Aussie Millions Highlights
Day 7 Completed
2020 Aussie Millions
Aussie Millions Highlights
Day: 7
A stunning display of heads-up poker helped Freek Scholten to victory in Event #4: No-Limit Hold'em Mix Max here at the 2020 Aussie Millions.
The event attracted 342 players with just 35 advancing to the final day. With eight left, the tournament was redrawn into four heads-up matches depending on chip stacks. At that point, Scholten was the short-stack and was drawn against chip leader Karim Kamal who held almost a 6:1 chip lead over the Dutchman.
However, Scholten turned the tables to eliminate Kamal, and would go on to defeat Xiaqing Ji and then Nino Ullmann heads-up to win A$86,575.
Event #4: No Limit Hold'em Mix Max Results
| Place | Player | Payout (AUD) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freek Scholten | $86,575 | $59,737 |
| 2 | Nino Ullmann | $56,955 | $39,299 |
| 3 | Xiaqing Ji | $28,500 | $19,665 |
| 4 | Jaxon Byrne | $28,500 | $19,665 |
| 5 | Nauvneel Kashyap | $11,850 | $8,177 |
| 6 | Karim Kamal | $11,850 | $8,177 |
| 7 | Keiron Laifoo | $11,850 | $8,177 |
| 8 | Justin Capra | $11,850 | $8,177 |
Winner's Reaction
After wrapping up the victory, Scholten told PokerNews that it was an "amazing feeling" to win his maiden ANTON Jewellery Championship ring.
"It's an amazing feeling. I mean, winning tournaments is such a good feeling, but especially when it's live with a special prize like a ring added. It's a good feeling."
Now living in Vienna, Scholten excelled at full ring, 6-max and heads-up poker to close out victory, battling back from a heavy chip deficit in the quarter final. Despite his strong showing in that portion of the tournament, he denied being a heads-up specialist.
"I wouldn't call myself a specialist in heads-up, I'm mostly just a tournament player. I feel like I had an edge on most players that were left, but with a 6:1 deficit to make up, there's some luck involved. We were flipping on the fourth hand and I could have busted in eighth place, but after I won that one the stacks were more even and it was more like a level playing field."
Approaching the heads-up portion of the tournament, Scholten said he was all to aware of the implications should he be the short stack with eight players remaining.
"You know if you're going to be in eighth place you're going to have to battle the chip leader, so you don't want to be there! But in this case the jump from ninth to eighth was quite big, so there was no room to gamble to get into eighth place.
"You just play things hand by hand. I wasn't happy that I was eighth against the big stack, but you can only hope to win!"
Final Day Action
The eliminations came thick and fast to start the final day, with the six-max format boosting the action at all tables. Players eliminated in the money included Sven McDermott (34th - A$2,800), Pierce McKellar (30th - A$3,150), Dylan Wilkerson (25th - A$3,150),Gautam Dhingra (23rd - A$3,500), Marc Macdonnell (17th - A$4,030) and Aymon Hata (13th - A$4,030)
Start-of-day chip leader Benny Glaser was eliminated one place short of heads-up after running jacks into tens to bust in ninth for A$7,010.
Quarter-Final Heads-up Matches
| Match | Player (Seed) | Chip Count | Player (Seed) | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karim Kamal (1) | 863,000 | Freek Scholten (8) | 148,000 |
| 2 | Nauvneel Kashyap (2) | 581,000 | Nino Ullmann (7) | 215,000 |
| 3 | Jaxon Byrne (3) | 512,000 | Justin Capra (6) | 346,000 |
| 4 | Xiaqing Ji (4) | 381,000 | Keiron Laifoo (5) | 380,000 |
The story of the quarter-finals was the two short stacks who eliminated the two big stacks in the shame of Karim Kamal and Nauvneel Kashyap. Kashyap was the final player to bust at the quarter-final stage, with all players eliminated at this stage taking home A$11,850.
Semi-Final Heads-up Matches
| Match | Player (Seed) | Chip Count | Player (Seed) | Chip Count |
| 1 | Freek Scholten (1) | 1,000,000 | Xiaqing Ji (4) | 761,000 |
| 2 | Jaxon Byrne (2) | 858,000 | Nino Ullmann (3) | 796,000 |
Scholten's reward for his upset was a chip lead against Xiaqing Ji who had emerged from a quarter-final match with just 1,000 chips between the two players at the start of play. Meanwhile, Ullmann again came in as the short stack but managed to eliminate opponent Jaxon Byrne before Scholten sent Ji to the rail with both players taking home A$28,500.
