It was as much a coronation as a final table, with one of the World's top mixed game players taking down the 2016 Aussie Millions Poker Championships Event #7: $2,500 8-Game Mixed inside the Crown Entertainment Complex on Thursday.
The UK's Stephen Chidwick, whose resume boasts a ton of top finishes in mixed game events at the World Series of Poker and beyond, came into the seven-handed final with the chip lead and only fell out of the top spot briefly heads up, before defeating local tournament grinder Peter Aristidou to capture the title, an LK Boutique Championship ring and the $47,520 first-place prize.
The tournament began Wednesday, drawing 64 players and playing down to the seven-handed final. Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Brian Yoon came in as the short stack and was quickly dispatched seventh before Aussie Benjamin Benoit got short and bowed out sixth.
Chidwick ran over the table increasing his lead before Aristidou took most of fellow UK mixed-game specialist Richard Ashby's chips playing Stud 8. Ashby soon said goodbye fifth and play went three handed when Chidwick sent defending champion Oliver Gill home fourth.
Chidwick also busted Aussie Jarryd Godena, who was making his second final table appearance of the 2016 Aussie Millions, after a seventh place finish in Event #2 $2,500 H.O.R.S.E. Aristidou also made the H.O.R.S.E. final, finishing fifth.
Chidwick had the lead when heads-up play began, but Aristidou made a valiant effort, snatching it from him over the first hour of play. Chidwick would not be denied, however, winning his first Aussie Millions title getting the best of Ariustidou in a series of No-Limit Hold'em pots that ended it all.
Three big pots in No-Limit Hold'em have spelled the end for local grinder Peter Aristidou.
He raised the button to 25,000 and Stephen Chidwick called. The flop came and after Chidwick checked, Aristidou led for 27,000. Chidwick raised to 65,000 and Aristidou called. The turn came the and Chidwick led for 55,000. Aristidou called, and after Chidwick checked the river, Aristidou bet 120,000.
Chidwick tank-called with the , catching Aristidou with the for just a pair of threes.
Aristidou won the next pot with a check-raise on a board, but the third spelled doom for the Aussie.
The final hand started with a raise to 25,000 from Aristidou on the button. Chidwick made it 60,000 and Aristidou called. The flop saw Chidwick lead for 50,000. Aristidou raised it up to 130,000 and Chidwick pushed in.
Aristidou called off with the , but his top pair was no good. Chidwick had the and rode to victory after the turn and river bricked out.
On the button, Jarryd Godena raised to 30,000 and Peter Aristidou three-bet to 45,000 with Godena coming along. On the flop , Aristidou's bet of 15,000 was called before the turn triggered another bet of 30,000. Again Godena called and both then checked the river.
Aristidou announced pocket kings and his won the pot, Godena slipped below two big bets.
The next hand, Stephen Chidwick raised from the small blind and Godena got it in pre.
Godena:
Chidwick:
With the flop coming , Chidwick took the lead and had to dodge an eight or ace-low draw to scoop the pot. Both the turn and river blanked and Godena headed to the rail in third place for a payday of A$20,160.
The defending champion has been eliminated in a round of Seven Card Stud. Oliver Gill completed to 12,000 and Stephen Chidwick raised to 24,000 before calling the shove for not much more. Gill picked up a pair of sixes on sixth street but Chidwick improved to jacks on seventh to bust the Aussie in 4th place for a payday of A$15,840.
Jarryd Godena won a small pot against chip leader Stephen Chidwick in a battle of the blinds and the next hand, Richard Ashby gave up his blind. Then, Godena min-raised to 10,000 from the button and Ashby flat-called with only 7,000 chips behind out of the small blind. Peter Aristidou also called out of the big blind and the flop came .
Ashby moved all in and both opponents called, Aristidou checked the turn. Godena now fired a bet of 35,000 to isolate successfully and they turned them over:
Ashby: for two pair, queens and jacks as well as plenty of outs to improve to a full house
Godena: for a straight
The river blanked and that sent Ashby to the rail in 5th place for A$11,520.
Benjamin Benoit had the majority of his short stack in preflop from the hijack and Jarryd Godena stayed in the hand out of the small blind to lead the flop . Benoit moved all in for less than 30,000 and Godena called.
Benoit: for a pair of sevens, the nut flush draw and an ace-three low draw
Godena: for ace-high and an ace-deuce low draw
The on the turn vaulted Godena into the lead and the Aussie stayed there with the blank on the river to send Benoit to the rail in 6th place.
Richard Ashby won the first hand against Peter Aristidou and then Brian Yoon raised to 16,000. Aristidou reraised and Yoon got his stack in. The American picked two on the first draw, then stand pat twice. Aristidou drew two, then one each before they tabled the cards.
Yoon:
"I can still get you, I need a three," Aristidou said and then glanced at the last card. "And I got it."
Aristidou:
The 7-5 took it down for Aristidou and Yoon was eliminated in 7th place for a payday of A$8,640.
The $A2,500 8-Game Mixed Event #7 of the 2016 Aussie Millions Poker Championship saw 64 entries on Day 1 and when the clock was stopped with only seven players remaining. All of them are in the money and will return to the final table in the Crown Entertainment Complex in half an hour from now at 1 p.m. local time in Melbourne.
Leading the field is Stephen Chidwick with 397,500 chips, well ahead of Peter Aristidou, who finished 5th in the H.O.R.S.E. Event #2 here in Down Under a few days ago. Third in chips is fellow British mixed game specialist Richard Ashby (188,000) followed by defending champion Oliver Gill. The Aussie won this very event one year ago after defeating a 46-entry strong field in 2015 for a payday of $AA$38,815.
Jarryd Godena reached the final table of the H.O.R.S.E. Event #2 but fell short of the money, the Aussie bagged up 144,500 this time. The other two finalists are Benjamin Benoit (139,000) and two-times World Series of Poker bracelet winner Brian Yoon (29,000). All seven remaining players have locked up A$8,640 for their efforts while the winner takes home A$47,520 and the elusive LK Boutique championship ring.
Action recommences with 23 minutes left in level 17 and the PokerNews live reporting team will cover all the action until the winner is crowned. The second flight of the Accumulator Event #8 has already kicked off at 12.10 p.m. local time and Shao Liu bagged up 128,000 chips last night with 26 out of 182 participants securing their spot for Day 2 already. At 7.10 p.m. local time, there is also a
A$2800 (2700+100) satellite with 10,000 chips and levels of 25 minutes for the A$25,000 Challenge Event #9 in the Crown poker room as well.
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and after Chidwick checked, Aristidou led for 27,000. Chidwick raised to 65,000 and Aristidou called. The turn came the 
and Chidwick led for 55,000. Aristidou called, and after Chidwick checked the 
river, Aristidou bet 120,000.
, catching Aristidou with the 
for just a pair of threes.
board, but the third spelled doom for the Aussie.
flop saw Chidwick lead for 50,000. Aristidou raised it up to 130,000 and Chidwick pushed in.
, but his top pair was no good. Chidwick had the 
and rode to victory after the 
river bricked out.
turn triggered another bet of 30,000. Again Godena called and both then checked the 
river.
won the pot, Godena slipped below two big bets.
/ 
/ 
turn. Godena now fired a bet of 35,000 to isolate successfully and they turned them over:
for a pair of sevens, the nut flush draw and an ace-three low draw
