Event #5 of the Poker Aussie Millions was the $1,100 H.O.R.S.E. tournament. In this game, players play a mixture of Fixed Limit Texas Hold ‘em, Fixed Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Seven-Card Stud and Seven-Card Stud Eights-or-Better.
The low buy-in of the event shows the growing popularity of poker, as in previous years at both the Aussie Millions and World Series of Poker the H.O.R.S.E. events were played only by the pros and true connoisseurs of the game.
The final table, from the first hand to last, took just over five hours – quite quick for a fixed limit event that features two split-pot games. The chip counts at the start of the table were as follows:
Seat 1: Joe Meissner — 43,000
Seat 2: Jarred Solomon — 65,000
Seat 3: Van Marcus — 123,500
Seat 4: Leo Boxell — 104,500
Seat 5: David Morton — 38,500
Seat 6: Michael Guzzardi – 98,000
Seat 7: Kerry Stead — 81,000
Seat 8: Anthony McNamara — 34,500
The heads-up battle between David Solomon and Van Marcus came to a head in a round of Omaha Hi/Lo. Looking at a board of 5c-7h-3h-Td, both players moved in. Marcus held 8862 and Solomon had insta-called with Q742, the low pot locked up. The six on the river gave him a straight to scoop and he walked away the victor.