$25,000 Challenge Dia 1 | 2017 Aussie Millions

2017-01-20 11:01 UTC+11

A Little History Lesson on the Aussie Millions

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The Aussie Millions goes way back: People were playing it well before most tournaments in Europe and the States were even initiated. Back in 1998, it was Alex Horowitz who won what was then referred to as the "Australian Poker Championships." Horowitz won the championship playing limit hold'em and bought in for just $1,000. He walked away with a quarter of the $74,000 prize pool.

The buy-in remained $1,000 in 1999 but the game was changed from limit hold'em to the more popular pot-limit hold'em. In the year 2000, the buy-in was upped to $1,500 and the game transitioned to no-limit hold'em. The game would stay no-limit hold'em from there on out but the buy-in would drastically increase over the years. While it was still a $1,500 in 2001, things sped up from there on, as the 2002 edition demanded players to buy in for $5,000. Only a year later, in 2003, it was doubled to $10,000.

In 2007, none other than Gus Hansen reigned supreme, besting a field of 747 to walk away a $1.5-million winner. His run to Aussie gold was televised and featured in a popular television show. Hansen himself wrote down every single hand he played and wrote them all up in his famed book Every Hand Revealed. The next year, the Aussie Millions attracted its biggest field to date with 780 players. Russian player Alexander Kostritsyn beat a field of 780 players to take home $1,650,000. Kostritsyn would become one of the most feared online players as he ruled the Full Tilt Poker tables as "PostFlopAction" and today just about runs PokerStars under his screen name "joiso."

The Aussie Millions is without a doubt the Southern Hemisphere's most prestigious poker tournament. Last year, while part of the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour, the tournament attracted a massive field of 732, just about unprecedented for a $10,000 event outside of Las Vegas. This year, the Aussie Millions operates once again as a standalone event.

Below is a historical table of the event, dating all the way back to 1998:

Year	Entries	Prize Pool (AU$)	Winner	First Prize (AU$)
1998	74	$74,000	Alex Horowitz	$25,900
1999	109	$109,000	Milo Nadalin	$38,150
2000	109	$173,500	Leo Boxell	$65,225
2001	101	$151,500	Sam Korman	$53,025
2002	66	$330,000	John Maver	$150,000
2003	122	$1,220,000	Peter Costa	$394,870
2004	133	$1,330,000	Tony Bloom	$426,500
2005	263	$2,630,000	Jamil Dia	$1,000,000
2006	418	$4,180,000	Lee Nelson	$1,295,800
2007	747	$7,470,000	Gus Hansen	$1,500,000
2008	780	$7,758,500	Alexander Kostritsyn	$1,650,000
2009	681	$6,810,000	Stewart Scott	$2,000,000
2010	746	$7,460,000	Tyron Krost	$2,000,000
2011	721	$7,210,000	David Gorr	$2,000,000
2012	659	$6,590,000	Oliver Speidel	$1,600,000
2013	629	$6,290,000	Mervin Chan	$1,600,000
2014	668	$6,680,000	Ami Barer	$1,600,000
2015	648	$6,480,000	Manny Stavropoulos	$1,385,500
2016	732	$7,320,000	Ari Engel	$1,600,000

Big things are expected this year and PokerNews will be there to cover it all. PokerNews will bring all the live updates, quality photos and a PokerNews-hosted livestream commentated on by Jason Somerville. Find the schedule of events PokerNews will cover on the floor below.

Over on AussieMillions.com you can find the entire schedule of events as PDF. Check the 2017 Aussie Millions landing page for everything you need to know about the Aussie Millions.

Day	Tournament	Buy-In
Jan. 20	$25,000 Challenge - Day 1	$24,000 + $1,000
Jan. 21	$25,000 Challenge - Day 2	$24,000 + $1,000
Jan. 22	Main Event - Day 1 Flight 1	$10,000 + $600
	$100,000 Challenge Day 1	$98,000 + $2,000
Jan. 23	Main Event - Day 1 Flight 2	$10,000 + $600
	$100,000 Challenge Day 2	$98,000 + $2,000
Jan. 24	Main Event - Day 1 Flight 3	$10,000 + $600
Jan. 25	Main Event - Day 2
Jan. 26	Main Event - Day 3
Jan. 27	Main Event - Day 4
Jan. 28	$100,000 Challenge - Final Table
Jan. 29	$250,000 Challenge - Day 1	$245,000 + $5,000
	Main Event - Final Table
Jan. 30	$250,000 Challenge - Day 2

2017-01-20 11:02 UTC+11

Aussie Millions Tournament Director Joel Williams Predicts Larger 2017 Field

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Aussie Millions tournament director Joel Williams

In 2014, as Joel Williams took on his first solo year as tournament director for Crown Melbourne, a local player qualified in a $65 satellite for the Opening Event and eventually took sixth for $63K.

