PokerNews Cup Main Event, Day 2: Kenny Ng Heads Final Table
118 players returned to the tables at the PokerNews Cup Main Event on Sunday to vie for the event's AU $300,000 first-place prize money. Michael Dunworth started the day with a significant lead over a stacked field that included PokerNews Cup Event #5 winner Billy 'The Croc' Argyros, Lee 'Final Table' Nelson, PokerNews Cup Event #4 winner John 'Schecky' Caldwell, Julian Powell and poker legend Maurie Pears. In an action-packed day that saw the field narrow to eight players, all of those competitors were eliminated, including Day 1 chipleader Dunworth.
At the start of Day 2, the top 10 chip stacks looked like this:
Michael Dunworth — 283,400
Hank Hannigan — 205,100
George Dunst — 174,000
Thomas Huigsloot — 170,700
Tim Balaban — 156,000
Kristoffer Myhre — 151,300
Will Cacuzza — 148,300
Michael Chrisanthopoulos — 142,100
Tom Rafferty — 136,500
Sam Sayed — 131,400
Julian Powell fell early on Day 2 in a hand against Aleks Lackovic. On a flop of Q♦5♦2♣, Lackovic led out and Powell called. When the turn brought the 9♣, Lackovic again led out, Powell moved all in over the top of Lackovic, and Lackovic called with K♣Q♣ for top pair with a flush draw. Powell revealed 7♦9♦ for middle pair and a diamond draw, but the 4♥ river sent Powell to the rail. Lee Nelson was also a victim of an early elimination, when he moved all in pre-flop with Q♠10♦ and found one caller in Karsten Kobbing, who held A♥Q♥. No help arrived on the board for Nelson, and the 2006 Aussie Millions champ and "Kill Phil" author was done early on Day 2.
Maurie Pears went to the rail just before the bubble burst when he pushed all in pre-flop with Ac-Qh, only to run into Tanya Hill, who picked up A♦A♥ in the big blind. No help came for Pears, and the popular Australian poker legend went to the rail in a warm round of applause. Pears was followed to the rail shortly after by John 'Schecky' Caldwell. Caldwell, the winner of Event #4 and PokerNews Editor-in-Chief, moved all in over the top of Tony Dunst's pre-flop raise, and found himself in a three-way pot after Dory Zayner moved all in from the big blind. Dunst called, and the players tabled the following hands:
Dunst – A♥K♦
Caldwell – K♥10♥
Zayner – J♣J♠
The final board read 9♣4♣4♠2♦7♥, no help for Caldwell or Dunst, and Caldwell was eliminated just five spots off the money.
Day 1 chip leader Michael Dunworth got the last of his chips in the middle in a battle of the blinds when he and Dan O'Shea went to war on a flop of A♦6♣2♦. Dunworth led out for a big bet, O'Shea moved all in with A♣K♠, and Dunworth quickly called with 6♠2♥. Dunworth had a commanding lead with two pair, but the K♦ on the turn left him drawing to four outs. The 3♦ river brought no help, and Dunworth was the bubble boy in 41st place.
Play loosened up considerably once the bubble burst, with players nearing the three-table mark by the dinner break. Shortly after players returned from dinner, the final three tables of eight players each were set. The final 24 chip stacks and seating assignments were as follows:
TV Featured Table:
Seat 1: Kristoffer Myhre 428,000
Seat 2: Paul Webster 410,000
Seat 3: Grant Levy 107,000
Seat 4: Dan O'Shea 477,000
Seat 5: Con Angelakis 670,000
Seat 6: Dory Zayner 435,000
Seat 7: Tanya Hill 460,000
Seat 8: Tom Rafferty 265,000
Table 19:
Seat 1: Paren Arzoomanian 76,000
Seat 2: Vladimir Merkin 265,000
Seat 3: Hyo Sun Son 300,000
Seat 4: Kelvin Beattie 232,000
Seat 5: Karsten Kobbing 238,000
Seat 6: Sam Khouiss 65,000
Seat 7: John Maver 358,000
Seat 8: Mouris Ahou 430,000
Table 31:
Seat 1: Ozzie Yildiz 540,000
Seat 2: Sam Sayed 310,000
Seat 3: Steven Buuya 275,000
Seat 4: Jason Leong 470,000
Seat 5: Kenny Ng 460,000
Seat 6: Damien Oborne 240,000
Seat 7: Jordan Lamberg 200,000
Seat 8: Peter Aristidou 430,000
Paren Azoomanian wasted no time at his new table getting the last of his chips in the middle, pushing pre-flop with A♦10♣. He found a caller in Mouris Ahou with A♣Q♥. No help came for either player on the board, and Arzoomanian was eliminated in 24th (AU $9,580). Damian Oborne was next to fall when he pushed all in with K♣J♥ and was called by Jason Leong with Q♣Q♥. A board of A♣5♥2♥5♠6♠ sent Oborne to the rail in 23rd place as Leong's queens held up. Oborne picked up $9,580 for his finish. Sam Khouiss busted next in 22nd when his 5♥5♣ could not improve against John Maver's 8♣8♥, then Tom Rafferty found himself crippled after a big hand with Grant Levy and busted shortly after in 21st. Both men picked up $9,580.
