicks-off at 12:30 Aussie time. For those of you back in Europe…set your alarms!!
Another hits the rails…
“…is there some drama left in the day?”…The answer to that would be “Yes”.
Midway through the last level of the day, I’m doing the rounds and realise quite quickly, Paul Foltyn isn’t here!
Madly approaching the entourage following the Englishman, I am told the news that the Scandic Bookmakers player is out. Not entirely sure of the exact details with in the hand, but I do know that Paul’s Q♣ 7♣ went up against T♥ T♣ with the flop showing 2 clubs. Ultimately, his opponent hit a T♦ and there was no club to be seen making the much needed flush to keep Paul in the tourney.
About 30 minutes left now.
January 20th, 2009It’s almost Day 2…
The last break of today has come and gone. In roughly about 1 hour, those players still in possession of poker chips will be heading through into Day 2 of the 2009 Aussie Millions!
Red Kings player Christian Heich managed to double up, and owns 49k in chips. The German still looks like he has tons of energy in reserve. Petri Pietelä of PAF now has over 39k. He’s looking lively and when asked, he told me he “feels fresh after a good sleep last night”. Jerry Andersson of Bet24, has moved his stack up and over 27k. He, on the other hand, informs me that he’s “a bit tired”. Sitting a few spot along from Jerry, “Souri” of Prime Poker is at around the 24k mark, and still looks focused. Scandic Bookmakers player, Paul Foylton, has around 30k now. That stack came when his A♣ K♣ was all in against his opponents 7♥ 7♠ , and the Englishman hit. His stack has been up and down more times than the Crown Promenades 4 elevators!
170 people left, and the blinds are 300/600 with an ante of 75. The average stack is just under 34k now. If nothing crazy happens in this final hour, that means 10 people from our Partners will have made it through to Day 2!
…is there some drama left in the day?
Petri Powers Onward…
PAF’s Petri Pietelä is getting stuck into the the action now, and has been able to increase his stack to just under 48k. The steady player from Finland is looked very composed at the table. Christian Heich of Red Kings is still sitting with about 36k, as he chases his first Aussie Millions Gold Bracelet. Prime Poker’s Inthavong Sourideth (or Souri as he likes to be known) has lost a chunk of change over at table 50, and now has just over 29k. At the Same table, Bet24’s Jerry Andersson has roughly a 20k stack. Paul Foltyn from Scandic Bookmakers is just shy of 20k.
We have another Houdini act in the form of Eugen Kutnenko. The Tower Gaming player has gone from the table he has been seated at all day, and instantly…I fear the worst! More on that when I get it.
January 20th, 2009“Food, Glorious Food!”…
We’ve reached the dinner break now. Our partners will be pleased to learn that all 6 players that started the day, are through to level 5.
Prime Poker’s “Souri”, has had his stack skimmed down to 41,550. This is the Frenchman’s first big live event, and seems to be taking it in his stride. Christian Heich has nurtured his chip count up to 36,300. Petri Pietelä representing PAF has inflated his stack by 10k, and now sits with 35,875. Sweden’s Jerry Andersson here on behalf of Bet24, has been in the thick of it and now owns a 22,625 stack. Paul Foltyn of Scandic Bookmakers has taken a hit during the last level, and now dropped to 21,750 in chips. Tower Gaming’s Eugen Kutnenko, seems to have had no action at all over on table 33, and has 18,850 in front of him. He tells me he’s comfortable with his table, but he’s just running cold cards.
With the blinds always on the rise, the next 2 levels are the decisive ones. The players have been going at it for over 8 hours now, and less than 4 hours are still left. Can they dodge the danger and make it to tomorrow? Is anyone going to double up? Will the blogger last another 4 hours?…
…Answers in 4 hours!!
January 20th, 2009“THE” Gus Hansen…
Just a little snippet of information for you…
The last player to arrive for today’s poker has just turned up. 5 hours after the tournament began, Gus Hansen strolls over to his small stack and sits down. He then opens up his book…and starts reading. He’s quite a bit beehind, but you can’t write off the 4 time WPT winner just yet…
January 20th, 2009Break number 2…
There’s only 3 levels left of the day. Here’s the important information you need…
Christian Heich of Red Kings has just under 32k now. Asked how his table was, The German let out a deep breath and said “tough”. Bet24’s Jerry Andersson has managed to improve his stack and now moves up to 15k. He’s beginning to look more relaxed. Unbelievably, the Swede informs me this is the first time in a casino! Eugen Kutnenko of Tower Gaming has 21k in front of him still, and appears to be biding his time. Prime Poker’s “Souri”, has had a great level and is now the owner of a 51k stack! He tells me that the table is pretty tight. Petri Pietelä of PAF has had a few chips slip away, but nothing of great significance. The cheery Finn has 25k. He tells me that he liked his first table better, as the one he’s been moved to is a bit tough. Paul Foltyn of Scandic Bookmakers has been using his time well, and has acquired a juicy sized 42k stack. The Englishman told me during the break, that his table is “crazy”.
