Save the dates: Busy days ahead for Australian Poker Players

Several days ago, one the most successful editions of the Aussie Millions wrapped up with a massive turnout of 7,049 total entrants, a sweet bump up from last year’s 6,370 entries. Satellite winner Shurane Vijayaram turned his $180 winning ticket to a jackpot payout of AU$1.6M after taking down the Main Event.

This successful series took place just a few weeks after the completion of the WSOP Sydney at The Star Casino, which in itself gathered an incredible 1,097 total entries for the Main Event. This was championed by Joel Dodds for a AU$360,364 first prize.

With these two big events in the books, and the 2017 calendar year just one month in, Australian poker players are definitely looking at a busy year ahead with more poker events lined up.

Star Poker Festival with a AU$1M GTD Main Event

Following the success of the WSOP, at the end of this month The Star Casino will be hosting The Star Poker Festival, a two-week event running from February 28th – March 13^th. In collaboration with the Australian Poker League, the festival will feature the APL Million Main Event with a AU$1M guarantee, plus eight varied side events ranging from AU$330-AU$5,000.

Taking a quick look at the Main Event, buy- in is AU$1,500 and will run for seven days. Here’s an overview of the schedule:

Main Event

Day 1 Flight 1 – Tuesday, March 7^th

Day 1 Flight 2 – Wednesday, March 8^th

Day 1 Flight 3 – Thursday, March 9^th

Day 1 Flight 4 – Friday, March 10^th

Day 2 – Saturday, March 11^th

Day 3 – Sunday, March 12^th

Final Day – Monday, March 13^th

Side Events

Prior to the main, the festival opens its doors with the first side event in the roster, the NLH Opening Event. Buy in is AU$440 with four starting flights in total. Day 2 and the Final Day will be held on the first weekend, on March 4^th-5^th.

The remaining side events in the lineup are quite varied, offering something for everyone; the Ladies Tournament, the short handed 6 Max NLH, Teams NLH (team event), Turbo NLH, Bounty event, and a Pot Limit Omaha event. The biggest buy-in event of the festival is the AU$5K Challenge with entry fee of AU$5,000.

*Satellites are offered for both the Main Event and the AU$5K Challenge.

Crown Melbourne announces key dates for 2017

The Crown Melbourne, host venue of the Aussie Millions, has announced six events lined up in their poker calendar. While full details of these events have yet to be disclosed, the Crown Poker Championship and the Melbourne Poker Championship will feature a AU$1,650 Main Event, and the Victorian Poker Championship will hold a AU$2,300 Main Event. The traditional Joe Hachem Poker Challenge is no longer on the schedule with the contract between both parties having ended.

Upcoming Events

Crown Poker Championship: April 19^th– May 1^st

Aussie Millions Warm-Up Week 1: June 5^th– June 11^th

Melbourne Poker Championship: August 2^nd– August 14^th

Aussie Millions Warm-Up Week 2: September 11^th– 17^th

Victorian Poker Championship: October 5^th– October 17^th

Aussie Millions Warm-Up Week 3: November 13^th– November 19^th

Next year’s Aussie Millions schedule has also been announced, running from January 17 – February 5, 2018.