Aussie Millions Final Table: Sam Abernathy Takes 3rd, Kuo 5th Place

For the first time in Aussie Millions history the final table of the AU$10,600 Main Event was set with two women among the finalists: Samantha Abernathy and Kitty Kuo. Could one of them become the first woman to win the Aussie Millions Main Event?

Today we got the answer when the seven remaining players gathered around the final table to play down to a winner and the first place prize of AU$1,6 million. Going into the final day of play Samantha Abernathy was third in chips with 2.485,000 and Kitty Kuo in fifth place with 1.005,000. Ari Engel was chip leader with Tony Dunst in second place.

It would only take three hands before the first player, Australia’s John Apostolidis, was eliminated in 7th place, when his ace-king was not able to improve versus Sam Abernathy’s pair of queens.

Unfortunately Kitty Kuo was the next player to exit. Kuo was getting short, and after a raise from Ari Engel on the button with

she decided to shove from the small blind with . Engel made the call, and when the board came Kuo was eliminated in 6th place worth AU$270,000 ($189,018). With this score Kuo is up to more than $1 million in live tournament earnings.

With the eliminations of Dylan Honeyman in 5th place and Alexander Lynsky in 4th, it was up to Sam Abernathy, Ari Engel, and Tony Dunst to battle it out for the win. But with Engel sitting with a stack of around 10 million, Dunst with approximately 9 million, and Abernathy with around 2 million in chips, Abernathy needed to find a quick double up.

On hand #92 Abernathy was down to 15 big blinds, and she tried her luck moving all in from the small blind with

. Engel made an easy call with in the hole. The flop brought the , giving Engel two pair. And when the fell on the turn to give Engel a full house, Samantha Abernathy was eliminated in 3rd place. Abernathy takes home AU$625,000 ($437,543) for her impressive performance – the largest score of her career.

Five hours later Ari Engel was crowned champion with Tony Dunst as runner-up.