The first of the high roller events at this year’s Aussie Millions has been run and won with the Netherlands’ Jorryt van Hoof upstaging a stacked final table to win the $25,000 Pot Limit Omaha Challenge and its $467,280 first prize.
Facing a line-up that included one of the world’s most esteemed all-round poker masters in Stephen Chidwick, plus fellow WSOP bracelet winner Martin Kozlov, Australian high stakes regulars Andy Lee and Najeem Ajez and Colombia’s Farid Jattin – who finished runner-up in this very event 12 months earlier – van Hoof overcame a hefty chip deficit to achieve one of the most significant results of his career.
Best known for his third-place finish in the 2014 WSOP main event – the year Sweden’s Martin Jacobson banked the massive US$10 million winner’s cheque – the Dutchman trailed dominant chip leader Lee for much of Tuesday’s $25k PLO final table before he and Ajez made their move with play three-handed.
After Ajez busted in third, van Hoof and Lee traded the chip lead a handful of times before the Netherlands’ all-time money leader eventually got the job done.
Notably, the $467,280 (US$322,551) cash prize is his second largest live tournament score behind the US$3.8 million he pocketed in the WSOP main event. It also caps a great run in recent months following a runner-up finish in the €25,000 No Limit Hold’em at EPT Prague in December for €273,120 (US$303,100).
All eyes now look to this coming Friday at Crown Melbourne with both the Aussie Millions main event and the $50,000 Challenge kicking off in the space of just a few hours.
| Pos | Name | Prize (AU$) |
| 1st | Jorryt van Hoof | $467,280 |
| 2nd | Andy Lee | $297,360 |
| 3rd | Najeem Ajez | $198,240 |
| 4th | Martin Kozlov | $155,760 |
| 5th | Stephen Chidwick | $113,280 |
| 6th | Fabian Brandes | $99,120 |
| 7th | Farid Jattin | $84,960 |
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