Poker News

ANZPT Gold Coast Poised to Break Records

During the tour's first season, Conrad Jupiters Casino Gold Coast partnered with the Conrad Treasury Casino Brisbane 80 kilometres up the road, to jointly host ANZPT Queensland.

A total of 249 players made the event a huge success.

However, this season, Jupiters opened a 16-table poker room and decided to go it alone as host.

By all accounts, the move was a solid one.

Wednesday's first Day 1 flight of the AUD$2,500 main event saw 137 players hit the felt and Thursday's second is a virtual sellout with 146 of the150 seats already wrapped up.

In other words, a new player and prizepool record will be set for Queensland this week.

2009 Aussie Millions champ Stewart Scott, defending ANZPT Queensland champion Scott Kerr and New Zealand's first World Series of Poker bracelet winner Simon Watt all played Wednesday in a decidedly International field, including players from Australia, Argentina, Netherlands, Japan, New Caledonia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, USA, Brazil and Norway

After 8 levels of play PokerStars Qualifier Shivan Abdine grabbed the chip lead with Kerr not far off the pace.

Team PokerStars Pro Australia Tony Hachem, Bill Argyros, ANZPT Canberra Champion Jason Gray and 2010 Aussie Millions Champion Tyron Krost are all expected for the second Day 1 flight Thursday.

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Tyron Krost Wins Aussie Millions Main Event

Australian native Tyron Krost has taken home the title in the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event, which emanated from the Crown Casino in Melbourne. Krost defeated a field of 746 players and earned AUD $2 million for his efforts.

Stephen Shelly was the first player eliminated from the eight-handed Aussie Millions Main Event final table. Shelly moved all-in over the top of a raise by Krost holding pocket sevens on a board of 8-5-3. However, Krost made the call and showed pocket jacks. Calling for running cards for a straight or a seven for a set, Shelly instead saw and eight and deuce come on the turn and river, respectively. He earned AUD $125,000 for his efforts.

Shortly afterward, the Aussie Millions Main Event lost a heavy-hitter, as Betfair pro Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad was ousted in seventh place, earning AUD $175,000. In her final hand, Obrestad open-shoved with A-J and received a call from Krost, who had a wired pair of sevens. The flop came K-Q-7, giving Obrestad a straight draw to a ten, and, as her rail chanted in earnest for one of her four outs to come, a five and king instead struck, sending Obrestad out. The 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event winner will be a force to be reckoned with in her first WSOP on U.S. soil in 2010 and was the last woman standing in the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event.

Steve Friedlander exited in sixth place, banking AUD $250,000. Friedlander committed his chips with pocket sevens pre-flop and was up against the A-K of Kosta Varoxis. Once again, pocket sevens would determine someone’s fate and, this time around, the board ran out K-9-2-K-J. The hand pushed Varoxis up the leaderboard and sent Friedlander packing. Peter Jetten was the next player to go. Jetten 4bet all-in pre-flop with K-5 and ran into Krost’s pocket tens. The board fell A-J-2-7-5 and Jetten earned AUD $350,000 for his efforts.

With Krost holding the chip lead, Varoxis hit the rails in fourth place. Varoxis called all-in on a flop of Q-9-7 holding A-6 for a prayer. Frederik Jensen held a wired pair of twos, which turned into a set when another deuce hit on the river. All was not lost for Varoxis, however, who earned AUD $450,000 for his fourth place showing.

Another Betfair pro at the final table, Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, was bounced in third place from the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event. Mizzi called off his chips pre-flop with pocket sevens and was up against the A-K of Krost. The flop came king-high and Krost never looked back, sending the dangerous Mizzi to the rails. Mizzi earned AUD $715,000, adding to an already impressive live tournament resume that includes a runner-up showing to Theo Jorgensen in a £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha contest during the 2008 WSOP Europe for £132,000 and a chop in the 2007 Irish Poker Open for more than €500,000.

Krost entered heads-up play as a 2:1 chip leader over Jensen. In the final hand of the Aussie Millions Main Event, Jensen put his tournament life on the line with K-6 on a flop of K-3-2. However, Krost held K-9 and had his opponent out-kicked. The board ran out 7-2 and, according to coverage found on PokerNews, chants of “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!” echoed through the venue in celebration. Jensen picked up a healthy AUD $1.1 million for second place. Here’s how the final table stacked up. All payouts are given in Australian Dollars:

1st Place: Tyron Krost - $2,000,000
2nd Place: Frederik Jensen - $1,100,000
3rd Place: Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi - $715,000
4th Place: Kosta Varoxis - $450,000
5th Place: Peter Jetten - $350,000
6th Place: Steve Friedlander - $250,000
7th Place: Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad - $175,000
8th Place: Stephen Shelly - $125,000

This year’s attendance of 746 players marked a sizable 10% jump over 2009’s tally of 681. Last year, Australian Stewart Scott defeated the United States’ Peter Rho heads-up to earn AUD $2 million.

Sydney PartyPoker Qualifier Wins Aussie Millions

23-year-old Tyron Krost won a $640 online satellite to get into the main event at the Crown Casino and walked away AUD$2 million richer after besting a field of 746 this week.

"It feels like a dream and I don't want to wake up," he said moments after the win. "$2 million, it's amazing."

After a fairly lengthy feeling-out process, fellow Aussie Steven Shelley was the first player to get his walking papers from the final eight Saturday, running sevens into Krost's jacks.

But it wasn't long before he was joined on the rail by online superstar and 2007 World Series of Poker Europe champ Annette Obrestad.

The Betfair pro got into a flip for her stack with ace-jack against the PartyPoker qualifier's sevens and would have liked the straight draw she picked up on the flop if that same flop didn't give Krost a set.

The turn and river bricked out and Obrestad was sent back to Norway seventh.

Strangely, pocket sevens were involved in the next elimination as well, with Reno, Nevada's Steve Friedlander running them into Aussie Kostas Varoxis' big slick.

