Home / Poker News January 2009 / Van Marcus clinches chip lead on Day 1 of the $1,100 AM HORSE event
Van Marcus clinches chip lead on Day 1 of the $1,100 AM HORSE event
Posted by: James Carter. - Thu, 2009-01-15 17:48
The $1,100 HORSE event was the first one at the Aussie Millions to fill up to the maximum number of registrants. Day 1 saw 96 players start, a star studded field which included Van Marcus, Mel Judah, Billy Argyros, James Obst and Grant Levy. Each of the 5 games included in the HORSE rotation lasted for 8 hands before players moved on to the next game.
Because it was played in a FL format, the game started out slow, however the eliminations would soon begin as some players could never find any traction. One of these players was Grant Levy who played well yet never managed to string anything together. He was eventually eliminated by Ross Boatman.
James Obst didn’t fare much better either.
Billy Argyros was looking to rake in yet another money finish, but he fell short when he busted out on an Omaha Hi/Lo hand on which Anthony McNamara hit a flush. Lee Nelson and Martin Comer followed Argyros shortly.
Van Marcus, the legendary luck-bag, had a pretty good day again. He took the chip lead relatively early on in a Stud hand, after being forced to bring it in two times in a row. Mel Judah fell victim to Anthony McNamara in a Stud Hi/Lo hand. Tony Bloom was sent to the rail in a Holdem hand by Joe Meissner, after Bloom shoved all his chips in on an A,6 against Meissner’s 5,5. The board improved Meissner’s hand giving him a full house on the flop, and thus Judah was eliminated.
Harry Demetriou’s elimination was a more painful one because it happened so close to the money bubble. He shoved all-in in a Stud hand against Kerry Stead who went on to make a wheel. Stead then also eliminated Elvin Syslak, with his pair of 9s against the latter’s nut flush draw which failed to fill up.
Van Marcus finished the day in the lead with 123,500 chips, followed by Leo Boxell with 104,500. The short-stack at the final table would be Anthony McNamara with 34,500 chips.
