Andy Lee bags chip lead at end of WPT Australia 20th Anniversary Super High Roller; that’s a wrap!
It was another massive day of action here at The Star Gold Coast, and there was plenty of it witnessed here in the WPT Australia 20th Anniversary Super High Roller!
Out of the 63 total entries taken in today, 22 players will be returning tomorrow bright and early to battle it out for a share of the $1,197,000 prize pool. Leading the way is Andy Lee, who bagged 1,835,000 in chips after taking a massive pot off Hussein Hassan in the closing stages of the tournament.
Following close behind is James Mendoza (1,700,000), who went also went on a surge during the final stanza, with Michael Egan (1,185,000), Ryan Hong (1,140,000) and Brian Kim (1,085,000) rounding out the top five.
Martin Finger, Daniel Hachem, Sean Ragozzini, and Ehsan Amiri and were amongst the other notables to have bagged, along with $2,500 8-Max Champion Joe Sandaev, who came in late after final tabling the $1,100 PLO, which as a result now has him in the lead for the WPT Australia Player of the Festival points race.
WPT AUSTRALIA 20TH ANNIVERSARY SUPER HIGH ROLLER – DAY 1 CHIP COUNTS
| Andy Lee | 1,835,000 |
| James Mendoza | 1,700,000 |
| Michael Egan | 1,185,000 |
| Ryan Hong | 1,140,000 |
| Brian Kim | 1,085,000 |
| Martin Finger | 980,000 |
| Daniel Hachem | 955,000 |
| Mazyar Misaghian | 935,000 |
| Aaron Li | 810,000 |
| Joseph Sandaev | 695,000 |
| Hyung Kim | 655,000 |
| Sean Ragozzini | 585,000 |
| Vincent Huang | 530,000 |
| Cheng Gu | 520,000 |
| Cameron Robertson | 410,000 |
| Luke Martinelli | 410,000 |
| Khac-Trung Tran | 320,000 |
| Marley Wynter | 300,000 |
| Alex Trevallion | 295,000 |
| Ehsan Amiri | 170,000 |
| Michael Wang | 165,000 |
| Hussein Hassan | 65,000 |
The numbers were massive across the board today, with a whopping 477 entries taken in for the Shane Warne One-Dayer, which has in fact now been extended to a second day due to the unprecedented turnout.
The inaugural charity event, named in honour of Australian cricketing legend Shane Warne, raised close to $24,000 in funds for the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, smashing The Star Gold Coast’s $10,000 guarantee.
Of course, there were plenty of other reasons to celebrate today, especially for Jonathan Levy, who took out the $440 NLH Turbo for a $20K payday, and Dasiuke Ogita, who shipped the $1,100 PLO to pocket a cool $54,000 and change. Congratulations, all!
That’s all we have time for here at PMA today, but be sure to join us again from 11:15am AEST tomorrow as we bring you live updates from Day 2 of this event, along with social media coverage of the $5,400 WPT Australia Main Event.
Until then, from all of us here at The Star Gold Coast, it’s ‘bye for now!
Rafferty railed
Having nursed a short stack for the most part of this final level,Tom Rafferty was one of the final eliminations of the night before the final three hands were called.
Down to just 40,000 in chips, Rafferty ripped them in holding 10♠10♣ against Misaghian, who called him off with A♥9♥.
Rafferty did double through after he flopped a set on the board of 7♣10♥J♦2♣Q♥, but he moved in again with K♥10♥ in the very next hand and found two callers in Misaghian and Ehsan Amiri, who then checked through all streets on the board of 9♠5♣6♥3♠8♣.
Misaghan turned up A♦8♦ for second pair, top kicker, which was enough to take down the pot.
| Mayar Misaghian | 1,150,000 |
| Tom Rafferty | BUSTED! |
And with that, Day 1 of the WPT Australia 20th Anniversary Super High Roller is in the books! We’ll be back to wrap up the action soon – stay with us!
Oh, it looks like Daniel
Daniel Hachem has been one of the big movers in this final level, doubling up twice to move up past the one-million chip mark as we head to the end of Day 1.
