Congratulations Mina Elias, Star Gold Coast Champs PLO Champion! ($13,080)
Mina Elias has dominated the final table, taking out eight of nine opponents today on his rampage to a first PLO title.
He was already celebrating before the final river card dropped as he secured a $13,080 pay day and a Star Gold Coast Champs trophy, with his heads up opponent Carlos Youssef drawing dead on the turn.
Mina was in complete control all day, coming in to today’s play as the chip leader and only losing it for a short while; when asked if he was ever in doubt of the victory he responded succinctly “Never, mate, absolutely never.”
This title follows a 10th place finish at the Brisbane Poker Festival Main Event. Speaking with PMA after his victory, he was confidently assured; “We did it, got the job done. Definitely wasn’t expecting it to be the PLO, though.”
As turns out, this was Mina’s “3rd or 4th” PLO tournament ever. Asked if he had any other experience with the game; “I’ve been playing a little bit of PLO more lately than usual, but it’s run good, pure and simple.”
STAR GOLD COAST CHAMPS $440 PLO – FINAL TABLE RESULTS (159 entries, 14 players paid)
| Place | Name | Country | Amount |
| 1st | Mina Elias | Australia | $13,080 |
| 2nd | Carlos Youssef | Australia | $8,066 |
| 3rd | Taylor Grube | Australia | $4,840 |
| 4th | Andrej Senic | Australia | $3,161 |
| 5th | David Sebesfi | Australia | $2,442 |
| 6th | Matt Pongrass | Australia | $2,006 |
| 7th | Simon Pedler | Australia | $1,700 |
| 8th | Ratul Sayak | Australia | $1,482 |
| 9th | Cindy Tamihana | Australia | $1,308 |
Carlos Youssef eliminated in 2nd place ($8,066)
Shortly into heads up play, both Carlos Youssef and Mina Elias saw a flop of 2♦6♠J♠.
Youssef check-raised Elias’ 100,000 bet to pot, and then called off his remaining chips when Elias shoved.
Youssef: A♠Q♦J♦9♣
Elias: 7♥3♣2♣2♥
Elias had his arms in the air immediately; he knew the score and he started celebrating with his rail as soon as the turn 4♥. “That’s it!” he yelled jubilantly, and it was, with Youssef drawing dead and the river 9♥ no help.
| Carlos Youssef | BUSTED! |
Taylor Grube eliminated in 3rd place ($4,840)
Mina Elias opened the action on the button to 70,000, and Carlos Youssef called from the small blind.
Taylor Grube then 3-bet maximum, potting it to 280,000, leaving himself only 24,000 behind.
Elias called and Youssef instantly said “Aaiyah!”, facing the heavens as he tried to figure out what to do. He eventually called as well, and all three players saw a flop of 4♠4♦4♣. Youssef checked, Grube put his remaining 24,000 in and both Elias and Youssef quickly called.
Youssef and Elias both checked the 2♣ turn, but after Youssef checked the 10♣ river, Elias bet 100,000. Youssef quickly folded.
Grube tabled K♠K♥3♠3♦ but Elias had got lucky, spiking a set with his A♥Q♦10♦10♠ to win outright and sail up the chip counts.
| Mina Elias | 2,089,000 |
| Carlos Youssef | 599,000 |
| Taylor Grube | BUSTED! |
Updated chip counts
| Seat | Name | Chips |
| 2 | Taylor Grube | 433,000 |
| 5 | Mina Elias | 1,130,000 |
| 6 | Carlos Youssef | 1,125,000 |
Level 21: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Andrej Senic eliminated in 4th place ($3,161)
Mina Elias opened to 50,000 and action folded around to Andrej Senic on big blind. Senic hit the pot button, upping the ante to 165,000 and leaving himself only 69,000 behind.
The flop came 6♦2♦9♣ and both players got the rest of the money in.
Senic: A♥Q♠9♥9♠
Elias: A♣8♦7♣5♣
“I have a wrap,” said Elias to his rail “Oh what, he’s got top set!”
Elias celebrated as the board ran out 5♠4♦, hitting his wrap immediately and then holding through the river.
| Mina Elias | 1,130,000 |
| Andrej Senic | BUSTED! |
Set, Senic
Andrej Senic shoved his remaining 108,000 from the small blind, following an open to 50,000 from Mina Elias under the gun.
Taylor Grube folded his big blind inbetween the two, and Elias snap called.
Elias: K♥J♦6♦3♥
Senic: Q♥Q♣8♣2♦
Senic spiked top set and held through the board of 7♠4♣Q♦8♦A♠.
| Mina Elias | 777,000 |
| Andrej Senic | 242,000 |
Grube continues his rise
Taylor Grube is getting into the swing of things, involved in several pots recently.
