Aussie Millions 2020: Jorryt Van Hoof, Toby Lewis and Jussi Nevanlinna lock up titles

With the New Year’s Eve celebrations having finished just days ago, the first major highlight of the 2020 poker calendar is already upon us. The Aussie Millions never fails to attract the best in the business, with a pile of rings and dollars up for grabs. The early events have already concluded, so allow us to fill you in on the action so far.

AU$25K PLO – Winner: Jorryt Van Hoof

The AU$25K (US$) PLO event attracted 59 entries this year, which was enough to send the prize pool total to AU$1,416,000 (US$977,797). There were PLO specialists from around the world in attendance, along with some locals who were happy to part with a chunk of money to take their shot.

By the end of the first day, just 13 remained, with Australia’s Hun Lee leading the way. Martin Kozlov, Marc Rivera and Stephen Chidwick were also still in contention within the chasing field. The problem for those following the leader was that, Lee didn’t just hold a lead, he held a monstrous stack of three times the size of his nearest challenger. That would all change on day 2, however.

Hun Lee did not collapse on the final day, but simply could not accumulate chips as quickly as Dutchman Van Hoof. Lee’s stack hovered close to 1 million for most of the day, which was close to his starting point, while Van Hoof was involved in some serious chip hoovering. By the time Najeem Ajez had made way in 3rd place, Lee was staring down the barrel of a near 2 to 1 chip deficit. He could not overturn Van Hoof’s lead during heads up play, being slowly ground down and finished off by his opponent.

The final payouts are as follows:

1st – Jorryt van Hoof (Netherlands) – AU$467,280 (US$322,400)

2nd – Hun Lee (Australia) – AU$297,360

3rd – Najeem Ajez (Australia) – AU$198,240

4th – Martin Kozlov (Australia) – AU$155,760

5th – Stephen Chidwick (United Kingdom) – AU$113,280

6th – Fabian Brandes (Austria) – AU$99,120

7th – Farid Jattin (Colombia) – AU$84,960

AU$2,500 Shot Clock Six Max – Winner: Toby Lewis

This event began with 258 players, and was packed with talented players, many of whom already owned Aussie Millions titles. Few in the field owned two though, and by the end of the event, one of those players held three. The 258 entries flowed in on day 1, creating a total prize pool of AU$580,500 (US$400,919).

By the time the event had been boiled down to a final table, the familiar face of Hun Lee remained in contention, with a runner-up finish having just been earned in another event. Other than Lee, the only other notable name was that of Toby Lewis. His previous two years at the Aussie Millions had provided a AU$50K Challenge win and a Main Event win, and once again, Melbourne proved kind.

Lewis cruised into the heads up phase where he met China’s Xiajing Ji. The contest which followed saw Lewis maintain great momentum and excellent decision making to turn the match to his advantage. Before long, he had finished the job to claim his third title in three years.

The final payouts are as follows:

1st – Toby Lewis (UK) AU$148,030 (US$102,349)

2nd – Xiajing Ji (China) $97,235

3rd – Justin Liberto (USA) $56,600

4th – Kwok Chun Kong (Hong Kong) $42,085

5th – Corey Kempson (Australia) $30,475

6th – Kilian Kramer (Germany) $21,770

7th – Hun Lee (Australia) $15,965

AU$2,500 8-Game – Winner: Jussi Nevanlinna

The 8-Game events at any series are always a slightly different spectacle to the larger field Hold’em events. An intriguing test of all-round poker ability coupled with a smaller field which often yield a final table with some star names. The 8-Game event at the Aussie Millions this year did not hold up the star names end of the bargain, but it was certainly a fascinating event, with 70 entries helping the prize pool to grow to AU$108,718 (US$75,102).

Throughout the first day, many notable names fell out of contention, and by the time the final table came around, former Aussie Millions champion David Steicke was the only big name remaining. He was doing more than just sticking around however, and led the way coming into the final table. By the time the field was down to four, Steicke enjoyed a comfortable lead, but couldn’t shake off Finnish player Jussi Nevanlinna.

Andrew Kelsall then shook up the standings by taking a couple of big pots away from Steicke shortly after the elimination of Daniel Mayoh, and in the blink of an eye, he had hit the rail in 3rd. Kelsall found himself with a near 4 to 1 chiplead, but his challenge quickly began to unravel during heads up play. One huge cooler sent Nevanlinna into the chiplead, and as a few more small pots slid away from Kelsall, it seemed clear which way the match was headed. The Fin finished off his opponent during a Triple Draw round to take the title and top prize.

The final payouts are as follows:

1st – Jussi Nevanlinna (Finland) – AU$51,975 (US$35,936)

2nd – Andrew Kelsall (United States) – AU$33,075

3rd – David Steicke (Australia) – AU$22,050

4th – Daniel Mayoh (Australia) – $17,325

5th – Siyu Sha (Germany) – $12,600

6th – Alan Wilson (Australia) – $11,025

7th – Vasco Zapantzis (Australia) – $9,450

Other notable winners

Event 2 – AU$2,500 HORSE

Entries: 42

Prize Pool: AU$94,500 (US$65,730)

Winner: Dzmitry Urbanovich – AU$28,755 (US$20,001)

Event 4 – AU$1,150) NLH Mix Max

Entries: 342

Prize Pool: AU$350,550 (US$240,600)

Winner: Freek Scholten – AU$86,575 (US$59,421)

Event 5 – AU$1,150 NLH Six Max

Entries: 560

Prize Pool: AU$574,000 (US$393,966)

Winner: Pasquale Braco – AU$128,000 (US$87,853)

Event 6 – AU$2,500 PLO

Entries: 170

Prize Pool: AU$382,500 (US$263,350)

Winner: Sherif Derias – AU$97,525 (US$67,146)