What a January For Team Bwin Qualifiers

Bwin's stable of online poker players proved their mettle in dominating one of the events in the Aussie Millions. Online handles AmazingRiver, King_Dirk, and fjolss each got a $2,200 buy-in as an add on to their Main Event package they won through a bwin qualifier. They didn't treat it like an after thought as they cruised through a field of 266 players in Event #14 of the 2009 Aussie Millions Poker Championship.

The Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Poker Tournament whittle down gradually but in incredible fashion the three bwin players got to the last six standing. Thomas Lindbjerg who goes by his handle AmazingRiver ran almost wire to wire at the final table. He rarely didn't have the chip lead. He also single-handedly eliminated just about everyone.

As the bodies hit the door, it came down to Amazing River and Noah Schwartz. An American online poker pro who shares more than a casual resemblence to the character McLovin' from the movie Superbad. No, Schwartz is not from Hawaii, and yes he is old enough to play in a casino.

It was easy to attribute Amazing River's chip accumalation to the guts he showed in bluffing superior hands off of pots. In a critical moment in heads up play he insured a victory by getting the American to lay down. His penultimate hand was the old Doyle Brunson two time Main Event winning holding of 10 2.

The payouts for the tournament were impressive for all of the team bwin members. Amazing River's first place finish gave him anotherf $130,021(AUD) to put in his bank account. Fjolss increased his wealth by $65,436 and narrowly was bested by Schwartz for second. King_Dirk's 5th place finish netted him $34,000+.

Amazing River knocked out his first opponent holding a suited K9. Sixth place finisher Jonathan Dull held Ac5d and made a move for the pot. Each improved as a 9 and a 5 hit the board. However, Amazing River now held the edge. Amazing River improved on the turn when he paired his king. He sweated a river card that was a brick.

This first hand would be a theme for the final table. It was most notable for a recurrence of a lack of suckouts on player busting hands. AmazingRiver prevailed in nearly every one when his opponents had outs going into the river and his cards held each time. That many non-amazing rivers was amazing in itself.

When Amazing river broke the fifth place finisher with a full house, there was less drama as he turned the boat, and King_Dirk was drawing dead. Just like with Dull, Amazing River watched King_Dirk throw all his chips into the pot before action got to him. Looking at AQ gave Amazing River an easier decision to make. By the turn, he was boated up and the King was dead.

The rivers went back to being relevant but ultimately boring as Phillip Peters fell to Amazing River next. Peters grabbed a pair to go with an open ender. He was trailing when the chips hit the felt as Amazing River held top pair. The river held the promise of drama but delivered no saving straight for Peters.

That left three players looking around the table at one another. AmazingRiver, fjloss and Noah Schwartz eyed each other happily. Guaranteed top three money first place was now within their grasp.

Fjloss got ran over next by AmazingRiver's elimination train. Amazing River held pocket cowboys and bet them. Fjloss looked at an A and put all his chips in the middle just like King_Dirk, Peters, and Dull before him.

Amazing River made the call. Fjloss still had outs when the river card brought more promise of a suckout unfortunately his ace remained bare.

You have to wonder if Noah Schwartz felt like a bad guy in a Rambo movie. Amazing River had just plowed down the field with a machine gun of cards. Schwartz was all that was left.

Schwartz had to feel good when KoJack made top pair on the flop. Also, a 10 combined with the Jack and a nondescript 4 to round out the board. Things went screwy for Noah on the turn as a 2 joined the board and now Amazing River had two pair.

This time Amazing River had to do the elimination betting. He put Schwartz top pair second kicker to the test. Checked raised all in Schwartz stewed over his decision. This would be where he made his stand. There would be no Amazing River for Schwartz. And yet again Amazing River held after the river.

Team bwin member Amazing River prevailed in a solid display of tournament poker. He got his chips to the middle when he held an edge and his edges held.