We’re down to 227 players now and the average stack is 25,3k. Everyone’s looking in good shape…
January 20th, 2009The Update!…
Moving into level 3 now where the blinds will be 100/200 with an ante of 25, the average stack is around 23k.
Christian Heich of Red Kings now has just over a 30k stack. A nice stack considering poker superstar JC Tran sits a few spots down. “Souri” of Prime Poker has kept his stack level and has 38k. On the same table as “Souri”, Bet24’s Jerry Andersson also has the same amount of chips as the previous break and has 13k in front of him. I’m beginning to suspect their table never played the last level…Moving on. Eugen Kutnenko of Tower Gaming has around 21k. PAF’s Petri Pietelä also has the same amount of chips as the last break, holding around 28k. There’s good news too, I’ve managed to find Scandic Bookmakers’ Paul Foltyn…bad news, I didn’t get an exact chip count, but he’s doing fine. You have my word!
All 6 players going along nicely. With 38 players eliminated from the field of 288 so far…more will fall…
Star studded extravaganza…
“Who’s playing today?” I hear you inquire, to which I would reply “Everyone”.
Running through just a few selected people, we have (inhales deeply)… Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly. 2006 Aussie Millions winner, Lee Nelson. “Alias” star, Michael Vartan.Tennis player Mark Philippoussis. Aussie cricket legend, Shane Warne. Triple World boxing champion, Jeff Fenech. (exhale) Of course Joe Hachem is here too…
More stars in a while…
January 20th, 2009Final Day 1…
And so approaches the time when we soon bid farewell to the Day 1’s. We’re looking at 6 players today from Britain, France, Sweden, Finland and Germany.
Jerry Andersson is here representing Bet24 poker. Inthavong Sourideth is here on behalf of Prime Poker. Eugen Kutnenko is representing Towergaming. Petri Pietelä is our 3rd PAF player of the event. Paul Foltyn is representing Scandic Bookmakers. Last but not least, Christian Heich is our 4th Red Kings player at the Aussie Millions.
With a field of 280 players…it’s going to be a busy day!
January 20th, 2009Three make it through…
The final hand of the day has just passed and Frei Dilling-Kjaer of Eurobet, Veli-Pekka of Red Kings, and Grant Ferguson of Gala, have all survived the last level of the blinds to make it through to Day 2.
Frei was tussling around in the last pot and thanks to that hand, he’s now takes 52,900 into the seventh level. Veli-Pekka from Finland, will take 35,350 with him when play resumes. Grant Ferguson of Scotland played consistently the entire day, and is rewarded with taking 34,075 into Wednesdays action.
In about 12 hours time, Day 1, flight 3 will commence. We’ll have 6 players representing our Partners, so get straight to bed and rest up, it’s going to be “same same but different” tomorrow!
Day 2 getting closer…
As the end of Day 1, Flight 2 draws to a close there’s no room for any dodgy calls, ill-timed raises or “wannabe superhero moves”.
Eurobet player, Frei Dilling-Kjaer has about 60k in front of him. The Danes table has an array of stars on it now. Ivan Demidov, Marty Smyth and Maya Geller-Antonius. Gala’s Grant Ferguson has a shaving under 42k. He mentions that he’d like another 10k on his stack before the end of the day. Veli-Pekka Penttinen, representing Red Kings, has around 37k in front of him. Asked if he was tired, he gives me a gentle nod.
Only an hour of play left. Blinds are 300/600 with an ante of 75. So far 82 players have gone creating an average stack of 33,6k, so they all have more than the average stack.
A lot can happen in the final hour…and it usually does!
“Hint of the day – F5 refreshes your browser”
January 19th, 2009We’re missing someone…
Heading out onto the floor, we look to be one man short!