A king on the flop and another on the turn did the lone American at the final table in and play went five handed.

It stayed five-handed for quite a while until Canadian Peter Jetten appeared to implode, shipping it in with K♦ 5♦ against Krost's tens on a move and failing to improve.

Once the massive chip leader, Sorel Mizzi's downfall began soon after when he doubled up Frederik Jensen and before the Betfair Poker pro knew what had hit him, Krost had suddenly moved into the lead.

A few desperations shoves from Varoxis were next on the agenda, and although the first couple worked, his luck eventually ran out when he couldn't beat Jensen's deuces with A♥ 6♣.

Mizzi's downfall ended three-handed when he ran pocket sevens into Krost's ace-king and could not hold, leaving the two PartyPoker qualifiers to battle it out heads up.

Krost began heads up with better than 2:1 chip lead over Jensen and the Aussie began applying pressure on the Dane right from the outset, pounding him into submission before getting him all in dominated to book the win.

A humble Krost seemed to have the all big hands when he needed them throughout the final, beating some of the best young players in the game while following up Stewart Scott's 2009 win to become only the second Aussie to keep the title on home soil in Aussie Millions history.

"I just ran really well and got really lucky," he said. "I had a lot of big hands."

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Sydney PartyPoker Qualifier Wins Aussie Millions

23-year-old Tyron Krost won a $640 online satellite to get into the main event at the Crown Casino and walked away AUD$2 million richer after besting a field of 746 this week.

"It feels like a dream and I don't want to wake up," he said moments after the win. "$2 million, it's amazing."

After a fairly lengthy feeling-out process, fellow Aussie Steven Shelley was the first player to get his walking papers from the final eight Saturday, running sevens into Krost's jacks.

But it wasn't long before he was joined on the rail by online superstar and 2007 World Series of Poker Europe champ Annette Obrestad.

The Betfair pro got into a flip for her stack with ace-jack against the PartyPoker qualifier's sevens and would have liked the straight draw she picked up on the flop if that same flop didn't give Krost a set.

The turn and river bricked out and Obrestad was sent back to Norway seventh.

Strangely, pocket sevens were involved in the next elimination as well, with Reno, Nevada's Steve Friedlander running them into Aussie Kostas Varoxis' big slick.

A king on the flop and another on the turn did the lone American at the final table in and play went five handed.

It stayed five-handed for quite a while until Canadian Peter Jetten appeared to implode, shipping it in with K♦ 5♦ against Krost's tens on a move and failing to improve.

Once the massive chip leader, Sorel Mizzi's downfall began soon after when he doubled up Frederik Jensen and before the Betfair Poker pro knew what had hit him, Krost had suddenly moved into the lead.

A few desperations shoves from Varoxis were next on the agenda, and although the first couple worked, his luck eventually ran out when he couldn't beat Jensen's deuces with A♥ 6♣.

Mizzi's downfall ended three-handed when he ran pocket sevens into Krost's ace-king and could not hold, leaving the two PartyPoker qualifiers to battle it out heads up.

Krost began heads up with better than 2:1 chip lead over Jensen and the Aussie began applying pressure on the Dane right from the outset, pounding him into submission before getting him all in dominated to book the win.

A humble Krost seemed to have the all big hands when he needed them throughout the final, beating some of the best young players in the game while following up Stewart Scott's 2009 win to become only the second Aussie to keep the title on home soil in Aussie Millions history.

"I just ran really well and got really lucky," he said. "I had a lot of big hands."

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Scott Starts Aussie Millions Defense

But being AUD$2 million wealthier isn’t the only thing that’s different for Scott. In fact, his life has changed almost completely.

“Coming to a place like Crown or any casino in Australia, pretty much everybody recognizes me,” he told PokerListings as he began the defense of his Aussie Millions title Monday. “I get asked for autographs, which is pretty cool.”

Scott said walking into Crown to take a run at back-to-back titles also feels a lot different than it did walking into the poker room an unknown in 2009.

“It’s completely different obviously,” he said. “Now you’ve got posters of me everywhere and stuff. I get to wear the bracelet this time and I come in as a totally new guy. I’m a poker professional this time. I mean, I’ve been playing for a long time, but now I really feel like I’m part of the whole tournament.”

Since winning the title, Scott has also picked up a sponsorship contract with PartyPoker and has been representing the brand at big-time tournaments all over the globe over the past 12 months, including booking a six-figure score when he made the final table of a $5k prelim at the WPT Championship in Las Vegas this past April.

Add that experience to the win in Melbourne last year and he feels like he’s coming into the 2010 Aussie Millions more prepared than ever.

“I’ve gathered a lot of experience this year playing around the world in a lot of big tournaments and that’s valuable coming into a tournament like this,” he said. “It’s a huge stage again, but I’ve been through it so many times this year, the nerves are gone and you are just here to play and do your best.

“That’s all you can ask for, is to just do your best, and I think I’m going to do that this year.”

But while doing his best is all anyone can ask of Scott, there’s no doubt he’s here do more than just show up.

“I’m not here to fuck spiders,” he said. “I’m here for one thing. I’m here for the bracelet and I’m totally focused on that.”

That said, Scott said he understands a tournament like the Aussie Millions can’t be won on Day 1 and he’s prepared to play patiently.

“When you play Day 1, you just focus on getting through Day 1, one thing at a time,” he said. “The ultimate goal is obviously to ship it again, but for now I’m just trying to stay out a trouble and see if I can build a stack by the end of the day.”

To follow Stewart Scott’s title defense and all the action from the 2010 Aussie Millions, tune into PokerListings’ Live Updates throughout the week.

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Hachem Hunts Aussie Millions Glory

But make no mistake about it, when the main event begins Sunday, 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Hachem would rather keep the Aussie Millions for himself.

“I look forward to it ever year,” the Team PokerStars Pro and Crown Casino Ambassador told PokerListings. “But it’s like a love-hate relationship. I’d love to win it and I’ve been close three or four years now, but I just haven’t been able to get there. Maybe it’s because I would love to win it so much.”

