Madsen Goes From Two-Outer for Life to Rise Near Top Stacks After Day 2
The 2020 Aussie Millions Main Event fell just two entries short of last year's record, drawing 820 players to the felt. The top 88 finishers will share the A$8,200,000 prize pool with A$1,850,000 reserved for the eventual champion. About 160 players will return to Crown Melbourne for Day 3 on Tuesday, January 21, at 12:30 p.m. local time.
The tournament has cemented its place as one of the major events on anyone's calendar, and the international participation has been well demonstrated today with notable grinders from around the world pulling the strings. Jeff Madsen is a prime example. The American pro may be known mainly for his prowess in the Las Vegas and Los Angeles casinos, but he made the trip across the Pacific to draw a lot of attention on Day 2.
Madsen got involved in a gigantic pot in the fourth level of the day, getting his chips in on the flop with aces. Madsen was up against David Yan's set and Martin Zamani's flush draw. Yan had both of his opponents covered and Madsen could only hope for one out to break even and another to skyrocket near the top of the rankings. The rest of the deck would eliminate him, but he caught the ace of clubs on the river to twist the plot. Madsen would later bag 356,400, which is not enough for the pole position, but enough for the provisional top 10.
Another highly resonating name through the day was that of Fabian Quoss'. The former German high stakes pro, who retired from the game in 2018, returned to Melbourne--where he'd live a few years ago--and his campaign has been excellent so far. After topping the field on Day 1a, Quoss has kept crushing today, torturing his table in many three- and four-bet pots. He finished with 372,400.
The unofficial chip-leading stack belongs to Jordan Tentori (439,700) whose rise to the top accelerated when he coolered Kristen Bicknell in a 200,000-pot with sixes full over deuces full. Other heavy bags belong to Shao Liu (410,000) and Terence Clee (389,300).
Local hero Kahle Burns, who was inducted to the national Poker Hall of Fame today, showcased his talent during the day when he was seen pacing the field. Burns wouldn't eventually finish at the top, losing a portion of his stack towards the end. Still, the high roller from Geelong remains one of the hottest contenders, considering his experience and the 257,100 in his bag.
Defending champ Bryn Kenney had been drawn to the toughest table in the room, but, just as always, he didn't seem to have any problem competing against the best. Kenney will be back with 186,000, which is more than the tournament average.
While Kenney and many stellar grinders made it through, today's stretch saw tons of familiar faces lose their chances at reaching paid places. Those included five former winners: Ami Barer, David Gorr, Toby Lewis, Manny Stavropoulos, and Tyron Krost. That leaves Kenney the only former champ still in the hunt.
Day 3 will bring the fundamental turning point for many with the bubble expected to burst sometime in the middle of the day. There will be another seven levels played and PokerNews will be on the ground to provide live updates from start to finish. Come back at 12:30 local time to follow the action.