The second and final day of the most expensive event at the 2018 Aussie Millions, the $100,000 Challenge, will get underway at 2.15 p.m. local time in the poker room of the Crown Casino. None other than Mustapha Kanit tops the six survivors out of 16 entries after nine levels of 40 minutes each on Day 1 after joining late and quickly making an impact to secure a stack of 1,141,000.
Kanit is followed by the German High Roller regulars Jan-Eric Schwippert (853,000) and Christian Christner (719,000), while Michael Lim (534,000), Kahle Burns (428,000) and Manig Loeser (306,000) all made it through the previous day with one bullet only. Schwippert twice narrowly missed out on the ANTON Championship ring here in Melbourne after finishing runner-up in the $25,000 Challenge and the $50,000 Challenge.
Burns received the Australian Poker Young Achiever Award by 2005 WSOP Main Event winner, and Australian Poker Hall of Fame President Joe Hachem during the festival in the biggest casino complex in the Southern hemisphere and immediately followed that up with a deep run in the $10,600 Main Event, in which the Aussie finished in 9th place.
Action will recommence with level 10 and blinds of 6,000/12,000 with a running ante of 2,000, and the registration remains open for the first level of the day. The level duration increases to 60 minutes each for the final day of the tournament and among those expected to join is David Steicke. Jack Salter, who entered after the dinner break on Day 1, and Fedor Holz who fired two bullets without success, may also give it another try.
$100,000 Challenge Day 2 Seat Assignments
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | Michael Lim | Malaysia | 534,000 | 45 |
| 10 | 2 | Kahle Burns | Australia | 428,000 | 35 |
| 10 | 4 | Manig Loeser | Germany | 306,000 | 25 |
| 10 | 5 | Christian Christner | Germany | 719,000 | 60 |
| 10 | 7 | Mustapha Kanit | Italy | 1,141,000 | 95 |
| 10 | 8 | Jan-Eric Schwippert | Germany | 853,000 | 71 |
The PokerNews live reporting team will be there to provide all the action until the conclusion of the event, so make sure to tune back in regularly.