As the 2017 edition of the Aussie Millions is progressing toward a conclusion, the champions in several of its highlight tournaments are yet to be determined. Day 1 of the A$100,000 Challenge, the event with the second largest buy-in on the festival’s schedule, was played earlier this week. An original field of 18 entries has been whittled down to just 7 finalists who are to return to Crown Casino in Melbourne on Saturday, January 28, to play down to a winner.
This year, the event generated a prize pool of A$1,764,000. A top prize of A$882,000 has been designated for the champion.
Events of this kind usually attract the world’s top poker players and the 2017 edition of the A$100,000 Challenge was not an exception. Prominent high rollers like Sam Greenwood, Ben Tollerene, who finished runner-up to Fabian Quoss in this same tournament last year, and Bryn Kenney were among those to enter it. However, all three failed to make it to the final table.
Focusing our attention on the final pack of seven, they will be led by Germany’s Steffen Sontheimer on Saturday. The player accumulated a stack of 451,000 in chips during the tournament’s initial stages. Sontheimer is followed by none other but fellow countryman Fedor Holz.
Last year, after winning a number of high rollers over the span of several months, Holz announced that he would retire from professional poker and would play only recreationally. Luckily, he decided to take part in this year’s Aussie Millions festivities and will now add to the quality of poker action that is expected to be seen at Saturday’s final table.
With a live poker bankroll of more than $20.3 million, Holz is one of the world’s most profitable poker player. However, he is not the only A$100,000 Challenge finalist to have passed the $20-million mark. Englishman Sam Trickett has also secured a seat among the final seven. He will start Saturday final table action fourth in chips with a total of 265,000. Trickett’s live tournament earnings currently amount to more than $20.5 million. The player is best known for finishing runner-up to Antonio Esfandiari in the 2012 $1,000,000 Big One for ONE DROP tournament.
David Peters, who was crowned the 2016 GPI Player of the Year after a terrific run on the live poker scene over the past several months, will also be among those lucky seven to be returning to Crown Casino on Saturday. The player is currently standing in the bottom half of the chip counts chart but we all know that he has the skills needed to improve his position.
David Steicke, a former A$100,000 Challenge winner, will start seven-handed play as the short stack. The player bested the event’s field back in 2009. He scooped a first-place prize of A$1.2 million for beating a field of 23 entries.
Canada’s Mike Watson, one of his home country’s most profitable players, has also remained in contention. The player holds a stack of 146,000 in chips.
Last but not least, the final table is rounded out by Nick Petrangelo, or another high roller of great prominence. Petrangelo is coming fresh from a runner-up finish in the inaugural PCA Championship Bahamas $25,750 High Roller. The player collected $740,032 for his deep run into the prestigious tournament.
Steffen Sontheimer (Germany) – 451,000
Fedor Holz (Germany) – 394,500
Nick Petrangelo (United States) – 381,000
Sam Trickett (United Kingdom) – 265,000
Mike Watson (Canada) – 146,000
David Peters (United States) – 96,000
David Steicke (Australia) – 78,500