Grube 3-bet Andrej Senic’s 45,000 open to 155,000. Senic called, and then check-folded the flop of 3♦5♠7♥ to Grube’s shove.
Grube then defended his big blind to a 50,000 open from Mina Elias, only to check-fold when Elias bet 80,000 on a flop of 3♦3♠6♣.
Lastly, Grube again 3-bet Senic in a blind vs blind pot where Senic opened from the small blind to 45,000 and Grube potted to 135,000, Senic called. The flop dropped Q♥7♥2♦ and Senic again check-folded; Senic is getting dangerously low now.
| Taylor Grube | 518,000 |
| Andrej Senic | 136,000 |
Level 20: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Great Grube!
Taylor Grube limped on the small blind only to see Mina Elias pot out of the big blind. That might have been the plan, though, because Grube then re-potted back and Elias made the call.
Grube: K♣Q♦J♥J♦
Elias: A♠7♥6♥3♣
Grube absolutely smashed the 7♦8♦3♦ flop but Elias was live with two pair, needing a repeat to make a full house. The board did pair on the 4♣8♥ runout, but it was the wrong pair and Grube gets a full double.
| Mina Elias | 780,000 |
| Taylor Grube | 240,000 |
Level 19: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
David Sebesfi eliminated in 5th place ($2,442)
Down to a short stack, David Sebesfi potted to 30,000 from the small blind and Mina Elias matched the bet in the big blind.
On a flop of 6♣A♥4♥ Sebesfi open shoved his remaining 65,000 and Elias quickly called to put him at risk.
Sebesfi: K♣Q♠6♦2♦
Elias: 10♠9♦7♦5♠
Sebesfi found himself in front with a pair of sixes, but had to fade a straight draw for Elias. He was able to, but the board ran out 5♣9♥ to grant Elias his “backdoor two pair draw” and the elimination.
| Mina Elias | 932,000 |
| David Sebesfi | BUSTED! |
You so crushed
Carlos Youssef has sailed clean into the chiplead, securing a massive double up through Mina Elias.
The chips went in with a raising war on a board showing K♣A♥6♦.
Elias: Q♣J♦6♣6♠
Youssef: A♠A♣J♠7♥
Youssef’s top set held on a runout of Q♦Q♥ to take him into the chiplead.
| Carlos Youssef | 1,047,000 |
| Mina Elias | 765,000 |
Level 18: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Elias human after all
Dominating the headlines today but Mina Elias has actually just lost one, with Taylor Grube all in and at risk on a board of 5♣A♥A♦.
Grube: A♣K♥9♥6♣
Elias: K♠K♦7♠7♦
Grube had flopped trip Aces and held blockers to Elias’ hand; Elias needing a seven and seven only to fill up and eliminate Grube.
The board completed 10♥4♥ and Grube doubled through.
| Mina Elias | 1,240,000 |
| Taylor Grube | 178,000 |
Matt Pongrass eliminated in 6th place ($2,006)
Matt Pongrass is the next to fall to Mina Elias, betting full pot onto a flop of 10♠Q♣9♣, action folded round to Elias, who shoved.
Pongrass called, and waited for Elias to table J♣7♦4♣4♦ before tabling his own J♥8♠6♣6♠.
Elias had a flush draw, whilst Pongrass had flopped the Queen high straight, needing to dodge a club or running cards to hold.
The board ran out K♠A♣, the river club good enough for Elias to continue his rampage.
| Mina Elias | 1,355,000 |
| Matt Pongrass | BUSTED! |
Simon Pedler eliminated in 7th place ($1,700)
Elias has claimed yet another scalp, getting involved in a preflop war with Simon Pedler.
Pedler opened to 28,000 and Elias hit the pot button, sending it up to 92,000. Pedler shoved and Elias snap called.
Pedler: K♥K♠Q♦2♣
Elias: A♥A♠4♥2♥
Aces versus Kings in a set up cooler, and Elias’s Aces held through on a board of 10♦Q♣7♣9♣3♥ to eliminate Pedler and send Elias the first player to a seven figure stack.
| Mina Elias | 1,149,000 |
| Simon Pedler | BUSTED! |
Level 17: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Ratul Sayak eliminated in 8th place ($1,482)
With a full board showing 3♣6♣A♦8♦5♦ actioned happened very quickly, as Ratul Sayak had gotten all of his chips in with Carlos Youssef.
