Two more 2017 Aussie Millions events have found their champions over the past several days. Local player Serge Osalan was crowned the champion of Event #4 – a A$1,150 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha tournament, and UK’s Niall Murray (pictured) emerged victorious in Event #5: A$1,150 No-Limit Hold’em Mix Max.
Event #4 was played over two days – January 16-17. The tournament saw 237 entries this year, up from the 217 runners who entered it this time in 2016. As many as 16 players survived through Day 1 to return to Crown Melbourne for Day 2. Yevginiy Timoshenko, who won the Aussie Millions A$100,000 Challenge in 2014, and 2014 WSOP Main Event runner-up Felix Stephensen were among the notable Day 1 survivors.
However, they both fell out on Day 2 before the nine-handed final table was set. As mentioned above, it was eventually Serge Osalan who topped the event’s field. The player scooped A$58,315 in prize money. It is interesting to note that this was Osalan’s first in-the-money finish in a live tournament.
Moving along to Event #5, UK player Niall Murray collected the A$61,300 first-place prize and a championship ring, crafted specially for the 2017 Aussie Millions festival and awarded to every champion.
That tournament, too, kicked off on January 16 and required two days of play for a winner to be determined. As many as 230 players entered it to generate a prize pool of A$235,750. The top 23 places got paid. Belgium’s Kenny Hallaert, who finished 6th in the 2016 WSOP $10,000 Championship, was among the notables to make it to the money. However, the player failed to secure a seat into the final table.
Murray and Jack Salter found themselves to be the last men standing at the table for an all-English heads-up match. Salter was eying a second championship ring. The player won his first Aussie Millions piece in 2014 when he bested the field of the A$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max. However, odds were in Murray’s favor this time, helping him scoop his first Aussie Millions title and the lion’s share of the prize pool. Salter secured A$40,085 in prize money for his second-place finish.
This year’s Aussie Millions festival is set to run through January 30. Aside from the plethora of lower buy-in events, its schedule includes multiple treats for high rollers, as well. The first such treat – the A$25,000 Challenge – is set to begin on Friday, January 20.
