News & Views
Aussie Millions 2007
WOW, what a week! After 5 days of full steam poker in Melbourne I was placed 5th out of a field of 747 players and collected prize money amounting to a satisfying 400,000A$.
During the event I played against big names like 2005 WSOP champion Joe Hachem, bracelet winner David "The Dragon" Pham, 2006 WSOP runner-up Paul Wasicka, top Irish pro Andy Black, the 100,000 A$ event champion Eric Lindgren and the eventual Aussie Millions champion Gus Hansen. Playing against (or better put, with) Gus Hansen was especially enjoyable. I had first seen him during the 2006 WSOP (when I qualified via the Betfair rake-competition), when he was playing 4000$/8000$ cash game in the Bellagio. My next encounter with him, closer this time, was when he played in the Betfair Asian Poker Tour in Singapore (where I finished 7th in a field of 313) on the table next to mine. And just 2 months later, I was facing him on the final table of one of the most important poker tournaments worldwide! For me it was a dream come true and an unforgettable experience.
The route to the final table of this event was not without obstacles and though I managed it I also suffered probably the worst bad beat of the whole tournament! My red aces lost after a preflop all in to (would you believe it?) black aces after the turncard gave my opponent the flush in a huge 215,000 pot, when the average stack at this time was only 125,000. That was a hand I will never forget and that hopefully I will not be on the losing end of again anytime soon. :)
At the end I was eliminated in 5th place when I raised with A9o on the cutoff against Jimmy Frickes big blind and he re-raised me all in with KJo. I made the perfect call after a few moments of contemplation but this was not rewarded when he hit the J on the river. But that’s poker. What you gonna do?!
Overall the atmosphere in Australia was just great. The Australians are a really crazy lot and I made many new friends who were playing on or talking near the tables. For example, on the first day of the tournament, I was invited to the following day's races by a player on my table. Also, as I progressed further in the tournament, several players eliminated from my table earlier in the tourney became my supporters and joined the Betfair crowd in cheering for me during my stint at the final table stint. That was just great!
Poker aside it was also very interesting watching the Australian Open as tickets were included in the Betfair Poker package I had won. It was a very welcome break from playing poker all day long. The accommodation in the Crown Towers was just unbelievable and I can hardly imagine there being a better hotel any where on the planet. Poker, tennis and showbiz celebrities were continually spotted in every corner of the Crown. And who knows, maybe the best wishes of Shannon Elisabeth during a shared elevator ride were the key to my success in the poker tournament? :)
With the Betfair Poker Threedom Pass I won having reached the final table I am looking forward to returning to the Aussie Millions in the next couple of years and hopefully I will manage to repeat (or better) my success down under?!
