Andrew Phaedonos was carrying the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders. He was the last Australian representative on the Aussie Millions final table but now with his elimination in sixth place, the Aussie Millions Main Event title will be heading to North America for the very first time.

Phaedonos’ elimination was the result of the accordion affect. After the build up of pressure was released following the elimination of Scott Seiver in seventh place, it wasn’t a surprise to see a second elimination soon after.

Darren Rabinowitz opened the action with a raise and Phaedonos made the call. Sorel Mizzi joined in with a three-bet which saw Rabinowitz get out of the way but Phaedonos wasn’t going to just let this one go. He moved all in with his Q♣ J♣ but Mizzi wasn’t going anywhere as he made the call with pocket kings.

Another king on the flop was overkill as Mizzi eliminated his opponent. Phaedonos was the only amateur on this final table but he showed was able to mix it with the best players in the world to take home an incredible AU$250,000 for his run here in the Aussie Millions Main Event. He should be very proud of his efforts.

And then there were five.

Sorel Mizzi is now a clear chip leader on this final table. It’s Mizzi’s fourth deep run in the Aussie Millions Main Event which is already an achievement no other player has come close to. It’s his second final table and he looks set to surpass his third place finish from 2010.

Jake Balsiger and Darren Rabinowitz have moved into second and third chip position but they have less than half of Mizzi’s stack right now. Vincent Rubianes has been very tight so far on this final table, while Ami Barer has been all over the place. He’s tried everything so far on this final table – t-shirt, sunglasses, jacket, hoodie and double-patch sponsorship. He’s now back to just a t-shirt and unfamiliar territory as the short stack.

Heath “TassieDevil” Chick is a Freelance Contributor for the PokerStars Blog.

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