Event #11: $10,600 Main Event Day 1b | 2016 Aussie Millions

01-25-2016 18:30 UTC+11

Updated Chip Counts

Happy_Freaked

Level 4 : 150/300, 25 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Marc Convey	36,000 5,000	5,000
Darryll Fish	36,000 7,800	7,800

Vladimir Troyanovskiy	33,000 3,000	3,000
Pratyush Buddiga	27,000
Tobias Reinkemeier	27,000
Dylan Wilkerson	24,000 -6,000	-6,000

Sammy Khouis	24,000 -5,000	-5,000
Jake Balsiger	19,000 -11,000	-11,000

01-25-2016 18:11 UTC+11

No Bet Too Small For Esfandiari

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Happy_Freaked

Level 4 : 150/300, 25 ante

Just two weeks ago, Antonio Esfandiari played in the $100,000 Super High Roller at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and we wrote about a high-stakes game of Lodden Thinks between Bill Perkins and Dan Colman, with Esfandiari involved as well.

Right now, on Day 1b of the $10,600 Aussie Millions Main Event, Esfandiari's playing at a table without any of his regular prop-betting friends, but the 2012 $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop winner got acquainted with his opponents real fast.

"I got a good question for the next game," a player at the adjacent table yelled. "What percentage did Antonio have of himself when he won the One Drop tournament?"

"That's actually a great question," Antonio smiled, "But I'm not gonna pose that question myself, that would be too arrogant."

"How much was the buy-in of that, $100,000 or $1,000,000?" John Caridad asked.

The players talked about the question for a bit, and Martin Boersma, in Seat 2, offered himself up to be the brain again.

"Alright," Boersma said as he put his phone down. "I got the number locked in."

"How much are we playing for?" Esfandiari asked. "$200 this time?"

"I won a satellite for this tournament, my wife wouldn't let me play for more than $100 per game," Caridad joked.

Caridad, no stranger to big events with a fourth-place finish in the 2010 Bellagio Cup for $237,902, convinced Esfandiari to play for $100 and the betting began.

"Seven," Esfandiari opened up the betting.

"Ten," Caridad responded, and the line quickly shifted up to 22 before the two ended up playing a hand against each other.

"You play a lot of poker?" Caridad then asked Boersma.

"You can't be asking questions mid-bidding," Esfandiari joked, "That's the fun of the game, we both don't have any info!"

"It's about what he thinks, and that's what f***s me," Caridad said, and everyone burst out in laughter.

After Esfandiari raked in the pot, Caridad reopened the bidding with 23, Esfandiari went to 24, and Caridad upped it to 25.

"You're learning," Esfandiari smiled, as he'd clearly been teaching the players at his table how to play this game.

Esfandiari then went to 26, and Caridad bought, meaning he would get every number from zero to 25%.

"You want to double the bet?" Esfandiari then asked Caridad.

"Yeah, we'll make it $200," the all-of-a-sudden-confident Lodden Thinks rookie said, despite the threat of his wife not liking him betting this big.

"You lose, Antonio," Boersma said, as he revealed his number was 20%, and the entire table cheered.

"Beaten at your own game!" one player laughed, while Esfandiari laughed with them.

One player bluntly asked, "So much did you really have of yourself?"

"Only two people know," Esfandiari said without revealing the actual number, as he won the Big One for One Drop for $18,346,673.

After the dust settled, Caridad collected his $200, and Esfandiari said, "Alright boys, let's kick if up!" and he got everyone to laugh again while being serious at the same time.

Player	Chips	Progress
Antonio Esfandiari	25,000

Tags: Antonio Esfandiari Lodden Thinks Martin Boersma

Level: 4

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 25

01-25-2016 17:47 UTC+11

Third Break of the Day

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donpeters

Level 3 : 100/200, 25 ante

Level 3 of Day 1b of the 2016 Aussie Millions Main Event is in the books, and the players have gone on a 15-minute break.

