Aussie Millions Main Event Day 4 Complete, 7 Players Remain

The first three days of the 2008 Aussie Million Main Event saw the field narrowed to 22 of its original 780 entrants. Today the remaining players took the poker felt for the fourth straight where they would play until 7 players remained. Remi Westebro, a young player making his debut on the poker circuit, who started the day out in 14th place with 518,000 chips, was apparently eager to gamble early on day four. Within the first few hands dealt he picked up Ace-King and opened a pot for 32,000 from late position and was met with resistance when 21 year old poker professional Alexander Kostritsyn re-raised to 100,000 from the small blind. Westerbro showed he was committed to this pot when immediately moved in on Kostritsyn who after some thought made the call and revealed pocket jacks. When the flop came 8-7-4 Kostritsyn was well ahead but the hand’s draw played out like a roller coaster ride. The turn was an Ace giving Westebro a huge lead in the hand, but that changed when the river gave Kostritsyn a third Jack. Westebro was crippled in this hand and was eliminated a few hands later when he unsuccessfully raced his last 108,000 chips with pocket sixes against Mark Kassis’ Ace-King.

Other players making an early exit were Patrick Kellogg who ran his Ace-Five versus Michael Chrisanthopoulos’ Pocket-Kings and Alexey Rozenberg who ran his Ace-Jack versus Nico Behling’s Pocket-Fours. Each player received $65,000 and the tournaments field was then reduced to 19 players.

A lot of big pots were played during the next couple hours but no other players were eliminated until BlueSquare.com sponsored Duncan Godfrey was sent to the rail in 19th place. His exit came courtesy of Alexander Kostritsyn’s pocket Queen-Queen out racing his pocket Ace-King. Godfrey also received $65,000 for his four day effort.

Godfrey’s elimination meant a significant raise in the guaranteed payout for the rest of the field as players eliminated in 18th to 13th place would receive $100,000 each. The next two players eliminated where Maximilian Bracht with King-Queen versus Alexander Kostritsyn Ace-Queen and Hiroshi Shimamura whose pocket tens were outraced by Michael Chrisanthopoulos’ Ace-Jack.

The next elimination came courtesy of a tough river beat on a hand where Steven Miller was all in with Ace-Jack versus Max Pescatori’s King-Ten. The river gave Pescatori a winning pair of tens that sent Miller to the rail in 16th place.

One of the days more interesting hands was played upstairs at the featured table. In this hand three players entered a moderately raised pot and the flop came down K-10-7. First to act, Pescatori bet 85,000 on the flop and and Behling called. This is where perhaps the 22 year old poker prodigy from California Dane Lomas lost his mind, or simply chose the wrong time to attempt a squeeze play. He put in a modest raise making it 225,000 to go, right away the Italian Pirate Pescatori pushed all his chips in and Behling instantly folded. After spending several minutes in the think tank Lomas tossed his remaining 250,000 chips into the already over 1.2 million chip pot. Pescatori revealed A-K and Lomas turned over 10-9. The turn and river came 3-8 and Lomas was sent to the rail in 15th place.

While the hand that eliminated Lomas was taking place, another big pot developed at an outside table when Robert Holester opened for 40,000 from the cutoff and Michael Chrisanthopoulos re-raise to 140,000 from the small blind and both continued to re-raise pre-flop until all their chips went in. When the cards were turned up Holster was well ahead with pocket kings versus Chrisanthopoulos Ace-King but the flop brought Chrisanthopoulos a winning ace. This hand crippled Holster and shortly later he was eliminated in 14th place.

The final player to finish in the $100,000 payout tier was Mark Kassis who ended up all in with King-Three versus the pocket eights of Nino Marotta. Gianotti had been short stacked the past few rotations and finally moved all in with pocket threes only to see the board pair twice. He received $135,000 for his 12th place finish, and amount which the next two players eliminated would also receive.