Kent Lundmark of Red Kings is nowhere to be seen! More on that as I get it.
Glancing at Frei Dilling-Kjaer’s stack is no longer an option. The Eurobet player has amassed so many chips, it has come to the point where it takes longer to count his stack than for a lap of table action to happen. Luckily, your blogger is a “boy-genius” and can accurately confirm that the Dane has an awesome stack of 76k. Yes, that wasn’t a typo…76k. His table is attracting a lot of attention now with Ivan Demidov and Marty Smyth (2008 Poker Million VII winner) getting stuck in with some action. Grant Ferguson of Gala continues to pound away and has his chip count up to the healthy sum of 44k. Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings is still sitting with his 41k he had as the break ended.
For now, back to table 24…there’s some great poker taking place over there!
Dinner has arrived…
The players go for a well needed break…the blogger counts up the chips…
Frei Dilling-Kjaer continues to push and the Eurobet player now has a mountain in front of him, in the form of a 66k stack. Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings has improved his stack also and is up to 41k. Also at 41k is Gala’s solid Scot, Grant Ferguson. Kent Lundmark of Red Kings now has about 18k in his possession.
59 players eliminated so far in Day 1 Flight 2 of the 2009 Aussie Millions and the average stack is at 28,2k.
All our Partners players are in good shape going into the 5th level, although Kent’s chip stack won’t last forever. The Swede will need to be focused when he comes back…
…I hope he didn’t go to the bar!
January 19th, 2009Dane-gerous…
Only 30 minutes remain until the players are given their much needed dinner break of 75 minutes.
Frei is actually an anagram of “Fire”…which is exactly what the Dane is on. The Eurobet player is romping it at the moment and has a very imposing stack in the region of 52k. Scotsman, Grant Ferguson, continues his very solid run and also has a hefty stack around 39k. Veli-Pekka of Red Kings now has over 30k sitting in front of him. Fellow Red Kings player, Kent Lundmark is battling away still, and has about 20k.
The blinds are 150/300 with an ante of 25. After 34 eliminations, there’s 168 players left giving the average stack around the 24k mark.
January 19th, 2009“Oh we’re halfway there…”
That’s right! Bon Jovi wrote a song specifically just to describe the point that we have reached today!
To keep you all on your toes, I’m mixing things up in the blog…I shall do the chip count in reverse order!
Kent Lundmark of Red Kings has been throwing his chips around after being down as low as 8k! The Swede’s done alright for himself in level 3 over on table 20, and takes with him 21,200 into the fourth level of the day. Fellow Red Kings player Veli-Pekka Penttinen has also increased his stack nicely, as he takes 29,225 into the second half of the day. “Steady Man Of The Day” award goes to Gala’s Grant Ferguson. The Scot continues to increase his stack and now has 33,075. However, “Man Of The Hour” award goes to Frei Dilling-Kjaer of Eurobet. He has a juicy stack of 35,725. Want to know how he did it? Listen to this…
Under the gun bets to 700 pre-flop. Chris Ferguson raises this to 2,200. Frei thinks a little…and re-raises to 6,500. Under the gun vanishes, and Ferguson moves his remaining 10k into the middle. Frei makes the call, and has some change leftover. The cards are shown some light. “Jesus” shows A♠ K♠ . The Dane shows J♥ J♠ . Frei’s slightly ahead, but the percentage is so small, you’d need the Hubble Space Telescope to see it. To you and me, it’s a coin flip. The Dealer pulls out the cards and flips over the first one before spreading, it’s an A♥ . Frei fears a nightmare moment. The remaining cards are spread …2♥ J♣ . He’s hit a set! The turn and river follow 4♠ … 6♦ . No help for “Jesus” and Frei rakes in the chips and takes the honour of knocking out the owner of 5 WSOP Bracelets!
Great hand! One for the Grandkids!
January 19th, 2009Ramzi’s involved…
Shortly before the break Red Kings player, Ramzi Jelassi got into the action.
With the flop reading K♣ 9♦ 7♣ and only 2 players involved, it’s checked around to the Swede who bets 700. He gets a call. The turn shows an A♥ . Ramzi checks it. His opponent makes a bet of 2,100. The Red Kings player then calls. Out comes the river… J♦ . His opponent then moves all in, and has Ramzi covered. The Swede makes the call and shows J♠ 8♠ for a pair of Jacks. Much to his horror, his opponent flips over Q♣ T♥ for a runner runner straight. Ramzi’s out of the 2009 Aussie Millions.
