Aussie Millions 2019: Cary Katz Takes Down the A$100K Challenge For A$1,481,760

Cary Katz
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  • Attreyee Khasnabis February 2, 2019
  • 4 Minutes Read

The two-day long 2019 Aussie Millions A$100,000 Challenge pulled in 42 entries generating a prize pool of A$4,116,000. The A$100,000 Challenge set its third highest attendance over its 14-year history trailing only 2014 and 2015 that featured 76 and 70 entrants respectively. American pro Cary Katz (cover image) posted his very first score on Australian soil and did so in style by taking down the event for an impressive payday of A$1,481,760 and the sought-after ANTON Championship Ring.

Following this latest victory, Katz total live winnings now stands tall at over $18.3 Million. He has leaped over Jonathan Duhamel, Dominik Nitsche, and Tom Marchese and presently sits in 25th place on the All-Time Money List.

Speaking about his win, Katz said, “Feeling pretty amazing. I got remarkably lucky, so I’m very grateful.”

Katz entered Day 2 as the overnight chip leader and started the final table with the fourth-largest stack. He came up against Johannes Becker in the heads-up play and eventually trounced the latter to clinch his first-ever Aussie Millions title.

Some notables in the event included Michael Addamo, Andras Nemeth, Koray Aldemir, Dominik Nitsche and Mustapha Kanit.

Main Event final tablist Bryn Kenney also managed a deep run in the event but hit the rail fairly early on Day 2.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Johannes Becker – 3,065,000

2. Kristen Bicknell – 1,360,000

3. Alex Foxen – 1,288,000

4. Cary Katz – 1,055,000

5. Abraham Passet – 1,013,000

6. Rainer Kempe – 770,000

7. Manig Loeser – 710,000

8. Jack Salter – 697,000

9. Michael Soyza – 585,000

Final Table Recap

Manig Loeser was the first elimination on the final table when his fellow countryman Abraham Passet’s busted his . While the board brought Loeser two pairs – aces and treys, it was no match for Passet’s flopped pair of sixes.

Manig Loeser
Manig Loeser

Malaysian pro Michael Soyza was next to go in eighth place when his were cracked by Cary Katz’s .

Numero Uno on the Global Poker Index rankings, Alex Foxen became the unfortunate tournament bubble when his lost out to Johannes Becker’s . Foxen’s run came to an end in seventh place.

Alex Foxen
Alex Foxen

Foxen’s girlfriend and the Women’s Global Poker Index rankings topper, Kristen Bicknell, joined her partner at the rail soon thereafter. Bicknell’s fell short against Rainer Kempe’s which improved to a top pair on the board . Bicknell was eliminated in sixth place becoming the first player to finish in the money.

Kristen Bicknell
Kristen Bicknell

Down to five-handed play, Katz raised to 80,000 from under-the-gun and Jack Salter moved all in for 785,000 from the small blind. Passet folded his big blind and Katz called after using up two of his time extension chips. Both players tabled their cards.

Cary Katz

Jack Salter

The community cards fanned out giving Katz two pairs of aces and eights that knocked out Salter in fifth place.

During level 16, Passet raised to 105,000 from under-the-gun and got two callers in Katz on the button and Becker in the small blind. Rainer Kempe jammed from the big blind for 1,365,000 and Passet shoved all-in over the top for 3.3 Million, forcing Katz and Becker to fold. Kempe turned over against Passet’s . The board ran and though Kempe rivered a pair of queens, it wasn’t enough to beat Passet’s hand, leading to his fourth-place elimination.

Finishing in third place was Germany’s Abraham Passet. When Becker called from the small blind with , Passet moved all-in for 1,580,000 from the big blind holding . The community cards spread out and Passet picked up a pair of tens on the river, but Becker’s stronger pair of queens ended Passet’s dream run in third place.

The heads-up play between Cary Katz (6,605,000) and Johannes Becker (3,895,000) began with the former in a commanding lead over the latter. Becker tried to close the chip gap, but ultimately surrendered the title to Katz.

Johannes Becker
Johannes Becker

On the final hand, Katz moved all in from the button with and Becker called with . The board missed both players but Katz`s pocket nines won him the pot and the prestigious ANTON Championship Ring, along with A$1,481,760 in prize money.

Cary Katz
Cary Katz

Final Table Results (AUD)

1. Cary Katz – A$1,481,760

2. Johannes Becker – A$946,680

3. Abraham Passet – A$617,400

4. Rainer Kempe – A$452,760

5. Jack Salter – A$329,280

6. Kristen Bicknell – A$288,120

Content & Images courtesy: PokerNews/crownmelbourne.com.au

Keep following PokerGuru for more updates from the 2019 Aussie Millions!

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