POKERS FIELD OF DREAMS - OLIVER SPEIDEL, 26-YEAR-OLD FROM MELBOURNE
CROWNED 2012 AUSSIE MILLIONS CHAMPION

 Melbourne, Australia. Sunday 29 January 2012.  The new king of poker was crowned tonight, when Oliver Speidel, a 26-year-old banker from Melbourne, Victoria collected a whopping $1,600,000 in prize money after winning the Main Event of the 2012 Aussie Millions Poker Championship. Speidel was then presented with the widely-cherished and universally-revered diamond-encrusted gold ring, representing the game's ultimate achievement, a glass trophy, a Rolex watch and all the glory for his efforts.

The triumph was both a mental and physical marathon, after Speidel overcame a field of 659 entrants from all over the globe, who participated in the tenth anniversary of the Aussie Millions 'Main Event'. The No-Limit Holdem tournament, with a buy-in of $10,600, began on Sunday 22 January, and took seven days to complete. Speidel's route to victory was a determined one, albeit peppered with a few unwanted detours.

He arrived at the Final Table, which began today, Sunday 29 January at 12:30pm, and the atmosphere in the 'Studio 3' (the official film set for the Aussie Millions, at Crown Melbourne) was electric and it only got better when Speidel jumped on the table, laid on his back, picked up bundles of his newly won cash. The final duel was played in front of a packed house of nearly 200 spectators and a worldwide audience following the action over the internet. Millions more will watch the final crescendo of the 2012 Aussie Millions Poker Championship 'Main Event' later in the year, when international television programming is confirmed.

The runner up was Kenneth Wong, from Hong Kong. Despite the disappointment of defeat, he could take great pride in a noble effort that resulted in overcoming all but one of the 659 players who began the pursuit of every poker player's greatest dream. Wong collected a supreme consolation prize of $1,000,000 in prize money.

Crown congratulates Oliver Speidel on his tremendous accomplishment after playing superb poker over a prolonged period against a record field that included virtually every single top poker professional and hundreds of talented amateurs from Australia and around the globe. The final seven players of the  Tenth anniversary of the Aussie Millions 'Main Event' were:

1st Oliver Speidel AUD$1,600,000 

2nd Kenneth Wong AUD$1,000,000 

3rd Mile Krstanoski AUD$ 610,000 

4th Mohamad Kowssarie AUD$405,000

5th Patrick Healy AUD$325,000

6th Bjorn Li AUD$225,000

7th Yann Dion AUD$175,000

A complete list of all those who cashed in the 2012 Aussie Millions Poker Championship can be located via http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-aussie-millions/aussie-millions-main-event/

For further media information, or to request an interview with the winner please contact:

Natasha Stipanov
Media Relations Manager - Gaming
Crown Entertainment Complex
Telephone: +61 434 187 828
Email: natashas@crownmelbourne.com.au

Ann Peacock
General Manager - Public Relations
Cwn Entertainment Complex
Telephone: +61 3 9292 8607
Email: annp@crownmelbourne.com.au