The cheers of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” that rang out throughout Melbourne’s Crown Casino following Tyron Krost’s victory at the Aussie Millions Main Event said it all. The river card, the deuce of clubs, signalled Frederik Jensen’s elimination from the most prestigious poker tournament in the Southern Hemisphere, and almost instantly, Australian poker’s latest hero was born.
Krost is only the second Australian player to have taken down the Aussie Millions Main Event, following in the footsteps of 2009 winner Stewart Scott. Having come up tops against a tough final table that included world-renowned talents Annette Obrestad and Sorel Mizzi, Krost did not just win himself A$2 million – he also confirmed that local talents from Down Under have what it takes to be right up there with the very best on the world stage.
“I’m just letting it sink in, thinking about how lucky I am and everything,” he shares in an exclusive interview with Baller. “It doesn’t really seem fair to call myself an Aussie Millions Champion as I know what it takes to win a poker tournament and I know how much luck is involved. I was just really lucky in that tournament and everything seemed to go my way; it was just a good tournament for me. “
“I put as much pressure as I could on Frederick because I knew that Sorel was a little bit shorter. It worked out for me, all the situations turned out well and I was lucky that I actually had cards as well,” he recalls the final game.
In addition to some side events, he credited his previous experience at the World Series of Poker in helping him to kick up his game. “After being at the World Series, I knew exactly what to expect when it came to the first day of the Aussie Millions; so you kind of know what to expect and also get a feel for how long the levels are, how the tournament plays out and how physically demanding it can be.”
Krost readily admits that he was impressed by some of his opponents. “I was really impressed with Annette Obrestad’s play on the second last day,” he mused. “Fredrick Jensen is also a solid player who didn’t make any mistakes, he was very good, and Sorel Mizzi and Peter Jetten as well. All of them were really good players and were not easy to play against. I had the cards on the day, which helped a lot, and got into situations where I didn’t have the cards but could play tactically.”
Though the euphoria of winning has certainly sunken in by now, Krost has yet to try and cash his oversized novelty cheque. “A few of my friends told me that I should though. I took it on the plane with me, which was quite interesting. Just walking around with it in the lobby, I got funny looks, stares, questions and everything. A few of my mates have said that I should just take it to the bank and see if they’ll cash it,” he chuckles.
Despite his A$2 million windfall, Krost has no plans to play poker professionally, and will continue to work in his family business. “I’ve never played full time for money. Well I’ve obviously played poker for money but have never played as a source of income or anything like that, so I suppose it’s just a hobby.”
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