Olivier Baux Wins Crown Poker MAIN Event In Melbourne

Olivier Baux has won the ‘MAIN Event’ in Melbourne, Australia, after defeating a field of 461 players over four days to lift the title, and collect the $101,800 first place prize package.
The tournament took place at the Crown Poker Room in Melbourne, and after two starting days 273 out of the original field made it through to Day 2. By the end of Day 2 the field was further reduced to just 50 competitors, all now guaranteed at least $1,900 for their efforts. Day 3 action then saw the final table of 10 set and play down to an eventual champion.
As the finalists began to fall, Olivier Baux scored his first elimination holding pocket deuces to his opponent’s A-J to send Aaron Purdue to the rail in 6th for $21,200. Craig Ivey followed soon after despite looking good in a race holding Ad-10c to Baux’s Kd-2d with the flop then rolling out Jh-10d-2c. However, the 9d and Jd then made Baux the flush to dispatch Craig Ivey in 5th for $31,800.
At this stage, Olivier Baux proved to be unstoppable at the final table and his next victim was Dave Brownlee in 4th ($36,800), whose J-9 was badly dominated by Baux’s A-J. John Saratsopoulos followed suit in 3rd ($46,800), having pushed pre-flop (A-3) but being looked up by Baux (J-8) with the board subsequently falling J-9-5-K-K.
Entering heads-up play with a 3 to 1 chip lead over John Mouawad, 10 hands is all it then took before the tournament reached its conclusion, after Mouawad (A-Q) went all-in on a A-8-4-7 board and was called by Baux (10-5) with a gut-shot straight draw. Right on cue a 6 then hit on the turn to relegate John Mouawad to a runner-up fininsh worth $61,800, while Oliver Baux was crowned the 2012 MAIN Event champion.
The MAIN Event final table payouts were as follows:
1st: Oliver Baux –  $101,800
2nd: John Mouawad – $61,800
3rd: John Saratsopoulos – $46,800
4th: Dave Brownlee –  $36,800
5th: Craig Ivey –  $31,800
6th: Aaron Purdue – $21,200
7th: Adi Dahari –  $14,200
8th: Con Diakovasilis –  $14,200
9th: Marianne Crane – $11,200
10th: Rebecca Catterwell – $11,200