An Australian poker icon and worldwide superstar, Hachem’s $10,856,216 in career live tournament earnings puts him sixth on poker’s all-time leading money winners list.

Of course, he has the WSOP main event bracelet and his December 2006 win at the World Poker Tour’s Five Diamond World Poker Classic gave Hachem a WPT title, making him one of only five players to have both.

But earning a third jewel in his very own triple crown is what Hachem truly desires.

“That would really seal the deal for me,” he said. “I mean, I’d love to win an EPT, but to win the Aussie Millions; it would be unbelievable.”

In fact, the Lebanese-born, Melbourne-raised Hachem wants to win on his home soil so badly, he can almost taste it.

“I have to make a final table there, I just do, and if I do, I promise you if I make the final table there, I will win it,” he said.

A chiropractor in Melbourne for more than a decade before a rare blood disorder affecting his hands forced him to give up his career, Hachem actually started taking poker seriously playing tournaments at Crown a decade ago.

The Aussie Millions itself began when the Crown Australian Poker Championship moved to January in 2001 with just 40 entrants putting up the AUD$5,000 buy-in.

The event, along with the game of poker in Australia, has grown infinitely since, attracting a truly international field and peaking in 2008 when 780 players ponied up the now AUD$10,000 buy-in.

His 2005 WSOP win was a major catalyst for the poker boom in Australia, but Hachem believes the game itself has always been a perfect fit for Aussie culture.

“I think Australians really have that competitive nature and poker, especially tournament poker, it brings that out in you,” he said.

In 2009, the Aussie Millions title was kept on home soil for the first time when Adelaide chef-turned-poker player Stewart Scott beat a field of 681.

This year, with poker as popular as ever Down Under, organizers are estimating the field could reach as many as 800 players.

To follow all the action, tune into PokerListings’ Live Updates beginning at 12:30 p.m. Melbourne time Sunday.

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Antanas “Tony G” Guoga Joins Team PartyPoker

Continuing to add to an already impressive lineup, it was announced early Thursday that top poker professional Antanas “Tony G” Guoga has signed a sponsorship deal with PartyPoker.

Guoga, who has been at the forefront of the international poker scene for the past decade, will make his first showing for Team PartyPoker at the Aussie Millions, which began today and is one of the top non-U.S. tournaments on the poker schedule. According to Guoga’s new blog at PartyPoker, he will be participating in the $100,000 Challenge tournament scheduled to start on January 23rd, which draws some of the toughest competition in the game today and features defending champion Howard Lederer. Tony G will also join fellow Team PartyPoker members Bodo Sbrzesny and defending Aussie Millions champion Stewart Scott along with 43 qualifiers from PartyPoker for the Aussie Millions Main Event. The AUD $10,000 tournament will feature three starting days that begin on January 24th and will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Net.

As a part of the new sponsorship deal, Guoga will also be part of one of PartyPoker’s upcoming special events, the PartyPoker.com Premier League IV. This invitation-only tournament is scheduled to take place in February in Las Vegas and includes a formidable lineup. Such players as former World Champion and 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, current World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship winner Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, poker Triple Crown winner Roland De Wolfe, noted poker “bad boy” Luke ‘FullFlush’ Schwartz, and dangerous tournament pro J. C. Tran are scheduled to take to the felt, presenting Tony G with tremendously difficult opposition.

Guoga’s own online poker site, TonyGPoker.com, has been merged into the PartyPoker family. Those players who are a part of TonyGPoker.com will be moved to Noble Poker. Guoga will continue to be an integral part of his online promotions, such as the Sunday Bike Ride (moving to Noble Poker), and will play on PartyPoker under the name “TonyG.”

“We’re delighted to welcome Tony to Team PartyPoker,” a PartyGaming spokesman commented about the newest arrival to the organization. “Tony is undoubtedly one of poker’s biggest characters in the game and a personal deal for him made huge sense. We are also happy to have acquired the assets of TonyGPoker.com and look forward to welcoming his players on board.”

Guoga isn’t called “The Mouth From Down Under” for nothing. Known to dismiss his beaten opponents from the table with a curt “On Yer Bike!” Guoga has already issued a challenge for those PartyPoker members playing in the Aussie Millions. “If one of the Party qualifiers knocks me out of the Main Event, I will buy them a bike,” Guoga stated. “First of all, however, I will ride it out myself… I know when it is bike time!”

In his first blog entry on PartyPoker, Guoga also throws down the gauntlet against one of his Premier League IV foes. After speaking glowingly of Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and “High Stakes Poker” announcer Kara Scott, Tony G dropped the hammer on Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz: “He’s rude, obnoxious and I cannot wait to bust him up. This kid is not the kind of player you feel you can learn from – you just want to bust him.”

Guoga certainly has the ability to bust up many players at the table. His lifetime earnings at the tournament poker tables total nearly $4 million and include the WPT Bad Boys of Poker II championship in 2006. He was also the runner-up in the 2006 PartyPoker Intercontinental Poker Championship in Las Vegas and has cashed 15 times at the WSOP.

Famous for his mouth, it is Guoga’s philanthropic efforts that have earned him a great deal of respect from players and fans. After he won the first ever Asian Poker Tour (APT) event in Singapore in 2006, Tony G donated half the prize money to charity and, after taking down over $200,000 in a Moscow poker tournament in 2007, he turned over the entirety of his winnings to Russian orphanages.

With the addition of Guoga, Team PartyPoker is becoming a formidable challenge in the tournament poker world. After not sponsoring pros for much of its existence, PartyPoker has certainly drawn top talent to its roster. Along with Guoga, Sexton, Sbrzesny, and the two Scotts, other members of Team PartyPoker include France’s Remy Biechel, England’s Ian “The Raiser” Frazer, and Brazil’s Felipe "Mojave" Ramos.

