Ari Engel Triumphs At 2016 Aussie Millions Main Event

Ari Engel has just scored the biggest payout of his professional career, after besting a huge field of 732 players at the 2016 Aussie Millions Poker Championship Main Event to claim the competition’s top prize of AUS$1.6 million (US$1,120,110). Following eight days of action, including defeating Tony Dunst heads-up, the Canadian pro now pushes his tournament earnings to $3,369,505.
The Aussie Millions $10k Main Event was held at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, and featured a prize pool worth AUS$ 7.32 million (US$5,124,507). Amongst the noteable pros subsequently finishing in one of the eighty money spots was Liv Boeree (80th), Joe Hachem (79th), Max Silver (72nd), Tony Hachem (65th), Mustapha Kanit (59th), Philipp Gruissem (51st), and Stephen Chidwick.
The final table of seven, too, featured a number of top pros including Tony Dunst and Ari Engel, as well as two female players in the guise of Samantha Abernathy, and Taipei’s all-time money earner, Kitty Kuo. The only amateur player at the table, John Apostolidis, was subsequently the first to be eliminated in 7th for $210,000.
Ari Engel then took care of Kitty Kuo in 6th, Alexander Lynskey in 4th, and Samantha Abernathy in 3rd to take a 12.35m to 9.52m chip advantage over Tony Dunst into heads-up. The two pros would then battle it out for 123 hands, or almost four hours, before the deciding hand was played with Engel (J-7) moving all-in on a 10-4-2-J-9 board. Dunst made the call holding A-4, and after seeing the bad news  had to settle for a runner-up finish worth AUS$1 million, while Engel secure the title. Engel’s victory was mader all the more sweeter having lived eight years in Melbourne when he was younger.
Final Table Results:
1 Ari Engel (Can) $1,600,000
2 Tony Dunst (USA) $1,000,000
3 Samantha Abernathy (USA) $625,000
4 Alexander Lynskey (Aus) $445,000
5 Dylan Honeyman (Aus) $340,000
6 Kitty Kuo (Taipei) $270,000
7 John Apostolidis (Aus) $210,000


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