James Chen Ships the 2017 Aussie Millions Event #2: $2,500 H.O.R.S.E.

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Jan 13, 2017 2 min read Last updated Jan 14, 2017

On the third day of the 2017 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, Taiwan's James Chen won the first ANTON ring of the series, taking down Event #2: $2,500 H.O.R.S.E. inside the Crown Poker Room on Friday to collect the top prize of A$39,700 ($29,322).

The tournament attracted 49 players, representing a 26 percent increase from the 39 entrants that played this event the year before.

Chen entered the final day with double the chip stack of any other player and now has $619,330 in career tournament winnings according to The Hendon Mob, placing him in fifth place on the Taiwan All Time Money List. His biggest wins came in back-to-back years in the Macau Poker Cup High Roller Events. In 2015, he shipped the event's top prize of HK$1,704,000 ($219,850). He took down the event again in 2016 for HK$2,273,000 ($293,044).

All players entering the final day of play were in the money after those making the seven-max final table decided to play out Day 2 until the bubble broke.

England's Richard Ashby was the only player to thus far cash in the Aussie Millions from Europe

Australia's Dylan Honeyman, who entered the final day in fourth place, was the first to exit the tournament on Day 3 to bank A$7,710 ($5,694). Honeyman, who now has $548,715 in live tournament cashes, recorded his biggest career score during the 2016 Aussie Millions Main Event after taking fifth place for A$340,000 ($238,023).

Fellow Aussie Jarrett Bullock, benefited from Honeyman's early exit, as he entered the day last in chips. However, Bullock was unable to stretch things further as he bowed out in fifth place for A$8,825 ($6,518), his largest live poker tournament cash.

Another Aussie, Jarryd Godena, was unable to parlay his start of the day in second place into a podium finish in the tournament, finishing in fourth place for A$12,125 ($8,955). His cash also improved on his performance last year in this tournament when he bubbled it in sixth place. Godena's cash in this year's tournament brought him to $330,162, with A$121,070 ($85,846) coming during last year's Aussie Millions when he won Event #21: $5,000 No Limit Holdem Six Max.

England's Richard Ashby was the only player to thus far cash in the Aussie Millions from Europe. The Brit entered the final day in fifth place, however, was able to secure the third-place prize of A$16,535 ($12,212). Ashby was by far the most accomplished player on the final table with $2,325,031 in tournament winnings including shipping a World Series of Poker gold bracelet in 2010 when he won the WSOP Event #20: $1,500 Seven Card Stud event for $140,467.

Australia's Rainer Quel entered the final day in third place in chips. While he was unable to catch up to Chen, he was able to secure his biggest live poker tournament cash after finishing in second place to collect the runner-up prize of A$25,355 ($18,727).

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