PartyPoker Adds Tony G

Famed loudmouth Tony G will bring his abrasive style of poker to a team that already includes Mike Sexton, Ian Frazer, Bodo Sbrzesny, Remy Biechel, Stewart Scott, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos and the recently signed Kara Scott.

Tony G will make his PartyPoker debut at the upcoming 2010 Aussie Millions.

“I cannot wait to start playing for Team Party on the circuit,” said Tony G. “I’ve always loved Party and what better way to kick off than at the Aussie Millions. I am also really excited about the Premier League in February - it is the best event in poker in my eyes.”

Tony G has been one of the hottest players in the Premier League’s recent events with a second and third place finish.

As part of the deal with PartyPoker, Tony G’s signature poker site TonyGPoker.com, will be moved to the PartyPoker-owned Noble Poker. The transfer should be relatively painless as both sites are on the iPoker network.

“We are delighted to welcome Tony to Team Party,” said a PartyGaming spokesman. “Tony is undoubtedly one of poker’s biggest characters in the game – a personal deal for him made huge sense. We are also happy to have acquired the assets of TonyGPoker.com and look forward to welcoming his players aboard."

Born as Antanas Guoga in Lithania, Tony G moved to Melbourne, Australia, when he was 11 and began playing poker at the age of 18.

Tony G quickly built a reputation for aggressive play and trash talk at the tables. In 2003, Tony G made the final table of the WPT Euro Finals of Poker in Paris, which established him as an upcoming player to watch.

Since then Tony G has accumulated nearly $4 million in tournament earnings with large scores at the Asian Poker Tour, WPT, WSOP and PartyPoker World Open.

In 2007 Tony G won the Moscow Million for $205,000 and donated the entire first place prize to Russian orphanages.

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Annette Obrestad at Aussie Millions PLO final table

Event #3 of the 2010 Aussie Millions drew a crowd of 160 players who each stumped up $1,100 to compete for the Pot Limit Omaha title. The top-flight field included Grant Levy, Stewart Scott, Eric Assadourian, Rayan Nathan, Lee Nelson, Josh "JJProdigy" Fields and StoxPoker PLO instructor Vanessa Selbst.

Kara Scott Joins PartyPoker

The Canadian will join Mike Sexton, Remy Biechel, Ian Frazer, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, Stewart Scott and Bodo Sbrzesny as a full-fledged member of Team Party.

“I’ve had such a positive experience in poker and have been incredibly lucky as well,” she said. “Being asked to be a part of Team Party is a real rush and I’m so honored. I just hope I can do them proud.”

Although she was born in Alberta, Canada, Scott rose to fame in England where she became one of the main hosts of the award-winning show Poker Night Live.

She went on to host the popular PokerStars European Poker Tour and most recently provided the commentary on the latest season of High Stakes Poker on GSN, which is set to air later this year.

While she will play tournaments patched by PartyPoker, Scott will continue her television work as well.

“They understand that while I absolutely love playing poker and am really stoked about playing more big live events and working on improving my game, my actual job is TV presenting,” she explained. “It was really gratifying that they feel I’ll bring value to their team as both a player and a TV presenter.”

Ironically, it was a PartyPoker event that gave Scott one of her first big breaks when it came to actually playing the game.

“When I started playing poker a few years ago I was lucky to get asked to be on a couple of Party Poker’s UK TV tournaments and had my first big cash, and win, with their Sports Stars Challenge III,” she said. “It seemed like a natural progression for me to get involved with them now, particularly as I’ll be spending a lot of time in Canada.”

After winning the Sports Star Challenge III, Scott went on to make deep runs at the WSOP Main Event in back to back years. She finished 104^th for $41,816 in 2008 and 238^th for $32,963 in 2009.

In 2009, she also had her biggest score ever at the Irish Open where she outlasted 798 players before eventually falling to Christer Johansson heads-up. She earned €312,600 for second place.

In her relatively short span of playing high buy-in events, Scott has won $557,902, which places her 24^th on the all-time women’s tournament money list.

“Kara is a great signing and we are really looking forward to working with her,” said a PartyPoker spokesman.

“She has historic links with PartyPoker.com after taking down the Sports Stars Challenge III and we have been super impressed by her progress since then. As well as being a great presenter, Kara is also a fantastic player with great results and the potential to go even further. We are excited about this new relationship.”

As part of the deal, Scott will play tournaments around the world and act as a presenter for the Premier League when it moves to Vegas for the first time in February. She will also represent PartyPoker at a number of Canadian Poker Tour events.

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Kara Scott Joins PartyPoker

The Canadian will join Mike Sexton, Remy Biechel, Ian Frazer, Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, Stewart Scott and Bodo Sbrzesny as a full-fledged member of Team Party.

“I’ve had such a positive experience in poker and have been incredibly lucky as well,” she said. “Being asked to be a part of Team Party is a real rush and I’m so honored. I just hope I can do them proud.”

Although she was born in Alberta, Canada, Scott rose to fame in England where she became one of the main hosts of the award-winning show Poker Night Live.

She went on to host the popular PokerStars European Poker Tour and most recently provided the commentary on the latest season of High Stakes Poker on GSN, which is set to air later this year.

While she will play tournaments patched by PartyPoker, Scott will continue her television work as well.

“They understand that while I absolutely love playing poker and am really stoked about playing more big live events and working on improving my game, my actual job is TV presenting,” she explained. “It was really gratifying that they feel I’ll bring value to their team as both a player and a TV presenter.”

Ironically, it was a PartyPoker event that gave Scott one of her first big breaks when it came to actually playing the game.

“When I started playing poker a few years ago I was lucky to get asked to be on a couple of Party Poker’s UK TV tournaments and had my first big cash, and win, with their Sports Stars Challenge III,” she said. “It seemed like a natural progression for me to get involved with them now, particularly as I’ll be spending a lot of time in Canada.”

