With the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) behind us, the industry’s attention shifted to another one of the year’s most popular tournament destinations last week. The 2011 Aussie Millions kicked off last Thursday at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia and a whopping 762 players showed up for the opening event, an AUD $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament. The series, which includes a total of 20 events, runs through Sunday, January 30th and features not only the AUD $10,000 buy-in Main Event, but also an AUD $100,000 High-Roller tournament that draws the biggest names in poker annually.
Australian poker pro Martin Drewe was the winner of the first event at the Crown Casino on Sunday, as he defeated Darren Kramer heads-up for a prize of AUD $200,000. In Event #2, Jared Solomon earned AUD $10,000 for taking down the Poker Pro No Limit Hold’em Shootout. Other winners from Melbourne so far were Sean Dunwoodie in the $1,000 Pot Limit Omaha Event #3 for AUD $37,000 and Soren Blanner in the $1,100 No Limit Hold’em Shootout Event #4 for AUD $38,000.
The Aussie Millions Main Event will get underway on Sunday, January 23rd with the first of three Day 1 flights. The AUD $10,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament had 746 entrants last year and is expecting another large field in 2011. Defending champion Tyron Krost took home AUD $2 million last year after besting a tough final table that included 2010 Bluff Magazine Player of the Year Sorel Mizzi and Full Tilt Poker pros Peter Jetten and Annette Obrestad.
Other former Main Event champs include Stewart Scott (2009), Alexander Kostritsyn (2008), Gus Hansen (2007), Lee Nelson (2006), and Tony Bloom (2004).
The AUD $100,000 Challenge could be the most anticipated event on the Aussie Millions slate, as it is billed as the most expensive tournament buy-in in the world (matched by the PCA Super High Roller Event this month). The event was first played in 2006, drawing 10 entrants. In 2010, the AUD $100,000 Challenge saw 24 players take to the felt, with Dan Shak besting Phil Ivey for the AUD $1.2 million top prize. In 2009, David Steicke was the last man standing from a 23-player field, collecting a similar AUD $1.2 million payday. Shak has made the final table each of the past two years.
In addition to the tournament action, there will also be an Aussie Millions high-stakes cash game on January 24th featuring an AUD $200,000 minimum buy-in. Players who took part in last year’s televised cash game included Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, Chris Ferguson, Andrew Feldman, Rafi Amit, and Gus Hansen.
Here’s a look at the remaining 2011 Aussie Millions events (buy-ins in AUD):
Event #5: Wednesday, Jan. 19 – $1,100 Eight-Game Mixed (Two-Day Event)
Event #6: Thursday, Jan. 20 – $1,100 Six-Max No Limit Hold ’em (Two-Day Event)
Event #7: Friday, Jan. 21 – $1,150 No Limit Hold’em with Rebuys (Two-Day Event)
Event #8: Saturday, Jan. 22 – $100,000 Challenge (Two-Day Event)
Event #9: Sunday, Jan. 23 – $10,600 Main Event (Day 1 Flight 1)
Event #9: Monday, Jan. 24 – $10,600 Main Event (Day 1 Flight 2)
Event #9: Tuesday, Jan. 25 – $10,600 Main Event (Day 1 Flight 3)
Event #10: Sunday, Jan. 23 – $550 Teams Event
Event #11: Tuesday, Jan. 25 – $550 No Limit Hold’em
Event #12: Wednesday, Jan. 26 – $5,300 Pot Limit Omaha
Event #13: Wednesday, Jan. 26 – $10,500 Heads-Up Championship
Event #14: Wednesday, Jan. 26 – $550 No Limit Hold’em
Event #15: Thursday, Jan. 27 – $10,500 Eight-Game Mixed Event
Event #16: Thursday, Jan. 27 – $550 No Limit Hold’em
Event #17: Friday, Jan. 28 – $2,200 Six-Max No Limit Hold’em
Event #18: Friday, Jan. 28 – $550 No Limit Hold’em
Event #19: Saturday, Jan. 29 – $1,650 No Limit Hold’em Bounties
Event #20: Sunday, Jan. 30 – $1,100 Turbo No Limit Hold’em
