Serge Osalan Wins Event #4: Pot Limit Omaha for AUD$58,315
Australia’s Serge Osalan became the second local player to be crowned a champion at the 2017 Aussie Millions at Crown Melbourne after taking down the fourth event of the series for AUD$58,315. Event #4 featured an AUD$1,150 buy-in and was the first of four pot-limit Omaha events on the schedule.
Osalan not only recorded his first win in an Aussie Million event, but this also represented his first tournament win overall and his first cash in any Aussie Millions tournament.
The event began on Jan. 16 with 237 runners, up from the 217 players who played the same event in 2016 when Japan’s Yuki Ko won the top prize of AUD$54,500. Not only did the 16 players who advanced to Day 2 make the money, with the tournament cashing 27 players, but also a handful who were eliminated on Day 1 made at least the minimum cash including American Matt Affleck (18th – AUD$2,915).
Among the notable players who made Day 2, but failed to advance to the final table included 2014 Aussie Millions AUD$100,000 Challenge champ Yevginiy Timoshenko (14th – AUD$3,520) and 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up Felix Stephensen (10th – AUD$4,860).
All but one of the players on the final table hailed from Australia. Bulgaria’s Nilolay Markov recorded his first live poker cash of the tournament after bowing out in sixth place for AUD$12,145.
Play continued before Crown Melbourne regular Bridges Roe (fifth – AUD$15,305), Andre Moracchini (fourth – AUD$19,435) and William Zavos (third – AUD$24,380) were eliminated in succession.
Nikolaos Solomos and Osalan were the last two standing in the tournament. Solomos already improved on his previous best finish in an Aussie Millions event, which came last year when he took fourth place in Event #18: AUD$2,500 Pot Limit Omaha for AUD$26,715.
However, after the final cards were dealt, it was Osalan who earned the victory, leaving Solomos with the runner-up prize of AUD$37,655.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serge Osalan | Australia | AUD$58,315 |
| 2 | Nikolaos Solomos | Australia | AUD$37,655 |
| 3 | William Zavos | Australia | AUD$24,280 |
| 4 | Andre Moracchini | Australia | AUD$19,435 |
| 5 | Bridges Roe | Australia | AUD$15,305 |
| 6 | Nikolay Markov | Bulgaria | AUD$12,145 |
| 7 | Kevin Kelsall | Australia | AUD$9,715 |
| 8 | Alfred Clear | Australia | AUD$7,895 |
| 9 | Jan Suchanek | Australia | AUD$6,075 |
