Ah yes, the Aussie Millions. Throw another shrimp on the barbie and practice your boomerang throwing, because it’s that time of year once more. The world poker phenomenon is no exception in Australia, thanks to hearty local support and the success of 2005 World Champion Joe Hachem who calls Australia his home.
Perhaps its a little too early to speculate, but the prize pool is going to be huge, and I expect Aussie Millions to become a crucial event for many of the world’s greatest players. The 2007 event was won by Gus Hansen who defeated youngster Jimmy Fricke, a previously unknown online player. The winnings have been consistently increasing every year, and 2008 should be no different.
Australia is a nation with a small population and massive popularity. I’ve played at the Crown Casino before, and it truly is an epic establishment beyond anything seen elsewhere around the country. The local support is immeasurable, with the Australians giving it all they have for the love of the game. We’ll be accompanying a number of our elite players Down Under, and to take your own shot at becoming a Carbon Poker legend, the satellites are running daily.
For an indication of the local action, here’s a hand featuring the last remaining final table Australian player at the 2007 event, Julius Colman.
Holding A6o, Colman moved all in pre-flop against Andrew Black’s pocket Queens. Colman flopped a set of Aces, which is about as good as anyone can really expect at that point. The third flop card, however, was a Queen which gave Black the nut full house and eliminated Colman from the tournament. This was a high-stakes hand with good chances for both players, and represents a powerful situation like many seen throughout the week at the Aussie Millions.
There’s something else I just realised. Playing poker in Melbourne is the closest you will probably ever get to playing high-stakes in Antarctica. I would certainly watch a final table being played at the summit of, coincidentally enough, Mount Melbourne in Antarctica. Emperor Penguin Millions? It could happen.
– Phil @ Carbon Poker
Tags: Aussie Millions, Contest, Live Tourney, Winner
