US poker pro Nick Petrangelo continued on his 2017 winning journey this weekend by emerging victorious in the $100,000 buy-in Aussie Millions NLHE Challenge competition, besting a field of 18 to claim the A$882,000 main prize.
It was Petrangelo’s third big cash this year, with deep finishes in the PokerStars Championship Bahamas $25,000 high roller and the A$25,000 Aussie Million High Roller contest rewarding him with over $1.51 million in January alone.
In the Challenge event just completed, only the last three survivors cashed and that, added to the professional nature of the field, ensuring that high quality and aggressive poker action could be expected…in that railbirds were not disappointed as the five-hour final table delivered some thrilling exchanges.
UK ace Sam Trickett finished fourth, eliminated by Mark Watson, and was the bubble boy before the cash handouts started, whilst German prodigy Fedor Holz just managed to make it into the money but was ousted by Petrangelo at third place for A$352,800. He’s still in the running for big money in the Aussie Millions main event, currently in progress when InfoPowa went to print Sunday morning.
That left Petrangelo facing Canada’s Mark Watson, who held a substantial chip advantage, in the heads up.
It developed into a fiercely aggressive but actually quite brief contest between two excellent players, but eventually Pierangelo gained the advantage and was able to send his very competent Canadian rival home with the runner up prize of A$529,200.