Michel Bouskila Wins Event #5 of the 2013 Aussie Millions
Six-handed poker tournaments are very popular in online poker circles, but not so much in the live arena. Players love them, but venues generally don't due to the extra space and staff required to host such an event.
So when the 2013 Aussie Millions schedule revealed there would be a six-max No Limit Hold'em event, and a $1,100 buy-in one at that, the chops of many poker players salivated with delight.
A total of 523 players were crammed into the Crown Poker Room at the Crown Casino, Melbourne on Thursday for the fifth event of the 2013 Aussie Millions. By the time the curtain came down on the first day's play just nine players had chips left to bag and tag. These nine players returned to the felt on Friday lunchtime (Australian time) and battled it out for the title.
Among the nine returnees was Neil Channing, but the popular British pro could not get anything going on the final day and succumb in ninth place. Shortly after Channing's demise, Matthew Wooley ran his pocket jacks into Oliver Gill's aces and the remaining seven players formed the final table.
Seventh place went to Ian Cordts, who became the second player of the day to run into aces. This time they were in the hand of Tom "tollgate" Grigg. Cordts' Qd-10c stood little chance against the best starting hand in Hold'em and when the board ran out Jd-3s-6s-7s-8d it was game over for Cordts.
Six became five when Andrew Bassat three-bet shoved with Ad-Qc and couldn't get there against the pocket eights of Michel Bouskila - the latter flopping a set and filling up to a full house by the river!
Next to go was Vlastimil Stastny. After losing all but 14,000 chips to Grigg (blinds 15,000/30,000/4,000a), Stastny needed his Qc-9h to beat Grigg's Kh-10h in order to stay in the tournament. Unfortunately, that did not happen because the board ran out Jh-2s-Ad-Ks-Ac to send him to the rail.
The aforementioned Gill has a habit of finishing in fourth or fifth place in Aussie Millions events, and this tournament kept up that unwanted record. Bouskila opened, Gill three-bet shoved with pocket eights for 17 big blinds and Boukila made a rather loose call with Ac-3c. Bouskila's call was rewarded with a 4d-2c-5d flop, gifting him a wheel! No split pot occurred and Gill's tournament was over.
Jan Suchanek's elimination in third place - pocket eights versus the nines of Bouskila - sent the tournament into the heads-up stages. Going into the one-on-one battle, Bouskila held a substantial 4,250,000 to 925,000 chip lead over the online poker specialist Grigg, and the gulf in chips was too much for Grigg to overcome.
Grigg did manage to double-up but then got his stack into the middle holding 6c-4h on an 8d-6d-Js-Kc board, only for Bouskila to turn over Kh-10s. The Qc river completed the board, eliminated Grigg and left Bouskila to pick up the $110,000 winner's prize.
2013 Aussie Millions Event #5 Final Table Results
1st: Michel Bouskila - $110,000
2nd: Tom Grigg - $73,000
3rd: Jan Suchanek - $54,000
4th: Oliver Gill - $43,000
5th: Vlastimil Stastny - $32,000
6th: Ian Cordts - $10,800
Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.
