Like previous years, the poker extravaganza that is the Aussie Millions kicked off with the $1,100 Opening Event that has seen record increases in attendance over the past few years; and 2010’s case was no exception!

A total of 1,143 entrants created the epic $1,143,000 prizepool thanks to a mixture of 919 unique entrants and 224 who repechaged.

When the dust settled on Day 1c, 193 players had made it through with many big-name local players, amateurs and international guests all having seats for action tomorrow.

As most of you know by now I was working the event on behalf of PokerNetwork and Bet 24/7, and if you want to catch the updates as I saw it, then click the links below.

Event 1 Day 1a
Event 1 Day 1b
Event 1 Day 1c

With work wrapped up around 9pm, I decided to join the PokerPro tables with Garry, Chris and Heath.

The tables were full so I decided to jump on the newly located $15 Squeeze Baccarat table that they had moved to sit nearby the PokerPro tables.

Buying in for $400 I slowly grinded up some profit before Brendon Rubie decided to join me for some degenerate gambling action. After explaining the rules he decided just to bet whatever I bet, but couldn’t really get a handle on the art that is squeezing!

At my high point I was up around $200, but left satisfied with $175 profit as Brendon had easily doubled his $100 buy-in before we both moved to the PokerPro tables.

Since Heath, Chris and Garry all had in excess of $300 – well apart from Heath who had around $200 – I decided to short-stack it to increase the fun factor and bought in for $20 on the $1-2 NLH PokerPro table that they were playing.

Those buy-in’s went fairly quickly – and from what I can remember – Kings vs Ace-King (all in on turn, river Ace) and against Chris as we shoved dark, my K♦ Q♣ went down to his 9♠ 5♣ when the board ran out A♦ Q♦ 6♦ 5♠ 5♥.

Consequently I decided to take it seriously after dropping a quick $100, and bought in for the full $100 amount. I quickly chipped up to $150 when I made two-pair and then just slowly took down pots every orbit to hit a high-point of $320 before making a move on Chris.

He made it $7 under the gun with 3♠ 4♠ and I three-bet to $23 with A♣ 9♠. The button called and so did Chris to see a 3♦ 5♥ 3♣ flop land. I bet out $25, the button moved all in for less, and Chris gave me this big talk before making it $75. Obviously he cashed out after that hand with around $500 as me and Heath were soon joined by Elaine once Garry and Brendon had left.

Elaine nitted it up and only lost pots to me when I would three-bet and then continuation bet with 7-3 off etc.

The night finished around 2am with all of us enjoying some play time outside of work!

I packed my car full with shoes, hats, clothes and everything in between before driving up the highway to Geelong. My first stop was at my cousin’s house in Yarraville to pick up his spare key I was going to be staying there while working the PokerNews Cup.

Taking my seat in the freeroll I sat down with $325 worth of green 25-denomination chips just in case I felt like rebuying . . . thirteen times that is!

I chipped up quite quickly before losing a race and was forced to rebuy. Nothing happened for the next umpteenth hands until we hit the end of the rebuy period. I did a triple rebuy for $75 and saw my stack increase to just on 6,000 which was roughly average.

As the 206-player field was cut down to below 80 I began accumulating thanks to a player donating his chips with eights to my Queens. Now up to 14,000, and then 16,000, the imaginary heaven to land phone rang . . .

“Hi Tim, this is God again. How have you been mate? Enough of the small talk . . . I think it’s greedy of you wanting a second PokerNews Cup seat and consequently have decided to flick the doomswitch on you . . . talk soon mate!”

Sitting with double average chips at the 500-1000 level, an old Asian donk limped under the gun (with only 2,600 behind), as did some weak-tight lady from middle position, before I made it 4,000 from the button with Ace-Jack. The blinds passed but the rest of the old Asian donk’s chips went into the middle with King-Queen as the old lady folded. Queen on the flop and that was that . . . well until two hands later some random donk shipped it with Ace-Five and I re-shipped with Ace-Queen. Of course a five fell on the flop, and even though I turned a flush draw, I still lost and slipped to 6k.

I found a double with Aces against Kings before doubling up the big blind when I opened to 2,200 from the button with J♠ 10♠ and was forced to call an additional 3,000. He flopped an Ace and I was back to just over 6k. Next hand someone open shipped with A♥ 8♥ and I snapped with Kings; only to see me exit in 35th place when an Ace landed on the river.

