Aussie Millions Event #5, $1,100 NLHE w/ Rebuys: Pedley Pleases Aussie Faithful
Tony Dunst took the chip lead into the final 14 and missed the final table, Anna Wroblewski took a plethora of hits and double-ups before her day ended, the first elimination came on the first hand, and a local boy made good as Michael Pedley took down Event #5, No-Limit Hold'em with Rebuys, at the 2008 Aussie Millions.
Christine Klecz pushed all in on the very first hand with 3♠7♠, wasting no time getting her short stack all in. She found one caller in Dane Lomas, who was well ahead with A♠5♥ and who picked up an ace on the flop to send Klecz to the rail in 14th ($5,260). Internet star Kevin 'BeLOWaBOVe' Saul was next to fall when he pushed all in over the top of Larry Karambis' preflop raise with 3♦3♣. Karambis called with A♦5♠, and when the board ran out K♦J♦9♠10♠Q♦, Karambis made a Broadway straight to send Saul to the rail.
Dunst started Day 2 with the chip lead, but ran pocket tens into Pedley's pocket kings to bust in a battle of the big stacks. The huge hand with Dunst put Pedley in a dominating position as the final table began, as the chip stacks and seat assignments were as follows:
Seat 1: Michael Pedley - 208,000
Seat 2: Anna Wroblewski - 37,000
Seat 3: Robert Wang - 46,000
Seat 4: Larry Karambis - 120,000
Seat 5: Rayan Nathan - 60,000
Seat 6: Dane Lomas - 85,000
Seat 7: David Bach - 103,000
Seat 8: David Steicke - 62,000
Seat 9: Julian Powell - 64,000
The final table started off slow, as more than an orbit passed before the first elimination. That came when Dane Lomas moved all in preflop from the button with J♠3♥, and David Steicke made the call from the big blind with A♥5♣. Steicke picked up an ace on the flop, and Lomas was busted in ninth place.
A few hands later, David Bach raised preflop from middle position, and Steicke called. Julian Powell re-raised all in, and Bach made the call as Steicke got out of the way. Bach tabled 10♠10♣ to Powell's A♠K♦. Bach looked good as the board showed Q♠2♠J♦7♣ through the turn, but the K♥ river gave Powell the pot and sent Bach to the rail in eighth.
Making her second final table of the Aussie Millions, Anna Wroblewski's aggressive style saw her move lots of chips back and forth all through Day 2. On her final hand, she checked her big blind, and moved all in against Robert Wang with 6♦2♥ on a board of 3♠8♥6♥. Wang called with 9♠9♥, and his nines held up to eliminate Wroblewski in seventh ($21,040).
After a long period of back-and-forth play, Steicke kicked off a flurry of bustouts when he ran A♥10♣ Larry Karambis's pocket nines, failing to improve to finish in sixth ($26,300). Julian Powell fell two hands later when he moved all in over the top of Robert Wang's preflop raise with J♥9♥. Wang made the call with A♣9♠, and when the board ran out 10♦3♠3♦4♦10♦, Wang's ace kicker played to eliminate Powell in fifth place ($31,560). Rayan Nathan was eliminated in fourth, two hands after Powell's departure, when he raised under the gun and found a caller in Robert Wang. Nathan's K♦9♦ needed help against Wang's 6♦6♣, and when the board read Q♣5♠10♣10♠7♦, Nathan departed in fourth ($42,080).
Karambis went out in third a while later after calling Pedley's preflop all-in with K♠3♣. Pedley tabled 7♦7♠,and fell behind when Pedley hit the J♥K♦2♦ flop. The A♦ on the turn gave Pedley a diamond-flush draw, and the J♦ river filled it to eliminate Karambis in third ($57,860).
With the chip counts virtually even, it looked as though a prolonged heads-up battle could ensue, but Pedley pushed all in with A♦3♣ on the very first hand of heads-up to set the tone. Robert Wang looked down at A♥9♦ and made the call, only to see the flop come A♣3♥8♣. Pedley's two pair stayed ahead as the 7♣ and J♥ completed the board, eliminating Wang as the runner-up for $99,940. Michael Pedley's fortunate final-hand flop meant victory in Event #5 of the 2008 Aussie Millions and brought him the AUD $168,320 first-place prize.