He had previously played in tournaments in the $50 to $100 range, so this was a huge score. Thus, when it came time to collect, the player requested his entire sum in $50 notes – simply because he’d never felt so much cash before in his life.

This is Williams’ favorite memory of the Aussie Millions. So far. It stands next to the Manny Stavropoulos Main Event win a year later because a local triumphed over a star-studded field with very little experience.

The Aussie Millions, as one of players’ favorite tournaments of the year, will have more offerings this year and up the turnout, despite PokerStars’ absence.

“I think we’ve stamped ourselves as a ‘must attend’ stop on the global poker calendar,” Williams said. “From the high roller events to the Opening Event that offers a $1 million prize pool guarantee through to a full complement of poker disciplines right across the board, we absolutely endeavor to offer something for everyone.”

This year is no different. Last year’s satellites generated a record of 312 entries to the Main Event. The local satellite program for the Aussie Millions is up over 100 percent year-on-year and two Aussie Millions Warm-Up Weeks enabled 25 players to already lock in their seats.

This year’s Main Event will exceed last year’s total of 732, due to the success of these warm-up weeks, in-room satellites and the upcoming 10 Seat Guarantee. The number of email inquiries, hotel bookings and wire transfer requests already received make Williams think the 2017 field will be even stronger.

Williams looks at the numbers and the events already slotted and said this year promises to be even bigger than the previously-eclipsed $1 million guarantee of yesteryear. A four-flight Opening Event starts the series off with a bang and crowd pleasers like the $1,150 Six-Max, $1,650 Bounty and $1,500 Deep Freeze will make a reappearance.

Events will recognize past Aussie Millions winners and current Australian Hall of Famers in addition to the range of high roller and super high roller events that will already attract players, given Aussie Millions’ reputation of hosting world-class tournaments with some of the world’s best staff.

“Both Aussie Millions and the city of Melbourne serve to attract players from all across the globe each and every year,” Williams said. “We believe our tournament structures and cash-game offerings are world class and remain confident that the Crown Melbourne complex ranks among the most luxurious in the world.”

Even so, growth and constant evolution are a focus and the tournament will continue with its preference of having players dictate its next direction, Williams said.

New events on the schedule include the $1,150 PLO Hi-Lo, due to overwhelming public demand, and Aussie Millions’ own Hyper Turbo 10/10/10. The tournament’s additional location in the exhibition hall grows the tournament’s table count by 35 tables, placing the total at almost 100 tables.

Crown Poker has always prided itself on both embracing change as well as remaining up-to-date with current player preferences and trends.

“Hi-Lo has been in the Aussie Millions ‘wilderness’ for far too long and I’m delighted to offer it as a championship event again,” Williams said. “The Hyper Turbo has attracted gone from almost a ‘cult’ following at Crown Melbourne to steadily growing in popularity with players of all types and sizes. To now see it slotted on the official championship schedule is (personally) extremely satisfying.”

Williams’ favorite event is the Hyper Turbo 10/10/10 because the action speeds up while retaining enough integrity to be called a championship event. He says he’s excited to see how it turns out on an international stage in the Aussie Millions.

Other favorites are the Main Event – because of the most attention and backstories developed out of it – and the $25 and $100K Challenges, as their growth continues to rise.

These changes are in an effort to meet the needs of today’s players, consistently changing since the Aussie Millions’ launch in 2001.

“Crown Poker has always prided itself on both embracing change as well as remaining up-to-date with current player preferences and trends,” Williams said. “We are constantly evolving and remain committed to seek out and embrace player feedback and suggestions.”

This year, unlike last, will have a noticeable absence: PokerStars. Going it alone, Williams said, is something that may impact the tournament but brings up the tournament’s history prior to PokerStars as well.

