An update from the 2016 Aussie Millions including a $25k Challenge victory for Chance Kornuth, and an incredible back-to-back performance for Christopher Soyza in the Accumulator event.
Nine down.
Fourteen more to go.
The 2016 Aussie Millions is in full effect. The stars have arrived in their droves. The first significant event has taken place. Chance Kornuth has emerged with the largest prize thus far.
The A$25,000 Challenge attracted 122 entrants (100 unique and 22 re-entries). It was a two-day event. They forged a A$2.9m prize pool. Kornuth battled back from death’s door to beat the 2013 A$25,000 Challenge winner Igor Kurganov in heads-up action.
According to the PokerNews live reporting blog Kornuth was down to a mere three big blinds during Day 1. He won six out the next seven all-ins. It’s the third time he has cashed this series. He was considering playing the A$100,000 Challenge. On this form, it’s a must.
He made the final table of Event #3: A$1,150 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) Shot Clock Shootout finishing eighth, and he came close to making the final table of Event #6: A$1,150 NLHE Six-Max finishing ninth.
Kornuth also finished seventh in the $25,000 High Roller at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). He came third in the 2015 PCA Main Event for a career-high score of $641,140.
14 players cashed. The aforementioned Kurganov earning a few coins for beneficiaries of Raising for Effective Giving (REG). Steve O’Dwyer was also at the business end of things. The American has his name on the back of a chair at most major Main Event final tables these days. O’Dwyer’s fourth place finish means he has already won more than $2m in 2016. We haven’t seen the end of January yet.
$25k Aussie Millions Payouts
1st. Chance Kornuth – A$790,560
2nd. Igor Kurganov – A$541,680
3rd. Jason Les – A$351,360
4th. Steve O’Dwyer – A$263,520
5th. Oliver Price – A$190,320
6th. Phanlert Sukonthachartnant – A$131,760
7th. Michael Egan – A$109,800
8th. Benjamin Spindler – A$109,800
9th. Dominik Nitsche – A$87,840
10th. Eugene Katchalov – A$87,840
11th. Jason Koon – A$73,200
12th. Ben Tollerene – A$73,200
13th. Sam Greenwood – A$58,560
14th. Yaxi Zhu – A$58,560
Christopher Soyza Back-to-Back Accumulator Wins
Have you ever heard the name Christopher Soyza?
It rang a bell, I must be honest, but it certainly wasn’t dripping off the front of my ulcered tongue.
The Malaysian man has created one of the most impressive feats of our fledgling new year by defending his title in Event #8: A$1,150 NLHE Accumulator.
That’s no mean feat, and according to the PokerNews live reporting blog, his performance at the final table was one of complete ‘dominance’. Last year, Soyza defeated 605 entrants to capture the first prize of A$136,225. This year he defeated 656 entrants to take home A$147,930.
Quite remarkably, Soyza’s last four Hendon Mob results have all been victories, although one doubts he plays that often. His only recorded cash of 2015 was that victory in the Accumulator.
Jacob Balsiger, Ronnie Bardah, and Jessica Dawley all made the final table.
Final Table Results
1st. Chris Soyza – A$147,930
2nd. Dylan Garland – A$92,460
3rd. Jacob Balsiger – A$57,160
4th. Jason Brown -A$43,040
5th. Park Yu Cheung – A$29,585
6th. Ronnie Bardah – A$23,535
7th. Kevin Andriamahefa – A$19,165
8th. Jessica Dawley – A$16,135
9th. Don Mishra – A$13,450
10th. Senthil Subramani – A$11,430
