Roberto Damelian Wins Aussie Millions Event #14 (A$64,700) in 6.5 Hrs
Australia's Roberto Damelian was the fastest winner at the 2018 Aussie Millions after it took him just 6.5 hours to win Event #14: A$1,150 Hyper Turbo No Limit Hold'em 10/10/10 for A$64,700 ($52,446).
The fast-paced event attracted 263 players to generate a massive A$269,575 prize pool or well more than double that of 102 entrants that competed in the similar event last year which ended the 2017 Aussie Millions festival.
The theme of the event involves the number 10. Players kicked off the action with 10,000 in chips, blind levels were 10 minutes in length and players had to act before a 10-second shot clock ticked down or their hand was declared dead.
Aussie Millions Event #14: A$1,150 Hyper Turbo No Limit Holdem 10/10/10 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize in A$ | Prize in US$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roberto Damelian | Australia | A$64,700 | $52,446 |
| 2 | Nathan Manuel | United States | A$41,785 | $33,871 |
| 3 | Hussein Hassan | Australia | A$26,960 | $21,850 |
| 4 | Vesko Zmukic | Australia | A$21,565 | $17,481 |
| 5 | Michael Madden | Australia | A$16,990 | $9,658 |
| 6 | Maxwell Young | United States | A$13,772 | $10,927 |
| 7 | George Psarras | Australia | A$10,785 | $8,742 |
| 8 | Joel Lehtinen | Finland | A$8,760 | $7,101 |
| 9 | Vincent Huang | Australia | A$6,740 | $5,463 |
| 10 | Alessandro Furneri | Italy | A$5,390 | $4,369 |
A total of 27 players cashed the event for a minimum of A$2,155 with 15 players in the group from the home country of Australia. Among the players to cash but not appear on the 10-max final table included United Kingdom's Adam Owen, who has $1.3 million in live tournament cashes, and two-time World Series of Poker gold-bracelet winner Kristen Bicknell, who has $1.2 million in live tournament cashes.
Italy's Alessandro Furneri recorded his third Aussie Millions cash this festival after being the first player eliminated at the final table in 10th place for A$5,390.
Australia's Vincent Huang nailed down his second Aussie Millions cash in 2018 after hitting the rails in ninth place for A$6,740.
Finland's Joel Lehtinen might be considered a hyper-turbo specialist after winning the 2017 PokerStars Festival Prague €5,200 No Limit Hold'em Hyperturbo event for €76,400. However, he wasn't able to get his second career win and instead took home the eighth-place prize of A$8,760.
Australia's George Psarras, who won the 2017 Aussie Millions Event #17: A$2,250 No Limit Hold'em for A$111,385, also didn't find the winner's circle this time after he was eliminated in seventh place for A$10,785.
Next to go was American Maxwell Young in sixth place for A$13,772. Young was the most successful live poker tournament player at the final table with nearly $600,000 in career cashes. His strong finish in this event represents his first cash outside of the United States.
Australia's Michael Madden racked up his biggest live poker tournament cash after he was knocked out in fifth place for A$16,990. His second biggest cash also came during the 2018 Aussie Millions after finishing in 39th place in Event #1: No Limit Hold'em Opening Event for A$5,045.
Two more Aussies were next to go with Vesko Zmukic finishing in fourth place for A$21,565 and Hussein Hassan snagging the third-place prize of A$26,960. Both Zmukic and Hassan have now cashed twice during the 2018 Aussie Millions and both players have around $200,000 in career cashes.
This left American Nathan Manuel and Damelian facing off heads up for the title. Manuel wasn't able to turn his first Aussie Millions cash into a win and instead claimed the runner-up prize of A$41,785.
Damelian was the last man standing to claim the coveted ANTON ring and now has almost $600,000 in live tournament cashes including 10 separate cashes at Aussie Millions events. His victory was his second-largest cash only behind a 56th-place performance in the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event for $123,597.