Earlier, our reporter caught action between Hachem and Luke Martinelli as they went to a pre-flop showdown; Hachem was at-risk with A♥J♦, but despite a sweaty turn on the board of Q♠7♣4♥3♣K♦, Martinelli missed the flush with his A♣.
Some time passed before Marley Wynter came in with a raise of 35,000 from middle position before Hachem 3-bet it to 103,000. Wynter called, then led out for 89,000 after the flop of 10♦3♠8♣.
Hachem smooth-called, and then snapped Wynter off after he open-shoved on the turn of the 2♥.
Hachem: A♥A♦
Wynter: K♥K♦
Down to just two outs, the river was a very safe 7♦, resulting in a full double for Hachem.
| Daniel Hachem | 1,190,000 |
| Luke Martinelli | 388,000 |
| Marley Wynter | 195,000 |
Good juju for Gu Gu
Ashton Campbell’s run in this tournament has come to an end at the hands of Gu Gu.
Action folded around to Campbell who ripped in his last 20,000 effective from the button with 8♠8♦, only to then see Gu iso-shove from the small blind with A♠J♣.
Campbell was then sent packing after Gu spiked top pair on the flop of 3♠A♦K♦, but despite the sweaty 4♦ that appeared on the turn, the J♠ bricked out on the river.
| Gu Gu | 270,000 |
| Ashton Campbell | BUSTED! |
Rattigan routed
In the midst of the Alex Lynskey saga, Michael Rattigan moved his last 129,000 over the line pre-flop before Hussein Hassan re-shoved, forcing the rest of the table out of the way before the cards were tabled.
Rattigan: A♣7♦
Hassan: Q♦J♦
Board: Q♥3♠5♠5♥2♣
| Hussein Hassan | 610,000 |
| Michael Rattigan | BUSTED! |
Level 12: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Lynskey lost
It was a rollercoaster ride for Alex Lynskey during this level, but his tournament life has now come to an end as we move into the final level of this Day 1 session.
In earlier action, Lynskey took a huge hit against Jonathan Karamalikis, running his A♦Q♥ against Karamalkis’ A♣K♣, with the Australian Poker Hall of Famer doubling up after outkicking Lynksey on the board of 2♣8♥A♥10♣7♦.
Down to less than 100,000, he managed to get a small double through Brian Kim before giving them up to him a short time later, jamming with A♠8♥ pre-flop but failed to improve against Kim’s 6♦6♣ on the 3♠2♥Q♠J♥5♠ board.
| Brian Kim | 1,585,000 |
| Jonathan Karamalikis | 660,000 |
| Alex Lynskey | BUSTED! |
Campo and Bosko busto
Two more eliminations confirmed, with Dean Boskovic and Flo Campomanies both eliminated as action continues here in the WPT Australia 20th Anniversary Super High Roller.
In earlier action, Boskovic moved all-in pre-flop with A♣K♦, but Daniel Gan’s A♥Q♦ flopped top-top on the board of 5♠7♠Q♣J♣4♦.
Campomanies then jammed pre-flop with K♠J♠, but Aaron Li’s A♥8♣ won the fair fight after he paired up on the board of 7♣Q♣A♦2♠9♠.
| Aaron Li | 785,000 |
| Flo Campomanies | BUSTED! |
| Dean Boskovic | BUSTED! |
Best busts
WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge Champion Gavin Best has just been eliminated from the Super High Roller, taken down by Michael Egan.
From UTG+1, Best moved the last of his money in pre-flop holding Q♠8♠ and found a caller in Michael Egan who tabled K♥Q♥, with the board of 3♥5♠2♦4♥2♠ doing nothing to change the outcome.
| Michael Egan | 823,000 |
| Gavin Best | BUSTED! |
Number crunchin’
We’re now down to 30 players in the penultimate level of tonight’s session, and the official numbers are in! A total of 63 entries – 51 uniques and 12 re-entries – have generated a total prize pool of $1,197,000!
The top eight players will be paid out, with a min-cash worth $43,092, while tomorrow’s champion will pocket a whopping $430,919. That’s money for jam … and then some!
