Matthew Edwards Wins Aussie Millions Event #3: A$1,150 Pot Limit Omaha (A$83,185)
A dominant final table performance from Matthew Edwards in Event #3: A$1,150 Pot Limit Omaha saw him crowned the winner, topping a field of 349 entries to win A$83,185.
At the 2019 Aussie Millions, Edwards finished third in the Opening Event for A$195,000 after a three-handed deal, but turned his attention to the four-card variant over the last few days, reaping the rewards as he swept aside a final table that featured bracelet-winner and former ANZPT Main Event winner Martin Kozlov.
Event #3: A$1,150 Pot Limit Omaha Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout (AUD) | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Edwards | $83,185 | $57,398 |
| 2 | Matthew Sheils | $52,765 | $36,408 |
| 3 | Claudio Celenza | $33,090 | $22,832 |
| 4 | Sherif Derias | $25,935 | $17,895 |
| 5 | Ryan Hong | $18,780 | $12,958 |
| 6 | Quan Zhou | $15,205 | $10,491 |
| 7 | Martin Kozlov | $11,985 | $8,270 |
| 8 | Mick Franky | $10,195 | $7,035 |
| 9 | Michele Guzzardi | $8,405 | $5,799 |
Final Day Action
With 15 players at the start of the day, just six needed to be eliminated before the final table was reached. Short stacks Chi Truong and Elias Harala would head to the exit, as well as Australian Poker Hall of Famer Mel Judah.
Roman Valerstein was a surprise exit short of the final nine. After coming into the day third in chips, he was eliminated as Matthew Edwards closed the gap on start-of-day chip leader Claudio Celenza. By the time the final table was reached, both players sat on over 700,000, more than 300,000 chips clear of the nearest competitor.
Final Table Draw
| Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Kozlov | 338,000 |
| 2 | Quan Zhou | 408,000 |
| 3 | Matthew Sheils | 146,000 |
| 4 | Claudio Celenza | 754,000 |
| 5 | Ryan Hong | 301,000 |
| 6 | Michele Guzzardi | 262,000 |
| 7 | Sherif Derias | 407,000 |
| 8 | Mick Franky | 172,000 |
| 9 | Matthew Edwards | 710,000 |
Edwards quickly went to work, working his big stack to great effect, chipping up to over a million in chips as Michele Guzzardi and Mick Franky would bust in ninth and eighth place respectively.
Martin Kozlov was looking for his first Aussie Millions ring after runner-up finishes in both 2011 and 2012, but he would exit in seventh for his seventh career Aussie Millions cash.
After Quan Zhou bust in sixth, Edwards was up to over 1.6 million in chips. Behind him came Celenza with just under a million, with the remaining three players all under 400,000.
Ryan Hong would bust next as Edwards padded his chip stack even more, with now with more chips than the other three players combined. Sherif Derias bust next, with start-of-day chip leader Celenza not far behind him.
That left Matthew Sheils, the player who had started the final table as the shortest stack as the last player able to stop the Edwards juggernaut. It was not to be. All in all it took Edwards five hours to go from starting the final table to becoming the latest winner of an ANTON Jewellery Aussie Millions Championship ring.
