crown media releases

Monday 22 July 2019. MELBOURNE, Australia. Crown Melbourne has today announced the 2020 Aussie Millions Poker Championship will run from Saturday 4 to Friday 24 January.

Hosted by Crown Melbourne for the past 22 years, the Aussie Millions transforms Crown into a mecca of the poker world during the peak of the Australian Summer. For 21 consecutive days, the poker room comes alive, offering 23 Championship Events, daily satellites and cash games running 24/7.

Crown’s Aussie Millions is the marquee event on the Asia-Pacific poker calendar and holds a reputation that ranks alongside the world’s elite. Since its inception in 1998, the Aussie Millions has grown into a major stop on the international poker circuit and is attended by the majority of the world’s greatest players.

Crown Melbourne’s Tournament Director Joel Williams said, “The 2019 Aussie Millions saw records smashed right across the board. We watched the ‘Main Event’ scale heights previously unseen; we re-established ourselves as an integral stop on the High Roller circuit; total prize pools exceeded AUD$30million and overall participation broke through 8,600 - all served to produce arguably the most memorable series in Australian Poker History. January 2020 allows us the opportunity to continue to stamp ourselves as an elite Poker destination for players right across the Globe – and we are more than ready to accept that challenge and remain committed to providing the best experience possible.”

The 2019 Aussie Millions saw in excess of 8,600 players from all across the world descend on Melbourne for the three week poker festival - all with hopes of taking home part of the AUD$30 million total prize pool that was generated.

Nearly 100 poker tables will be set up across the award-winning Crown complex to accommodate the thousands of players from over 40 countries who visit Crown during January to compete for a share of a total estimated prize pool of AUD$30 million.

The 23 individual events - with buy-ins ranging from AUD$1,150 to AUD$100,000 – offered during the 2020 Aussie Millions include a broad range of poker variations at both entry and championship level. This means that everyone from amateurs to pros can get involved and play for their chance of taking out an Aussie Millions title.

The winner of the Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’ will not only walk away with an estimated AUD$1.8 million first prize, but also the coveted ‘Main Event’ Champion bracelet valued at over AUD$25,000.

The Aussie Millions has always been known for its prestigious events and huge prize pools. It was the first Championship in the world to introduce a six figure buy-in, and the first again to raise the stakes to AUD$250,000. Numerous High Stakes events return in 2020, with the AUD$25,000, AUD$50,000 and AUD$100,000 Challenges assuring the world’s best (and richest) players will make the journey Down Under. Also, Event 11 AUD$25,000 Pot Limit Omaha returns to the Aussie Millions arena and provides another platform for the world’s best to compete.

Asia-Pacific’s longest-running poker tournament reaches its pinnacle with the commencement of the highly anticipated AUD$10,600 buy-in Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’. This coveted Main Event is slated to run over eight days from Friday 17 to Friday 24 January with over 800 entrants expected and an estimated total prize pool of AUD$8 million. The ‘Main Event’ will once again feature three starting days with qualifiers already exceeding expectations having begun back in May this year.

The expected prize-pools provide a substantial incentive to attend and, in addition, 22 players will receive a Championship Ring. While the entry fees may sit outside the budget of some players, countless satellite opportunities exist throughout the year and during the event itself, offering players the chance to win a seat in the Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’ for a fraction of the AUD$10,600 entry fee.

The prestigious Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’ prize pool is comparable with some of Australia’s major sporting events including the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open and the AFL Grand Final.

The full event-by-event schedule is below and available on www.crownmelbourne.com.au/poker/events.

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For further media information please contact:
Elle Warwick
PR Campaign Manager – Crown Melbourne
Telephone: +61 3 9292 5538
Email: elle.warwick@crownresorts.com.au

Local Australian identities were also spotted on the tables including cricket hero Shane Warne, NRL star Billy Slater and AFL legend Adam Goodes.

Event #11: $10,600 Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’
The biggest story of them all is and will always be the Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’, which has been taking place at Crown since 1998. The buy-in in 1998 was only $1,000, and 74 players entered the championship that year, with the winner, Alex Horowitz, taking home AUD$25,900. Compare that to 2018 which saw a Main Event prize pool of AUD$8,000,000. The Championship winner was slated to receive an impressive AUD$1,800,000, making the 2018 Aussie Millions Main Event the largest of all time.

Toby Lewis (UK) was crowned the Main Event Champion. Along with his impressive first place haul, he received the custom made diamond-encrusted gold bracelet by ANTON Jewellery.

Lewis soars up his country’s all-time money rankings with this win, and now has over US$4,000,000 in lifetime earnings. A regular on the poker scene, his previous biggest score came back in 2010 when he won EPT Vilamoura. Since then, he has posted final table finishes at several EPT and WPT events, most recently placing fourth at PCA in 2016 for US$267,340. However, this result eclipses all of them and stands as the biggest title of his poker career.

“The last time I won a big tournament was seven and a half years ago,” said Lewis after his win. “I’ve played a lot of poker in that time, with lots of fourth and fifth places over the years. So once I got a big stack in this one, it seemed like a great spot to go on and win!”

“Over the last few months I’ve been working on my game a lot harder than I ever have. Today I made sure my concentration was 100% no matter how tired I was, and it worked out.”

“Melbourne is my favourite city in the world, and I haven’t been in five years because of other commitments! I definitely should have come back sooner, because this is my favourite tournament in the world!”

Aussie Millions - High Roller Action
While the ‘Main Event’ attracted the biggest field since it’s inception, the Aussie Millions has also become a hotbed for some of the largest buy-in poker tournaments across the globe.

This year’s Event 24 $100,000 Challenge was no exception comprising of 19 entries, including Fedor Holz (GER), Manig Loeser (GER), Mustapha Kanit (ITA) and Jack Salter (UK).

However, they were no match for recreational player Michael Lim (MYS) who came into the day with a comfortable stack of 45 big blinds, and navigated the star-studded field to emerge with AUD$931,000 in prize money and the coveted ANTON Jewellery championship ring.

Let’s not forget Felix Stephenson of Norway. After finishing up play in the Poker Room went upstairs to the cash tables and scored himself the Caribbean Stud Jackpot of AUD$1,056,535! He then went on to win Event 19 $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha, scoring AUD$81,900 and the ANTON Jewellery championship ring. This trip is certainly one to remember.

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For further media information please contact:
Catherine Wilcox
Senior Communications Manager
Crown Melbourne
Telephone: +61 3 9292 8608
Email: catherine.wilcox@crownresorts.com.au