PartyPoker is sending 27 poker players to the Aussie Millions final event in January 2010. These players were qualified after beating the rest of the field in the final AussieMillions qualifier on Sunday.
We have got in touch with the players to get their thoughts on the qualifier and their expectations for the final event in Australia. Read carlton_hahn’s interesting warm up to the final qualifier and how kavinda111 made it to the Aussie Millions final event without depositing.
carlton_hahn
I’m absolutely wrapped that I qualified for the AussieMillions. The first $1 rebuy I played to qualify, I rebought 3 times I think. Then won the tourney which qualified me for the $70 qualifier which I played a week later and got to the last two which it put us both through but I came 2nd in that after just going all in because I had already qualified for the $640 qualifier.
I got the dates wrong for the $640 and thought it was on a Monday Australian time 6pm but worked out two days before that it was a Sunday at 6pm. The problem with that was I work on sunday so I had to organize my sister and one more staff member to work for me in my pizza bar that night.
I couldn’t believe that the tournament went for 7 odd hours, I felt depleted it was like a marathon for my brain. Anyway so basically it cost me $4 dollars on my straight run to the Aussie Millions although while waiting for the date to come I did re-enter the $1 and $8 qualifiers a few times to try to double up for the money but kept getting thirds and fourths.
I played reserved for the last tournament, I was nervous because it was such a big thing because I’m normally an aggresive player. I couldn’t believe the amount of hands that I would normally look at but didn’t that came up trumps but I wasn’t in the hand.
But I got there in the end.
The first time I went all in was nerve wracking. I had 15000 chips after being up to 23000 fairly quickly and I had a pair of jacks after the flop with an ace kicker. So I raised the bet to 5000 and the guy next to me went allin so I had to go for it and doubled up to 30000.
I think the play that changed the game for me was getting KK when I had 60000 and in the flop was something Q something. The other player went allin so I went for it and doubled up to 120000. Afterwards another player told me it was Stewart Scott so that was cool if its true. From then on I played tight most of the time and did what I had to do when I had to and was lucky as well.
120000 to 240000 down to 180000 and back was the norm until the last hour where I went up to 440000 then I think I finished on 385000ish.
I have never really played offline anywhere but with friends and that has been not that much so I’m nervous about that but looking forward to it now I just have to organize to get time off to get there somehow.
All I can do to prepare is practice practice practice and learn to keep a cool head and think before I make a rash decision. I have watched the poker on paytv and seen when guys get in from something like a $25 satellite and get into the final table and thought it was great so hopefully that can be me.
kavinda111
I received a letter in the mail from PartyPoker telling me about the upcoming satelites for the Aussie Millions. When I logged on I had also received a $10 bonus from PartyPoker. I used that $10 to enter a $8 satellite which I won and this gave me a seat in the $70 satellite.
I won that too and was registered for the $640 satellite. I managed to win that one too, actually finished in 1st place quite comfortably and thanks to PartyPoker I won the $12,000 package. So far It has cost me nothing to get here and I hope to continue the good run in the main event.
It was a tough tournament that went for 7 hours. I was crippled early on in the tournament when I had pocket Kings against pocket aces when I flopped set kings on the flop. My opponent hit runner runner nuts straight and took down the pot.
For the next two hours I remained in the bottom 10 until I climbed into the top 15 in which I remained until the end of the tournament.
With around 10 people to go, I doubled up with AK against A6 when the flop came down A-K-5. My opponent didn’t believe I had the best hand and we both went all in eventually. From there on it was a comfortable ride to the finish.
I do not expect to win the Aussie Millions but I believe I can win if I play my game well and have some good fortune along the way. I’ve only ever played 2 offline tournaments that were small regular fixtures at Crown Casino.
My goal is to win the Aussie Millions and I will be playing online tournaments regularly as well as tournaments at Crown prior to the Main Event to practice my tournament play and improve it.
I would love to meet some of the best players in the world. Mainly Joe Hachem as he is a home grown legend and I would also love to meet Gus Hansen and Phil Ivey as I find them to be amongst the most entertaining and talented players around.
Read more Aussie Millions winner stories in the sequel article here!
