Lazar Disappears

Chad Holloway

Everyone knows that Joe Hachem won the 2005 World Series of Poker and sparked a poker boom here in Australia. Some may even remember that year's sixth-place finisher Scott Lazar. What they might not know is that Hachem and Lazar actually became very good friends after that year's event, so much so that Hachem actually brought Lazar to his first Aussie Millions.

"Actually Joe Hachem. He brought me down," Lazar explained to PokerNews. "He’s been bugging me for about six years to just come on down. He’s told me all about the Aussie Millions, and this year I just had the time to do it. This is my first time to Australia. Melbourne is incredible. It’s a clean, Boston/New York/San Francisco-like city."

For better or worse, Lazar will have a chance to explore Melbourne even further as he's been eliminated from the Main Event. In the first hand back from the break, Lazar was crippled after turning the nuts only to have his opponent river a flush.

As Lazar explained it, a player opened from middle position holding and he called from the big blind with . He then check-called a bet on the flop, and then led out big on the turn. His opponent called off, and then the spiked on the river, leaving Lazar with approximately 5,000.

A short time later, Lazar shoved over a raise for around 5,000 holding suited. His opponent called with and that was all she wrote for the man from Studio City, California.