PAYOUTS ($20,000 buy-in, 63 entries, eight players paid)
| Place | Amount |
| 1st | $430,919 |
| 2nd | $253,166 |
| 3rd | $158,603 |
| 4th | $107,730 |
| 5th | $83,790 |
| 6th | $65,835 |
| 7th | $53,865 |
| 8th | $43,092 |
Level 11: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
The Mendoza domination
James Mendoza has skyrocketed to the top of our chip counts, breaking the two-million barrier after eliminating Didier Guerin, Ted Hatzakortzian and Jonathan Karamalikis.
Guerin was the first to go, getting the last of his chips in with Q♦10♦, but although he’d rivered the Queen-high straight on the board of 8♠8♣10♥Q♠J♠, he was crushed by Mendoza, who had flopped a boat with his 10♠10♣.
Mendoza then took out Hatzakortzian, flopping another Queen with his K♦Q♦ on the board of 4♠2♠Q♥8♠6♠ against Hatzakortzian, who had put himself at risk with A♣9♣.
Sme time passed before Karamalikis moved all-in pre-flop holding 10♥10♣, but lost the do-or-die flip against Mendoza’s A♥Q♠ after he hit top pair on the board of A♦4♥5♠7♦6♠.
| James Mendoza | 2,200,000 |
| Jonathan Karamalikis | BUSTED! |
| Ted Hatzakortzian | BUSTED! |
| Didier Guerin | BUSTED! |
Zheng zilched
Alan Zheng and Michael Wang have both been eliminated from the tournament during this level.
Zheng committed the last of his chips holding 8♠8♥, but lost the flip for his tournament life against Najeem Ajez, whose K♦Q♥ made two pair on the board of 4♣10♣K♠3♦Q♠.
At the same time, Wang got his money in good with K♥K♦, but Michael Egan’s 9♦9♣ turned a boat on the board of 9♠3♠Q♣Q♠J♣.
| Michael Egan | 658,000 |
| Najeem Ajez | 400,000 |
| Michael Wang | BUSTED! |
| Alan Zheng | BUSTED! |
Assorted chip counts
The WPT Australia 20th Anniversary Super High Roller has now officially been locked out at 63 entries, good for a total prize pool just shy of $1.2 million!
The full prize pool dividends will be made available as soon the numbers have been finalised by Star Poker Gold Coast management.
| Andy Lee | 1,282,000 |
| Ryan Hong | 1,020,000 |
| James Mendoza | 870,000 |
| Brian Kim | 758,000 |
| Marley Wynter | 720,000 |
| Luke Martinelli | 720,000 |
| Daniel Gan | 665,000 |
| Hyung Kim | 650,000 |
| Ashton Campbell | 537,000 |
| Joe Sandaev | 468,000 |
| Martin Finger | 420,000 |
| Hussein Hassan | 386,000 |
| Alex Lynskey | 254,000 |
| Hamish Crawshaw | 16,500 |
Level 10: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Break it down
Our players are now on their final 10-minute break of the night. Three more levels to go before we bag and tag!
Gan gets Rafferty
Another elimination leading up to the final break of the night, with Tom Rafferty taken out by Daniel Gan.
Rafferty moved all-in pre-flop with A♠10♦, but ran smack-bang into Gan’s Q♠Q♣, which flopped quads on the board of 8♥Q♥Q♦6♦J♦ and left Rafferty drawing stone dead by the turn.
| Daniel Gan | 705,000 |
| Tom Rafferty | BUSTED! |
Oh no, Moreno!
Two more eliminations from this Super High Roller, with Andrew Moreno and Corey Kempson both taken out as play continues here in Super High Roller.
Earlier, Moreno put himself at risk with Q-J, but despite turning two pair on the board of J♠6♥10♣10♦7♣, Marley Wynter had woken up with 10♠10♥. Just quads.
