Aussie Millions 2008 - Aussie Millions News Updates

Erik Seidel Takes Second Down Under

09:30 ET 21st January 2008

Congratulations to Team Full Tilt’s Erik Seidel on his stellar performance in the 2008 Aussie Millions Main Event. Seidel finished second and banked AU$1 million for his play.

Making his way through a record 780-player field, Seidel – an eight-time WSOP bracelet winner - avoided any major confrontations at the final table and used his tight aggressive style to get down to the final two. Heads-up play lasted nearly two hours before Seidel’s Ace-Queen failed to improve versus his opponent’s pair of Jacks, ending the tournament.

With this showing at the most prestigious event outside of North America, Seidel has proved once again that he is one of the world’s best tournament players and a true legend in the game of poker.

Lee Watkinson Takes Down Event 7 at Aussie Millions

06:30 ET 14th January 2008

Congratulations to Full Tilt Poker’s Lee Watkinson for taking first place in the 2008 Aussie Millions $3K Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys event. Lee worked his way through a tough field of veteran players, including Full Tilt Poker’s Andy Black, Steve Zolotow, and Max Pescatori, to earn over $108K.

Lee made it to the final table facing an uphill battle as the short-stack. He stayed the course, sending three competitors to the rail and found himself heads-up with Tom "Durr" Dwan. With balanced chip stacks, the two dug in for what could have been a long battle. Roughly 15 minutes later, the two got all-in after the flop with Dwan showing a set of kings and Watkinson looking for straight draws. This was not to be. The turn and river both showed clubs, giving Watkinson the runner-runner flush and an Aussie Millions victory.

Howard Lederer Wins $1.25 Million at the Aussie Millions

15:30 ET 12th January

Congratulations to Team Full Tilt's Howard "The Professor" Lederer who won the Aussie Millions prestigious $100,000 buy-in event, taking home the biggest payday of his professional career.

This exclusive tournament attracted 25 of the world's best tournament players, including Team Full Tilt's Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Gus Hansen, and Allen Cunningham. Howard reached the final table as a short stack, and patiently looked for spots to accumulate chips.

Howard entered heads-up play with a 2-1 chip lead over second-place finisher Mark Teltscher, and the two battled back and forth for more than an hour before Howard made two pair with Aces and Jacks to defeat Teltscher, who held two pair with 7s and 8s. Howard's victory earned him $1.25 million, which is the largest tournament victory of his storied career.

Team Full Tilt Prepares for Aussie Invasion

11:00 ET 3rd January

The largest poker tournament in the Southern Hemisphere starts on January 14th and more than 50 Full Tilt Poker pros are preparing for a trip to Melbourne where they’ll compete for a first-place prize of at least $1 million.

Last year’s Aussie Millions was the biggest ever, attracting 747 players. The tournament was won by Team Full Tilt’s Gus Hansen, who will be returning to defend his title. Joining Gus in Melbourne will be fellow Team Full Tilt members Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, and Howard Lederer, along with a full complement of other pros and online qualifiers.