Speaking to him after, he tells me that he thought the other guy had a busted flush draw. Red Kings lose a man…
January 19th, 2009It’s 32 degrees…
As Melbourne is lavished by sunshine, the temperature creeps up to 32 degrees. However, things are beginning to get even hotter inside.
Gala’s Grant Ferguson has had two great back-to-back solid levels, and now commands a stack just shy of 30k. He tells me about a few hands of mixing it up with Jeff Lisandro resulting in the young Scotsman collecting Lisandro’s chips. He’s very at ease and appears very comfortable with his table. Frei Dilling-Kjaer of Eurobet has 21,775 going into the third level. Asked how the table with Chris Ferguson was playing, Frei responded with a cheeky smile and two words…”pretty loose”. On table 19, Red Kings player Veli-Pekka Penttinen has gleamed his stack count up to 20,950. The quiet Finn is coasting along smoothly. Fellow Red Kings player Kent Lundmark has had a bit of a tumultuous time going from 20k to 24k and has now dropped to 12,325. Back on table 19 Ramzi Jelassi, also of Red Kings has about 12,050 in front of him.
The blinds are now 100/200 with an ante of 25. There’s 184 players left and the average stack is hanging around 22k. Plenty of time for our Partners players to create some magic!
Back to wicked ways…
When I told you all earlier that there was going to be 5 levels of 2 hour blinds…I was wrong! I was fed duff information. Somebody obviously trying to sabotage the blog! It is the normal 6 levels, all being 90 minutes each today.
To make it up to you all, I’ll tell you a few of the “Big Guns” playing today. Russian superstar Ivan Demidov is here. You may recognise him from his 2nd place finish at the recent WSOP, collecting just over a cool $5,8 million. Also here is Fellow Russian and runner-up in the 2008 WSOPE in London, Stanislav Alekhin. The third big Russian gun here is Alexander Kostritsin, last years winner of the Aussie Millions. Rounding up my little wander, I also spotted Annette Obrestad, the youngest ever person to win a WSOP Bracelet, and Aussie Lee Nelson, the 2006 Aussie Millions winner.
The second break of the day looms…
January 19th, 20092 hours in…
Today began with 202 players, 4 of those that started have already gone. With the blinds at a lowly 100/200 there’s plenty of time for some gut-busting cards to come along.
Gala’s Grant Ferguson has come out firing and has a whisper under 26k. Down by table 20, Red Kings player Kent Lundmark is also working away nicely and has around 24k in front of him. Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Red Kings and Eurobet’s Frei Dilling-Kjaer both have in the region of their starting 20k stack. Ramzi Jelassi looks to have been involved a bit and hovers around the 15k mark.
January 19th, 2009Day 1, Flight 2…
So begins Day 2 of the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship. Hope you all slept well, as today is going be another epic day of poker.
The players will start with 20k in chips. There’s 5 levels of 2 hour blinds with the obligatory 15 minute breaks and the much needed, 75 minute dinner break. Let me introduce you to our runners and riders.
Representing Eurobet is Denmarks Frei Dilling-Kjaer on table 24. Here on behalf of Gala is Scotsman Grant Ferguson over on table 33. The three remaining players playing today are all from Red Kings. Veli-Pekka Penttinen of Finland sitting on table 19. Kent Lundmark of Sweden is placed on table 20. The fifth player of todays play, is fellow Swede, Ramzi Jelassi. In the 2008 Aussie Millions Ramzi picked up AUD $40,000 for 25th place. Can he better that position this year?
With the temperature outside approaching 30 degrees, the action inside the Crown poker room promises to be hotter!!
January 18th, 2009And so it ends…
Day 1, Flight 1 of the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship has come to an end. After a long grueling day spanning almost 12 hours, the remaining players are able to relax and think about Day 2 taking place on Wednesday.
