In January 2001, the Crown Australian Poker Championship draws, or the “Aussie Millions” as it became known later, 40 participants with a $ 5,000 buy-in for a prize pool of $ 200,000. January 2003 saw the event go truly international, attracting a field of 122 players and a prize pool of $ 1.2m.
In 2005, the Aussie Millions, reached new heights with a record number of 263 participants each paid $ 10,000 to the No Limit Hold’em Main Event, for a total prize pool of $ 2,630,000, the largest in the southern hemisphere. More than half of the field internationally traveled from New Zealand, England, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, USA, Sweden, Holland, Canada, Italy and Lebanon.
In 2006, the Aussie Millions turned out to be one of the world’s leading multi-million dollar poker events when 418 players for a slice of the AUD $ 4.18 million prize pool including some of the biggest names in the poker world competed, WSOP Champion Joe Hachem Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Kathy Leibert, Scott Fischman, Chip Jett, David Williams, Antonio Esfandiari, Mike Sexton, Tony G, Jesse Jones, Clonnie Gowan and many more.
The Aussie Millions 2007 again exceeded all expectations with increased main event player numbers by over 70% compared to last year, attracting 747 participants. The event on Fox Sports Net, for the second consecutive year with top professional players Gus Hansen wins the event and collecting the $ 1.5 million first prize shot, pulled the 10-part series to a broad audience.
In 2008, 21-year-old Russian Young Gun Alexander Kostritsyn was crowned Aussie Millions Champion, where he took down one of the toughest NL Hold’em tournament players in the world in Erik Seidel for the victory. Seidel was in second place with a cool AUD $ 1 million. Kostritsyn took home AUD $ 1.65 million, the largest prize ever awarded in a live poker tournament in the southern hemisphere. He outlasted a record field of 780 players who anted the AUD $ 10,000 buy-in for the ‘Main Event’, whereby an unprecedented prize money of AUD $ 7.8 million.
More recently saw the 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event title to remain on their own soil with the first Aussie ever to win the Aussie Millions – Stewart Scott. The main event was the culmination of 18 individual events, which generated more than AUD $ 13 million euros in prize money.
Following the enormous success of the ratings of the U.S. showing of the 2007 and 2008 Aussie Millions Main Event, a partnership of Crown and Fox Sports Net (FSN) again for a year that saw her again as the Aussie Millions for broadcast internationally in 2009 with a range of filmed more than 81 million households. A coup for Australian Poker, Crown collaboration with FSN strengthens the prestige, recognition and credibility of the Aussie Millions, especially in America, the home of Texas Holdem and a country that largely considers poker its national game.
In 2010 the championship was once again on home soil with a local university student, Tyron Krost, took the grand prize. The 23-year-old 746 players battled for five days to take the title back home in Sydney, along with the $ 2 million AUD first prize.
In 2011, for the third consecutive year an Australian player captured the Aussie Millions Main Event title. A 67-year-old grandfather from Melbourne, David Gorr dominated the final table on his way to victory and the $ 2,000,000 first prize. David has been a long time player in the Crown Poker Room, and his is the first victory for a real local.
2012 looks to be bigger than ever with 26 official championship events and a whopping $ 20 million total prize pool. If another Aussie to take home the first prize for a fourth consecutive year, and is an international superstar in shock to take home the big bucks? Whatever the result, the 2012 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, an event not to be missed.
