It's time for the remaining 6 players at the final table to take a break. They will have 10 minutes and no more!
2011 Aussie Millions
Much like Hold'em, Omaha is a flop game, but if you had no idea about poker and were just passing by the final table of this event, you might not realize this. The last 8 hands we have not seen a flop, with Joel Gaffney, Matthew Konnecke, Sean Dunwoodie and come to think of it- almost each of the players at the table- using the pot-raise to take down the blinds.
Harry Demetriou is down to 330,000 in chips after doubling up both Joel Gaffney and Matthew Konnecke in successive hands, but still holds the chip lead at this final table.
Gaffney was the first to move on up to the East Side after moving the last of his money into the middle with before the flop but managed to spike two pair on the board of against Demetriou's [Js}.
In the very next hand, Konnecke shoved the last of his stack into the middle with , but found himself in bad shape against Demetriou's . The flop of improved neither hand, but Konnecke caught the straight on the turn of the , which improved to a jack-high straight when the appeared on the river.
Gaffney is now up to 150,000 and Konnecke is up to 180,000.
Joel Gaffney made a pot sized raise pre-flop from under the gun, sending action Michael Guttman's way in the big blind. By the time it took the two players to say "re-pot!", Guttman had his tournament life hanging in the balance!
Guttman:
gaffney:
The on the flop was safe for Guttman and when the two remaining cards bricked Guttman could breathe easy as he stacked his surviving chips!
Level: 17
Blinds: 5,000/10,000
Ante: 0
Austraian Poker Hall of Famer Mel Judah has a poker CV stretches a mile wide (it includes a WPT title, two WSOP bracelets and the 2010 Aussie Millions $1,100 Teams Event title which he happens to share with fellow final table contender Michael Guttman), but he's been unable to find a hand this evening and as such has been eliminated in seventh place.
Judah moved the last of his chips into the middle before the flop and found two callers in the form of Harry Demetriou and Aarno Kivelio, who checked all the way down the board of .
Demetriou rolled up , which was more than good enough against Kivelio's . Judah conceded as well, throwing his hand into the muck. When asked about what he had, Judah said, "I had queens," before shrugging his shoulders and walking away to collect his AUD $6,040 payday.
The chips are flying around the felt and Joel Gaffney has added a few more to his stack, courtesy of Sean Dunwoodie.
The action folded to Harry Demetriou who limped in from middle position before Gaffney called from the cutoff. Matthew Konnecke folded from the button and Dunwoodie completed his small blind before Aarno Kivelio checked his option from the big blind to go four ways into a flop that read .
Dunwoodie led out for 22,000, Kivelio and Demetriou folded and Gaffney shoved all-in. Dunwoodie called, tabling for middle pair, but Gaffney still had a chance with for the nut flush draw.
The turn of the changed nothing, but the river was just what the doctor ordered! Gaffney is up to 170,000 while Dunwoodie is down to 330,000.
It didn't take long for 2007 Melbourne Poker Championship Main Event winner Haibo Chu to get the rest of his stack into the middle, but he's just surrendered those last chips to Harry Demetriou to finish in eighth place.
The action folded around to Chu who raised to 24,000 from the cutoff. Demetriou called from the small blind and Michael Guttman folded his big blind to make it heads-up to a flop of .
Demetriou check-potted Chu's bet of 56,000, Chu shoved the rest of his stack into the middle and Demetriou called, showing against Chu's for the flush draw. However, Demetriou improved to a straight after the dealer revealed the turn and river of , and has now moved up to 410,000 in chips while Chu collects AUD $4,350 for his efforts.
We certainly didn't see this coming, but Haibo Chu has been smacked back to 120,000 after losing a huge pot to Aarno Kivelio!
The board read and with the pot worth 72,000, Aarno led out for that amount, sending Haibo deep into the tank. Haibo then re-potted and Kivelio snap-called all-in, tabling for a flopped full house against Chu's for a turned full house!
The river changed nothing and Chu, who many thought would have gone all the way to win this title, is looking glum while Kivelio is all smiles, holding more than 300,000 in chips.
Level: 16
Blinds: 4,000/8,000
Ante: 0