24th January 2010
AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST, RICHEST AND MOST PRESTIGIOUS POKER EVENT THE 2010 AUSSIE MILLIONS ‘MAIN EVENT’ WILL LAUNCH TOMORROW AT 12:30PM
The largest and most anticipated day of Crown’s Aussie Millions Poker Championship, the coveted AUD$10,500 No Limit Holdem ‘MAIN EVENT’*, will be launched by Australia’s poker king ‘Joe Hachem’ and Hollywood actor ‘Jesse Metcalfe’ TOMORROW - Sunday 24 January at 12:30pm in the Crown Poker Room.
Over 850 plus players will be vying for a slice of the expected AUD$10 Million plus prize pool, which will include an expected first prize of AUD$2.5 million, in Sunday’s AUD$10,500 No Limit Holdem ‘MAIN EVENT’*.
*Please be advised, that due to the large field of players, Day 1 of the ‘Main Event’ is divided into three separate starting days. Sunday 24 January ‘Day 1-Flight 1’, Monday 25 January ‘Day 1 -Flight 2’, Tuesday 26 January ‘Day 1-Flight 3’, with Day 2 will commence at 12:30pm on Wednesday 27 January.
Event: 2010 Aussie Millions - AUD$10,500 No Limit Holdem ‘MAIN EVENT’ (Day 1 - Flight 1)
Date: TOMORROW – Sunday 24 January 2010
Timings:
12:25pm
12:30pm
12:33pm
12:40pm
12:42pm
12:45pm
- ANN PEACOCK welcomes everyone to take their seats
- Commence launch with Aussie Millions highlights package
- AC/DC cover band to sing ‘Long Way to the Top’
- ANN PEACOCK welcomes crown ambassador JOE HACHEM for Q&A
- ANN PEACOCK welcomes Hollywood star JESSE METCALFE for Q&A and to officially launch the AUD$10,500 No Limit Holdem ‘MAIN EVENT’ and announce SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL!
- Confetti cannons shoot off
OFFICIAL START OF THE AUD$10,500 NO LIMIT HOLDEM ‘MAIN EVENT’
Location: Crown Poker Room - Level B2, Crown Entertainment Complex
Visuals: See the world’s best poker players today in the Crown Poker Room including:
- Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson, 2000 World Series of Poker Champion
- Gus Hansen, Defending Aussie Millions Champion
- Jeff Fenech, Triple World Boxing Champion
- James Akenhead, British poker impresario
- Joe Hachem, 2005 WSOP and 2006 Five Diamond Classic Champion
- Lee ‘Final Table’ Nelson, 2006 Aussie Millions Champion
- Phil Ivey, Five WSOP Bracelet Winner
- Shane Warne, Australian Cricketer
- Tony Bloom, 2004 Aussie Millions Champion
For further media information please contact:
Natasha Stipanov
Media Relations Manager - Gaming
Crown Entertainment Complex
Telephone: +61 3 9292 7317
Email: natashas@crownmelbourne.com.au
Ann Peacock
General Manager - Public Relations
Crown Entertainment Complex
Telephone: +61 3 9292 7292
Email: annp@crownmelbourne.com.au
ABOUT
Crown’s Aussie Millions Poker Championship is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the Southern Hemisphere and is ranked fifth in the world. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the Aussie Millions is also poker’s longest running tournament in the Southern Hemisphere, dating back to 1998.
In 2009, the event attracted more than 2,500 entrants from a cast of nations and awarded just under AUD$10 million in prize money, as players competed for game’s most coveted trophy, the Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’ Champion.
FACTS AND FIGURES
- The Aussie Millions is held each January at Crown Casino, in Melbourne Australia
- The Aussie Millions ranks as the fifth largest poker tournament in the world by player number
- The championship includes over 20 tournaments culminating in the AUD$10,000 No Limit Holdem ‘Main Event’
- The 2010 Aussie Millions is expected to reach a prize pool of almost AUD$15 Million with an expected first prize of AUD$2.5 million for the AUD$10,000 No Limit Holdem ‘Main Event’
- Over 2,500 individual entrants will participant in the two week series of 20 tournaments
- More than 600 international visitors are expected to attend including players from the United States, England, Ireland, South Africa, Scandinavia, Canada, Israel, Estonia, Portugal and Russia
- Huge growth in the number of Australian participants is expected, reflecting the increasing popularity of the game locally
- The Aussie Millions generated approximately 8,000 room nights across Melbourne in January 2009, including over 5,000 at Crown alone
- The 2009 Aussie Millions held the largest, cash buy in tournament ever with a $100,500 event attracting 30 players
- The AUD$10,000 No Limit Holdem ‘Main Event’ will be televised nationally and internationally
- It is expected that there will be almost 1,000 individual players in the $10,000 Buy-In No Limit Holdem ‘Main Event’
HISTORY
‘The Crown Australasian Poker Championships’ really became the first ‘Aussie Millions Poker Championship’ in 2003, when the event was increased to a AUD$10,000 buy-in and reached AUD$1 million in prize money. It was very well received and supported by both our local players and some well known international players as well. Since, has been re-branded to become known internationally as the ‘Aussie Millions Poker Championship’ and has become one of the major stops on the international circuit.
The first Aussie Millions was held in 1998 with a AUD$1,000 buy-in and AUD$74,000 prize pool and 10 international participants mainly from New Zealand. The tournament has grown to become a major event on the international poker tournament schedule.
GROWTH OF THE AUD$10,000 NO LIMIT HOLDEM ‘MAIN EVENT’:
Date Entrants ‘Main Event’ Buy-In Prize Pool 1st Prize
1998 74 $1,100 $81,400 $25,900
1999 109 $1,500 $163,500 $38,150
2000 109 $1,500 $163,500 $65,225
2001 101 $1,500 $151,500 $53,025
2002 66 $5,000 $330,000 $150,000
2003 122 $10,500 $1.22 million $394,870
2004 133 $10,500 $1.33 million $426,500
2005 263 $10,500 $2.63 million $1,000,000
2006 418 $10,500 $4.18 million $1.3 million
2007 747 $10,500 $7.47 million $1.5 million
2008 780 $10,500 $7.80 million $1.65 million
2009 681 $10,500 $6.81 million $2 million
CROWN ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX
Covering 510,000 square metres (the equivalent of two city blocks), Melbourne’s premier entertainment complex is recognised as one of the largest and most diverse in the Southern Hemisphere. Crown’s integrated facilities feature Crown Casino, with 350 tables and 2500 gaming machines; Crown Towers, Crown Promenade and Crown Metropol (open mid-2010) hotels; the Palladium, which is Australia’s largest ballroom; more than 50 restaurants and bars; an extensive collection of international designer boutiques, 14 cinemas, two nightclubs, a live entertainment theatre and Crown’s Capital Golf Club, designed by British Open champion Peter Thomson. Built at a cost of $2 billion in 1997, Crown is one of Victoria’s leading tourism icons attracting over 16 million visitors each year, 12% from overseas, 20% from interstate.
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