After bleeding down to only a few chips earlier, Karsten Kobbing started a comeback that featured a big pot with Vladimir Merkin. Kobbing pushed all in with 7♦7♣, and Merkin called of the last of his chips with A-5. Kobbing's sevens held up to eliminate Merkin in 19th place. Kobbing found himself in the same position again soon after when Kelvin Beattie moved his short stack all in over the top of Kobbing's pre-flop raise in a steal attempt with 7♣3♠. Kobbing called with K♠Q♠ and picked up a queen on the turn to send Beattie to the rail in 19th place ($9,580). After the elimination of Peter Aristidou and Sam Sayed in 18th and 17th places, respectively, the final two tables were set:
TV Featured Table:
Seat 1: Kristoffer Myhre 450,000
Seat 2: Paul Webster 290,000
Seat 3: Grant Levy 240,000
Seat 4: Dan O'Shea 640,000
Seat 5: Ozzie Yildiz 465,000
Seat 6: Dory Zayner 610,000
Seat 7: Tanya Hill 405,000
Seat 8: Jason Leong 510,000
Table 19:
Seat 1: Steven Bouya 120,000
Seat 2: Jordan Lamberg 670,000
Seat 3: Hyo Sun Son 240,000
Seat 4: Kenny Ng 820,000
Seat 5: Karsten Kobbing 670,000
Seat 6: Con Angelakis 840,000
Seat 7: John Maver 525,000
Seat 8: Mouris Ahou 780,000
Paul Webster was the first to bust after the consolidation to two tables when he ran A♥9♣ into Ozzie Yildiz's K♣K♦. The board brought no help for Webster and he was eliminated in 16th ($14,380). Yildiz claimed the chip lead with that hand.
Jordan Lamberg took the chip lead from Yildiz with the next elimination, when he moved all in over the top of Steven Bouya on a flop of 10♠7♦2♥. Bouya called with 7♥5♥, and Lamberg revealed K♥Q♣. The 10♣ on the turn helped neither player, but the K♦ on the river sent Bouya to the rail in 15th and pushed Lamberg over the million-chip mark.
Karsten Kobbing's comeback hit a big snag when he called Kenny Ng's all-in with 2♦2♠ on a flop of 5♥4♦3♠. Ng's J♥J♠ was ahead, and the turn and river brought the J♣ and 3♥ to give Ng a full house and send Kobbing to the rail in 14th ($14,380). Soon after, Con Angelakis made a move at the pot on a board of 10♣6♠3♣5♥, and found a caller in Jordan Lamberg. Lamberg's 5♣8♣ was ahead on Angelakis' K♠J♠, and the 7♦ on the river sent Angelakis to the rail in 13th.
Dan O'Shea called Cory Zayner's preflop raise with A♠8♠, and called all in on a flop of Q♣7♦3♠. O'Shea was drawing thin to Zayner's 10♠10♥, and got no help on the turn or river. Dan O'Shea earned $14,380 for his 12th-place finish. Jason Leong made a stand with 7♣7♦, re-raising Grant Levy all in pre-flop, only to see Levy call and open Q♥Q♦. No help showed on the board for Leong and he was busted in 11th.
Hyo Sun 'Jenny' Son found herself in a three-way pot with Kenny Ng and Ozzie Yildiz after both players called her pre-flop, all-in move. As the board ran out 10♦3♦3♥Q♦8♠, Ng and Yildiz checked it down. Son tabled A♠K♣, Yildiz held 9♣9♠, and Ng dragged the pot with J♣10♠, sending Son to the rail in 10th ($14,380). Kristoffer Myhre was the final elimination of Day 2, busting in ninth place when he moved all in with 7♥7♠ and got action from Grant Levy with 8♣8♠. Levy's eights held up to send Myrhe to the rail for $14,380.
The final eight chip stacks and seating assignments were as follows when play wrapped for the night:
Seat 1: Tanya Hill - 511,000
Seat 2: John Maver - 455,000
Seat 3: Ozzie Yildiz - 560,000
Seat 4: Dory Zayner - 1,185,000
Seat 5: Mouris Ahou - 772,000
Seat 6: Grant Levy - 1,458,000
Seat 7: Kenny Ng - 2,004,000
Seat 8: Jordan "JL514" Lamberg - 1,619,000
Join PokerNews at 3PM Monday Melbourne time as the final eight play for six spots on the televised final table, and then on to the top prize of AU $300,000.