01-25-2016 17:44 UTC+11

Farrell Picks One Up

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donpeters

Level 3 : 100/200, 25 ante

Niall Farrell and one other player checked the flop. Angel Guillen bet 800, Farrell called, and the other player folded.

The turn was the , and both players checked to see the land on the river. Farrell led with a bet of 700, and Guillen folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Niall Farrell	51,000 20,000	20,000

Angel Guillen	19,600 -10,400	-10,400

Tags: Niall Farrell Angel Guillen

01-25-2016 17:38 UTC+11

Updated Chip Counts

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donpeters

Level 3 : 100/200, 25 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Pete Matusik	93,000 35,000	35,000
Jackson Zheng	41,000 8,000	8,000
Tyron Krost	40,000 1,000	1,000
Oliver Price	35,000 -17,000	-17,000
Brent Roberts	32,500 500	500
Henry Wang	32,000 2,000	2,000
Jai Kemp	26,000
Ronnie Bardah	15,000 -8,000	-8,000

Michael Weiss	14,000 -3,000	-3,000

01-25-2016 17:24 UTC+11

Koren Can't Turn His Float Into a Successful Bluff

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donpeters

Level 3 : 100/200, 25 ante

From early-middle position, Artur Koren raised to 600. He was called in two spots, but had position on both of his opponents as the callers were Bruno Portaro from the small blind and Manig Loeser from the big blind.

The flop fell , and Portaro checked. Loeser also checked, and then Koren bet 1,100. Portaro reached into his stack and came out with more than 1,100 — he check-raised to 2,600. Loeser took a few moments, then folded, and Koren made the call to see the turn.

Fourth street was the , and Portaro bet 2,500. Koren made the call, and the dealer completed the board with the on the river. Portaro checked, and that was Koren's cue to pounce with a bet of 8,000. Portaro tanked for a little over a minute, then called, and watched Koren tabled a bluff with the .

Portaro showed the for bottom two pair, and he won the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bruno Portaro	60,000 16,000	16,000
Manig Loeser	42,000 -5,000	-5,000

Artur Koren	14,000

Tags: Manig Loeser Bruno Portaro Artur Koren

01-25-2016 17:18 UTC+11

Updated Chip Counts

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donpeters

Level 3 : 100/200, 25 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Craig Cockburn	50,000 12,000	12,000
Bruno Portaro	44,000 9,000	9,000
Sean Giesbrecht	34,000 4,000	4,000
Kristen Bicknell	31,000 -6,000	-6,000

Jason Les	29,000
Dennis Huntly	18,000 -2,000	-2,000
Elliot Smith	18,000 3,000	3,000
Federico Butteroni	Busted

01-25-2016 16:48 UTC+11

One For Bardah

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Happy_Freaked

Level 3 : 100/200, 25 ante

"Won a hand! Woohoo!" Ronnie Bardah just yelled almost sarcastically after taking down a small pot. Bardah's day hasn't been going great, but we just caught him recoup some of his early losses.

Pete Matusik limped in middle position after which Bardah raised from the button to 700 and the player on his left called from the small blind. Matusik called as well, and the flop brought out .

Both the small blind and Matusik checked to Bardah who bet 1,075, to which both his opponents quickly folded.

Bardah celebrated winning this pot, but he still needs to win a few more to get back up to the starting stack of 30,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Pete Matusik	58,000 -17,000	-17,000
Ronnie Bardah	23,000 3,000	3,000

Tags: Ronnie Bardah

01-25-2016 16:24 UTC+11

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

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Happy_Freaked

Level 3 : 100/200, 25 ante

The pace of play in the Main Event has been rather slow today, but no for a lack of effort. The structure here at Crown is so player friendly that nobody's forced to make big plays on the first day.

When wandering around the tournament room today we've seen countless small pots get checked down to the river, and we'll probably be wandering quite a bit more before catching some eye-popping action.