Robert Raymond Wins Event #1 at Aussie Millions for AUD$320,830
The first event of the 2017 Aussie Millions was a whopper which saw Robert Raymond successfully navigate the massive field to earn the title and AUD$320,830. Raymond, a Melbourne local, bested a field which included 1,565 total entries up from the 1,320 entries the same event saw in 2016.
The final day of the kickoff event got underway with 16 players remaining, all of which had locked up a minimum of AUD$11,230. The first player eliminated on the day was Espen Solaas from Norway, who was eliminated in 16th place. Players continued to drop with each elimination getting the event closer to a final table and when Sam Higgs, another player from Melbourne, busted in eighth place the final seven were set.
When play was four-handed, the table seemed stacked against the eventual winner. Raymond only had 1.64 million in chips, leaving him as the short stack against Qiang Fu (3.7 million), Alex Lynskey (4.95 million) and Michael Addamo (5.4 million), who was the chip leader at the time. The two shortest stacks, however, didn't give up and ended up facing off against one another when play got heads up with Raymond besting Fu for the lion's share of the prize pool and the coveted Aussie Millions championship ring.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Raymond | Australia | AUD$320,830 |
| 2 | Qiang Fu | New Zealand | AUD$198,115 |
| 3 | Michael Addamo | Australia | AUD$117,910 |
| 4 | Alexander Lynskey | Australia | AUD$85,180 |
| 5 | Manis Loeser | England | AUD$57,750 |
| 6 | Jack Efaraimo | New Zealand | AUD$41,705 |
| 7 | Samir Khoueis | Australia | AUD$35,290 |
The opening event featured an AUD$1,150 buy-in and generated a total prize pool of AUD$1,604,125. A total of 153 entrants cashed in the event, with the minimum cash being worth AUD$2,885. Some of the notables to notch an early Aussie Millions cash were Gary Benson, James Obst, David Vamplew, Ryan DeAngelo, Jack Salter and Darryll Fish.
