$10,600 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2014 Aussie Millions
$10,600 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 Aussie Millions
Buy-in
10,000 AUD
Prize Pool
6,680,000 AUD
Entries
668
Level
31
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
0
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 7
: 300/600, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
205,400 | |
|
190,500 | |
|
184,300 | |
|
145,500
112,050
|
112,050 |
|
130,700 | |
|
125,900
100
|
100 |
|
124,300
14,300
|
14,300 |
|
|
116,100
54,100
|
54,100 |
|
110,400 | |
|
106,700
-18,300
|
-18,300 |
|
|
99,200 | |
|
96,700 | |
|
96,300 | |
|
94,500 | |
|
|
94,500 | |
|
84,200 | |
|
|
82,500 | |
|
|
81,300 | |
|
|
80,400 | |
|
79,800
27,800
|
27,800 |
|
79,500
9,500
|
9,500 |
|
|
77,900 | |
|
77,300
4,300
|
4,300 |
|
75,900 | |
|
74,300
-18,700
|
-18,700 |
Level 7
: 300/600, 100 ante
The 2014 Aussie Millions Main Event kicked off on Sunday as 175 players turned out for the first of three starting flights. After a long day of play – one that lasted seven 90-minute levels – the field was whittled down to 86 players with David Malka and his stack of 205,400 leading the way.
Most of poker’s biggest names are in Melbourne for the Aussie Millions, but many of them opted to play the $25,000 Challenge on Sunday. Even so, a few notables took their shot on Day 1a and it didn’t take long for action to heat up.
In Level 4 (150/300/25), Jordan "JWPRODIGY" Westmorland, an American who relocated to Thailand to play online and grind live tournaments in the Asia-Pacific region, was eliminated from the tournament. It happened when action folded to Westmorland in the hijack and he shoved his last 3,750. Naoya Kihara of PokerStars Team Online made the call from the cutoff and the rest of the field folded.
Westmorland: 
Kihara: 
It was a bad spot for Westmorland, and according to the PokerNews Odds Calculator he had just an 11.68% chance of winning the hand while Kihara would score the knockout 85.57% of the time. The 
flop made things interesting as Westmorland's open-ended straight draw saw his chances of survival jump to 42.42%.
The 
turn was a blank, and that meant Kihara was a 3-1 favorite headed to the river. The dealer burned one last time and put out the 
. "Good luck," Westmorland said before making a hasty exit from the tournament floor.
Westmorland made an early exit from the tournament, but he had company on the rail in the form of 2013 World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players' Champion Matthew Ashton and 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event winner Oliver Speidel.
Ashton was eliminated after Liv Boeree opened for a raise, a player on her left called, and Ashton put in a three-bet. Boeree folded, the other player put in a large four-bet, and Ashton moved all in. The player then tanked for a bit before calling with 
, which clearly crushed Ashton's 
. The slowroll was a bitter pill to swallow on what would be Ashton’s last hand.
As for Speidel, who talked to PokerNews earlier in the day, his end came in Level 4 courtesy of Full Tilt Poker Ambassador Tom Grigg.
His final hand came when Grigg opened under the gun and another player flatted. Speidel opted to jam for 2,800, Grigg isolated with a four-bet, and the flatter folded. Speidel tabled 
and found himself in dire straits against Grigg's 
. The board ran out clean and that was all she wrote for Speidel.
While many players failed to survive Day 1a, a bunch of notables managed to punch their ticket to Day 2 including Antonio Fazzolari (190,500), Edison Nguyen (133,900), Guillaume Rivet (125,000), Jake Balsiger (110,400), Tom Grigg (110,000), Casey Kastle (93,000), and last year’s runner-up Joseph Cabret (75,900).
Day 1b is set to kick off at 12:30 local time. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand to bring you all the action and eliminations from the floor of the Crown Poker Room, so be sure to join us then. Until then, good night from Melbourne!
Level 7
: 300/600, 100 ante
The clock is paused at 10:00, and the remaining players will play five more hands.
Level 7
: 300/600, 100 ante
It's been a rough day for Igor Kurganov. He was the defending champ in the $25,000 Challenge, but he fired two bullets in that event before jumping into the Main. Unfortunately for him, his luck didn't change.
In a recent hand, Brendan Hurtig opened for 1,400 from the hijack, the mall blind called, and Kurganov came along from the big. Two checks on the 
flop saw Hurtig bet 1,600, the small blind folded, and Kurganov sprung to life with an all-in check-raise to 11,600. Hurtig snap-called and the cards were turned up.
Kurganov: 
Hurtig: 
"Hearts," Kurganov said in reference to his backdoor flush draw. "Believe in the hearts." Kurganov seemed optimistic, but his heart hopes died when the 
blanked on the turn. Kurganov waited patiently to see if his open-ended straight draw would come in, but it did not as the peeled off on the river.
"At least I got a free water," Kurganov joked before grabbing his things (which included a bottle of water) and exiting the tournament floor.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 7
: 300/600, 100 ante
Australian Poker Hall of Famer Gary Benson has been eliminated with unknown action. Benson, a World Series of Poker bracelet winner, was last seen with just under seven big blinds.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 7
: 300/600, 100 ante
Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree raised to 1,300 from early position, and her only customer was the player in the big blind. The flop fell 
, and the big blind bet 1,600. Boeree called.
The turn was the 
, and the big blind bet 2,000. Boeree called again.
The river was the , and the big blind checked. Boeree checked behind.
The big blind showed the 
for two pair, kings and jacks, and Boeree mucked her hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
49,000
-33,000
|
-33,000 |
|
||
Level 7
: 300/600, 100 ante
Table 50 is tucked away in the back of the room underneath the big screen, which is a shame considering all the action that's taken place there here in Level 7. First, 2007 World Series of Poker third-place finisher Raymond Rahme was eliminated from the table, and then Antonio Fazzolari, who is sitting on a massive stack, was moved over there.
Not long after, we happened upon a pot with around 30,000 in the middle and a flop of 
. The small blind fired 14,000 and Lily Kiletto looked him up from the button. After the dealer burned and turned the 
, the small blind bet 22,000 and left himself 10,000 or so behind.
Kiletto hit the tank for nearly four minutes agonizing over what to do. "I know I should lay this down," she said. Still, she thought for another minute. Eventually she found the strength to follow her gut and she conceded the hand. The small blind sent his cards to the dealer unseen.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
153,000
153,000
|
153,000 |
|
80,000
-35,000
|
-35,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 7
: 300/600, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
93,000
16,000
|
16,000 |
|
|
82,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
|
||
|
80,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
4,000
-43,000
|
-43,000 |
|
|
||
Level 7
: 300/600, 100 ante
Aussie Jackie Glazier was all in and at risk preflop holding against an opponent with 
. The 
flop gave Glazier four extra outs to make broadway and three extra outs to counterfeit the small pair. The turn was a brick, leaving Glazier one card away from elimination, but fortunately for her a completed the board.
The very next hand the player with was eliminated by Guillaume Rivet. Rivet's 
dominated the player's 
, and the board came 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
125,000
27,000
|
27,000 |
|
23,000
11,000
|
11,000 |
|
|
||