I played some $2-3NLH once the Grand Final was wrapped up by the cats and profited $92 after being up $205 at one point.

Using the Phase Two ticket I had won on my last visit to Crown, I took to the felt with around 100 others. I turned middle set first hand to take a nice pot down until losing a big one holding A♠ 10♠. With three limpers for 100, I called before the player on my left made it 200. Everyone called to see a ten-high flop fall and the action checked round to the preflop raiser who made it 200 to go once again. Everyone folded to me and I made the call to peel one street just in case he actually had something better then top pair.

The turn landed another ten and I fired out 600. He tank-called to see an eight land on the river and an all-in bet follow from me once I saw that he only had 1,700 left. About two minutes went pass before he made the call – and after I tabled my top trips – he slammed down his rivered set of eights . . . WTF!?!?!?

I was unable to grab one of the nine seats up for grabs when I shoved 10bbs with Ace-Jack and got called by Ace-Queen.

With word of a home game, I decided to venture out to Kew as the night was still young.

The game was 25c-25c round of each, and after being down to $12 from my original $100 buy-in I eventually cashed out for $105 courtesy to a great Omaha Hi-Lo orbit.

2am read the clock, and time it was for bed as the game broke and I headed back to Yarraville for the night.

Waking up bright and early I headed to crown to play in the PokerNews Cup Event 1: $230 No Limit Holdem $75,000 Guarantee.

Even though I arrived forty minutes early there was a line that stretched at least sixty people long when I hit the back of it.

Once I was finally registered I took my seat in the 465-player field. With only a 4,000-chip starting bank and a fairly fast structure I decided that I was going to take a solid and tight approach until I could amass some kind of stack . . . only problem was that I wouldn’t even have a chance to get near a stack!

For the ninety minutes that I was in the tournament I only played two hands. I lost half my stack holding 9♥ 9♦ in the big blind when my lone opponent turn a gutshot wheel against me. Then during the 75-150 level I opened to 375 with A♠ Q♠ and was put all in by my opponent from the previous hand from out of the big blind. I tossed in my last 1,500, but made my way out of the tournament in 380th place when his pockets flopped a set.

I quickly gamboooled away $200 on a $2-3NLH table – gamble being just an understatement as I saw my original $200 soar to $300 before straddling and blind betting my way to the felt- before taking my seat in Event 2: $115 Deepstack PokerPro.

Everyone started with a 25,000-chip starting bank, and after triple-barrelling Andrew ‘Adgee’ Jeffreys with A♠ 10♠ on a Q♣ 8♣ 3♣ 5♣ K♠ board I was up to 33,000 after Adgee reluctantly folded a pair and I tabled my bluff.

Nothing really eventuated as both Adgee and I, along with Dennis Huntly, exchanged banter until Adgee fell and then Huntly.

I would eventually perish in 23rd place of the 90 starters when I shoved 61,000 at 3,000-6,000 with 10♣ 10♠ and ran into an opponent’s Q♦ Q♠. He flopped top set, I turned a flush draw, but made yet another early tournament exit.

Food . . . bed . . . then a long night of poker-based thinking ahead!

In a continuation from my re-cap of the ANZPT Adelaide here is the The Eight Points of Enlightenment: Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series.

1 – Affordable: Following the Aussie Millions where events start at that four-figure mark, and Main Event’s around the country that fluctuate around that $3,000 mark; its good to have a Championship series that is truly affordable for the tournament junkie. With most buy-ins at the $230, $340 and $550 mark, players can take their shot at being crowned a Champion without it hurting the wallet too deeply.

2 – Tournament Structures (part one): The structures for these tournaments were excellent! The deep starting stacks and slow levels provided incredible value for money – and there can be no arguments; all you have to do is look at the vast improvements from last years structures. As for the buy-in amounts, you couldn’t ask anymore from the Jonno and the Crown staff as they catered for those that are looking to play some deep-stack tournament poker.

3 – Tournament Structures (part two): At some points the structures were too good with finishing times stretching into breakfast where pancakes were the order of the day instead of check-raises and open limping (which is definitely not smart at any point). This does support the argument for players and their need for adequate structures with maximum play – but on occasions this can be negative.

4 – PokerPro Problems: Most may be unaware of the persistent problems Crown have experienced with the PokerPro machines, and most recently it effected Event #5: $165 Poker Pro. With problems all tournament long, by the time they reached the final table they had no choice but to vacate the machines and play the tournament on actual felt. This totally changed the game as the time it took to get through hands doubled, and with the turbo-like structure the final table played faster then most on it would have liked.
If Crown wish to continue running Championship tournaments on the PokerPro machines – and I believe they should – then they really need to take a look at rectifying the existing problems.

