Aussie Millions poker to get underway in Melbourne

MANY of the biggest names in poker will swarm to Crown Casino, Melbourne, this week for the Aussie Millions Poker Championships.

The tournament is due to start on Saturday, January 4, with Opening Event Day 1 Flight 1 beginning at 12.10pm (AEDT).

The Opening Event has an AUD $1 million prize pool guarantee and will be the first of 23 events to be played during the Aussie Millions. The buy-ins range from AUD $1150 to AUD $100,000.

GUIDE: ONLINE POKER

Ami Barer, Manny Stavropoulos and Ari Engel are some of the bigger names to have won the Aussie Millions Main Event in recent years.

The poker tournament continues to draw massive crowds and is regarded as on of the premier poker tournaments in the world.

The 2019 Main Event, which was won by American Bryn Kenney, attracted a world record of 822 players, and had a AUD $1.85 million first prize. Kenney defeated fellow American Mike Del Vecchio, while Andrew Hinrichsen (Australia) finished third.

“Crown’s Aussie Millions Poker Championship continues to absolutely stamp itself on the global ‘must-attend’ list for both recreational players and seasoned pros alike,” Crown Melbourne’s Tournament Director Joel Williams said

With the largest number of Main Event Satellites ever offered, the 2020 Aussie Millions is shaping up to be the biggest yet, with a total estimated prize pool of over AUD$30 million.

Players who have indicated they will be playing at the 2020 Aussie Millions include the likes of defending champion Kenney, Jonathan Karamalikis, Cary Katz, Fedor Holz, Danny Tang, Andrew Hinrichsen, Roman Lewis and Kitty Kuo.

It also wouldn’t surprise if the likes of Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey make a last second dash to Melbourne, given they have done this in the past.

The Aussie Millions, which is the longest-running poker tournament in the Asia-Pacific, culminates with the Main Event, which runs from January 17 and goes for eight days. The Main Event will have three starting flights, Flight 1 – Friday January 17, Flight 2 – Saturday, January 18 and Flight 3, which will kick off on Sunday January 19.

The Aussie Millions Main Event has a $10,600 buy-in but it is possible to feature in the tournament if you qualify via online satellites, which have been running for some months ahead of the 2020 tournament.

Australians are unable to play in the 2020 Aussie Millions Main Event satellites online, because online gambling is banned.

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