Aussie Update: Melbourne Poker Championship Highlights; Online Poker Ban Becomes Official

Jarrod Thatcher wins Melbourne Poker Championship Main Event

456 entrants bought into the Main Event at the MelbournePoker Championship, paying AU$1,500 to enter and generating a prize pool of AU$684,000. The event played out over the course of 3 days, and with five of the final sixplayer hailing from Australia, it seemed a near certainty that a homegrown talent would take the top prize. Canadian Timothy Ulmer almost rained on that parade however, reaching heads up and almost taking the title back to Montreal. In the end though, he could not overcome eventual winner and Sydney resident Jarrod Thatcher, who picked up AU$154,000 for his win. Ulmer took home AU$96,450. Fan favourite and former WSOP Main Event winner Joe Hachem made a deep run in this event too, finishing 6th for AU$25,990.

Kahle Burns wins the High Roller to further raise his profile

The $5,000 High Roller attracted 45 runners this time around, which saw the prize pool inflated to a figure of AU$213,750. The final table may not have been packed with stars as High Roller final tables often are, but Kahle Burns is a player who has put together solid results on the live circuit in recent years, and it was he who overpowered the field to take home the top prize.

Burns now has over $1,500,000 in live cashes, having won the Sydney Championships Main Event this time last year for $226,295. In the last twelve months he has followed that up with 3rd in the ACOP Main Event for $343,179 and 4th in the PokerStars Championship Super High Roller for $415,395 back in April. He now adds the Melbourne Poker Championship High Roller title to his growing list of big scores. Burns defeated Nauvneel Kashyap heads up to claim the title, and the AU$76,950 in prize money.

Australia’s Online Poker Ban Set To Go Into Effect

Late last year, the Australian poker community was shocked by a bill which was presented to the Australian senate, effectively outlining plans which would lead to the outlawing of online poker in Australia. Since then, the community, along with Australian senator David Leyonhjelm have been campaigning against the bill as it stands in its current format. The intended purpose of the bill was to stop in-play sports betting, but as a by-product, online poker will be dragged into the realms of illegality.

A hearing on August 1st gave some hope to the poker community inAustralia, but sadly, the arguments for regulating the market rather than forcing players into the online poker black market, or to flee the country altogether, fell on deaf ears. After only a week of deliberating, the bill has now been passed, and PokerStarswill join other smaller poker rooms in withdrawing from Australia, starting from the middle of September.

Ignition Casino and Pokerlook set to ignore the ban, having already moved into the Australian market a few weeks ago. They will be hoping to capitalise on the customer base which will be left behind as the bigger companies exit the market.

More: Ignition Casino Review by Somuchpoker

Article By Craig Bradshaw