As I wandered over to Juoni’s table to see how his 53k stack was fairing against Brian McFadden’s 45k stack, Australian Chris Chronis’ 90k stack and Patrik Anotonius’ mountain of 130k, he had vanished. Was he out? No, surely he must have changed table. Right? Not to be seen anywhere, I was flummoxed. Using my inside poker contact to find out what happened (Brian McFadden) the story unfolds. The Finn makes a tidy bet and Australian Chris Chronis raises back. Juoni thinks a bit and pushes all in. Chronis calls in a flash and the cards face the skies. Juoni shows A♥ K♠ . Chronis wastes no time in flipping over A♦ A♠ . Nightmare situation for the PAF player. He’s less than 6% to take the pot. The dealer sends out the flop… 7♥ 8♣ T♣ . Juoni’s chance are nano sized now. It’s all down to the runner runner scenarios. Runner runner 9 10 for a straight on the board, runner runner Queen Jack for an Ace high straight, or runner runner Kings for trips. A pretty tall order. The turn and river are sent out to the middle of the table 8♠ … 4♠ It’s all over before the river is even seen and PAF’s Juoni Huovila is sent out after being involved in some great poker today.
On a lighter note, JP Hämäläinen and Rodger Delehanty have made it through to Day 2. PAF’s JP takes with him 28,450, while Hollywood Poker’s Rodger takes 18,575.
The day started with 191 players and only 74 made it through to Day 2 with the average stack lying around 50k. In less than 12 hours, Day 1 Flight 2 begins, so get a good nights sleep as tomorrow will be just as long…and promises to have more action!!
January 18th, 2009And then there was…
…still three players left! Haha, tricked you!
Juoni Huovila’s table has been broken and he’s been moved to the other side of the poker room…along with Brian McFadden (who has unbelievably managed to transform his “mini stack” of 1,100 into 45k!). More notably, the cheery Finn has position over another Finnish player. You may have heard of him…Patrik Antonius. Juoni has position over Antonius, but Antonius has a lot of chips. In fact, he has that many chips I actually just guessed it was him behind the stack! If he loses a few chips, I’ll confirm it’s actually him. JP Hämäläinen has about 29k at the moment and doesn’t seem to be getting too much action. Irishman Rodger Delehanty is still toughing it out next to Barney Boatman and has 25k and some change.
Around 40 minutes left of the day…plenty of time for some more drama!
January 18th, 2009The final stretch…
It’s level 6 now, the final level of Day 1 Flight 1 of the 2009 Aussie Millions.
The blinds are now up to 300/600 with antes of 75. There’s only 95 people left giving an average stack of just over 40k.
Juoni Huovila has had a blinder of a level! The Finn has managed to push his stack up to the glorious heights of 53,025! Quite a turn around considering earlier in the day he had less than 5k! Fellow PAF player JP Hämäläinen is still sitting in a great spot with 39,450. Rodger Delehanty of Hollywood Poker starts the level with 28,775.
With the end of the day closing in and each lap now costing the players 1,500 in chips, there’s bound to be some ridiculous raising, outrageous over betting…and of course plenty of pot stealing.
January 18th, 2009Juoni vs McFadden…
The ongoing tussle between PAF’s Juoni Huovila and Brian McFadden continues!
There’s a bit of a “Limp-Fest” over on table 50 with 5 players opting to peek at a cheap flop. The dealer spills out 8♠ J♣ Q♠ . Juoni is first to act and comes out betting 1600. McFadden calls straight behind him. There’s another caller further around the table. Out pops the turn… 2♥ . The Finn then heaves his remaining stack of 16,025 all in. McFadden goes into the tank. What seems like an eternity passes and the Irish singer announces “Call”. The straddler behind folds. The hands are shown some daylight. Juoni shows Q♣ J♠ making top two pair. McFadden show A♣ Q♥ . Just a lonely pair of Queens. McFadden has the Finn covered. Again, Juoni’s tournament life is on the line. All he has to do is dodge one of the remaining three bullets in the deck. The dealer delivers the river…7♣ . Juoni doubles up and McFadden has been left with 1,725 in chips. Jouni now has a very nice stack of 39,250.
January 18th, 2009What’s happening in level 5?…
Well, I have no idea. I’ve spent the last 3 hours in the bar…Ok, that’s another lie!
JP Hämäläinen of PAF has about 43k and some change. Rodger Delehanty is in possession of a 27k, and funnily enough, Barney Boatman has now been moved to the Irishman’s table and holds position over the Hollywood Poker player. Juomi Huovila of PAF has around 17k and is still looking comfortable.
With the blinds now at 200/400 and an ante of 50, there’s 104 players left. Our guys aren’t in any trouble yet, even though the average stack is 36k.
However, action feels imminent…my spider sense is tingling!
January 18th, 2009The break arrives…
The 75 minute break for the players finally arrives.
