The Australian odyssey is over!

With Alexander Kostritsyn walking away with the 2008 Aussie Millions title, it was time for the members of Team PokerRoom.com to pack up their gear and say a long goodbye to Melbourne. It has been a fantastic trip with all the players having a great time and making Team PokerRoom.com proud by playing some fantastic poker.

Special congratulations must go to 19 year old Swede F34RB34R who managed to finish the in 79th place and cash an impressive $15,000 in his first major live tournament. It wasn’t only F34RB34R’s performance on the tables that should be commended, with his constant rock-star antics providing endless hours of entertainment for the rest of the Team.

Here is a quick summary of how the week panned out for all Team Pokerroom.com players;

Tiltnisse

The Swedish Guru had a short but very active time in the tournament, playing aggressively and knocking out Steve Zolotow. He was eventually busted when he pushed all-in holding pocket A’s and ran into a flopped straight. Tiltnisse played high stakes cash games for the rest of the week and made a handy profit.

barte

barte was the first Team member eliminated on day1B when his flopped set of 2’s ran into a flopped set of J’s. Unfortunate break for barte, but we are all hoping he has some better luck in New York, where he is now headed now to play on a 10 day poker cruise with friends.

bmc.100.

The crazy Canadian was out on day 1B when his two under pair came up against a set of 9’s. After his early exit bmc.100. spent the rest the week playing cash games and partying hard with F34RB34R. Next week bmc is going to L.A with dj_stiff in what promises to be a very profitable week.

dj_stiff

Frenchman dj_stiff was the third Team PokerRoom.com player eliminated on day 1B when, after looking strong all day and constantly building his stack, he tilted towards the end of the day and got busted. Not all was lost for dj however, as he made a nice profit playing cash games and took out the Team PokerRoom.com players tournament. A week in L.A with bmc.100. beckons.

Herc-Ned

The 34 year Sydney-sider had a great run at the tournament, making Day 2, knocking out Kenny Tran, and getting his stack up to 140, 00. It all came to an unfortunate end though when his pocket Q’s ran into Pocket A’s and he fell just short of the money. Herc certainly enjoyed the rest of the week however, having some big nights out and enjoying the great food, wine, and sport that Melbourne had to offer.

F34RB34R

Team PokerRoom.com’s youngest member finished in 79th place, cashing 15,000, and making a lot of fans in the process. F34RB34R poker exploits were easily matched by his partying, living a week straight out of the rock star text book!

So that’s it! The Aussie Millions is over for 2008 and Team PokerRoom.com would like to thank Melbourne for being such an excellent host. The food, the partying, the sport, the culture; it was all too good to be true and we are already counting down the days until next year’s event! Be sure that your part of it by qualifying here on PokerRoom.com.

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After a long and tense final table, 21 year old Russian Alexander Kostritsyn has walked way with the 2008 Aussie Millions title after topping American pro Erik Seidel in a long heads up battle

The winning hand saw Kostritsyn push all-in after the flop holding J9 suited. With the board showing J87 rainbow, Seidel made the call the holding AQ off but was unable to improve his hand and Kostritsyn’s J’s held up.

Third place went to local hero Michael Chrisanthopoulos who stared the day with a massive chip lead but was eventually sent to the rail by Kostritsyn. Kostritsyn certainly had an amazing final table, starting the day with only an average stack but busting 5 players and earning himself 1.6 million in the process. Congrats!!

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The final table is cooking here in Melbourne, as we’ve there seems to be all kind of crazy stuff going on between the three remaining players;

Alexander Kostritsyn – over 7,000,000 in chips
Erik Seidel – over 6,000,000
Michael Chrisanthopoulos – around 1,500,000

Some minutes ago Chrisanthopoulos doubled up Seidel when Chrisanthopoulos called a pre-flop all-in holding JT off vs Seidels QQ. Pretty loose, but Chrisanthopoulos was happy as a child on Christmas when the flop brought two tens on the flop. The poker gods were only having some fun on his expense though, as they restored order and brought the very fair Queen on the turn.

Media access is unfortunately slim but none since Day 3 except for certain exclusive providers (read: Fox Sports), so we can’t give you much details. Though, we’re sure that Mussorgsky will pick up on any interesting events in his world renown blog here in Pokah!

Our Team PokerRoom.com members are having fun playing all sorts of cash games and side event tournaments, as well as enjoying some world class tennis at the Australian Open.

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We have reached the bubble and our brave Swede F34RB34R is sitting short stacked and agonizingly close to the money! The tension is almost unbearable! It’s one hand a time at the moment with all tables finishing their hands before any action starts elsewhere!

Next hand and F34RB34R is on the small blind and there is a 10,000 raise from middle position! F34RB34R goes to the tank and folds showing his AK off! That tough fold may have been worth $15,000!

Another all-in call on the floor and everyone in the room rushes to the table! Short stack has AA and he is up against KK. Board runs out and we still have 81!

Next hand is played, F34RB34R folds again, there is an all-in on the feature table, but short stack has a set and easily beats his opponents over pair!

