Welcome to the 2018 Aussie Millions ANTON Jewellery $50,000 Challenge!
At 1:10 p.m. local time on Sunday (3:10 a.m. CET, 9:10 p.m. EST on a Saturday), cards will be in the air for the 2018 Aussie Millions ANTON Jewellery $50,000 Challenge. The $50K was a last-minute addition to the 2017 schedule, with Mikita Badziakouski from Belarus defeating Charlie Carrel heads-up to win A$176,400. This year, the tournament made its way to the regular programming schedule, alongside both the $25,000 and $100,000 Challenges.
Fresh off his victory in the $25,000 Challenge yesterday night, Ben Lamb will be one to watch coming into the day. Lamb received A$647,114 (~$524,764) after chopping with Jan-Eric Schwippert heads-up, who walked away A$597,765 (~$484,746) richer. Lamb's friend Chance Kornuth was on the rail to celebrate his buddy's victory and make it two for the team. Earlier this week, Kornuth won the $1,150 Six-Max event for A$134,850 to capture his second Championship ring here in Melbourne. Last year, the American won the $25,000 Challenge for A$790,560 and will no doubt hop in the field today to try and win a third title.
Kitty Kuo, Jack Salter, Claas Segebrecht and Mustapha Kanit are among those that cashed yesterday and can be expected to vie for a brand-new Championship ring. Some of Australia's finest, such as Michael Addamo, Jonathan Karamalikes, Kahle Burns, Rory Young and Martin Kozlov, have played the $25,000 Challenge and might also take a shot today to keep the trophy on home soil.
Another name that's up in the air is none other than that of Tom "durrrr" Dwan. The high-stakes legend is present in Melbourne and watched the women's final of the Australian Open yesterday, won by Caroline Wozniacki (who briefly dated Gus Hansen in the past). According to Dwan, he hasn't played much poker yet but just might grace the tables with his presence today.
So my soon to be wife loves tennis. Been in melbourne, playing almost no poker the last few days, just enjoying som… https://t.co/ws6lZdn4C0
— Tom Dwan (@TomDwan)
The ANTON Jewellery $50,000 Challenge is in a shot clock format, meaning that players will have 30 seconds to act on their hand. Players will be issued with two 'Time Breaker' buttons at the start of Day 1, Day 2 and the final table. They cannot be accumulated and are each worth an additional one minute of time when used.
Players will receive a 50,000 starting stack and levels will be 60-minutes long. Late registration and reentries are available until the end of Level 7. Cards are in the air from 1:10 p m, and Day 1 will end at the conclusion of Level 6. Players will play down to a final table on Day 2 before the tournament goes on a short hiatus, creating room for the contestants to jump into the Main Event. The final table will be played out on Saturday, February 3th.
Here is the structure for today:
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 200 | |
| 2 | 200 | 400 | |
| 3 | 300 | 600 | |
| 4 | 500 | 1000 | |
| 5 | 500 | 1000 | 100 |
| 6 | 700 | 1400 | 200 |
The $50,000 Challenge is sponsored by ANTON Jewellery, partnering up with the Aussie Millions for the second year in a row. As the official jeweller of the 2018 Aussie Millions, ANTON Jewellery has produced 26 Championship Rings for all events and the coveted, diamond-encrusted Main Event Champion's bracelet, which together hold over $180,000 in total value. Founded in 1989, ANTON is one of Melbourne's most respected jewellers.
PokerNews will be Down Under the entire week to cover the ANTON Jewellery $50,000 Challenge, the $10,600 Main Event and the $100,000 Challenge. Don't miss it!