After winning the Sports Star Challenge III, Scott went on to make deep runs at the WSOP Main Event in back to back years. She finished 104^th for $41,816 in 2008 and 238^th for $32,963 in 2009.

In 2009, she also had her biggest score ever at the Irish Open where she outlasted 798 players before eventually falling to Christer Johansson heads-up. She earned €312,600 for second place.

In her relatively short span of playing high buy-in events, Scott has won $557,902, which places her 24^th on the all-time women’s tournament money list.

“Kara is a great signing and we are really looking forward to working with her,” said a PartyPoker spokesman.

“She has historic links with PartyPoker.com after taking down the Sports Stars Challenge III and we have been super impressed by her progress since then. As well as being a great presenter, Kara is also a fantastic player with great results and the potential to go even further. We are excited about this new relationship.”

As part of the deal, Scott will play tournaments around the world and act as a presenter for the Premier League when it moves to Vegas for the first time in February. She will also represent PartyPoker at a number of Canadian Poker Tour events.

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PartyPoker Offering 25 Aussie Milllions Prize Packages

Ever since the popular online poker room PartyPoker signed 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event winner Stewart Scott as one of its sponsored pros, it has gone out of its way to promote both online and brick and mortar poker in Australia.

This weekend, PartyPoker is offering players a chance to win one of 25 seats in the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event for just $600.  On Sunday, December 13th, the site will host two separate online satellites, one for citizens of Australia and New Zealand and one that is open to the rest of the PartyPoker customer base.  Both will feature a $600 + $40 buy-in, although many players will have won their way into the tournaments for much less since the site has been running micro-satellites.

The Aussie-only tournament will give away five tournament packages, each valued at $12,000.  The package includes buy-in to the AUD $10,000 Aussie Millions Main Event, hotel accommodations at the Crown Promenade in Melbourne, and $500 to be put towards travel expenses.  The tournament will begin at 2:45am ET.

The open field tournament will get underway a little later in the day at 2:30pm ET.  It will reward seats to the top 20 finishers and offer a slightly more lucrative version of the Aussie Millions prize package.  In addition to the buy-in and the hotel accommodations, the package will also include $3,500 to cover travel expenses.  Should a non-Aussie take part in the early tournament, PartyPoker will not offer any additional money to cover travel expenses.  Conversely, if a player from Australia or New Zealand wins one of the $15,000 packages, they will still receive the full $3,500 to cover travel.

Stewart Scott commented on the satellite tournaments in an official statement from PartyPoker: “I’ve been playing at PartyPoker.com for five years. These great packages are an amazing opportunity for other players to play in this huge tournament. Claiming the Aussie Millions title has been the highlight of my career and I’d love to see another PartyPoker.com player take the title.”

PartyPoker gave away 96 seats to the Aussie Millions in November as part of the site’s Gladiator promotion.  The players who earned at least 1,000 PartyPoints each day in November won their way into the event and the site doled out even more seats as part of a series of online tournaments featuring Scott.

Scott is the reigning Aussie Millions Champion and the first local player to win the tournament since it took on its new moniker and became one of the premiere events on the international tournament circuit.  In January, Scott defeated a field of 681 players to take down the AUD $2 million first place prize.  Peter Rho of Las Vegas finished in second place and earned AUD $1 million.  Other past winners of the Aussie Millions include Alexander Kostritsyn of Russia and Team Full Tilt member Gus Hansen.  Last year’s event also played home to one of the biggest live cash games in history with a minimum buy-in of AUD $1 million.

The previous Aussie Millions event boasted a guaranteed first place prize of AUD $2 million.  The Crown Casino is expecting an even larger turnout than 2009 and the tournament’s official website is predicting more than 800 runners in the upcoming Main Event.  There will also be a host of side events, including an AUD $100,000 buy-in High Rollers Event, a Heads-Up Event, and several Pot Limit Omaha events.  In total, the Crown will offer 20 different tournaments from January 14th to 31st, including the Main Event, which will run from January 24th to 30th.

PartyPoker Giving Away 25 Aussie Millions Seats

It’s the last chance to qualify on PartyPoker for the southern hemisphere’s biggest poker tournament and the site is planning two $600+40 satellites Sunday Dec. 13.

One will be timed to suit Australia and New Zealand-based players at 2:45 a.m. ET with five $12,000 packages guaranteed.

The other is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET giving players from the rest of the world the chance to win one of 20 $15,000 packages.

“I’ve been playing at PartyPoker.com for five years,” said 2009 Aussie Millions champ and PartyPoker spokesperson Stewart Scott.

“These great packages are an amazing opportunity for other players to play in this huge tournament. Claiming the Aussie Millions title has been the highlight of my career and I’d love to see another PartyPoker.com player take the title.”

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Joe Hachem Comments on the State of Australian Poker

With the conclusion of the PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) in Sydney, Australia last week, another successful season came to an end and one more Aussie champion was born. Online qualifier Aaron Benton won the AUD $6,300 Grand Final Main Event to become the third straight Australian-born player to capture the title. Additionally, fellow Aussie and former APPT champion Van Marcus defeated a tough field to win the APPT Tournament of Champions.

2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion and Team PokerStars Pro member Joe Hachem recently wrote an article in the Sydney Morning Herald discussing the growth of poker in Australia. Hachem, who was born in Lebanon and moved to Melbourne at age six, talked about the APPT, the Aussie Millions, and the poker culture that has taken over Australia since his life-changing victory in 2005.

"Obviously we are yet to reach the heights of popularity that the sport has achieved in America, where every major tournament is televised and attracts thousands of live spectators, but the popularity and the competitors continue to grow," Hachem wrote. "For a professional player, I always hope we'll get to that point. The growth so far has been satisfying as the standard of the events available in Australia continue to improve, as we attract more international talent as well as retain our best home-grown players."

