Andy Lee Fulfills His Wife's Wish
The $25,000 A$ Challenge has gone down in history as one of the most successful High Rollers in Australia. With a total of 98 entries, the prizepool reached an impressive 2,352,000 A$. The main hero was local pro Andy Lee, whose journey to the title was nothing short of cinematic.
Lee entered the tournament at the request of his wife, who told him before leaving home, “It's been a while; go win something.” Although he was eliminated during the first three hours, he opted for a re-entry and proceeded to deliver an incredible performance. Ultimately, he claimed the victory and took home a record-breaking reward of 652,670 A$.
On the final table, Lee dominated with aggressive play and brilliant decisions. In heads-up, he defeated Josh Hutchins, when in the final hand, his Q c T h trumped his opponent's T s 9 h on the board 8 d 2 d K d 3 d K s.
Final Table Results of Event #9: 25K Challenge
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1. |
Andy Lee |
Australia |
652,670 A$ |
|
2. |
Josh Hutchins |
Australia |
405,720 A$ |
|
3. |
Aaron Li |
Australia |
264,600 A$ |
|
4. |
Joe Sandaev |
Australia |
209,330 A$ |
|
5. |
Michael Egan |
Australia |
162,290 A$ |
|
6. |
Matthew Wakeman |
Australia |
132,890 A$ |
|
7. |
Kei Tanaka |
Japan |
111,720 A$ |
|
8. |
Luke Martinelli |
Australia |
92,905 A$ |
|
9. |
Hieu Nguyen |
Australia |
75,265 A$ |
Kiko Puyat's Career-Defining Victory
The Pot Limit Omaha event with a 1,500 A$ buy-in drew an impressive field of 380 entries, generating a total prizepool of 494,000 A$. Local player Kiko Puyat emerged victorious, walking away with the trophy and a 113,395 A$ payday.
In the final heads-up, Puyat bested fellow countryman Bruce King, who took home 68,665 A$ for his runner-up finish, a career-best for both.
Final Table Results of Event #12: 1,500 A$ PLO
|
Position |
Player |
Prize |
|
1. |
Kiko Puyat |
113,395 A$ |
|
2. |
Bruce King |
68,665 A$ |
|
3. |
Gary Tomes |
44,705 A$ |
|
4. |
Daniel Haywood |
33,590 A$ |
|
5. |
Fufu Hu |
25,690 A$ |
|
6. |
Samuel Ingham |
20,750 A$ |
|
7. |
Xin Zhao |
16,795 A$ |
|
8. |
Waleed Jabou |
13,340 A$ |
|
9. |
Don Phaedonos |
10,375 A$ |
Japanese Duo's Team Triumph
The unique and exciting team event NLH/PLO with a 4,000 A$ buy-in attracted 50 teams, generating a total prizepool of 185,000 A$. This tournament was a celebration of collaboration and strategy in two different disciplines.
The ultimate winners were the Japanese duo, Tsugunari Toma and Itsuki Aburatani, who shared the top prize of 57,350 A$. The payouts went to the top eight teams in this event.
Results of Event #13: 4,000 A$ Teams NLH/PLO
|
Position |
Team (Players) |
Prize |
|
1. |
Tsugunari Toma / Itsuki Aburatani |
57,350 A$ |
|
2. |
Honglin Jiang / Sosia Jiang |
37,000 A$ |
|
3. |
Dylan Wilkerson / Michael Wang |
24,050 A$ |
|
4. |
Claudia Aitken / Aroha Ngata |
18,500 A$ |
|
5. |
Malcolm Trayner / Cooper Feltham |
14,800 A$ |
|
6. |
Troy Mclean / Benjamin Leblond |
12,950 A$ |
|
7. |
Bowen Wang / Chen Li |
11,100 A$ |
|
8. |
Xuqian Li / Jason Wang |
9,250 A$ |
Sources: Crown Poker, PokerNews, YouTube