Kempson then got the last of his very short stack with K♥10♥, but although he was ahead of Alan Zheng’s Q♣2♠, Zheng turned two pair and dodged the flush draw on the board of 5♦5♣7♥2♥4♦.
| Marley Wynter | 725,000 |
| Alan Zheng | 120,000 |
| Corey Kempson | BUSTED! |
| Andrew Moreno | BUSTED! |
Sandaev shatters Xu
Fresh of his final table appearance from the $1,100 PLO, Joe Sandaev has just taken out Anthony Xu.
Our reporter picked up the action four-handed to a flop of J♥A♠3♠; the player in the UTG position led out for 31,000 and Sandaev called before Xu shipped in his last 212,000. The UTG player folded and Sandaev called.
Sandaev: A♥K♦
Xu: 3♦3♣
Sandaev’s set then improved to a full house after the turn and river ran out 7♦, J♠.
| Joe Sandaev | 521,000 |
| Anthony Xu | BUSTED! |
Karamalikis KO’ed
Australian Poker Hall of Famer Jonathan Karamalikis has fired a second bullet into this Super High Roller Event after being felted by Brian Kim.
Karamalikis shoved from the big blind after a pre-flop raise from Kim; Kim called and showed down K♠K♦ and crushed Karamalikis’ 9♥9♦ after turning a set on the board of A♦2♥4♠K♣5♣.
Karamalikis quickly headed over to the rego desk and re-entered before returning to the same seat.
| Brian Kim | 430,000 |
| Jonathan Karamalikis | 250,000* |
Level 9: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Go with the ‘Flo’
Flo Campomanies has just scored himself a timely double-up through Martin Finger in the lead-up to Level 9.
Finger raised to 18,000 from under the gun and the action folded to Campomanies who called out of the small blind to make it heads-up to a flop of 3♠K♥5♠.
Campomanies then check-raised to 34,000 after Finger bet out 9,000; Finger shoved and Campomanies called short.
Finger: A♠9♠
Campomanies: K♦Q♠
Finger couldn’t find the last spade as the turn and river bricked out J♣, 9♥ to give Campomanies the full double.
| Flo Campomanies | 310,000 |
| Martin Finger | 325,000 |
Aw, rats!
Michael Rattigan has just had his run ended in this event at the hands of Gavin Best.
Again, all the chips were over the line before the flop: Rattigan was at-risk with 3♠3♥, but ran head-first into Best’s 10♥10♣
Even the dealer made two pair on the board of 6♦6♥A♦2♥2♣, but naturally, Best had the best of it.
| Gavin Best | 248,000 |
| Michael Rattigan | BUSTED! |
He did it!
Didier Guerin is now on the felt for the WPT 20th Anniversary Super High Roller and found himself a double-up against Michael Egan.
All the money was in the middle pre-flop and we got there as the players were going to showdown.
Guerin: 10♥10♦
Egan: A♦10♠
Board: 7♥10♣7♠J♣A♠
| Didier Guerin | 285,000 |
| Michael Egan | 645,000 |
Li on the rise
Aaron Li has moved up to more than half-a-million in chips as we head into Level 8.
Action folded around to Li who completed the small blind before Corey Kempson checked his option in the big blind, making it heads-up to a flop of 8♥7♦8♠, which they both checked.
Li then led out for 8,000 after the turn of the K♦ and Kempson called before the action repeated after a bet of 35,000 from Li on the river 5♥, but Kempson mucked after Li showed down K♣8♦ for the full house.
| Aaron Li | 510,000 |
| Corey Kempson | 310,000 |
Level 8: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Anand annihilated
From under the gun, Luke Martinelli raised to 10,000 and Alex Lynskey called from the +1 position before the action folded around to Jason Anand who moved all-in for his last 29,000.
Martinelli and Lynskey both called, then both checked their option into a dry sidepot on a flop of Q♣J♦A♠ before Martinelli bet 20,000 after the turn of the Q♠.
Lynksey folded, and Martinelli tabled K♦Q♥; Anand mucked his hand and walked off before the dealer finished the board with the river 10♠.
| Luke Martinelli | 355,000 |
| Jason Anand | BUSTED! |
Au revoir, Ajez
Najeem Ajez has now been confirmed as our latest elimination from this event, felted at the hands of Brian Kim.
