Three Barrels from the higher echelons of power including Stephen Chidwick taking the lead at the US Poker Open; Michael Lim winning the Aussie Millions AUD$100k Challenge and a view from Adolf.
A catch up on the heroic heedlessness of poker’s high rollers beginning with the US Poker Open. The eight-event tournament is taking place at the ARIA Poker Room, and Stephen Chidwick is the current king of that enchanted den.
The Global Poker Index (GPI) #1 ranked Englishman took down Event #4: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em after carving through a field of 44-entrants as a stray knife eats through a thumb holding a piece of melon.
The event attracted 44-entrants.
The final day consisted of 156 hands, and 50 of them took place during the heads-up phase between Chidwick and the starting day chip leader, Keith Tilston.
There was no ancient bitterness between the pair, just respect, and a desire to bank the $374,000 first prize. The coupling began on an even keel after Daniel Negreanu hit the rail in third. The chip lead swayed one way and then the next before Chidwick won two key hands that eventually led to Tilston tapping out.
The first saw Chidwick return from the brink of defeat.
The man from the UK limped with 99, and Tilston checked with Q7o. The flop was QhJs8h, Tilston led for 200,000 with top pair and Chidwick called. The turn was the 7s giving Tilston two-pairs and he overshoved for 1.14 million effective; Chidwick called. Only six cards would save Chidwick on the river and one of them, the 9d, turned up.
That hand rocked Tilston, but the next hand knocked him senseless. Chidwick flopping the nut flush on K83ddd versus the pocket queens of Tilston. The latter forced to fold on the river after Chidwick steamrolled his value bet. The tournament ended not long after.
ITM Results
1. Stephen Chidwick – $374,000
2. Keith Tilson – $242,000
3. Daniel Negreanu – $165,000
4. Jake Schindler – $110,000
5. Brent Hanks – $88,000
6. Seth Davies – $66,000
7. Nick Schulman – $55,000
Chidwick Looking For Title 2 in Event #4: $25k Mixed Game Championship
That victory for Chidwick outs him in pole position on the leaderboard, and you can expect that to increase by the end of the night. Chidwick made his third final table of the series, in Event #4: $25k Mixed Game Championship.
Here are the seating positions and chip stacks for that one.
Final Table Chip Counts
Seat 1: Benjamin Pollak – 656,000
Seat 2: Chris Vitch – 1,399,000
Seat 3: Isaac Haxton – 2,317,000
Seat 4: Stephen Chidwick – 1,080,000
Seat 6: Phil Hellmuth – 372,000
Seat 7: Dan Shak – 926,000
The Prizes
1. $382,500
2. $247,500
3. $168,750
4. $112,500
5. $90,000
6. $67,500
7. Daniel Negreanu – $56,250
The play lasted 13 hours, and 45 entrants took part.
Negreanu cashed for the second time this series, and Benjamin Pollak also made his second cash.
Here are the overall standings.
2018 US Poker Open Standings
1. Stephen Chidwick – $374,000
2. Keith Tilston – $242,000
3. Justin Bonomo – $190,400
4. Mike Gorodinsky – $179,200
5. Daniel Negreanu – $165,000
Michael Lim Wins the Aussie Millions AUD100,000 Challenge
The Aussie Millions is over for another year, and while many will view it as another swell event (800-players in the Main Event is a record), I’m not sure the High Roller fraternity will agree.
The AUD50,000 Challenge only attracted three-players, and although the turnout in the AUD100,000 Challenge attracted one buy-in more than 2017 (19-entrants), it’s not a riot in pleasure for those spending significant costs to travel to these events.
The organisers understand this, hence the decision to cut the AUD100,000 from the 2019 schedule a year after the AUD250,000 event also eroded and frittered in the wind.
Of the 19-entrants only three made money. Winamax pro-Mustapha Kanit finished third, and Michael Lim beat rising star, Manig Loeser in heads-up action to take the $742,223 first prize.
ITM Finishes
1. Michael Lim – AUD931,000 ($742,223)
2. Manig Loeser – AUD558,600 ($445,334)
3. Mustapha Kanit – AUD372,400 ($296,889)
You may remember that the AUD50k winner, Sam Greenwood, wasn’t afraid of calling the German High Rollers the horrors of life after refusing to sit and play with him.
You have to face facts, Sam.
The High Rollers are Dying.
NLHE is dead.
Hitler said so.