For a good forty-five minutes action was slow until Robert Akery and Michael Chrisanthopoulos started battling each other often. The first hand between these players to go to show-down, Akery doubled his short stack with Ace-Queen versus Chrisanthopoulos’s King-Queen. Exactly two hands later Akery again had his tournament life on the line but this time was in bad shape when he discovered his pocket sixes were up against Chrisanthopoulos’ pocket eights. Amazingly, Akery caught a set of sixes to double through Chrisanthopoulos for a second time in three hands.

One of the day’s big laydowns came in a hand where Nino Moratto raised to 75,000 and Alexander Kostritsyn called. Both players checked a flop of Qc-10s-4d and when the turn came the 3 of clubs Kostritsyn bet 120,000 and was called. The river brought another three (diamonds) and Kostritsyn again lead out by betting 400,000. Moratto came over the top for his remaining 1.3 million chips and Kostritsyn folded AQ face up. Moratto confirmed Kostritsyn made a great laydown when he revealed pocket fours for the set.

With still no eliminations in over an hour, Erik Seidel found himself approaching tournament desperation. If he did not make a move in the next few rotations he would find himself with not enough chips to win an uncontested pot. His opportunity came when he took a flop against Peter Ling while holding 10-7. The flop came down 6h-7c-6d and Seidel check-called Ling’s bet of 125,000. The turn brought a queen of spades and Seidel again checked and Ling fired a bet of 325,000. With only 508,000 chips left behind Seidel was forced to make a decision for his tournament life. After much deliberation Seidel pushed his remaining chips into the pot and Ling called showing King-Jack high. The river was an eight of clubs and Seidel found himself right back in the hunt for a tournament title with 1,444,000 chips.

An extended streak with no eliminations, which lasted one hour and forty five minutes, was broken when Mathew Kirk came over the top of Michael Chrisanthopoulos’ 60,000 pre-flop raise for his remaining 266,000 chips. Kirk was ahead holding As10S against KsJc but the board ran Jd-8d-4d-4d-Jh sending Kirk home in 11th place.

The next big pot pitted The Italian Pirate Max Pescatori against local favorite Antonio Casale. Pescatori opened the pot for 56,000 and Casale came over the top for 135,000 more chips and Pescatori called. The flop came 3s-4s-Js and Casale pushed all in. Pescatori made the call with Ad-Qs for Ace high with a live flush draw versus Casale’s pocket eights. Needing an Ace, Queen or spade the pirate watched as the turn and river bricked to send him home in 10th place.

Michael Chrisanthopoulos who earlier doubled Akery twice got his revenge when he played pocket threes versus Akery’s Ace-Three. The flop was Ac-9c-4d and Akery mistakenly checked behind Chrisanthopoulos. The reason this became a mistake is the fireworks card, a three, came on the turn. Chrisanthopoulos lead at the pot for 75,000, Akery raised to 200,000, Chrisanthopoulos re-raised and Akery called all in for his last 700,000. The river was the seven of diamonds and Akery was eliminated in 9th place; he wins $175,000.

The biggest pot of the day was played shortly after the final table bubble was positioned to burst. On this hand Nico Behling raised to 65,000 and Chrisanthopoulos looked him up. The flop came As-Qd-3d and Chrisanthopoulos check raised Behling’s 100,000 chip bet making it 400,000 to go. The turn was the three of clubs and Chrisanthopoulos lead out for a 550,000 bet which Behling called. The river was a 2c and Michael Chrisanthopoulos moved all in. Behling after spending a while in the thing tank made the call. Chrisanthopoulos revealed his pocket cards of Ac-3h for a full house and Behling immediately mucked and headed to the lobby to collect his $175,000 eighth place prize money.

With the final table now determined players are on break until tomorrow at 12:30 local time.

The final table chip counts courtesy of PokerNews.com are:

Alexander Kostritsyn - 1,439,000
Peter Mobbs - 1,357,000
Antonio Casale - 1,995,000
Erik Seidel - 1,491,000
Nino Marotta - 1,649,000
Michael Chrisanthopoulos - 6,806,000
Peter Ling - 877,000

Stay tuned tomorrow for final table results