Will the Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge Launch Another Player's Career Year?
The Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge has been one of the most prestigious events on the poker calendar for the past six years.
It also gives one player a head start on a hot year. Sam Trickett and Erik Seidel experienced this in 2011 when they finished in first and third place respectively, with both going on to finish with the year with incredible results.
Likewise, last year Dan Smith defeated Mikhail Smirnov heads up for the title and A$1.012 million on his way to becoming the 2012 Global Poker Index Player of the Year.
Here’s a look at last year’s results:
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Smith | A$ 1,012,000 |
| 2 | Mikhail Smirnov | A$ 616,000 |
| 3 | Joe Hachem | A$ 330,000 |
| 4 | Tony G | A$ 242,000 |
Today another player will have the chance to jump out to an early lead in 2012, and while we don’t have a confirmed list of participants yet, we’ve do expect to see the following players in action: Joe Hachem, Tony Bloom, Tobias Reinkemeier, Andrew Robl, Sam Trickett, Vanessa Selbst, Philipp Gruissem, Fabian Quoss, Igor Kurganov, Dan Shak, Eric Lui, Winfred Yu, Tom Hall, Martin Finger, Mike Watson and Jason Mercier.
Will any of these big-names pros be able to add their name to this prestigious list of champions (click name to learn more about their victory):
| Year | Winner | Prize | No. of Entries | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dan Smith | A$1,012,000 | 22 | A$2,200,000 |
| 2011 | Sam Trickett | A$1,525,000 | 38 | A$3,800,000 |
| 2010 | Dan Shak | A$1,200,000 | 24 | A$2,400,000 |
| 2009 | David Steicke | A$1,200,000 | 23 | A$2,300,000 |
| 2008 | Howard Lederer | A$1,250,000 | 25 | A$2,500,000 |
| 2007 | Erick Lindgren | A$1,000,000 | 18 | A$1,800,000 |
The 2013 Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge is set to kick off at 14:30 EDT (22:30 EST), and the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on the ground at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia to bring you all the updates. Meanwhile, Day 1a of the 2013 Aussie Millions Main Event is already underway, and you know we’re also bringing you live updates from that event. Just click here for those updates.