5 – Lack of Chips: This really wasn’t a problem, but more of a funny scenario come flight two and three of the Main Event. With 17,960,000 chips in play, the majority of them were bagged during flight one meaning that the following two flights were left with physically less chips. Therefore the 25,000-denomination chips were out early so as to make sure that flight three had enough to play with – on a side note it was funny seeing people with two or three 25,000-chips and nothing else when trying to post a 1,600 big blind (me inclusive)!

6 – Repechage Main Event: Personally I’m not a fan of a repechage because it changes the way the game is played; but poker-wise I think it’s great. To allow people to rebuy if they bust on the first two days means that the prizepool will always be boosted, and be of excellent value to those that don’t repechage and those that do (as it gives them a second chance).
However only playing eight levels during the first two flights means that the numbers that returned for flight three were lower then they could have been. By playing ten levels and an extra 90 minutes means that day two will on average be shorter and that more people will bust and therefore repechage into flight three – consequently a greater prizepool with more money on offer.

7 – Half Million Dollar Prizepool: Well nearly – it was $449,000, but for a $550 buy-in event it was unbelievable to get such a huge prizepool. I assured a few young Adelaide boys that a $100,000 first prize would be reached, and even through they had heavy doubts it was still achieved! The prizepool may have appeared a little skewed, but on closer inspection it was pretty industry standard – however the only change that should have been made was changing the payouts from 81 to 72 as to represent the 705 unique players that took their seat.

8 – The Money Isn’t Going Nowhere (again): Just like in Adelaide, the money is staying firmly in Australia, and most importantly in Victoria following local Daniel Botta’s victory in under three hours on day three. Hopefully this will drag more amateur and pub poker players into the Crown Poker Room knowing that for just $550 and three days work – they can be $100,000 richer too!

I hope now that it is clear why so many people enjoy the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series and will hopefully venture back down to Melbourne in 2010 for the best value deep stack tournaments on this side of the world.

With the dilemma that is the 2009 WSOP and whether or not Tilted Behaviour will be there the current issue at hand; it will be only a matter of weeks before we’re back at it with the ANZPT Sydney (23rd April to May 1st) and then the Melbourne Poker Championships (17th May to 1st June).

The road ahead for this poker journalist is definitely going to be interesting, so make sure to stay tuned over the upcoming weeks for your poker fix!

There were two things that I want to share with you about that event. Firstly I witnessed one of the worst beats in a tournament since the WSOP! Fellow Crown regular Paul Rochford called a player’s all-in holding Q♠ Q♥ and looked like chopping up against Mark Jacobson’s Q♦ Q♣. The final board however read A♠ 3♠ A♥ J♠ 8♠ sending Jacobson to the rail and propelling Rochford to a 4th place finish for $51,170.

Something that I just found odd was a player by the name of Andrew Mercaldi. It wasn’t to do with the way he played, or acted, but the way he dressed! Yep, thats right, the way he dressed. You see many players wear poker-affiliated gear whether it be of an online poker or training site, local card room, blog or whatever, but I’ve never seen conflicting attire.

Andrew Mercaldi during Day 2 play of Event #1

You see Mercaldi is wearing a PokerStars t-shirt . . . which is fine, and is also wearing a PartyPoker hat . . . which is also fine, but together . . . a big NO-NO!!! Maybe this is just a personal opinion but I don’t think competing brands should be mixed when it comes to dressing to hit the felt.

After helping the team out for a few hours I headed over to cover Event #2: $1,050 PokerPro No Limit Hold’em. It started well with a stellar field including Emad Tahtouh, Jamie Pickering, Annette “Annette_15″ Obrestad and eventual winner Mitchell Carle. However it was extremely hard to look pass the soaring temperatures in the PokerPro area which weren’t being helped by the low-lying roof, bad ventilation and heat being produced by the computerised PokerPro tables.

8 bottles of water later and a newly crowned champion I was outta there to get some rest so I could tackle the most exciting and action packed event on the 2009 Aussie Millions program . . . Event #3: $1,100 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo. With a long day ahead of me tomorrow I’m going to try and get some interviews out of the way including Van Marcus, Billy “the Croc” Argyros and the Australian Poker Pentagon!