Dan Smith Wins An Aussie Million In Melbourne

US pro Dan Smith has won the Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge, after defeating a field of 22 players over two days to claim the title, as well as the AUS$1,012,000 (US$1,041,828) first place prize.
With his latest victory in Melbourne, the online grinder with $1,341,285 in winnings as “KingDan23,” has now boosted his live tournament earnings to an impressive $1,644,966. Commenting later on his triumph, Dan Smith said:
“It’s fun playing the big buy-in tournaments and I’m one of those jackasses that thinks they are the best so I felt obligated to play. I’d been having a good year so I decided to gamble it up and it worked out this time.”
Entering yesterdays tough final table of eight, Smith was lying in third place and managed to creep into the money after start of the day chip leader Gus Hansen eliminated Nam Le in 8th and Sam Trickett in 7th, before finally being eliminated himself in 5th on the bubble.
Prior to the bubble bursting, Smith confessed to playing with restraint, and said:  “I played so much tighter than I usually do. I folded A-3 on the button, which I’ve literally never done.”
However, with the remaining four players now being paid, it then turned into the Dan Smith show, who started by eliminating Tony G in 4th ($242,000) with an A-Q versus A-6 battle.
He was soon followed by Joe Hachem in 3rd ($330,000) holding A-9 to Smith’s A-10, thus heralding the start of heads-up play in a USA versus Russia encounter.
The Russian cash game specialist Mikhail Smirnov and Smith then battled away fiercely for three hours before a short-stacked Smirnov was eventually all-in holding Q-6 to his opponent’s pocket twos. With no help from the board, Mikhail Smirnov had to settle for a runner-up finish worth $616,000, while full honours went to the New Jersey native.