Rast Headlines 2015 Aussie Millions Final Table; Rann Chip Leader
The 2015 Aussie Millions Poker Championship Main Event began with 668 players, but now just seven remain in contention for the AU$1.6 million first-place prize.
The man best positioned to capture the title is James Rann, who leads the final table with 4.085 million. However six men stand between him and victory including two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Brian Rast and established online pro Richard "nutsinho" Lyndaker.
Day 4 saw 30 players return to action, and it didn't take long for action to heat up; in fact, 11 players hit the rail in the first level of play. Among those to fall were Mike "Timex" McDonald (30th), Michael Pedley (27th), Jonathan Roy (26th), and Stevan Chew (25th), all of who took home AU$30,000.
In Level 20 (6,000/12,000/2,000), the world's most feared poker player, Phil Ivey, saw his Main Event run cut short courtesy of Australia's Anthony Legg. It happened when Ivey opened for 26,000 on the button and then called Legg's three-bet to 63,000 from the small blind. The 
flop saw Legg bet 79,000, Ivey raised, and Legg three-bet all in. Ivey called off and the cards were turned up.
Ivey: 
Legg: 
Ivey got it in good with top pair, but his flush draw was no good as Legg held the ace of hearts. That's what made the difference as the 
turn gave both players a flush. Ivey rapped the table as the dealer put out the 
river and then took his leave from the tournament in 23rd place for AU$40,000.
From there, Tony Hachem (22nd – AU$40,000), Michael Addamo (21st – AU$40,000), Ryan Yu (20th – AU$20,000), Jan Suchanek (19th – AU$40,000), Jesse "OnTheMac" McKenzie (18th – AU$55,000), Andrew Chen (16th - $AU55,000), and defending champ Ami "UhhMee" Barer (11th – AU$95,000) all hit the rail.
Barer's title defense came to an end in Level 24 (15,000/30,000/5,000) after he raised to 60,000 from the cutoff and Alex Lynskey three-bet to 160,000 from the button. The blinds both folded, Barer four-bet all in for 725,000, and Lynskey quickly called.
Barer: 
Lynskey: 
It was a flip, but Barer was the one needing to improve. The 
flop didn't help him, and the turn actually left him drawing dead. The meaningless was put out on the river for good measure, and then Barer ended what proved to be a memorable follow-up run.
After a massive misstep by Raiden Kan, one that resulted in him exiting in 10th place, and the eliminations of Lynskey and Grant Levy in ninth and eighth place respectively, the final table was set.
The 2015 Aussie Millions Final Table
| Seat | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joel Douaglin | 3,935,000 |
| 2 | Lennart Uphoff | 3,595,000 |
| 3 | Richard Lyndaker | 1,200,000 |
| 4 | Manny Stavropoulos | 2,115,000 |
| 5 | James Rann | 4,085,000 |
| 6 | Brian Rast | 1,185,000 |
| 7 | Anthony Legg | 3,290,000 |
The final seven players now have a day off. They will return to play down to a winner at 12:15 p.m. local time on Sunday, Feb. 1. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be bringing you hand-for-hand action, but before then there is the business of the AU$100,000 Challenge final table, which will play out at 2:15 p.m. local time tomorrow. You can follow the action from that event by clicking here.
In the meantime, watch Rast analyze a big hand he played on Day 4: