Andy Chan opened in late position and got three-bet to 1,500 by the small blind before Ludovic Geilich cold-called in the big. Chan fired in 4,925 and both players called, Geilich after some tanking. The flop came and Chan bet 4,500 when checked to. The small blind put in 11,000 or so, Geilich folded, and Chan called off his last 5,000.
Chan:
Small blind:
Chan held on the turn and river.
The next hand, Chan won some bonus chips after flatting an early open and seeing flop. The opener check-called 650 and then 800 more on the turn before giving up to a 2,000 bet on the river.
At the same table, we noted Mark Vos, one of the most prominent Aussie players from the boom years, with a stack of around 20,000.
On the three-way turn of , Russell Thomas bet 2,000 into two opponents and picked up one call. The fell on the river to complete a possible back door flush and Thomas slowed down with a check. He immediately faced a bet worth 4,000 and tried some table chat to get any information before giving up the pot.
Chance Kornuth got in a raising war with Dan Barry preflop after making it 1,700 on a three-bet out of the small blind. Barry came back with 5,550 and Kornuth jammed for about 15,000. Barry called with and that was bad news for the former $25K Challenge winner, who had . The board brought no salvation and he bowed out.
Ari Engel Wins the 2016 Aussie Millions Main Event
Two years ago Ari Engel took down the Aussie Millions Main Event for $1.6m, defeating Tony Dunst heads-up to win the title. Last year he was back as defending champion, but this year he's back again and joining the ranks of former champions.
"It's nice to be back," said Engel. "No matter what happens I'll always have positive memories here. I have a strong record [of cashing] here so it's great. I'm running good; won a flip. Things are great."
Engel is right to say that he runs well here in Melbourne, with five final tables and a win from seven cashes.
"It's interesting! I'm not sure if it's a coincidence when things like that happen. Some places you tend to run better than others. Hopefully, this is a place where I can continue to run well."
We asked Engel why he thinks so many international players like himself head Down Under each year to the Aussie Millions.
"There aren't as many big Main Events like this anymore; with so many satellites running and qualifiers. Also, I mean everyone loves Melbourne as a city; it's great. It's the right time of year. It's great that poker players from all over the world like to keep coming back here."
After a raise by the player in under the gun for 800, Jan Suchanek called in the small blind and Kevin MacPhee also came along from the big blind. The flop fell and the action checked to the initial raiser, who continued for 1,000. Only Suchanek called to see the on the turn and a bet of 3,000 by Suchanek followed, as did the call by the initial raiser.
Suchanek shoved the river for effectively 16,000, as that's what his opponent had left, and a quick call followed. Suchanek turned over the for a flush and his opponent mucked before leaving the table.
Besides the Kiwi, Artur Koren and Martin Finger also gave a decent stack on that table, while Tsugunari Toma was moved over to compensate for the short-handed table.
With more than $1.5 million in cashes, Jason Gray is one of the most well-known players on Australian soil and also belongs to the Poker Hall of Fame in Down Under as well.
Gray sat down when the last level had just finished and took a seat right next to Raiden Kan.
After an early open to 750 and a three-bet to 2,000 from the next player, Benny Glaser popped it to 4,800 in the cutoff. That convinced both players to fold and he dragged the pot without a fight.
At a nearby table, another four-bet pot developed when Taylor Black opened on the button and got three-bet to 2,200 by the big blind. Black made it 6,200 and that convinced the big blind to give it up.
and Chan bet 4,500 when checked to. The small blind put in 11,000 or so, Geilich folded, and Chan called off his last 5,000.
turn and 
river.
flop. The opener check-called 650 and then 800 more on the 
turn before giving up to a 2,000 bet on the 
river.
, Russell Thomas bet 2,000 into two opponents and picked up one call. The 
fell on the river to complete a possible back door flush and Thomas slowed down with a check. He immediately faced a bet worth 4,000 and tried some table chat to get any information before giving up the pot.
and the action checked to the initial raiser, who continued for 1,000. Only Suchanek called to see the 
on the turn and a bet of 3,000 by Suchanek followed, as did the call by the initial raiser.
for a flush and his opponent mucked before leaving the table.
