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January 22nd 2007
The Great Dane wins Aussie Millions
One of the most popular and successful tournament poker players of the modern era notched yet another victory last week as Gus "THe Great Dane" Hansen took down first place in the Aussie Millions, collecting $1.5 million Australian dollars in the process, equivalent to $1,184,900 USD.
The final table of the Aussie Millions started with the chip counts as follows:
Jimmy "Gobboboy" Fricke $5.175M
Gus Hansen $4.845M
Andrew Black $2.1M
Kristy Gazes $1.05M
Julius Colman $785K
Marc Karam $535K
Hans Martin Vogl $455K
Lying comfortably in second place at the start of play it took Gus Hansen just a few minutes to assume the chip lead, first taking down a $700k+ pot against Jimmy Fricke before putting Kristy Gazes to the sword. Gazes, the only woman at the final table, had put in a stella performance over the course of the week, dominating her table on the penultimate day and reaching the final table in fourth place. In the end it was a coin flip that that did for Gazes when Hansen called her re-raise all-in with pocket nines and Gazes flipped over A-Q. She couldn't pair either of her cards and the nines held up for a $2 million+ pot. A disappointed Gazes was out in sixth but said: "I can't complain. I felt I played great poker the last few days."
With Gazes gone Hansen and Fricke resumed hostilities, the two big stacks clashing often in what would prove to be the battle of the tournament. In between however there was time to turn attention to Marc Karam who was the first to follow Gazes to the rail, losing to Hansen when the Dane called his preflop all-in with A-9 and turned a nine to beat Karam's K-J.
Next it was Fricke's turn to send someone packing, and in an exact reversal of the previous elimination Fricke sent his K-J to battle with Hans Martin Vogl's A-9. This time around it was the K-J that won the day, Fricke rivering a jack to end the short-stacked Vogl's time in the event.
That left Fricke, Hansen and Andy Black as the last three players standing and though Fricke started in front, with $6.3 million to Hansen's $4.8 million and Black's $4.1 million he was by no means out of sight. With two top pros to contend with it seemed that Fricke might finally be overrun but the reality proved quite different. The 19-year-old simply punished the old dogs, quickly amassing over half the chips on the table before sending Black crashing out of the tournament in third. Almost down to the felt Black had to move in with K-Q but was he dominated by Gobboboy's A-Q. The board offered the Irishman no help and his tournament was over.
That elimination meant Fricke began heads-up play with a massive chip lead over Hansen, but the Dane found some big hands early on and quickly began to gain momentum. Eventually Hansen took the lead when he moved all-in on a Ac-Ks-7h-8c board and Fricke called, but not before contemplating the decision for at least four minutes. When the cards were turned it was revelade Fricke had made a mistake as Hansen was ahead with A-2 against Fricke's K-Q. The 5c on the river gave Hansen a $10.4m to $4.4m chip lead.
But despite that loss Fricke didn't panic and his patience paid off when he regained control a short while later. On a flop of Jd-Td-Th Hansen bet $500k and Fricke moved all-in for $4.3m. After a period of muttering to himself Hansen said "this could be the worst call ever" and duly called. It turned out in fact to be a masterstroke, because although Hansen only had Ah-Kh he was a 2:1 favorite against Fricke's Kd-Qc. Unfortunately for Hansen his great read was not rewarded with the pot as a nine popped out on the river to complete Fricke's straight and hand him the pot, and with it the teenager took back the chiplead.
Heads-up was proving a real see saw battle and the chip lead changed hands once again when Hansen called Fricke's all-in holding K-T on a K-J-6 flop. Fricke had been caught on a steal and the best he could hope for with Q-9 was to hit a ten for a gutshot straight. For once Gobboboy missed his miracle out and it would prove to be the beginning of the end for the Internet prodigy.
After losing a $3 million pot to Hansen's straight a few hands later Fricke finally conceded the title when he check-raised Hansen all-in with an open ended-straight draw and was called instantly by the Dane who showed pocket aces. The gutshot didnt materialise and the Aussie Millions had a new champion.
Jimmy Fricke had played superb poker all week and as Hansen acknowledged, when there were three players left he and Andy Black had simply been "pushed around" by Gobboboy. Ultimately it wasn't to be his day but with an extra $1 million (Aus) in his bankroll the Illinois teenager will surely be a threat in future tournaments for years to come.
The final payouts in Australian Dollars were as follows:
1st Gus Hansen $1,500,000
2st Jimmy Fricke $1,000,000
3st Andrew Black $700,000
4st Julius Colman $500,000
5st Hans Martin Vogl $400,000
6st Marc Karam $300,000
7st Kristy Gazes $220,000
Submitted: 22/01/2007 11:06:11
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