Aussie Millions, an Overview
The Aussie millions is one of the most
prestigious poker tournaments in the whole of the southern hemisphere and over
its ten year history it has generated millions of dollars and attracted
thousands of entrants from all over the globe.
The tournament, also known by it's more formal name, the Crown Casino Poker Championship, kicks off each year in January, and what a way to start the poker playing year!! Since 2006 the most influential poker players in the world have gathered in Melbourne for one of the biggest showdowns on the poker calendar.
World Series of Poker (WSOP) legends like Joe Hachem, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey have all supported the Aussie Millions, and more recently the fabulous Erik Seidel, the world renowned Hendon Mob and 2006 champion, Lee Nelson, have been a couple of the more prominent players who have kept the Australian crowds baying for more action.
What is so refreshing about the Aussie Millions is that the organisers set up a number of satellite tournaments throughout the year hosted by the Aussie Millions venue, the Crown Casino, so that local players have a more than equitable chance of getting in to the 'Big One'. Not all players have the means to buy-in to these top events - the buy-in for the 2008 event was AUS$10 000, definitely not a sum for the faint-hearted, or the less well-heeled!
This, in effect, opens the doors to all poker players - be they professionals or amateurs, really hot, or still learning, and this policy was reflected in the results of the 2008 tournament - relative unknown, 21 year old Alexander Kostritsyn walked away with the title, taking the last chips off poker superstar, Erik Seidel in the process!
In 2008 the prize pool for the main event was a sumptuous AUS$7,800,000 and over 780 competitors took part in what has to be one of the richest pots in poker lore. The first eighty players were all 'in the cash' with prizes ranging from AUS$7 500 to AUS$1 650 000.
The 2008 event had all the glitz and glamour associated with casinos, poker championships, big money stakes and the sister gambling cities of Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and Atlantic City. The John Stevenson band opened proceedings in a tumble of confetti, and the age old signal "Shuffle Up and Deal" was made by the legendary Joe Hachem and Gus Hansen.
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