That home-grown talent has made some serious noise in 2009. Jeffrey Lisandro (born in Perth) won three WSOP bracelets in 2009 while capturing Player of the Year honors in a year that saw five different players win multiple events. Lisandro, known better as a successful cash game player, now has four bracelets and joins fellow Aussies Hachem, Mark Vos, Gary Benson, and Mel Juda as WSOP champions.

In January, Bilambil Heights native Stewart Scott earned $1,865,724 by winning the Crown Aussie Millions Main Event. Scott became the first Aussie to keep the prestigious title in his home country since the event went international in 2003. The event, which was first introduced in 1997 as a $1,000 buy-in Limit Hold'em tournament, has developed into one of the biggest poker events on the planet. The number of entrants has increased every year since 2003, helped greatly by Fox Sports Net's broadcast that reaches millions of homes internationally. Poker fans were able to watch Gus Hansen claim the title in 2007 and Alexander Kostritsyn defeat Erik Seidel to win it in 2008.

Benton, who already had a claim to fame coming into the APPT Grand Final as a former contestant in the Australian edition of “Big Brother,” collected AUD $594,000 for his victory in Sydney last week. Benton bested a field of 396 players, including seven Aussies at the final table. Though the tournament drew fewer entrants than the past two years (561 in 2007 and 477 in 2008), Hachem is still pleased with the direction the game is headed in his homeland.

"From the Aussie Millions and this weekend's Pokerstars.net APPT, (the largest poker tour in the region) to smaller events that still offer a genuine challenge like the ANZPT (Australia New Zealand Poker Tour), a professional player could quite happily now play a full season in this country and boast an impressive record of events," Hachem said.

The 2010 Aussie Millions gets underway on Thursday, January 14 with a $1,100 No Limit Hold'em event. Several similar preliminary events will take place up until the $10,500 Main Event kicks off on January 24.

Scott hosts Aussie Millions qualifier this weekend

The Stewart Scott High Roller Aussie Millions Invitational is set to take place on PartyPoker this Sunday at 3:05 ET with the winner taking down a $12,000 Aussie Millions package.

PartyPoker will also award a $640 seat in the PartyPoker Aussie Millions final qualifier to whoever manages to knock out Scott.

"I'm excited in the anticipation of the Stewart Scott High Roller Invitational at PartyPoker.com," said defending Aussie Millions champ Scott.

"There will be some of Australia's finest onliners, particularly from Adelaide and New South Wales, competing for an awesome package to the Aussie Millions - the richest tournament in the Southern Hemisphere. It's a great opportunity to qualify and you can almost triple your money by claiming my bounty while you're at it."

Despite the title of the event, registration is open to anyone who buys in for $270.

PartyPoker will have a strong presence at the 2010 Aussie Millions with two more large qualifiers scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009.

One will be timed to suit Australian and New Zealand-based players with five $12,000 Aussie Millions packages guaranteed while the other satellite will give players from the rest of the world a chance to win one of 20 guaranteed packages worth $15,000 each.

In addition, there will be a number of smaller Stewart Scott Aussie Millions special tournaments that take place on a bi-weekly basis.

Click here for the complete schedule of PartyPoker Aussie Millions qualifiers.

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PokerListings offering Aussie Millions package

It could be the enormous prize pool, the exotic location or the fact it isn't attached to a major poker tour, but most players seem to agree the Aussie Millions stands alone in the poker world.

PartyPoker players who registered through PokerListings.com will now have a chance to experience the tournament for themselves this January, thanks to an exclusive tournament set for Nov. 28, 2009.

The tournament will be limited to just 30 players with one of them walking away with a $15,000 Aussie Millions package that includes airfare, accommodations and the $10,000 AUD main event buy-in.

PokerListings players will have two chances to qualify for the Aussie Millions giveaway.

The first will take place Nov. 7 at 20:00 GMT while the second kicks off Nov. 14 also at 20:00 GMT. Both events will cost $22 to enter and the final 15 in each will qualify for the Nov. 28 final.

The Aussie Millions takes place at the prestigious Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. It is the biggest poker tournament in the Southern Hemisphere. Last year Sydney resident Stewart Scott outlasted 681 players to win $2 million AUD.

Previous winners of the event include poker pros Alexander Kostritsyn, Gus Hansen and Lee "Final Table" Nelson.

This year's Aussie Millions main event will take place Jan. 24-30, 2010. For more information on the PartyPoker promotion click here.

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PartyPoker offering 2010 Aussie Millions seats

The online poker room introduced qualifiers for the 2010 Aussie Millions this week with packages worth $15,000 up for grabs.

The ultimate goal is to emulate the success of PartyPoker Australia Ambassador Scott, who took home $2 million AUD by winning the 2009 Aussie Millions.

"These great packages are an amazing opportunity for other players to play in this huge tournament," said Scott. "The Aussie Millions title has been the highlight of my career and I'd love to see another PartyPoker.com player take the title."

PartyPoker will offer several special qualifiers hosted by Scott himself leading up to the 2010 Aussie Millions.

Players can take part in the Stewart Scott Bounty Hunt with a $70 bounty on Scott, the Stewart Scott Aussie Millions specials, which cost only $6+$1 to enter, and the Stewart Scott Highroller Aussie Millions Invitational, which awards a $12,000 package to the Aussie Millions.

In total, PartyPoker will be giving away 25 seats to the 2010 Aussie Millions with five designated for Australian and New Zealand based players.

The 2010 Aussie Millions will once again take place on the Crown properties in sunny Melbourne. The tournament series is scheduled to run Jan. 14-31, 2010, with 20 events. The $10,500 No-Limit Hold'em main event will run Jan. 24-30.

To view the complete schedule go here.

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PartyPoker Renews Gladiator Promotion in November

Returning in November on PartyPoker, the world’s fourth largest online poker site, is the popular Gladiator promotion. At stake are entries into the 2010 Aussie Millions worth AUD $10,500.

