Mervin “The Cat” Chan Takes Home Coveted Aussie Millions 2013

Posted on: February 4, 2013, 04:40h. 

Last updated on: October 26, 2021, 05:13h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

The Aussie Millions 2013 Poker Championship has come to an end as the locals of Melbourne were treated to an exciting tournament which showcased some of the world’s best talent in the game.

With a few surprise eliminations in the early rounds of the championship including recent powerhouse Vanessa Selbst, nobody could predict who would take home the title of 2013 Aussie Millions Poker Championship Main Event winner.

In the end, it was Malaysian player Mervin “The Cat” Chan who came out on top as the Main Event winner after a gruelling final table of play at the Crown Casino in Melbourne on Sunday February 3rd. Chan walked away with the prize money of $1.6 million, or rather, he drove away with the prize money which came with a Chrysler 300C.

This is certainly a step up from Chan’s previous top pocket at the tournament which saw him take away $3,500 for placing in 65th position in a $1,100 No Limit Hold’Em event.

After eight long days of play, which included 629 entrants, the final table saw Chan go heads-up against Joseph Cabret, who had previously won a cool $1 million for finishing in the runner-up spot in the $1,100 No Limit Hold’Em tournament mentioned above, meaning confidence was on his side.

The final table began with a host of notables sitting at the cloth, including Jay Tan, who was avidly proving that Vanessa Selbst is not the only female player to be reckoned with on the scene at the moment, whilst trying to best her partner “Hong Kong” Kenny Wong’s runner-up finish at last year’s Aussie Millions Main Event, as well as favourite of the event Patrik Antonius, who was chasing the biggest prize of his poker career.

Dan Shak, who won the $100,000 Challenge in 2010, began the final table in the position of chip leader, but was eliminated to fourth place by Cabret, taking home winnings of $400,000.

Play between the remaining three players, Chan, Cabret and Antonius, was stopped at six in the morning for a well-earned and required ten hour break. When the three poker powerhouses came back, they were all gunning towards that big money prize.

Play resumed the next day but before the heads-up could begin, Antonius was eliminated in third place, for which he earned $600,000.

Once it commenced, heads-up play was relatively short and it only took a few hands for Chan to emerge victorious from what was an exciting and fast-paced Aussie Millions 2013 tournament that excited the crowds, despite a runner-up position for local hero Cabret.

29 year-old Mervin “The Cat” Chan now joins the list of Aussie Millions Main Event winners, alongside the likes of Gus Hansen, David Gorr and Oliver Speidel, all of whom have taken the Southern Hemisphere’s most coveted of poker titles.