Final Heads-up Match
| Match | Player(Seed) | Chip Count | Player(Seed) | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freek Scholten (1) | 1,770,000 | Nino Ullmann | 1,650,000 |
Again with the lead, Scholten looked in control for large portions of the heads-up match. On the final hand, Ullmann check-raised the turn on a board with two kings and shoved the river. Scholten called with a king for trips, picking off a bluff from Ullmann who missed a gutshot.
The German takes home A$56,955 for his runner-up finish as Scholten became the second Dutch player in three years to win the Mix Max after Bas de Laat's victory in 2018.
A dominant final table performance from Matthew Edwards in Event #3: A$1,150 Pot Limit Omaha saw him crowned the winner, topping a field of 349 entries to win A$83,185.
At the 2019 Aussie Millions, Edwards finished third in the Opening Event for A$195,000 after a three-handed deal, but turned his attention to the four-card variant over the last few days, reaping the rewards as he swept aside a final table that featured bracelet-winner and former ANZPT Main Event winner Martin Kozlov.
Event #3: A$1,150 Pot Limit Omaha Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout (AUD) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Edwards | $83,185 | $57,398 |
| 2 | Matthew Sheils | $52,765 | $36,408 |
| 3 | Claudio Celenza | $33,090 | $22,832 |
| 4 | Sherif Derias | $25,935 | $17,895 |
| 5 | Ryan Hong | $18,780 | $12,958 |
| 6 | Quan Zhou | $15,205 | $10,491 |
| 7 | Martin Kozlov | $11,985 | $8,270 |
| 8 | Mick Franky | $10,195 | $7,035 |
| 9 | Michele Guzzardi | $8,405 | $5,799 |
Final Day Action
With 15 players at the start of the day, just six needed to be eliminated before the final table was reached. Short stacks Chi Truong and Elias Harala would head to the exit, as well as Australian Poker Hall of Famer Mel Judah.
Roman Valerstein was a surprise exit short of the final nine. After coming into the day third in chips, he was eliminated as Matthew Edwards closed the gap on start-of-day chip leader Claudio Celenza. By the time the final table was reached, both players sat on over 700,000, more than 300,000 chips clear of the nearest competitor.
Final Table Draw
| Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Kozlov | 338,000 |
| 2 | Quan Zhou | 408,000 |
| 3 | Matthew Sheils | 146,000 |
| 4 | Claudio Celenza | 754,000 |
| 5 | Ryan Hong | 301,000 |
| 6 | Michele Guzzardi | 262,000 |
| 7 | Sherif Derias | 407,000 |
| 8 | Mick Franky | 172,000 |
| 9 | Matthew Edwards | 710,000 |
Edwards quickly went to work, working his big stack to great effect, chipping up to over a million in chips as Michele Guzzardi and Mick Franky would bust in ninth and eighth place respectively.
Martin Kozlov was looking for his first Aussie Millions ring after runner-up finishes in both 2011 and 2012, but he would exit in seventh for his seventh career Aussie Millions cash.
After Quan Zhou bust in sixth, Edwards was up to over 1.6 million in chips. Behind him came Celenza with just under a million, with the remaining three players all under 400,000.
Ryan Hong would bust next as Edwards padded his chip stack even more, with now with more chips than the other three players combined. Sherif Derias bust next, with start-of-day chip leader Celenza not far behind him.
That left Matthew Sheils, the player who had started the final table as the shortest stack as the last player able to stop the Edwards juggernaut. It was not to be. All in all it took Edwards five hours to go from starting the final table to becoming the latest winner of an ANTON Jewellery Aussie Millions Championship ring.
The first High Roller Challenge of the 2020 Aussie Millions is just a few days away, as the poker community gears up for some of the most prestigious five- and six-figure buy-in tournaments of the year.
In anticipation of his year's tournaments, PokerNews takes a look back at the Challenge winners from the 2019 Aussie Millions.