Ajez put his tournament life on the line with 9♥9♦, but lost the flip against Kim’s A♠Q♦, despite turning a flush draw on the board of 7♦A♥10♥2♥10♠.
| Brian Kim | 286,000 |
| Najeem Ajez | BUSTED! |
Crawshaw doubles
The PMA crew picked up action between Hamish Crawshaw and Marley Wynter into a pot of around 43,000 on a board that read 7♣3♥J♥K♣; Wynter led out for 15,000, but Crawshaw shoved for his last 82,000.
Wynter called and turned over K♥6♠, but was dominated by Crawshaw’s A♦K♠, which held firm after the river J♠ completed the board to give Crawshaw a much-needed double-up.
| Hamish Crawshaw | 207,000 |
| Marley Wynter | 359,000 |
Wang wasted
Over on Table 6, the action folded around to Hussein Hassan who raised to 11,000 from the button before Michael Wang jammed for 68,000 from the small blind. Hassan snap-called.
Hassan: 10♠10♣
Wang: A♥7♦
Board: 3♥K♥8♦7♠K♠
| Hussein Hassan | 445,000 |
| Michael Wang | BUSTED! |
Show me the money!
We’ve just received word from up on high that the prize pool for this Super High Roller has now officially moved past $1.1 million, with 56 entries (including seven re-entries) already taken in with another three levels remaining before registration closes.
But if you thought those numbers were impressive, we’ve also been advised that the Shane Warne One-Dayer was locked out at 477 entries, giving us a total prize pool of $238,500.
This also means that the admin fees from this tournament – a sum of $23,850 – will be donated to the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, and it’s all thanks to the incredible support of the poker community!
Assorted chip counts
| Michael Egan | 709,000 |
| Andy Lee | 590,000 |
| Ted Hatzakortzian | 544,000 |
| Mayar Misaghian | 535,000 |
| Marley Wynter | 518,000 |
| Ryan Hong | 507,500 |
| Martin Finger | 470,000 |
| Aaron Li | 460,000 |
| Vincent Huang | 423,000 |
| Gu Gu | 375,000 |
| Hamish Crawshaw | 366,000 |
| Hussein Hassan | 338,000 |
| Andrew Moreno | 326,000 |
| Gareth Pepper | 310,500 |
| Dean Boskovic | 307,000 |
| John Bogdanovski | 246,000 |
| Sean Ragozzini | 214,500 |
| Alex Lynskey | 184,000 |
| Khac-Trung Tran | 157,000 |
| Chris Tran | 151,000 |
Level 7: 3,000/5,000 (5,000)
Let’s eat!
Our players are now on a 45-minute dinner break. Back soon with counts!
Arrivedeche, Amiri
No shortage of action in his Super High Roller affair, with Ehsan Amiri amongst those to have hit the rail in the last-minute carnage witnessed before the dinner break.
In just some of the action we caught before the break, Ted Hatzakortzian moved up past the half-million chip mark after getting his money in after a flop of 7♣3♠4♠ against Michael Wang, having flopped a set with his 7♠7♥ against Wang’s K♠K♦.
The turn of the 10♠ was a bit of a sweat, but the river 9♣ was a blank and allowed Hatzakortzian to score the full double.
Amiri’s demise then came at the hands of Gavin Best in the final hand of this stanza, moving the last of his chips in from early position holding 10♦6♦, but Best’s 8♥5♥ rivered a six-high straight, despite Amiri turning two pair on the board of 2♥6♥3♣10♣4♠.
| Ted Hatzakortzian | 510,000 |
| Gavin Best | 305,000 |
| Michael Wang | 94,000 |
| Ehsan Amiri | BUSTED! |
Tran swinging
Khac-Trung Tran has been active during this level, scoring himself a double-up through John Bogdanovski before losing some to Ted Hatzakortzian.
Earlier, Tran got his money in with K♠K♦ agianst Bogdanovski’s Q♠Q♣ but although Bogdanovski hitting top set on the flop of 6♣Q♥9♦, Tran caught a runner-runner straight after the board completed 10♣, J♦!