“All good things come to an end!" he said. "We were really grateful for the time with PokerStars and feel that both benefited from the experience. It’s important to remember however that Aussie Millions has grown organically over a number of years prior to the Stars deal and as such we’re excited to begin a new journey starting in 2017.”

Jason Somerville was the exclusive broadcast partner of Aussie Millions last year on Twitch. Williams said that medium was amazing for people seeking content and completely new and foreign to the tournament.

“To work so closely with Jason was fantastic and the live stream viewer numbers reinforced the fact that this is definitely the right direction for poker streaming in future,” he said.

Somerville will commentate on the Aussie Millions live stream, which is currently scheduled for Jan. 27 (Main Event Day 4), Jan. 28 ($100K Challenge Final Table) and Jan. 29 (Main Event Final Table).

For players just tuning into the Aussie Millions for the first time in Australia, Williams had these recommendations.

“Ensure that you eat, drink and experience all that Melbourne has to offer in January,” he said. “From the amazing cafes, restaurants and bars, through to the Australian Open Tennis and International Cricket just five minutes down to the road, Melbourne is such a vibrant and exciting city that we always urge players to take some time away from the felt to explore the world’s ‘most livable city.’”

_{Reporting contributed by Frank Op de Woerd}

Tags: Joel Williams

2017-01-20 11:46 UTC+11

Jason Somerville To Broadcast Aussie Millions Poker Championship from Twitch

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Jason Somerville will again partner with Crown's 2017 Aussie Millions Poker Championship as the exclusive broadcast partner of the series Jan. 27 through Jan. 29.

"I'm honored and thrilled to be partnering with Crown Melbourne to showcase the 2017 Aussie Millions once again on Twitch," Somerville said in a release. "The Aussie Millions is one of the most premiere and prestigious poker tournaments on the planet and I'm excited to present the action once again to fans around the globe. Last year's broadcast was the most-watched live poker Twitch event of the year and I'm certain this year's shows will be even better."

Crown made a media announcement stating he will broadcast live from Twitch.TV during the poker series.

"I’m absolutely delighted to again partner with Jason Somerville to live stream key moments from the 2017 Aussie Millions," said Joel Williams, Crown Melbourne's tournament director, in the release. "Last year confirmed Jason’s overall appeal and immense talent and I feel confident that this year’s production will be even more enjoyable and relevant to the poker-viewing community. What better way to showcase Australasia’s premier poker event?"

Tags: Jason Somerville

2017-01-20 12:00 UTC+11

The $25,000 Challenge Starts Today!

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Chance Kornuth won last year's edition of the $25,000 Challenge

Welcome to our live coverage of the 2017 edition of the premiere Australian poker event; the Aussie Millions! The poker festival is underway for a little over a week with several Aussie Millions champions already crowned:

The $25,000 Challenge at the Aussie Millions goes back to 2012 when 20 players participated and Dominykas "domcee" Karmazinas from Lithuania took down the lot. Before that, just a $25,000 shoot-out invitational was held by Full Tilt Poker who was the sponsor of the event at that time. That event was won by David Oppenheim who beat James Bord heads-up to take home $250,000.

Since the inaugural tournament in 2012, the tournament has grown each and every year. Last year a total of 122 entries were made into the tournament, creating a prize pool of AU$2,928,000. An incredible final table was won by an Chance Kornuth, the second biggest score of his life winning A$790,560 ($547,874).

Year	Entries	Prize Pool	Winner	Country	Prize in A$	Prize in $
2012	20	A$500,000	Dominykas Karmazinas	Lithuania	A$200,000	$205,895
2013	30	A$723,000	Igor Kurganov	Russia	A$275,000	$290,317
2014	65	A$1,560,000	Max Altergott	Germany	A$241,785*	$211,522*
2015	104	A$2,496,000	Alexander Trevallion	Australia	A$645,150**	$521,835**
2016	122	A$2,928,000	Chance Kornuth	United States	A$790,560	$547,874

^{* denotes a 5-way deal with Dan Smith (2nd, A$278,414), Jason Mercier (3rd, A$265,538), Martin Jacobson (4th, A$285,921) and Scott Seiver (5th, A$265,538)