The Gladiator asks PartyPoker members to accumulate as many PartyPoints as humanly possible over the 30-day month of November. Racking up 10 PartyPoints for five days of the month results in an entry into a $5,000 freeroll. Earning 20 PartyPoints for five days of the month or 10 PartyPoints for 10 days results in entry into a high-stakes $10,000 freeroll. The top prize is a buy-in to the 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event, which drew 681 players in 2009 and was won by Stewart Scott.

A bevy of cash can also be had through the Gladiator promotion, with between $10 and $3,000 up for grabs. The latter will be awarded to players who earn at least 1,000 PartyPoints for 25 days of the month. Points do not have to be earned on successive days during November to count and are not removed from a player’s account. The $5,000 and $10,000 freerolls held as part of the Gladiator promotion will take place on December 6th and registration begins on December 1st. PartyPoker is only permitting 8,000 players to take to the felts of each freeroll, so members are encouraged to register early.

In a press release distributed by the online poker site this week, a PartyPoker spokesperson looked forward to the upcoming running of the Gladiator: “The Gladiator is back and is stronger than ever before. In this coliseum, you don’t have to worry about lions – just sharks, donkeys, and fish! This promotion isn’t all about maximus PartyPoints, it is about spreading play over a period of time for maximus rewards! It is simple and offers great value and we encourage players to challenge themselves and take a closer look.”

Last year, Scott pocketed AUD $2 million from the Aussie Millions Main Event, which is set to kick off on January 24th from the Crown Casino in Melbourne. Scott, an Australian, was a crowd favorite and bested American poker player Peter Rho heads-up. Previous Aussie Millions Main Event winners include Gus Hansen, who won in 2007. Hansen defeated Jimmy “gobboboy” Fricke heads-up in the largest Aussie Millions feature tournament to date at 747 players. Aussie Millions officials are once again expecting the top prize to approach AUD $2 million.

Also returning to PartyPoker this weekend is the Monthly Million, which takes place on the first Sunday of every month. The $640 buy-in tournament attracts some of the top names in the world of online poker. In its last running, PartyPoker member sebstop triumphed over the 1,476 player field to the tune of $200,000. Others in the top ten of the seven-figure prize pool tournament included tommo662 (second place for $110,000), Supilami928 (third place for $69,000), DontGetLemon (fourth place for $54,500), DcHustler7 (fifth place for $46,000), yong_yong999 (sixth place for $34,500), p00cket00 (seventh place for $26,500), NoFknSnLeft (eighth place for $17,500), brogba84 (ninth place for $13,500), and franic (tenth place for $9,000).

As part of its Million Dollar Hand promotion, which ran in October, PartyPoker players claimed 42,834 pairs, 4,889 two pairs, 2,172 three of a kinds, 392 straights, 272 flushes, 152 full houses, 25 four of a kinds, and three straight flushes during the first 20 days of October. The latter paid out $10,000, but as of yet, no one has claimed the $1 million grand prize for a royal flush.

PartyPoker does not accept players from the United States and is owned by Party Gaming, a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange.

F1 Driver Giancarlo Fisichella New PartyPoker.it Spokesman

The latest sports star to take an interest in the game of poker is Formula One driver Giancarlo Fisichella.  The Italian speedster recently signed on to a sponsorship deal with PartyPoker.it, PartyPoker’s Italian site.

Fisichella, known to his fans as Fisi, gained notoriety in the poker world during the PartyPoker-sponsored Sports Challenge IV earlier this year.  The tournament combined online qualifiers from PartyPoker with celebrities from the world of sports and put them in themed heats.  Fisichella played in the “Racing” heat and impressed commentators and observers alike with his understanding of position and use of aggression.  He ultimately lost to online qualifier and PartyPoker VIP player Scott O’Reilly, but his display of skill impressed PartyPoker enough to keep him in mind for a future sponsorship deal.

Apparently, Fisi has had a hard time getting poker off of his mind.  As he explained in a statement to PartyPoker, he often turns to poker to pass the time while on the racing circuit: “Poker has become a very popular pastime in the paddock in recent months with many of the drivers.  I have joined two new teams recently and am delighted to be in pole position as a new ambassador for PartyPoker.it!”

The other team Fisichella is referring to is Ferrari, which he signed a deal to race for in September of this year.  The longtime driver has been affiliated with several other teams during his storied career, including Jordan, Minardi, Renault, Force India, and Benetton.  The Roman got his start racing go-karts back in the mid-1980s, made a name for himself on several tours, and transitioned to the F1 circuit in 1996.  He won his first F1 race when he took down the Brazil stop in 2003 and also has a 2005 victory in Australia to his credit.

Fisichella will now have to find time to fit poker into his busy schedule, serving as a spokesman for PartyPoker.it both online and at major live poker tournaments.  The site is looking forward to having the driver onboard and a company spokesman commented on Fisi’s potential in the poker world: “Giancarlo is the fantastic new ambassador for PartyPoker.it.  Many commentators have already said that they believe that he is on track to be one the best ‘celebrity’ players on the poker circuit.”

In celebration of Fisi joining the PartyPoker team, PartyPoker.it is hosting a series of freerolls with Fisichella-themed prizes.  The daily freerolls will give out €500 in cash prizes as well as a specially designed F1 shirt autographed by Fisi.  The free tournaments will run daily through the end of the month.

The promotion is exclusive to PartyPoker.it and cannot be accessed by PartyPoker.com customers.  PartyPoker’s Italian-only poker site launched earlier this year and has already established itself as one of the most popular online poker sites in Italy.  The country has gone back and forth on the issue of online gambling and, at one point, even outlawed online poker entirely.  Italy passed new laws regulating and licensing online poker in 2008 and, ever since then, sites have had to create online poker rooms specific to Italy and only open to Italian customers.

Fisichella is the first sponsored player for the Italian site, but PartyPoker has been picking up new players from all over the world to be a part of its grassroots-based Team PartyPoker.  Felipe “Mojave” Ramos, Remy Biechel, Ian Frazer, and Bodo Sbrzesny all joined the team this year and the site recently added 2009 Aussie Millions winner Stewart Scott to its list of sponsored pros.