Anton Morgenstern Wins A$25,000 Pot Limit Omaha ($530,640)
It was a spectacular come-from-behind win for Anton Morgenstern in the A$25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Challenge after defeating Farid Jattin heads-up.
Jattin held more than two thirds of the chips in play heads-up, with the Colombian starting with a 4:1 chip leader. However, two doubles for the German saw him battle back to secure victory in the first Challenge Event of the 2019 Aussie Millions.
"I went into the heads-up match honestly expecting to just get second," said Morgensterna fter his victory. "But sometimes the cards just come your way and you fight back.
"When we finally got even in chips he was asking for a deal, and I declined...and flopped a full house the next hand!"
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anton Morgenstern | Germany | $530,640 | $382,061 |
| 2 | Farid Jattin | Colombia | $337,680 | $243,130 |
| 3 | Tobias Ziegler | Germany | $225,120 | $162,086 |
| 4 | Daniel Demicki | Bulgaria | $176,880 | $127,354 |
| 5 | Jarryd Godena | Australia | $128,640 | $92,621 |
| 6 | Max Lehmanski | Germany | $112,560 | $81,043 |
| 7 | Alex Foxen | United States | $96,480 | $69,466 |
Rainer Kempe Wins A$25,000 Challenge (A$826,465*)
Good things come to those who wait, and the poker community was waiting until shortly before 4 a.m. local time for Rainer Kempe to clinch victory in the A$25,000 Challenge.
He chopped heads-up with 2018 Aussie Millions Main Event winner Toby Lewis to win his first ANTON Jewellery Championship ring, four years after a runner-up finish in the 2015 Aussie Millions Accumulator.
"It's really cool," remarked Kempe shortly after his win. "I was kind of close to winning an Aussie Millions ring in one of my first live deep runs so it's nice to close this one out, so that's awesome.
A$25,000 Challenge Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rainer Kempe | Germany | $826,465* | $595,055* |
| 2 | Toby Lewis | United Kingdom | $786,214* | $566,074* |
| 3 | Chino Rheem | United States | $416,760 | $300,067 |
| 4 | Guillaume Nolet | Canada | $308,040 | $221,789 |
| 5 | Gautam Dhingra | Australia | $217,440 | $156,557 |
| 6 | Luke Marsh | United Kingdom | $154,020 | $110,894 |
| 7 | Jack Salter | United Kingdom | $117,780 | $84,802 |
*denotes heads-up deal
Toby Lewis Wins A$50,000 Challenge (A$818,054*)
Toby Lewis ensured that his 2018 Aussie Millions Main Event win was no fluke, after taking down the A$50,000 Challenge after a heads-up deal with Manig Loeser, topping a record field of 62 players.
The victory was made all the sweeter for Lewis who, just a few days before this result, finished second in the A$25,000 Challenge to Rainer Kempe.
"I’m just very fortunate," Lewis told PokerNews after securing victory. "I didn’t even intend on playing it, I was so tired after the AU$25,000 Challenge.
"But it looked like such a good event, it got so much more players than last year so kinda felt the need to jump in and the guys were willing me in so I just went for it."
A$50,000 Challenge Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (AUD) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Toby Lewis | United Kingdom | $818,054* | $588,999* |
| 2nd | Manig Loeser | Germany | $772,246* | $556,017* |
| 3rd | Thomas Muehloecker | Austria | $412,300 | $296,856 |
| 4th | Dominik Nitsche | Germany | $323,950 | $233,244 |
| 5th | Bjorn Li | Hong Kong | $235,600 | $169,632 |
| 6th | Tobias Ziegler | Germany | $206,150 | $148,428 |
| 7th | Michael Zhang | United Kingdom | $176,700 | $127,224 |
*denotes heads-up deal
Cary Katz Wins A$100,000 Challenge (A$1,481,760)
The A$100,000 Challenge was first held in 2006 and has a rich and storied history, with notable winners including John Juanda, Howard Lederer, Dan Shak, Sam Trickett and Andrew Robl over its 14-year history.
The largest buy-in event of the 2019 Aussie Millions attracted 42 players, the third-highest attendance in the event over its 14-year history, trailing only 2014 and 2015 with 76 and 70 entrants respectively.
In the end, it was Cary Katz who defeated Johannes Becker heads-up to scoop the A$1,481,760 first prize and ANTON Jewellery Championship ring.