Sayak: 9♥8♣7♥5♠
Youssef: Q♦6♠3♠3♦
It was straight versus flush, as Youssef’s flopped set had gone runner runner diamonds to take the pot and the scalp.
| Carlos Youssef | 508,000 |
| Ratul Sayak | BUSTED! |
Cindy Tamihana eliminated in 9th place ($1,308)
Mina Elias has claimed another scalp, eliminating Cindy Tamihana.
“All in and a call!” from the dealer, and our Live Reporter scurried over to see a board showing K♣6♦5♣.
Elias: 10♠9♦5♠5♥
Tamihana: A♠A♦8♦8♣
Elias had flopped bottom set, whilst Tamihana had two chances at two chances to make this set over set and survive.
The board ran out 7♥K♥ and Elias improved to a full house to eliminate Tamihana, however.
| Mina Elias | 973,000 |
| Cindy Tamihana | BUSTED! |
Pongrass is green
Matt Pongrass has going through a green patch, winning the last two hands to grow his stack significantly.
On the first, Pongrass opened to 12,000 and received calls from both Cindy Tamihana and David Sebesfi in the blinds. All three checked through a board of 6♠Q♠Q♥2♥10♣ before Sebesfi fired 30,000 on the river. Pongrass made the call and Tamihana got out the way.
“You’re good,” announced Sebesfi “I have eights.”
Pongrass tabled A♥8♥J♥J♠ to take it down.
He was immediately back in action as Mina Elias raised under the gun to 21,000. Pongrass quickly announced “pot” and upped it to 72,000. Action folded back round to Elias, who made the call.
Elias checked the 3♣4♥J♥ flop and Pongrass immediately shoved for 95,000. Elias went into the tank and agonised for several minutes before folding, and Pongrass showed his A♠A♦9♠8♦ to ease the pain.
| Matt Pongrass | 254,000 |
| Mina Elias | 814,000 |
| David Sebesfi | 148,000 |
Level 16: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Final table and redraw
The final table of the Star Gold Coast Champs $440 PLO has been set. Mina Elias still leads the way, having padded his stack with his recent elimination of Hasian Hyde.
Table 10
| Seat | Name | Chips |
| 1 | Andrej Senic | 560,000 |
| 2 | Taylor Grube | 171,000 |
| 3 | Cindy Tamihana | 139,000 |
| 4 | David Sebesfi | 201,000 |
| 5 | Simon Pedler | 149,000 |
| 6 | Mina Elias | 886,000 |
| 7 | Carlos Youssef | 418,000 |
| 8 | Matt Pongrass | 105,000 |
| 9 | Ratul Sayak | 97,000 |
Hasian Hyde eliminated in 10th place ($1,155)
Hasian Hyde has been eliminated in dramatic fashion at the hands of chipleader Mina Elias.
On a board showing J♣10♣A♠, Cindy Tamihana led out for 20,000 and Elias popped it up to 125,000. Hyde called off the remainder of his stack – 47,000 – and Tamihana went into the tank, eventually letting it go.
Hyde: K♦J♦10♥9♥
Elias: 10♦10♠K♠8♥
Two pair for Hyde, with a straight draw, and middle set for Elias. The board ran out 5♣A♣– no help to Hyde, who bubbles the final table.
| Mina Elias | 886,000 |
| Hasian Hyde | BUSTED! |
Day 2 of the PLO commences
Welcome back to PokerMedia Australia‘s coverage of the Star Gold Coast Champs – today is Day 2 of the $440 PLO. We’re down from 109 entries to just 10 remaining, with Mina Elias leading the way. Mina has a healthy chip advantage over his nearest rivals in Carlos Youssef and Andrej Senic, dragging up the average stack between the three of them with the rest of the field a way behind.
Elias had a 10th place finish at the Brisbane Poker Festival Main Event for $6,406, and will be looking to improve on that.
Blinds recommence at 3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante, and just one elimination away from final table. Each player is guaranteed $1,155 at this point, and the winner today will walk away with $13,080.
Level 15: 3,000/5,000 (5,000)
Day 2 seat allocations and chip counts
Table 8
| Seat | Name | Chips |
| 1 | Carlos Youssef | 430,000 |
| 2 | Cindy Tamihana | 136,000 |
| 3 | Ratul Sayak | 126,000 |
| 5 | Mina Elias | 727,000 |
| 6 | Hasian Hyde | 146,000 |
Table 10
| Seat | Name | Chips |
| 2 | Andrej Senic | 414,000 |
| 4 | David Sebesfi | 187,000 |
| 6 | Matt Pongrass | 286,000 |
| 7 | Simon Pedler | 163,000 |
| 8 | Taylor Grube | 130,000 |
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