2018 Aussie Millions Poker Schedule and Tournament Coverage
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will once again return to Melbourne, Australia, to provide coverage of the 2018 Aussie Millions Poker Championship. The famous tournament series kicks off Jan. 17, 2018, and features 26 events over the course of nearly three weeks. Billed by tournament organizers as "Asia-Pacific's longest-running poker tournament," the Aussie Millions has a rich and fabled history, which spans nearly two decades. Some of the biggest names in poker have lifted the Main Event trophy in the Crown Casino in Melbourne, including Ari Engel (2016), Ami Barer (2014), Alexander Kostritsyn (2008) and Gus Hansen (2007).
The A$10,600 Main Event on Jan. 28 - Feb. 4 features three opening days. Last year, amateur player and satellite qualifier Shurane Vijayaram lived the dream and plowed through a 725-strong field. Vijayaram completed his Cinderella-story by defeating British poker pro Ben Heath heads-up to claim the massive first-place prize of A$1.6 million – his first-ever reported cash – and etch his name in poker history.
Notably absent this year is the A$250,000 Super High Roller, which has been won three times in the past by Phil Ivey. The Super High Roller has been omitted from the 2018 schedule. Instead, the A$100,000 Challenge tops the range of buy-ins and will close out the series on February 4-5. Last year, Nick Petrangelo conquered the Aussie Millions ANTON Jewellery A$100,000 Challenge and walked away A$882,000 richer.
Even without the A$250K Challenge, High Roller aficionados have plenty to look forward to. Besides the A$100K challenge, the schedule also features a A$50K Challenge and a A$25K Challenge to provide the best-of-the-best with ample opportunity to duke it out. Other highlights of the schedule include the A$1,150 Opening Event with a A$1 million guaranteed prize pool, the A$1,150 Mix-Max and the A$2,500 Shot Clock Six-Max. In addition to cash prizes, winners will receive "championship rings," and the Main Event winner claims a bracelet worth roughly A$25,000.
Aussie Millions Satellites have been running throughout the year and Crown reports that Main Event seats won are currently 22% ahead of last year which, should lead to bumper numbers and a possible all-time record field for the prestigious Main Event.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on hand to provide coverage of all the big events from the 2018 Aussie Millions as follows:
PokerNews 2018 Aussie Millions Live Coverage
| Dates | Event | Buy-in | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 26-Jan. 28 | A$25,000 Challenge | A$25,000 | |
| Jan. 28-Feb. 04 | Main Event | A$10,600 | |
| Jan. 28-Jan. 29 | A$50,000 Challenge | A$50,000 | |
| Feb. 04-Feb. 05 | A$100,000 Challenge | A$100,000 |
In addition, PokerNews will provide remote reporting from Jan. 17-25, with final table recaps of all events.
The full 2018 Aussie Millions Poker Schedule is as follows:
2018 Aussie Millions Poker Schedule
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, Jan. 17 | A$1,150 Opening Event (A$1 Million Guaranteed) Flight 1 |
| Thursday, Jan. 18 | A$2,500 H.O.R.S.E. |
| Thursday, Jan. 18 | A$1,150 Opening Event (A$1 Million Guaranteed) Flight 2 |
| Friday, Jan. 19 | A$1,150 Opening Event (A$1 Million Guaranteed) Flight 3 |
| Saturday, Jan. 20 | A$1,150 Opening Event (A$1 Million Guaranteed) Flight 4 |
| Sunday, Jan. 21 | A$1,150 Shot Clock Shootout (20-second clock) |
| Monday, Jan. 22 | A$1,150 Pot-Limit Omaha |
| Monday, Jan. 22 | A$1,150 Mix-Max |
| Tuesday, Jan. 23 | A$1,150 Six-Max |
| Wednesday, Jan. 24 | A$2,500 8-Game |
| Wednesday, Jan. 24 | A$1,150 NLHE Accumulator Flight 1 |
| Thursday, Jan. 25 | A$1,150 NLHE Accumulator Flight 2 |
| Friday, Jan. 26 | A$1,150 NLHE Accumulator Flight 3 |
| Friday, Jan. 26 | A$25,000 Challenge |
| Saturday, Jan. 27 | A$1,650 Bounty |
| Sunday, Jan. 28 | A$10,600 Main Event |
| Sunday, Jan. 28 | A$50,000 Challenge |
| Sunday, Jan. 28 | A$1,150 Terminator |
| Monday, Jan. 29 | A$1,150 Hyper Turbo (10-second clock) |
| Tuesday, Jan. 30 | A$1,150 NLHE/PLO Mix |
| Wednesday, Jan. 31 | A$1,150 PLO Hi-Lo |
| Wednesday, Jan. 31 | A$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em |
| Thursday, Feb. 1 | A$1,150 Tournament of Champions |
| Thursday, Feb. 1 | a$2,500 PLO |
| Friday, Feb. 2 | A$2,500 Shot Clock Six-Max (30-second clock) |
| Saturday, Feb. 3 | A$1,500 Deep Freeze |
| Saturday, Feb. 3 | A$5,000 Six-Max |
| Sunday, Feb. 4 | A$1,150 Shot Clock Turbo (20-second clock) |
| Sunday, Feb. 4 | A$100,000 Challenge |
| Monday, Feb. 5 | A$5,000 PLO |
| Monday, Feb. 5 | A$1,150 Shot Clock Teams (30-second clock) |