Another hand and another easy fold for F34RB34R, he is under 30,000 but holding on! There is another call! No wait there is two calls! This must be it! Both short stacks are cooked and F34RB34R IS IN THE MONEY!! YEEE HAAA!! In a strange twist both the player’s eliminated share 80th place and take home 7,500 each!

F34RB34R has cashed!

He has now been moved to a new table and maybe he can even double or triple up and work his way back. Second hand at the new table and F34RB34R is all in pre-flop with his remaining 26,000. He has one raiser from middle position, none other than the chip leader himself Matt Lagarde! Everyone else at the table folds.

Here we go, this could be it! F34RB34R turn’s over AJ off and Lagarde shows AQ off. We need a J! Flop comes 732 rainbow, no help there, F34RB34R is in trouble! Turn comes K, 3 outs left on the river. River shows 3 and it’s all over for F34RB34R!

79th place and a cool $15,000 for the 19 year old high school student!

Team PokerRoom.com couldn’t be more proud. What an effort from the Team’s youngest member!

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F34RB34R is back from the break with a very short stack, and is determined to make the best out of it. The action was quite quick around his table during the last level, and we all now beg for it to slow down a little.

After contemplating for a bit of time before folding for three times in a row (first to a pre-flop fold, then two folds from good position), F34RB34R’s nemesis Matthew Kirk has complained three times about his slow play.

Hang in there fellow, you got all the time in the world! 5 players to go!

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The first level of Day 3 has been a tough one for F34RB34R with his stack being depleted down to 38,000 by the first break. After taking a big hit early on, F34RB34R didn’t really play many hands, just taking his time and folding through the rest of the level. With only 3 more player’s needing to be eliminated before the money is reached F34RB34R is hoping the bubble bursts early on and, knowing he has cashed, he can then play more aggressively and try to double his way back up! It’s tense times here with all of Team PokerRoom.com cheering F34RB34R on from the rail and hoping he can get into the money and then push through the field for a big cash!

First Break Day 3 (end of level 13)

Ave Stack: 187,000
83/780 remaining
Level 14 Blinds 2500/5000 Ante 500

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With only 3 people busted so far of the unlucky 16, F34RB34R decides to raise from the button with ATs. The small blind, Australian Matthew Kirk decides to call (sitting on around 290,000). Flop comes AQ5 rainbow. Kirk checks, and F34RB34R bets out 40,000.

Matthew Kirk pushes all in, obviously covering F34RB34R, and leaves our hero with the toughest call of life time. After five minutes in the tank, F34RB34R folds and shows his AT, whereupon his opponents flips over Q3! Ouch!

That bluff depleted F34RB34R’s stack down to around 80,000 chips.

But 28 people started the day on 80,000 chips or less, it’s by no means over yet. Blinds at 1500/3000 with 500 ante, so each orbit costs 8000. (The table is now seven-handed)

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Nerves, anxiety, a lump in the throat…That’s how day 3 has started for the majority of Team PokerRoom.com, but not for our young Swede F34RB34R who was as cool as a cucumber on the morning of the biggest day in his young poker career! Nothing seems to unsettle this guy; he is relaxed, calm, and focused on doing what he has done for the previous two days… playing good poker!

F34RB34R is starting the day on a nice stack of 158,000, and with only 16 more busts until we hit the money, he is looking like a big chance to cash. If he keeps playing the way he has so far this tournament, who knows how big of a pay day it will be!

Stay tuned for updates as they happen and let’s hope today is a good day for F34RB34R and Team PokerRoom.com.

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Day 2 definitely belonged to 19 year old Swede FEARBEAR, increasing his stack from 37,800 at the start of the day to 158,000 at day’s end. The young man certainly knew when to hold’ em, and knew when to fold em’, making the right calls all day and playing with patience and composure beyond his tender years.

Even on the very last hand of the day, when everyone else was folding their hands and packing up their chips, F34RB34R stayed focused and picked up a nice little pot. The button attempted to steal the blinds with a pre-flop raise of 6000, but F34RB34R saw straight through his opponent’s bluff and re-raised to 18,000 from the big blind. His opponent on the button was visibly surprised, thinking he had done enough to steal the blinds, and folded showing his 65 off! Amazing stuff!

Herc-Ned also played brilliantly earlier in the day, increasing his stack from 21,700 to over 120,000 in only a few levels before his pocket Q’s ran into Adriano Cendron’s pocket A’s and he was sent to the rail. Herc could have easily doubled up on the hand and been sitting pretty on 240,000, but unfortunately it proved not to be his day!

Day 2 also saw a number of big name casualties, with previous chip leader Phil Ivey, Joe Hachem, and Allan Cunningham just a few of the big names eliminated. One of those who didn't bust was old Team PokerRoomie jimdownunder, who got through to day 3 with 219,000 chips to take along.

The day ended with 98 players remaining, with only 18 more busts needed when play resumes on day 3 for the payout structure to be reached! Ching Ching!

Stay tuned tomorrow for all the action when Team PokerRoom.com player F34RB34R continues his quest to be the winner of the 2008 Aussie Millions! What a story it would be!

End of Day 2.

Chip Leader: Matthew Lagarde, 490,000
Ave Stack: 160,800
98/780 remaining.

Day 3 starts (level 13) with Blinds 1500/3000, Ante 500

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