Ravin Saharundin Wins Mixed Event at Star Sydney Championships
Ravin Saharundin won the first event of the Star Sydney Championships that wasn't strictly no-limit Texas hold'em, claiming his first title in the $550 Mixed Event (Re-Entry), which alternated levels between pot-limit Omaha with no-limit hold'em.
It appears that Sydney loves its mixed events as 192 eager players took to the felt to test their skills while creating the top prize of $24,970 claimed by Saharundin.
As expected, the field contained a slew of high-stakes cash game players including Jarred Graham, David Wang, and Gary Benson.
Additionally, plenty of local talent showed up to try their hand at the event including, Andre Dowling, Reece Bedot, and Geoff Henshaw, all of which made the final table along with Benson.
The Action
Day 1 action moved quickly as it took only seven hours to whittle down the field to the unofficial final table.
| Seat | Player | Chips | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geoff Henshaw | 280,000 | |
| 2 | Ravin Subramanian | 630,000 | |
| 3 | Junli He | 105,000 | |
| 4 | Carl Benjamin | 65,000 | |
| 5 | Vanis Kalpakian | 30,000 | |
| 6 | Reece Bedot | 235,000 | |
| 7 | Michael Harrington | 50,000 | |
| 8 | Michael Sleiman | 170,000 | |
| 9 | Andre Dowling | 320,000 | |
| 10 | Gary Benson | 120,000 |
The eliminations at the final table continued at a rapid pace with the first four players being shown the door within an hour. Benson was the first to go when his A?A? failed to hold against Harrington's K?J?. Benjamin, Kalpakian, and Dowling followed shortly after.
Two hours later, Henshaw was eliminated in fourth place when his A?3? didn't improve against Subramanian's A?K?.
Henshaw was sitting pretty and seemed in good position to go all the way until he doubled up Sleiman after going to the flop as the favorite in Omaha.
Henshaw: A?3?A? 9?
Sleiman: A?K?3?5?
The board ran out Q?6?7?8? giving Sleiman the double up and doing some damage to Henshaw's stack.
Harrington and Bedot preceded Henshaw to the rail leaving Subramanian, He and Sleiman to return the following day to fight for glory.
Coming back rested and ready to battle, Saharundin dominated play including a heads up battle with He that he won't soon forget. This title must be special to him since this is his first major victory and to have it come in a mixed event can only give Saharundin confidence in his game going forward.
More Action Still to Come at the Star Sydney Championships
Action continues in at the Star Poker Room in Sydney with events being held through August 7.
The full schedule can be found on the StarPoker website.
