German Paul Hoefer took down the 2016 Aussie Millions Event #16 $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em title inside the Crown Poker Room early Friday morning.
Hoefer collected $106,920 in prize money for the win, along with an exclusive LK Boutique Aussie Millions championship ring.
The second day of this two-day event started with 34 players remaining from a field of 190 and German Ferenc Riech in the lead.
It didn't take long to get to past the 22-player money bubble and down to the final table of ten with Reich handing the lead to Robert Nguyen when he tried, and failed, to play bluff catcher.
Nguyen's lead only got bigger when he busted Michael Tomeny tenth. Paule Hoefer sent Piyush Gupta to the rail in ninth place and play went seven handed when Najeem Ajez was counterfeited by Nguyen to say goodbye eighth.
Nguyen was running away with the tournament when he dispatched Karib Yustinus seventh, but Hoefer appeared interested in making it a two-horse race when he got all of Frank Williams' chips, eliminating him in sixth.
Five-handed play lasted for quite sometime before a massive hand suddenly played out between Hoefer and Nguyen, with Hoefer shoving big slick preflop and Nguyen calling off with pocket jacks. An ace on the river gave Hoefer the pot and the massive chip lead while Nguyen busted fifth soon after.
Short stacks Vic Spadavecchia and Mogens Hansen both doubled once, then busted, going out fourth and third respectively, and sending Hoefer into a heads-up match with the lead over Aussie Alex Grocott.
Within a half an hour, Hoefer whittled Grocott down to the felt and got him to commit his chips with middle pair versus trips to earn his first Aussie Millions title.
The drama continues to unfold on this final table. In the space of two hands, Mogens Hansen has just doubled up through Paul Hoefer, and then been eliminated by him.
In the first hand, Hansen moved all-in for 93,000 holding and was called by Hoefer holding . The board ran out giving Hansen the double up.
On the very next hand Hoefer moved all-in from the small blind and was called by Hansen in the big blind.
Hoefer showed
Hansen had
The flop was gin for Hoefer, bringing the giving him a flush and leaving Hansen drawing dead. The turn and river came and we are now heads up for the Championship ring!
Vic Spadavecchia doubled his short stack once through Alex Grocott, then called all in when Grocott shoved the small blind into his big.
Spadavecchia had the and Grocott the . The board rolled out to the turn, giving Spadavecchia two pair. However, the came down on the river, making Grocott a wheel and sending Spadavecchia out fourth.
In the most dramatic turn of events, Robert Nguyen has just been eliminated from this event. In the biggest hand of the night so far, Paul Hoefer doubled through Nguyen, then busted the one-time monster chip leader a few hands later.
In the crippling hand, Hoefer raised to 53,000 from the cutoff and Nguyen three bet to 149,000 from the big blind. Hoefer tanked for a while before announcing "all-in". Nguyen stood straight to his feet and was in obvious distress. He took off his hat, looked at the 2 short stacks on the table and asked for a count of Hoefer's chips. The Dealer performed the count, to which he had 810,000. Nguyen looked at his own stack and stated he would be basically all-in. He looked visibly conflicted, then all of a sudden said "CALL!"
Hoefer showed .
Nguyen tables and yelled, "Yes, hold!"
The flop was safe for Nguyen with the . The turn was also safe, bringing the , but it would be the river that would do the damage, leaving him with less than 100,000 in chips.
A few hands later he moved all in for his last 50,000 in chips from the button with and was called by Hoefer holding . The board ultimately ran out to send Robert Nguyen to the rail in 5th place.
Robert Nguyen raised to 40,000 in middle position and it was folded around to Karib Yustinus in the small blind who moved all-in for 152,000. Mogens Hansen folded his big blind and Robert Nguyen made the call, tabling . Karib showed and needed some help from the board.
The board was no help, running out and eliminating the Crown Poker Room regular Karib
The action folded around to Piyush Gupta in the small blind and he moved all in for 79,000 chips out of the small blind. Paul Hoefer asked the dealer for an exact count and then tossed in the chips.
Gupta:
Hoefer:
The flop changed not much for Gupta, as he still needed to pair one of his two hole cards in order to stay in the tournament. Once the appeared on the turn, Gupta now needed a six to chop but blanked with the river. Hoefer's full house took down the pot and Gupta headed to the payout desk in order to collect A$10,685 for his efforts.
In the very last hand of the level over on table 34, Karib Yustinus raised and Michael Bouskila defended his big blind. The flop came and Bouskila check-raised big by investing 100,000 already. Yustinus shoved and Bouskila called it off:
Bouskila:
Yustinus:
Neither the turn nor the river changed anything whatsoever and Bouskila headed to the payout desk, sending his stack of 167,000 over to Yustinus.
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and was called by Hoefer holding 
. The board ran out 
giving Hansen the double up.
giving him a flush and leaving Hansen drawing dead. The turn and river came 
and Grocott the 
. The board rolled out 
came down on the river, making Grocott a wheel and sending Spadavecchia out fourth.
.
and yelled, "Yes, hold!"
. The turn was also safe, bringing the 
, but it would be the river 
in the big blind.
board, eliminating Williams in sixth.
turn looked dangerous. Finally, the board paired again on the 
