Rebuy madness in the Aussie Millions $100,000 Super High Roller
In today's Daily Rewind we mark the start of the Australian $100k Challenge and play for big stakes with Rafa Nadal.
Aussies high rollers emerge
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| Tom in and out |
As the Aussie Millions Main Event raced towards its final table, the game's elite were battling it out in the first stages of the $100,000 Challenge today.
Aside from the flurry of activity at the felt, the cashier's desk was busier than ever before thanks to more than 66 entries, topping the previous record of 38.
With buy-ins, bustouts and rebuys taking place at a healthy rate, one of the first players to taste the bitterness of defeat was Tom 'durrrr' Dwan.
Despite rumours circulating that he's either broke or a super millionaire, Tom was forced to reach into his pocket for another $100,000 after tangling with Christoph Vogelsang.
Also joining the rebuy madness was Daniel Negreanu and Isaac Haxton who each re-bought five times before the close of play (And some players re-bought even more than that). However, despite their antics they weren't able to catch Mike McDonald who topped the leaderboard with 468,500 chips, just ahead of Paul Newey (428,500) and Richard Yong (379,500).
While the first day of the $100,000 Challenge was coming to a close, the elimination of Eoghan O'Dea in 8th place brought Day 4 of the Main Event to an end ahead of tomorrow's finale.
Aussie Millions Main Event
Final Table |
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| Place | Name | Chips | ||
| 1st | Amir Barer | 6,570,000 | ||
| 2nd | Vincent Rubianes |
3,865,000 | ||
| 3rd | Sorel Mizzi | 2,830,000 | ||
| 4th | Jake Balsiger | 2,385,000 | ||
| 5th | Darren Rabinowitz | 2,365,000 | ||
| 6th | Andrew Phaedonas | 1,015,000 | ||
| 7th | Scott Seiver | 855,000 | ||
| Players: 7 (668) | ||||
Rafa's Zoom Challenge
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| A born winner |
Rafa Nadal might still be a newbie at the poker table but he seriously upped his game recently when he took part in a €3,000 challenge.
Having been dealt a back injury during the Australian Open, the tennis pro opted to take part in a Zoom Poker Challenge in which he had to play for one hour against a slew of Spanish grinders.
Set-up in aid of charity, Rafa would earn €3,000 if he managed to win over the course of the session. In contrast, if Rafa lost a hand then the Spanish players would earn a point and the chance to split any winnings at the end of the challenge.
Fortunately for the charity Rafa managed to outpace his opponents and win 50 of the 75 hands he played, netting the Good Hand Project a €3,000 donation.
Italy to ban poker adverts
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| TV blackout |
According to a recent senate report, the Italian government is in favour of banning poker adverts across Italy.
Following a proposal by Socialist party member Senator Riccardo Nencini, advertising poker via TV and radio could be illegal in the near future.
Despite initial opposition to the bill, the senate eventually voted in favour of the amendment which is the first step in making it a defined law.
The reason given for the change is to stop compulsive gambling, but many believe it is part of a wider move by the Italian government to restrict online gambling.
Question of the Day
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Viktor Blom returned to winning ways on Thursday thanks to 625 hands of high stakes poker. After taking on the likes of Ben Tollerene and Niklas 'ragen' Heinecker, Blom was able to bank $349,099 to finish ahead of 'thecorster' who scooped $242,293.
Feeling the wrath of Blom and topping the daily loss leaderboard was the aforementioned Ben Tollerene. The American pro played just 237 hands but dropped $219,092 to finish the day ahead of 'joiso' and 'ragen'.
Daily Signoff
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