Some time passed before Tran found himself up against Hatzakortzian, who put himself at risk after a flop of J♦4♠K♣; Tran had paired up with his J-6, but Hatzakortzian, who had been playing blind, turned over K♦10♥ for the bigger pair and held as the turn and river bricked 2♠, 7♦.
| Ted Hatzakortzian | 260,000 |
| Khac-Trung Tran | 170,000 |
| John Bogdanovski | 136,000 |
Wang doubles through Egan
Michael Wang is still holding on after he scored a full double through Michael Egan.
Wang moved the last of his short stack into the middle pre-flop holding K♦4♣, and found himself well behind Egan’s A♠K♥.
Both players paired up on the 5♣K♣3♥, but incredibly, Wang freerolled to his way to the win after the turn and river ran out 9♣, 6♣ to give him the flush!
| Michael Wang | 72,000 |
| Michael Egan | 395,000 |
Level 6: 2,000/4,000 (4,000)
Ajez and Li arrive
Najeem Ajez and Aaron Li was amongst those to have arrived late for today’s tournament, with Li having taken a pot off Luke Martinelli as action continues in this Super High Roller Event.
On a flop of 10♠7♥K♥, Li opened for 18,000 and Martinelli called before they both checked down the turn and river of A♠, 4♥; Li tabled K♦7♣ for two pair and Martinelli sent his hand into the muck.
| Aaron Li | 157,000 |
| Luke Martinelli | 30,000 |
More chips for Lynskey
After a min-click from Ted Hatzakortzian to 6,000, Jianquo Ruan re-raised before Alex Lynskey came out with a 4-bet worth 40,000. Hatzakortzian called and Ruan mucked, so it was heads-up to a flop of 10♠J♦K♣.
Hatzakortzian check-called Lynskey’s c-bet of 20,000 and then both players checked down the turn and river 6♦, 5♥; Hatzakortzian showed 9♠8♦, but Lynksey’s A♦9♣ was best to take it down.
| Alex Lynskey | 380,000 |
| Ted Hatzakortzian | 84,000 |
No fuss for ‘Huss’
Hussein Hassan has taken a chunk of change against Alan Zheng in one of the last hands before the clock ticked over to Level 5.
Hassan raised to 6,500 pre-flop and found one caller in Alan Zheng to go heads-up to a flop of Q♦J♣A♥. Hassan opened for 5,500 and Zheng called, and the action repeated after Hassan’s bet of 22,000 the turn of the 5♣ before Hassan opened for 73,000 on the river of the 4♥.
Zheng called, but quickly mucked after Hassan showed 5♠5♦ for a turned set.
| Hussein Hassan | 338,000 |
| Alan Zheng | 268,000 |
Level 5: 1,500/3,000 (3,000)
Hanlon heisted
David Hanlon has been eliminated by Vincent Huang as we head into Level 5 of the WPT Australia 20th Anniversary Super High Roller.
Hanlon raised to 6,000 pre-flop before Huang jammed for 240,000, which had Hanlon covered.
Huang: J♦J♣
Hanlon: A♥K♦
Board: 2♣8♥4♥J♠2♠
| Vincent Huang | 332,500 |
| David Hanlon | BUSTED! |
Rafferty rakes one in
Over on Table 3, Tom Rafferty came out with a pre-flop raise of 5,500 and action folded around to Ryan Hong who defended his big blind to go heads-up to a flop of 7♣2♣4♦.
Both players checked their option and did so again after the turn of the 3♣, and then Hong floated for 8,000 after the river 3♦. Rafferty called and Hong showed J♠8♥ but Rafferty was best with his A♦10♣.
| Tom Rafferty | 308,000 |
| Ryan Hong | 440,000 |
Finger doubles
Our reporter picked up the action after the dealer had completed a board of 5♦J♠3♠7♣10♦.
Martin Finger had moved all-in for his last 90,500 and Ted Hatzakortzian had called, however Finger tabled 7♠7♥ for a turned set to get the full double.
| Martin Finger | 385,000 |
| Ted Hatzakortzian | 101,000 |
Assorted chip counts
| Michael Egan | 670,000 |
| Mayar Misaghian | 500,500 |
| Andy Lee | 372,000 |
| Ryan Hong | 349,000 |
| Ehsan Amiri | 322,500 |
| Alan Zheng | 322,500 |
| Sean Ragozzini | 250,500 |
Level 4: 1,500/2,500 (2,500)
Break time!