** denotes a deal with Tobias Reinkemeier (2nd, A$614,850)}

The tournament will start at 2:10 pm. The first six levels of this event will be 40 minutes long, with 60-minute levels thereafter. The tournament may commence up to 8-handed, moving to 6-handed as soon as practicable after registrations closes. One re-entry per player is permitted, with late registration open for the first eight levels. Players start their journey to the final table and ultimate goal of lifting the trophy, with a 50,000 starting stack. 12 levels are scheduled for today:

Level	Small Blind	Big Blind	Ante
1	100	200	-
2	100	200	25
3	200	400	50
4	300	600	75
5	400	800	100
6	500	1,000	100
7	600	1,200	200
8	800	1,600	200
9	1,000	2,000	300
10	1,200	2,400	300
11	1,500	3,000	400
12	2,000	4,000	500

2017-01-20 14:06 UTC+11

Update Your Own Chip Count Using the PokerNews MyStack App!

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PokerNews has activated the MyStack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.

You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.

Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.

2017-01-20 14:59 UTC+11

Ramage Sends Mo Packing

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Nível 2 : 100/200, 25 ante

In one of the last hands of the level, Jason Mo made his exit. We missed the action but his executioner Grayson Ramage told us afterward what had happened.

According to Ramage, Mo opened the betting to 600. Ramage three-bet to 2,000 followed by a four-bet to 4,700 by Mo. Ramage five-bet to 10,600 and Mo called.

Both of them checked the rainbow flop and they did so too on the turn. The river was a and Mo bet 13,000. Ramage shoved and Mo called with . Ramage showed and Mo was the first one to hit the rail.

Ramage, who won the six-max event here back in 2013 for A$110,000 ($116,127), the early chipleader now with double starting stack.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Grayson Ramage	100,000	50,000
Jason Mo	Eliminado

Tags: Grayson Ramage Jason Mo

2017-01-20 16:15 UTC+11

Aldemir Loses With Queens to Kings

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Nível 3 : 200/400, 50 ante

After a hefty pre-flop battle that saw small bind Koray Aldemir three-bet a button raise to 3,800 and then call the 10,800 four-bet, things got even more intense on . Aldemir checked and saw his neighbor on the button bet 15,200. Aldemir tanked for a bit before he shoved all in. The button called for 37,500 total and showed the best hand with as Aldemir tabled . The on the turn and on the river were blanks and Aldemir was heading into the break rather short.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Koray Aldemir	11,850	-38,150

Tags: Koray Aldemir

2017-01-20 17:48 UTC+11

Dan Shak Eliminated

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Nível 5 : 400/800, 100 ante

A railbird came walking over to the media desk and told us Dan Shak had just been eliminated. According to the onlooker, Dan Shak had gotten his chips in with against the of Erik Seidel. In the end, Seidel had a full house while Shak had just a single pair and that meant the end of it for the latter.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Erik Seidel	114,000	64,000
Dan Shak	Eliminado

Tags: Dan Shak Erik Seidel

2017-01-20 18:34 UTC+11

"Your Tens Are No Good Bro!"

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Nível 6 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

Dario Sammartino raised his cutoff to 2,300 and small blind Chance Kornuth three-bet to 7,500. The big blind folded, Sammartino called.

Kornuth bet 6,200 on and Sammartino called before both of them checked the on the turn. The completed the board and Kornuth checked. Sammartino bet 11,600 and Kornuth went into the tank for a bit.

"Why so small Dario?" Kornuth asked before he eventually tossed in the necessary chips to call.

"Your tens are no good bro!" Sammartino said with a big smile before he confidently showed , "Give me the money!"

Kornuth mucked and said he had ace-king. The pot went to Sammartino.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Chance Kornuth	217,000	-12,400
Dario Sammartino	92,800	58,600

Tags: Chance Kornuth Dario Sammartino

2017-01-20 19:04 UTC+11

Cate Hall Eliminated

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Nível 7 : 600/1,200, 200 ante

Cate Hall has been eliminated from the tournament. Her seat was taken by Mustapha Kanit and her former neighbor Dominik Nitsche gave some details on what had happened. According to Nitsche, Hall ran into Jack Salter's for her last 12 big blinds.

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Jack Salter	66,000	33,800
Cate Hall	Eliminado

Tags: Cate Hall Dominik Nitsche Jack Salter