Not only was this Katz's first victory on Australian shores, it was his first ever cash, and one that left him feeling "pretty amazing."
"I got remarkably lucky," Katz told PokerNews at the time "So I'm very grateful.
"I think the Aussie Millions is an amazing event and the turnout is going to be even better next year!"
A$100,000 Challenge Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (AUD) | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Cary Katz | United States | $1,481,760 | $1,066,867 |
| 2nd | Johannes Becker | Germany | $946,680 | $681,610 |
| 3rd | Abraham Passet | Germany | $617,400 | $444,528 |
| 4th | Rainer Kempe | Germany | $452,760 | $325,987 |
| 5th | Jack Salter | United Kingdom | $329,280 | $237,082 |
| 6th | Kristen Bicknell | Canada | $288,120 | $207,446 |
Mel Judah will get the chance to win his fourth Aussie Millions ring today with just 15 players remaining in Event #3: A$1,150 Pot Limit Omaha.
Judah, who has won two WSOP bracelets and made the final table of the 1997 WSOP Main Event the year that Stu Ungar won, last won an ANTON Jewellery Championship ring back in 2013, and the 72-year-old's US$3.6m in lifetime earnings is good enough for ninth in the Australian all-time money list.
Mel Judah Aussie Millions Titles
| Year | Event | Payout (AUD) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | A$1,100 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo | A$30,600 | US$21,737 |
| 2010 | A$1,100 Team Event | A$30,520 | US$28,169 |
| 2013 | A$2,500 H.OR.S.E | A$25,000 | US$26,392 |
Judah will not have an easy time, as he sits in the middle of the pack after bagging 146,000, with chip leader Claudio Celenza has almost five times that much with 690,000 in chips. Celenza has a modest poker resume, with a number of cashes in both Germany and the Czech Republic, but will be looking to make a statement after bagging almost 200,000 chips more than his nearest rival Matthew Edwards (499,000), and well clear of Roman Valerstein and Sherif Derias (both 381,000).
A$1,150 Pot Limit Omaha Final Day Seating Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | Roman Valerstein | 381,000 |
| 8 | 2 | Mick Franky | 115,000 |
| 8 | 3 | Sherif Derias | 381,000 |
| 8 | 4 | Matthew Sheils | 140,000 |
| 8 | 5 | Elias Harala | 89,000 |
| 8 | 6 | Mel Judah | 146,000 |
| 8 | 7 | Ryan Hong | 343,000 |
| 8 | 8 | Matthew Edwards | 499,000 |
| 10 | 1 | Matalia Rozova | 70,000 |
| 10 | 2 | Michele Guzzardi | 332,000 |
| 10 | 3 | Chi Truong | 85,000 |
| 10 | 4 | Martin Kozlov | 166,000 |
| 10 | 6 | Quan Zhou | 326,000 |
| 10 | 7 | Brian Mallon | 123,000 |
| 10 | 8 | Claudio Celenza | 690,000 |
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Payout (AUD) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $83,185 | $57,398 |
| 2 | $52,765 | $36,408 |
| 3 | $33,090 | $22,832 |
| 4 | $25,935 | $17,895 |
| 5 | $18,780 | $12,958 |
| 6 | $15,205 | $10,491 |
| 7 | $11,985 | $8,270 |
| 8 | $10,195 | $7,035 |
| 9 | $8,405 | $5,799 |
| 10 | $6,795 | $4,689 |
| 11-12 | $5,725 | $3,950 |
| 13-15 | $4,650 | $3,209 |
From a starting field of 342 players, just 35 remain in Event #4: No-Limit Hold'em Mix Max all guaranteed A$2,800.
Yesterday the tournament played down to the money, and today they will play to a winner, with the victorious player walking away with A$86,575 and the ANTON Jewellery Championship Ring.
Leading the way is three-time WSOP bracelet winner Benny Glaser, who recently eclipsed the $2 million mark for lifetime earnings.
