Welcome to the 2020 Aussie Millions Main Event
Widely recognized as the largest and most prestigious poker tournament in the Southern Hemisphere, the A$10,600 Aussie Millions Main Event attracted record fields in each of the last two years (with 822 runners standing as the largest turnout).
The Crown Melbourne now once again welcomes hundreds of players eager to make their mark on the iconic event. The quest for the 23rd championship kicks off today at 12:30 p.m. local time as the 2020 edition gets underway.
The Aussie Millions Main Event features three starting days: today's Day 1a will be followed by Day 1b and Day 1c on the subsequent days. The tournament preserves its traditional freezeout format, leaving the players with a single attempt to maneuver the initial 30,000 chips.
Blind levels will be of a 90-minute length from start to finish, and the starting flights will conclude at the end of the seventh round. However, late registration will remain open through the first level on Day 2, offering those who prefer to skip the first day a chance to join the competition on Monday.
Day 1a Structure
| Level | Length | Small Blind | Big Blind | BB Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90 | 50 | 100 | |
| 2 | 90 | 100 | 200 | |
| 3 | 90 | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 4 | 90 | 150 | 300 | 300 |
| 5 | 90 | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 6 | 90 | 250 | 500 | 500 |
| 7 | 90 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
Through its rich history, reaching back to 1998, the Aussie Millions Main Event has seen its buy-in and player field each increase tenfold. Alex Horowitz became the inaugural champion after defeating just 73 players back in the day, but the growing popularity of poker helped the Aussie Millions to evolve into one of the major tournaments on the planet.
The last 15 champions have all walked away with seven-figure prizes, and the contest has been regularly attracting some of the best players not only from the Asia-Pacific region but from all corners of the world. Last year saw American superstar Bryn Kenney emerge on the pedestal, following a three-way deal with Michael Del Vecchio and Andrew Hinrichsen which provided each of the top three finishers with more than a million-dollar payday. Moreover, the triumph in Melbourne propelled Kenney to an incredible form, which would eventually catapult him to the top of the historical all-time money list.
The Aussie Millions Main Event has brought all kinds of winner stories, from elite players such as Kenney confirming their dominance in the game to local hero Shurane Vijayaram who stunned Crown Melbourne in 2017 by turning a $130-investment into a spectacular title-winning campaign. Vijayaram got his name forever engraved on the trophy and captured the A$1.6 million first-place prize to make his ultimate poker dream come very much true.
It is now time for the 2020 edition to add to the long list of unforgettable Aussie Millions memories. Is it going to be another heavyweight cementing their position in the game or will Australia's most prestigious tournament witness one more exciting hot run by a qualifier? Those questions will be answered over the course of next week.
PokerNews will be bringing live updates to your homes from the starting days all the way to the champions' ceremony, so keep it here to follow how the Main Event unfolds.
Aussie Millions Main Event History
| Year | Buy-in | Winner | Country | First Prize (AUD) | Entries | Total Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | A$1,000 | Alex Horowitz | Australia | A$25,900 | 74 | A$74,000 |
| 1999 | A$1,000 | Milo Nadalin | Australia | A$38,150 | 109 | A$109,000 |
| 2000 | A$1,500 | Leo Boxell | Australia | A$65,225 | 109 | A$173,500 |
| 2001 | A$1,500 | Sam Korman | Australia | A$53,025 | 101 | A$151,500 |
| 2002 | A$5,000 | John Maver | Australia | A$150,000 | 66 | A$330,000 |
| 2003 | A$10,000 | Peter Costa | United Kingdom | A$394,870 | 122 | A$1,220,000 |
| 2004 | A$10,000 | Tony Bloom | United Kingdom | A$426,500 | 133 | A$1,330,000 |
| 2005 | A$10,000 | Jamil Dia | New Zealand | A$1,000,000 | 263 | A$2,630,000 |
| 2006 | A$10,000 | Lee Nelson | New Zealand | A$1,295,800 | 418 | A$4,180,000 |
| 2007 | A$10,000 | Gus Hansen | Denmark | A$1,500,000 | 747 | A$7,470,000 |
| 2008 | A$10,000 | Alexander Kostritsyn | Russia | A$1,650,000 | 780 | A$7,758,500 |
| 2009 | A$10,000 | Stewart Scott | Australia | A$2,000,000 | 681 | A$6,810,000 |
| 2010 | A$10,000 | Tyron Krost | Australia | A$2,000,000 | 746 | A$7,460,000 |
| 2011 | A$10,000 | David Gorr | Australia | A$2,000,000 | 721 | A$7,210,000 |
| 2012 | A$10,000 | Oliver Speidel | Australia | A$1,600,000 | 659 | A$6,590,000 |
| 2013 | A$10,000 | Mervin Chan | Australia | A$1,600,000 | 629 | A$6,290,000 |
| 2014 | A$10,600 | Ami Barer | Canada | A$1,600,000 | 668 | A$6,680,000 |
| 2015 | A$10,600 | Manny Stavropoulos | Australia | A$1,385,500 | 648 | A$6,480,000 |
| 2016 | A$10,600 | Ari Engel | Canada | A$1,600,000 | 732 | A$7,320,000 |
| 2017 | A$10,600 | Shurane Vijayaram | Australia | A$1,600,000 | 725 | A$7,370,000 |
| 2018 | A$10,600 | Toby Lewis | United Kingdom | A$1,458,198 | 800 | A$8,000,000 |
| 2019 | A$10,600 | Bryn Kenney | United States | A$1,272,598 | 822 | A$8,220,000 |