The $25,000 Challenge Starts Today!
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:
- Event 1: Robert Raymond Wins Event #1 at Aussie Millions for AUD$320,830
- Event 2: James Chen Ships the 2017 Aussie Millions Event #2: $2,500 H.O.R.S.E.
- Event 3: Thomas Muehloecker Crowned Aussie Millions Event #3 Champion
- Event 4: Serge Osalan Wins Event #4: Pot Limit Omaha for AUD$58,315
- Event 5: Niall Murray Defeats Jack Salter to Win Aussie Millions Event #5
- Event 6: Thomas Boivin Wins Event #6 at Aussie Millions for AUD$117,950
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 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 |