Record Field in AU$25,000 Challenge; AU$960,360 Awaits the Winner
The 2019 Aussie Millions AU$25,000 Challenge is a record-breaking one. Attracting a total of 151 entries, it beat the mark of 133 set in 2017 to become the largest AU$25,000 Challenge in history.
Plenty of big names jumped into the field, including former Main Event winners Ami Barer and Toby Lewis, along with 2019 Aussie Millions ring-winners Bart Lybaert, Muhammad Asad and Michael Gathy.
Just 29 players remain and are in with a shot of following in the footsteps of the following players, and taking down one of the most prestigious events at the Aussie Millions:
| Year | Winner | Field | Payout (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Ben Lamb | 114 | $738,720 |
| 2017 | James Chen | 133 | $861,840 |
| 2016 | Chance Kornuth | 122 | $790,560 |
| 2015 | Alexander Trevallion | 104 | $645,150 |
| 2014 | Max Altergott | 65 | $241,785 |
| 2013 | Igor Kurganov | 30 | $275,000 |
| 2012 | Dominykas Karmazinas | 20 | $200,000 |
Former international cricket Shane Warne had satellited into this event but didn't last long as he was one of the early eliminations along with Jonathan Karamalikis, Michael Addamo and Jake Schwartz.
Other eliminations today included Sam Higgs, 2018 $100,000 Challenge winner Michael Lim, 2018 Main Event runner-up Stefan Huber, Maria Ho, Bryn Kenney, Mustapha Kanit, Dominik Nitsche, Kenny Hallaert and Sorel Mizzi.
Toby Lewis moved into the chip lead midway through the day after doubling up with aces, but a late double for Jiachen Gong through the 2018 Main Event winner put pay to his chances of finishing as the overall chip leader.
That honour goes to Kazuhiko Yotsushika. The Japanese player cashed in this event last year, finishing 12th for AU$68,400. Yotsushika managed to hold off all others and bag 538,500, just ahead of Toby Lewis (487,500).
Other players to bag up over 400,000 were Martijn Gerrits (447,000), Jack Sinclair (432,500) and Adam Lee (414,500).
Another player who cashed in this event last year was Kitty Kuo, who final tabled and finished fourth for AU$242,240.
"Today feels super good compared to last year. The field is good," said Kuo. "A lot of big names, but my table draw has been pretty good. I've had four Asians on my table all the time which is really good.
"I was surprised at a lot of Japanese and Chinese players. All the regulars I know that they're going to play, but there are a lot of Asian players in this field.
"I will always try to make A$25,000 final table because I want to prove I'm not a Main Event girl, I can win a High Roller as well. So I will always try!"
A record field comes with it a record first prize, with the winner of the 2019 Aussie Millions A$25,000 Challenge set to walk away with almost a million dollars in prize money, with A$960,360 and the ANTON Championship Ring awaiting the winner.
| Place | Payout (AUD) |
|---|---|
| 1st | $960,360 |
| 2nd | $652,320 |
| 3rd | $416,760 |
| 4th | $308,040 |
| 5th | $217,440 |
| 6th | $154,020 |
| 7-8th | $117,780 |
| 9-10th | $99,660 |
| 11-12th | $81,540 |
| 13-17th | $63,420 |
Play resumes in the AU$25,000 Challenge on Saturday 26th January at 2:30 pm, so stay tuned to PokerNews for all the live updates as we see who will be the latest recipient of an Aussie Millions ANTON Championship Ring.