Our players are now on their first 10-minute break of the day.
McCully nicked
Josh McCully has been confirmed as our latest elimination from this tournament as we head into the first break of the evening.
McCully got the last of his money in good with K♥K♣, but John Bogandovski’s A♥Q♥ flopped two pair and held on the board of J♠J♣A♠4♠3♣
| Josh McCully | BUSTED! |
Zheng slips
After a pre-flop raise from Michael Wang, the action folded to Alan Zheng who defended his big blind to heads-up to a flop of 10♥9♣A♥.
Zheng check-called Wang’s c-bet of 5,000, then both players checked the 6♠ on the turn before Zheng bet for 32,000 after the river J♣. Wang called, and then Zheng opened for 32,000 after the river J♣.
Wang called and showed down K♦10♣ formiddle pair, which was best against Zheng’s 6♥3♥.
| Michael Wang | 135,000 |
| Alan Zheng | 180,500 |
More for Misaghian
No shortage of action from Mayar Misaghian, but he’s just given up a sizeable pot to Ryan Hong as action continue .
The pair were heads-up into a pot on a board of 3♠6♥6♣10♠2♥, Misaghian fired out 37,000 and Hong called, and then the action repeated after Misaghian’s bet of 79,000 on the river 2♥.
Misaghian tabled 8♣5♣ for nothing but air, but Hong’s 8♠6♠ was best with trips.
| Ryan Hong | 290,000 |
| Mayar Misaghian | 680,000 |
Level 3: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Hassan is here
Hussein Hassan and Alex Lynskey have clashed in a pot early as we move into the third level of play.
After a +1 raise of 4,000 from Khac-Trung Tran, the action folded around to Lynskey to called from the button before Hassan re-raised to 24,000 from the small blind. The big blind folded and both Tran and Lynskey called to go three-ways to a flop of 8♦K♥2♥.
Hassan then opened for 25,000, Tran folded and Lynskey called before both players checked the turn of the 5♦, only to then see Lynskey fold after Hassan’s bet of 58,000 after the river 6♦.
| Hussein Hassan | 318,500 |
| Alex Lynskey | 185,000 |
Lim looted
“Well then … that was the quickest $20K I’ve ever spent!”
That was a direct quote from David Lim, who was confirmed as our first elimination from this tournament.
Our reporter picked up the action heads-up between Lim and Mayar Misaghian after a flop of A♠4♠K♠; Misaghian had plonked out a bet of 300,000, which was enough to put Lim all-in.
Lim agonised for several minutes bfore Misaghian piped up: “Come on buddy, let’s go!”
“I’ve got a hand here!” Lim replied.
Another 90 seconds passed before Lim decided to all of his chips at risk.
Lim: K♦K♣
Misaghian: 10♠9♠
“Could I have one of these please?” Lim asked the dealer as he pointed to the four.
Turn: 3♥.
River: 8♥.
No mas.
| Mayar Misaghian | 957,000 |
| David Lim | BUSTED! |
Hanlon vs Hatzakortzian
After a UTG raise of 4,000, David Hanlon called before the action folded to Ted Hatzakortzian, who 3-bet to 18,000. The button and blinds got out of the way, and the UTG player and Hanlon both called to go three-handed to 5♠3♦J♠.
The UTG and Hanlon checked to Hatzakortzian who led out for 20,000 after the turn of the 5♦; Hanlon was the only caller, and he then led out for 30,000 after the river 7♣. Hatzakortzian called, but mucked after Hanlon showed down J♦10♥.
| David Hanlon | 245,000 |
| Ted Hatzakortzian | 75,500 |
Level 2: 1,000/1,500 (1,500)
Huang gets one through Finger
More action on Table 3, as Mayzar Misaghian, Vincent Huang and Martin Finger all went into a flop of 3♦9♦9♠. Huang opened to 8,000, Finger called and Misaghian folded before Huang led out for 16,000 after the turn of the 9♥.