Aussie Millions winner joins Party Poker pro team

Stewart Scott is the latest player to join the pro ranks with Party Poker. The former chef, who won a whopping $1,865,724 at this year’s Aussie Millions, has inked a deal to become a brand ambassador.

Crown releases 2010 Aussie Millions schedule

The schedule includes a total of 20 events running Jan. 14-31, 2010, at the Crown Casino in Melbourne with the $10,500 Main Event taking place Jan. 24-30.

In releasing the schedule, tournament organizers took the time to set some lofty goals in terms of prize pool and attendance.

"Crown is also announcing an expected first prize of $2.5 million for the No-Limit Hold'em main event which will further entrench Crown's Aussie Millions Poker Championship as one of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the world," said Crown CEO David Courtney.

Courtney went on to estimate the two-week series would draw more than 2,500 players with 1,000 for the main event alone. Courtney cited the growing popularity of poker in Australia as the main reason for expected growth.

Last year participation in the main event dropped by 99 players, but organizers still awarded the largest payout in Aussie Millions history with winner Stewart Scott taking home $2 million.

In the past, the Aussie Millions has had one of the most diverse tournament tournament schedules in the world and this year is no exception.

The series will offer Pot-Limit Omaha, H.O.R.S.E., Heads-Up, Seven-Card Stud, Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo and team-based events in addition to numerous No-Limit Hold'em tournaments.

Perhaps the most notable tournament on the schedule, outside of the main event, is the elite $100,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event on Jan. 23. Former winners include Erick Lindgren, Howard Lederer, John Juanda and most recently David Steicke.

The Aussie Millions is always a magnet for high profile celebrity players and Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Michael Vartan, Shane Warne, Brian McFadden, Ruby Rose and Brendan Fevola have all made appearances at the event in the past.

The Aussie Millions will be filmed and developed into a TV show on Fox Sports Network for an international audience of over 100 million.

For a complete look at the 2010 Aussie Millions schedule visit the Crown Casino website.

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Johnny Chan & Scott Stewart Still Alive at Macau

The second day of the Asian Poker Tour Macau Main Event concluded yesterday evening (GMT) with 51 players remaining of the 192 that began. Aussie Millions 2009 champion Stewart Scott enjoyed a very successful day, narrowly beaten to the chip lead in the dying hands of the session by Eugene Teh.

PokerPalooza to Debut at 2009 WSOP

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Gaming Life Expo is no more. In 2009, the world’s largest poker expo will be re-branded PokerPalooza and debuts at the Rio in Las Vegas on July 2nd, one day before the start of the prestigious $10,000 buy-in Main Event.

Harrah’s officials tout PokerPalooza as being geared towards “everyone from the professional to those who have not yet taken up the game.” WSOP bracelet winners and Main Event champions are slated to be on-hand signing autographs and imparting their poker knowledge on PokerPalooza attendees. A special “Bad Beat Bar” will also be set up, in addition to a full food court. The Rio Pavilion, which is around the corner from the Amazon Room at the Las Vegas hotel, will host PokerPalooza.

A variety of non-poker activities can also be found at the event formerly known as the Gaming Life Expo. Guests can try their luck on a mechanical bull, put their nerves to the test in the Richard Petty Driving Experience, don oversized sumo wrestling outfits, and take home prizes in a series of carnival games. Appropriately, Ty Stewart, Marketing Director for the WSOP, commented in a press release distributed by Harrah’s this week, “It’s going to be part trade show, part carnival, all fun.”

Last year, the Gaming Life Expo attracted 50,000 visitors to the Rio. A total of 165 booths could be found over the Pavilion’s 50,000 square feet of space. Exhibitors drumming up sales and awareness included New Balance, Bass Pro Shops, McFadden’s, Gamma-O, and All-In Energy Drinks. The Aussie Millions, a high-stakes poker tournament that takes place every January, even set up shop. In January, its Main Event attracted 681 entrants (down from 780 the year before) and was won by Australian native Stewart Scott. ESPN Radio broadcasted from the Expo; its television arm will air the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament, the Ante Up for Africa charity festivities, the WSOP Champions Invitational, and the $10,000 buy-in Main Event this year. Television coverage begins on July 28th.

All-In and Poker Pro Magazine were two of a handful of industry publications scurrying around last year’s event to boost readership. Signing autographs were a bevy of poker pros including 10-time WSOP bracelet holder Doyle Brunson, Full Tilt Poker pro Gus Hansen, Celebrity Apprentice runner up Annie Duke, 2008 HORSE Championship winner Scotty Nguyen, 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, 2005 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Hachem, 2007 WSOP Main Event Champion Jerry Yang, and Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari. Master Toddy’s Muay Thai Academy dispatched its “Fight Girls” to the Rio to teach martial arts to guests.

One of the highlights from 2008 was a “Man vs. Machine” poker competition. The “Machine” in question was from the University of Alberta; it squared off against several brand name poker pros including Nick “Stoxtrader” Grudzien, the face behind the popular training site StoxPoker. According to the Rio’s website, Full Tilt Poker pro Matt Hawrilenko and StoxPoker instructor Jay Palansky also competed against the computerized poker mind. The crowd watching man and machine battle included belly dancers on loan from the Gaylord India Restaurant (which makes its home at the Rio) and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) stars Josh Burkman and Grey Maynard.

Here are the hours of operation for the inaugural PokerPalooza:

Thursday, July 2nd: 11:00am – 8:30pm
Friday, July 3rd: 11:00am – 8:30pm
Saturday, July 4th: 11:00am – 8:30pm
Sunday, July 5th: 11:00am – 6:00pm

Booths run $2,500 each, with a $200 surcharge for a corner space. Vendors can pay using a major credit card. Interested companies are asked to contact Sharon Wayne, the WSOP’s Expo Manager, at (702) 777-2310 for more information. The event is free and open to anyone age 21 and up.