The 2017 Aussie Millions concluded over the weekend. American Nick Petrangelo won the $100,000 Challenge for a $882K AUD score. Mike Watson finished second and Fedor Holz took third place. Holz also made the final table of the Aussie Millions Main Event. Holz finished in fifth place and won $335,000. Newcomer Shurane Vijayaram from Australia recorded his first career cash by winning the Aussie Millions Main Event. Vijayaram won his $10,000 buy-in seat through a $130 satellite. He faded a field of 725 players and parlayed a simple $130 investment into $1.6 million AUD (or $1.2 million USD).
The biggest poker tournament of the year down under in Australia finished up their annual series. Fedor Holz cleaned up as a "tourist" and unknown first-time Shurane Vijayaram shipped the Main Event for a $1.6 million AUD score. Noobtastic! Talk about beginner's luck, eh?
The Aussie Millions Main Event at the Crown Casino in Melbourne attracted 725 runners, which marked the third-largest field in the storied history of the Aussie Millions. Relative newcomer Shurane Vijayaram won a seat via a rebuy satellite and parlayed a modest investment of $130 into over a million bucks. He was scared shitless when he was seated with Mustpha Kanit, but he held his own against Tony Dunst, which helped boost his confidence. As the tournament progressed, Vijayaram's stack and confidence grew.
"I already played some really good players during this tournament, better players than I've played in my whole life before," explained Vijayaram to the press after his victory. "Having that confidence, and confidence in my game, I suppose gave me the belief that I could take these guys on."
Fedor Holz decided to grace everyone with his presence. He's supposedly retired, but he's still crushing tables when he's playing as a casual player. The tourist's life suits Holz. He managed to final table the 100K and the Main Event. Overall, he took down $335,000 for a fifth-place finish in the Main Event.
2017 Aussie Millions Main Event
Buy-in: $10,000
Entrants: 725
Prize Pool: $7,685,00
Payouts: 80
Aussie Millions - Final Table Payouts:
1. Shurane Vijayaram (Australia) $1,600,000 AUD
2. Ben Heath (U.K.) $1,000,000 AUD
3. Tobias Hausen (Germany) $620,000 AUD
4. Jeff Rossiter (Australia) $440,000 AUD
5. Fedor Holz (Germany) 335,000 AUD
6. David Olson (USA) $270,000 AUD
7. Luke Roberts (Australia) $210,000 AUD
Meanwhile, the High Roller affair at the Crown Casino attracted the usual cast of shadowy figures, sharks, and SHR regs. 18 players took a shot in this $100,000 AUD buy-in affair. At the end of the first day of action, only seven were left standing when the final table was set.
German Steffen Sontheimer went into Day 2 as the chip leader. Fellow German Fedor Holz was second overall. Also advancing to the final table were Nick Petrangelo, Mike 'SirWatts' Watson, Sam Trickett, David Peters, and Aussie David Steicke.
American Nick Petrangelo navigated the tough final table featuring two of the hottest players on the planet in David Peters and Fedor Holz. Peters did not make the money and Holz was sent packing in third place. Nick Petrangelo defeated SirWatts heads up to win the 100K event. He shipped a payday worth $882,000 AUD or $666K USD.
SirWatts finished in second place for a $529K AUD (or nearly $400K USD). Fedor Holz finished in third place and earned $352,800 AUD (or $266K) for cashing in the High Roller on his "vacation."
For two final tables, Holz earned $687,800 at the Aussie Millions. That's approximately $520K USD. Not bad for a tourist, eh?
Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge
Buy-in: $100,000
Entrants: 18
Prize Pool: $1,332,622
Payouts: 3
100,000 Challenge - Payouts:
1. Nick Petrangelo (USA) $882,000 AUD
2. Mike Watson (Canada) $529,200 AUD
3. Fedor Holz (Germany) $352,800 AUD
