$100,000 Challenge in the Land Down Under

For the last seven years, The Aussie Millions has hosted a $100,000 Challenge Tournament. While the incredibly pricey six-figure buy-in event attracts only a few tables of players, the action is always hot as the best of the best duke it out in high-roller fashion.

The structure is unlike any other event; 100,000-chip starting stacks, no antes, and split-limit betting. Action was exceptionally hot this year; it took the 22 entrants only 10 hours of play to smash through those massive stacks and reduce the field down to the final table of eight.

Tony G, who didn’t join the field until after the dinner break, is among the eight remaining players, though his stack hasn’t improved much as he sits with just 102,000 in chips.

The final hand of the day was a big one as Phil Ivey got his chips in with pocket eights on a 976 flop versus Gus Hansen who had flopped two pair holding 67. A couple of bricks on the turn and river sent Ivey to the rail and gave Hansen a slight chip lead over Australia’s own Joe Hachem.

Players return Monday afternoon, with the stacks below, to battle it out. The top four finishers will earn at least a quarter-million dollars, with a prize of just over a million dollars up top.

Seat Player Chips
1 Tony G 102,000
2 Gus Hansen 567,000
3 Nam Le 79,500
4 Sam Trickett 73,000
5 Mikhail Smirnov 265,000
6 Joe Hachem 538,500
7 Sorel Mizzi 228,500
8 Dan Smith 346,500