AUSSIE AMATEUR WINS MELBOURNE MILLIONS

Posted 2/1/11 : A$2 million for David in a confrontation with poker Goliaths
 
The Aussie Millions tournament concluded at the Crown Casino in Melbourne this weekend in a victory for local amateur player David Gorr (68) who survived a field full of international professionals to take the title and the A$2 million main prize.
 
It's the third consecutive year that an Australian has won the prestigious southern hemisphere event, which this year attracted 721 players and generated an A$7,210,000 prize pool.
 
Gorr, who has been playing since his teenage years and works in the IT industry, said: "It's quite unbelievable. I didn't think that it would happen. I knew I had a chance, but this is just terrific."
 
Gorr is a regular entrant in the tournament, and faced a final table comprised of James Keys, Jeff Rossiter, Michael Ryan, Randy Dorfman (chip leader), Samad Razavi, and internet expert players Chris Moorman and Patrik Antonius.
 
By the time the final table reached the halfway stage, Gorr had accumulated more chips than his four remaining opponents had in total, but as the vagaries and dynamics of the game changed Rossiter caught up in a few spectacularly large pots and took the lead.
 
Unfortunately for Rossiter his streak did not last, and he was eliminated by Gorr in an exciting comeback that left the Australian facing Brit pro James Keys in the heads up, with Gorr holding a big enough chip lead to short-circuit worthy but unsuccessful attempts to gain ascendency by his opponent.
 
Keys takes home to the UK a second-placing prize of $A1,035,000.