JP Hämäläinen and Juoni Huovila of PAF are sitting with very workable stacks of around 35k and 27k respectively. HollyWood Poker player, Rodger Delehanty, also has a useful stack of around 28k in front of him.
There’s 111 players left and the average stack is 34,4k. With two levels of blinds left, there’s more action on it’s way after the break!
If you’re quick enough, you have time to make some food and grab a coffee…but be quick though, you don’t want to miss the last action of Day 1 Flight 1 in the 2009 Aussie Millions!
January 18th, 20091 word…4 letters…begins with an “S”…
…yeah, you guessed it…Sick!
The very last hand before the break Scandic Bookmakers Player, Jimmy Rasmussen, gets involved in some action. There’s an early raise to 800 and about 4 callers. Jimmy looks down at his cards to see a couple of “Ladies” winking back at him. He announces all in for his remaining 10k in chips. Tony G calls and everyone else folds. The cards go on their backs and Jimmy’s Q♥ Q♣ is all over Tony G’s T♥ T♠ . The Dane is way ahead. The dealer then shows his evil side as the flop lays a damaging K♥ K♦ T♣ . Jimmy is crushed to see that flop. He pulls his baseball cap from his head and his smile crumbles away. He’s in a bad way. The turn blanks out, leaving Jimmy needing a one of the 2 remaining Queens or 2 remaining Kings to make a higher full house. Can there be a miracle river for the very likable Dane? Simply put…no. The dealer hammers the final nail in the coffin as the river blanks out.
Speaking to Jimmy straight after, he’s obviously disappointed. His brother Danny and myself stand there almost lost for words. As I leave them to it, Jimmy’s smile returns. Even if it was forced…it’s nice to see it back.
January 18th, 2009The dinner break looms…
In about 20 minutes, the players will have a well needed 75 minute break…and I’m sure all the players still involved in the 2009 Aussie Millions are eagerly awaiting it! I’m guessing the queue at the bar will be busier than a train from Bombay to Calcutta!
The blinds are currently 150/300 with an ante of 25. There’s only 120 players left and the average stack is just shy of 32k.
JP Hämäläinen has been involved again in something and now has a very attractive stack of 38k. Rodger Delehanty is also sitting pretty with about 30k. Juoni Huovila is also working away nicely and has about 26k in front of him. Jimmy Rasmussen has about 12k, although after changing tables, he now has something of a ferocious one. Barney Boatman is still alongside him (Jimmy has position on Barney now). A few spots down sits Tony G. In the corner of the table next to Barney Boatman, there sits a player with just over 100k in chips…
…I’m putting my money on Jimmy heading straight to the bar during the dinner break!
January 18th, 2009Level 4 begins…
The players go back to the action now with the beginning of level 4. Here’s how our guys are doing…
…not bad.
Ok, Ok…I’ll give you the chip counts too! PAF’s Juomi Huovila is sitting with 13,5k. Representing Hollywood Poker, Rodger Delehanty has 15,5k in front of him. The stack of Jimmy Rasmussen of Scandic Bookmakers has changed more times than the human brain can keep track of. The Dane is sitting with 8,3k. JP Hämäläinen of PAF has a very useful stack of 27,3k.
Just before the break, JP played a marvelous hand of poker. With the pot around about 2k and the flop showing 5♦ 3♣ 9♣ two spots down in an early position, there’s a bet of 4k. Straight after the bet, there’s a caller. JP’s next to talk and pushes all in for around 17k! There’s a lot of thinking and mumbling going on now. The initial better folds (much to his displeasure). The caller next to JP folds (he’s also not so happy about folding). JP takes down the very healthy pot and shows T♥ T♦. The player that bet the initial 4k suddenly erupts and I can actually see steam coming from his ears. I tremble a little and wait for his chair to be thrown. He folded “Cowboys”. The caller after him is also not in the best of moods, as he also had JP beaten with a higher pair. The table begins to calm down a little. No one is injured…JP collects the 27k pot…and the blogger goes for a lie down!