Glaser has never finished lower than ninth at the Aussie Millions, and will be looking to keep that streak alive after bagging 244,000. He leads from Marc Macdonnell (203,000), Mark Dixon (196,600) and Prakash Valji (177,900)
Mix Max Final Day Seating Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 1 | Sven McDermott | 11,800 |
| 34 | 2 | Soren Vohrs | 150,400 |
| 34 | 3 | Kyrillos Gerges | 89,700 |
| 34 | 4 | En-Ching Wu | 46,400 |
| 34 | 5 | Kangjie Liang | 42,000 |
| 34 | 6 | Tatjana Zizic | 54,200 |
| 35 | 1 | Luke Martinelli | 148,300 |
| 35 | 2 | Keiron Laifoo | 83,400 |
| 35 | 3 | Jaxon Byrne | 141,300 |
| 35 | 4 | Paul Altis | 50,700 |
| 35 | 5 | Piere McKellar | 44,100 |
| 35 | 6 | Hari Varma | 27,700 |
| 36 | 1 | Michael Russell | 33,400 |
| 36 | 2 | Kenji Hata | 68,600 |
| 36 | 3 | Freek Scholten | 58,500 |
| 36 | 4 | Mark Dixon | 196,600 |
| 36 | 5 | Benny Glaser | 244,000 |
| 36 | 6 | Michael Rattigan | 148,000 |
| 37 | 1 | Nino Ullmann | 149,100 |
| 37 | 2 | Mark Vos | 43,600 |
| 37 | 3 | Marc Macdonnell | 203,000 |
| 37 | 4 | Jim Giannoukos | 98,800 |
| 37 | 5 | Ivan Sergeyev | 80,500 |
| 37 | 6 | Adrian Stone | 156,200 |
| 38 | 1 | Dylan Wilkerson | 99,500 |
| 38 | 2 | Karim Kamal | 37,800 |
| 38 | 3 | Luis Arrilucea | 10,300 |
| 38 | 4 | Prakash Valji | 177,900 |
| 38 | 5 | Justin Capra | 113,700 |
| 38 | 6 | Nauvneel Kashyap | 111,000 |
| 39 | 1 | Stephen Moreschi | 141,900 |
| 39 | 2 | Daniel Galea | 171,700 |
| 39 | 4 | Gautam Dhingra | 65,000 |
| 39 | 5 | Xiaqing Ji | 49,200 |
| 39 | 6 | Yosuke Sekiya | 82,900 |
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Payout (AUD) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $86,575 | $59,737 |
| 2 | $56,955 | $39,299 |
| 3-4 | $28,500 | $19,665 |
| 5-8 | $11,850 | $8,177 |
| 9-10 | $7,010 | $4,837 |
| 11-12 | $5,260 | $3,629 |
| 13-18 | $4,030 | $2,781 |
| 19-24 | $3,500 | $2,415 |
| 25-30 | $3,150 | $2,174 |
| 31-35 | $2,800 | $1,932 |
Not one, but two events will see winner's crowned at the 2020 Aussie millions today, as both the A$1,150 Pot Limit Omaha and Mix Max events reach a conclusion.
Here is the schedule for the day:
| Day | Event | Time | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th January | NLHE Six Max | 12:10pm | A$1,150 |
| Pot Limit Omaha | 1:00pm | Final Day | |
| Mix Max | 1:00pm | Final Day |
No-Limit Hold'em Six Max
Last year, Bart Lybaert topped a field of 542 players to win his first Aussie Millions ANTON Jewellery Championship ring. Despite coming into heads-up against Travis Endersby at a 3:1 chip disadvantage, Lybaert battled back to secure the victory and six-figure payday that came with it.
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (AUD) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bart Lybaert | Belgium | $124,355 | $89,536 |
| 2 | Travis Endersby | Australia | $82,695 | $59,540 |
| 3 | Ong Dingxiang | Singapore | $48,905 | $35,212 |
| 4 | Ta-Wei Tou | Taiwan | $36,080 | $25,978 |
| 5 | Gautam Dhingra | Australia | $24,930 | $17,950 |
| 6 | Michel Bouskila | Australia | $17,960 | $12,931 |
| 7 | Ali Ghezelbash | Australia | $12,385 | $8,917 |
Today, players will each receive 10,000 chips and levels will be 40 minutes long. Players are allowed one re-entry each. The plan for the day is to play 18 levels or until a final table is reached, whichever comes first.
Levels will increase to 60 minutes in length once the final table is reached.
Aussie Millions Highlights
Day 7 Started