Finger called again, but proceeded to fold quickly after Huang led out for 25,000 on the river K♥ before the field expanded out to a third table.
| Vincent Huang | 293,000 |
| Martin Finger | 226,000 |
Mayzar mischief
Some early action on Table 3 already, which saw Michael Wang raise to 2,500 with Mayzar Misaghian calling from the cut-off and Haozhe Gan defending the big blind to go three-handed to a flop of K♣A♥10♠.
Gan checked, Misaghian bet 5,000 with both Gan and Wang called before the dealer peeled the turn of the 9♣.
Gan checked again, Misaghian opened for 18,000, but Wang raised to 38,000, which was called by Misaghian after Gan folded.
After the river 7♦ Wang checked and Misaghian reached for chips, but Wang quickly folded 10♥10♦ face-up, Misaghian returned the favour and showed his 7♥6♥ for the big bluff early.
The players were all then redrawn straight after that hand, with Jason Anand, Josh McCully and Marley Winter amongst those to have now taken their seats.
Who’s who
It didn’t take long for this tournament to blow up, moving up from five starters at first pitch up to three tables’ worth real quick!
Amongst those to have taken their seats now include Alex Lynksey, Ehsan Amiri, Corey Kempson, Vincent Huang, Tom Rafferty and Martin Finger.
There’s plenty more big names lining up as well, with Ted Hatzakortzian, Luke Martinelli, Sean Ragozzini, Hussein Hassan and Khac-Trung Tran on the alternates list, along with Andrew Moreno and Sosia Jang, who just flew in from Cyprus today.
Shuffle up and deal!
The shoes have been loaded and the cards are now in the air for the 20th Anniversary Super High Roller!
Late registration is open until the start of Level 10, and we’ll be playing through a dozen 40-minute levels until we bag and tag tonight.
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | BB Ante |
| 1 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 1,000 | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| 3 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| 4 | 1,500 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| 5 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| 6 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| 7 | 3,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| 8 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 |
| 9 | 4,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| 10 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| 11 | 6,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 |
| 12 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 |
Level 1: 500/1,000 (1,000)
All to play for
From wherever you’re watching in Australia, New Zealand or around the world – hello and welcome back to PokerMedia Australia‘s live coverage of the WPT Australia series!
Today, we’re bringing you action from Day 1 of the $20,000 buy-in WPT Australia 20th Anniversary Super High Roller – the biggest buy-in tournament held in this country since the Australian Poker Open was hosted here almost three years ago.
This tournament will no doubt bring in many of the nation’s finest, along with a dash of big international flavour, but today also marks a very special moment in Australian poker history with the inaugural Shane Warne “One-Dayer” Memorial Tournament, now underway here at The Star Gold Coast.
Named in honour of the late, great Aussie cricketing legend and poker aficionado, the $550 buy-in charity event began at 12:23pm, with all players receiving a 23,000 starting stack, and are now playing through 23-minute levels – also a nod to the player number worn by “The King of Spin”.
As well as the lion’s share of the prize pool, tonight’s winner will have their name etched onto a special perpetual trophy, along with a smaller replica which will be theirs to keep.
Most importantly, the One-Dayer is also an opportunity to raise money for charity, with entry fees from today’s event (with a minimum $10,000 guaranteed) being donated to the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, who are leading the way in treating and rehabilitating sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife.
It’s a cause very close to the heart of another one of our great Aussie poker ambassadors: WPT anchor and Australian Poker Hall of Famer, Lynn Gilmartin, who is working closely with the organisation over the last few years in leading fundraising efforts for the recovery of our koala population.
To keep this kind of treatment possible, however, the hospital relies on community efforts. Your contribution – no matter how small – is always appreciated; to find out more and to make a donation today, visit Lynn’s GoFundMe page today.
And for all the action from today’s Super High Roller event, be sure to bookmark PMA on your home screens and keep refreshing as we bring you all the action from 2:30pm AEST. Best of luck to everyone today, and may the flop be with you!
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