January 18th, 2009Juoni in the thick of it…
Well, well, well…the chip stacks involving our players has been pitching wildly during the last level of play. One player in particular…
Juomi Huovila of PAF was down below 5k not long ago. With one foot in the grave and the other on a banana skin, he had to be careful. He picked his moment a few hands later. On big blind, he limps into the pot of about 1k. The flop lands 7♣ 3♣ 6♠ . The Finn leads out with a bet of 500. Right behind him, Brian McFadden calls. Everybody else folds. The turn spits out 8♦ . Juoni checks and the Irish singer bets 800. Juoni then pushed all in for 6,025. McFadden tanks. After a minute or so, he makes the call of 5,225. Juoni’s 2009 Aussie Millions is on the line! The Finn shows 5♣ 8♣ . The ex-Westlife singer shows 7♠ J♠ . The PAF player is 90% favourite to take down the pot with his top pair and flush draw. The river comes 2♣ giving the Finn the pot and a little bit of breathing space with it.
January 18th, 2009Lex Meijer is gone?…
As suspected in the previous post, Lex Meijer appears to be out of the 2009 Aussie Millions. More on his elimination as soon as I find out.
The 2nd break has just ended and the players are back into the thick of the action. The blinds are now at 100/200 with an ante of 25, so it’s not too expensive yet. There’s 173 players left from the 191 that started the day.
With the average stack of 22k, Finlands JP Hämäläinen has a nice stack of 24,950. JP tells me that his table is “ok”, although through the last level of blinds he was unable to pick up any hands worth using. Also here representing PAF is Juoni Huovila. He’s sitting behind a stack of 18,800. Speaking to him during the break, he also tells me that he hasn’t seen a tasty hand for a while. Jimmy Rasmussen of Scandic Bookmakers has 10,725. Jimmy tells me that his table is pretty tough. He also mentioned that Barney Boatman has had some juicy hands so far in the form of Aces, Kings, Queens…the list goes on and on. To make matters worse for the Dane, Barney Boatman is also hitting everything. Hollywood Poker player, Rodger Delehanty is fighting away with his stack of 9,250. The Irishman quietly remarks to me that his table isn’t so tough.
Can the 4 remaining players from our partners make something happen before the break for dinner arrives? Only time will tell, so keep hitting that refresh button!
Strewth!…
It’s all happening now!
PAF’s JP Hämäläinen is sitting with 26,2 k. Fellow Finn and PAF player Jouni Huovila, is a touch under 20k. Jimmy Rasmussen, representing Scandic Bookmakers, is struggling away with just over 10k. Barney Boatman is sitting with the big stack on Jimmy’s table and i’m guessing that he’s got some of Jimmy’s chips! Irishman Rodger Delehanty has taken a few hits since the last post and only has about 8k left.
Lex Meijer of Hollywood Poker has vanished! After furiously looking through every table in the poker room, he cannot be found! On his old table 24, there sits a man with over a 40k stack size…
…I fear the worst has happened!
January 18th, 2009Rodger’s getting involved…
Moments ago, Hollywood Poker player, Rodger Delehanty, was just involved there in a pot around the 9k mark.
When I arrived at the table, the flop was already out and the board read Q♠ 8♠ 3♣ . The Irishman, on small blind, comes out betting and is called by Australian Robert Olczyk in seat 4. The dealer splashes out a 5♥ on the turn. Rodger continues his betting to the amount of 2,750. Olczyk calls. The river brings a A♦ and Rodger slows down and checks. Olczyk checks behind him and shows top 2 A♣ Q♥ . The 9k pot gets pushed to the Aussie and the Hollywood Poker player has a stack of just under 15k now.
January 18th, 2009Play resumes…
All our players representing PAF, Hollywood Poker and Scandic Bookmakers are doing well and still going strong.
Jimmy Rasmussen, Lex Meijer and Rodger Delehanty are all sitting with around their starting stack of 20k. JP Hämäläinen has a tidy looking stack in the region of 29k over on table 18. Juoni Huovila who had less than 15k a few minutes before the break, now has just under 21k. He told me that he collected those extra chips from Brian McFadden. A nice little story for around the campfire there!
How are they getting on?…
But first, a confession. When I stated at the beginning of the day, that we had 6 players participating today…it was a lie!! Englishman, Paul Folytn of Scandic Bookmakers, is not actually playing today.I promise there will be no more lies from now on!!
Back to the chip count!!
PAF player JP Hämäläinen has been involved and has bumped his stack up to around 30k! Nice! Danish player Jimmy Rasmussen has around his starting stack still. It’s the same situation for Dutchman, Lex Meijer, who has a shaving over his initial 20k starting stack. Hollywood Poker’s, Rodger Delehanty, is over on table 19 sitting with about his initial starting stack.
