When it comes to premium events during every poker festival around the world, there is a special place for enthusiasts willing to spend more than the average amount and participate in a truly premium event. The Star Sydney Championships has entered the stage where larger cashes are at stake since the High Rollers Event is currently in progress with a total of 28 players registered for participation.
Australia is a country well-known for its diverse poker offerings on an annual basis and it is no secret that players are willing to go above and beyond for the cash payouts available on offer. High Rollers Events and Main Events are among the preferred tournaments giving players the chance to both demonstrate how well they can judge the situation on the felt and how far they can go in the structure of the poker tournament. This edition of the High Rollers includes two days of poker action, giving all enthusiasts the chance to re-enter the tournament if luck is not on their side the first time.
Buy-in for the poker event amounts to some A$20,000, providing them with the chance to generate a considerable total prize pool and therefore cash payouts for the top positions on the rank list. Over the span of the first day of action, levels lasted some 45 minutes, whereas the second day currently in progress features levels amounting to 60 minutes each. Only the top three players of this event are going to bag cash, the winner claiming a total of A$266,000. Consolation prize at this event would amount to A$159,600, while the third position on the official ranking is set to receive A$106,400 for their deep run in the tournament.
The first day of poker action witnessed several players who had already proven their skills in previous events of The Star Sydney Championships and those were Corey Kempson, Jonathan Karamalikis, Matthew Wakeman, and Andy Lee. They were more than prepared for their next chance to go far and claim one of the three cash payouts. John Caridad was the player who had to leave last right before the Final Table and even though he had a fair run throughout the first day, he could not reserve a seat on Day 2. Meanwhile, leading players such as Lee, Karamalikis, and Wakeman managed to qualify among the top nine players.
Poker Action Takes Place at a Premium Level
The chip leader at the beginning of Day 1 was Sosia Jiang who had a total of 305,000 in chips, followed closely by Michael Addamo with his 275,000 in chips and temporary runner-up position. At the very beginning of the Final Table, Daniel Laidlaw had to come to terms that he would be eliminated on the 9th position by Nauvneel Kashyap. The latter had a powerful run and continued amassing chips. Right before the dinner the chip leader was Addamo with some 437,000, but this could not secure him a cash prize, as it later became clear.
The last participant to leave without a cash payout was Lee, who bubbled in a battle against powerful Jiang. With this move, it became clear who would be the players to share the prize pool. Wakeman played against Michel Bouskila, but the latter could not rely on Lady Luck smiling on him and had to settle for the third place on the official leader board. This meant that the local pro who already had total live earnings of some $1,063,909 added A$106,400 for his excellent run in this event.
Heads-up duel took place between the two most prominent participants Wakeman and Jiang, commencing with respectively 730,000 and 770,000 in chips. Australian Wakeman is better-known for his online tournament performance, as he has a total of $6,000,000 in online earnings, whereas New Zealand resident Jiang was one of the few female players willing to go this far in the poker festival and this event in particular.
She commences the heads-up battle as the leader and managed to defeat her rival claiming the throne and the title Sydney High Roller Champion. This is her first cash payout for this poker festival but with so many remaining offerings she could easily claim more winnings until the end of the congregation.