However, over on table 50, Juoni’s down to 14,6k. No emergencies yet, as there’s plenty of poker left to be played.
Only a few minutes left until the first break of the day…
January 18th, 2009Early Casualties…
After only 5 minutes, the 2009 Aussie Millions took it’s first casualties. Don’t panic though, it wasn’t any of our boys! They’re going along nicely, with not a whole lot of action happening that involves them so far in the early stages.
Notable tables so far…on table 17 in seat 5, Scandic Bookmakers player Jimmy Rasmussen, has the honour of playing at the same table as the great all round English player, Barney Boatman. Over on table 50 in seat 1, PAF’s Juoni Huovila has the music star from former band Westlife, Brian McFadden holding position over him in seat 2.
Another few “big guns” that are here today worthy of a mention…Alexander Kostritsin (the 2008 Aussie Millions winner), Joe Hachem and Tony G.
The 20k starting stacks will begin fluctuating soon, so don’t go anywhere!
And they’re off!
It’s finally here. The 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship kicks of in less than 30 seconds! No more waiting around for the players, it’s time to mix it up with the big guns…and there’s plenty of them! Yesterday featured the beginning of the AUD $100,000 buy-in No Limit Hold ‘em and was riddled with the big names in poker, such as Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, Tony G…and that’s just naming a few. As promised, keeping my ear to the ground in search of gossip…Jennifer Tilly and “the unabomber”, Phil Laak arrive tomorrow!
Today, we’re following 6 players from our partners, and they are…Paul Foltyn from Scandic Bookmakers, who won the £3,000 GUKPT No Limit Hold’em Main Event less than 2 months ago. Also from Scandic Bookmakers is Jimmy Rasmussen. For those of you who think this rings a bell in your memory. Jimmy is the brother of Danny Rasmussen that we followed at the EPT Budapest. Poker must run in the family! Representing Hollywood Poker, we have Lex Meijer. Lex is no stranger to live poker events as he’s previously played the EPT Prague and WSOP events. Also from Hollywood Poker is Irishman, Rodger Delehanty. The final 2 players participating today are from PAF. JP Hämäläinen and Juoni Huovila. JP seems to be known to every Finnish person I’ve met so far in Melbourne. I met Juoni last night, and the Finnish builder informs me that he’s pretty excited about the event!
It’s destined to have a slow beginning with each player being given a 20k stack. There’s going to be 8 levels of blinds and a stop for lunch after the 4th level.
…you don’t want to go anywhere!
January 16th, 2009G’Day Cobbers!…
After the long arduous journey to the other side of the world, your blogger has made it to Melbourne for the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship!
The life of luxury can change a man. For the 15 players here representing our partners, luxury they will have! The Crown Promenade Hotel is a mere stones throw from the Yarra river, and an even shorter throw to the Crown Casino Complex.
Making sure everything in the hotel is up to standards for the players, you’re blogger forced himself to experience the 25 metre heated indoor swimming pool earlier this afternoon. He also tested the sauna, steam room and of course, the bar. They passed all the tests that were set and I’m sure the players will thoroughly enjoy their stay here over the next 10 days.
The mammoth Crown Casino, is just that…Mammoth! The casino floor stretches farther than the human eye can see. However, on the floor beneath the casino, the real action happens. The Crown’s poker room is almost inexplicable. With a room equal to the size of Australia’s Outback, it must possess enough space for what seems like a million poker tables. For any poker enthusiast, it’s heaven in a card room. When I walked through there recently, there must have been close to a thousand people jostling around. Amongst those thousand people, I managed to spot 5 time WSOP Bracelet winner, Scotty Nguyen. Another early sign that the quality of poker on show this week will be of the highest standard.
There’s less than 36 hours until the first cards hit the felt at the 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event!
That leaves me with just enough time to test all those facilities again…you know, just to make sure…
“He went to a land Down Under”
Only 2 days left until your blogger packs his suntan lotion, shorts and flip flops for the trip to the other side of the world to report on all the action from the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship!
I know, I know…it’s a hard life for your blogger and I’m sure you all feel his pain! But do not fear, I will leave no table action uncovered…no bad beats unreported…and no inside poker gossip left out!
With a guaranteed first place prize of AUD $2 million and over 800 players predicted, there will be an abundance of action! You really don’t want to miss the biggest poker event in the Southern Hemisphere. More importantly…you don’t want to miss your blogger telling you how his tan is coming along!!
