QUICK FACTS

- Holds the title of the longest, largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the Southern Hemisphere

- Ranked second in the world behind the World Series of Poker (WSOP), by PokerNews

- 26 Championship events culminating in the ‘Main Event’

- 2012 prize-pool is expected to be in excess of $20,000,000

- Comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation

- 2012 marks the tenth anniversary for the ‘Main Event’

- The ‘Main Event’ will be televised nationally and internationally - Almost 1,000 individuals are expected to play in the 2012 Aussie Millions $10,000 Buy-In No Limit Hold'em Main  Event

- 4,000 plus individual entrants are expected to participate in the 26 events

- 1,500 plus international visitors will participate over the two and half week period  

- Countries such as United States, England, Ireland, South Africa, Canada, Sweden, Israel, Estonia, China, India, Portugal and Russia will be represented

- The Aussie Millions generated approximately 8,000 room nights across Melbourne in January 2011, including over 5,000 room nights at the three award winning Crown Hotels

- 2011 saw Crown host the world’s largest poker tournament at a buy-in of $250,000, smashing all previous records for a poker tournament buy-in

HISTORY
The first Aussie Millions was held in 1998 with $1,000 buy-in and $81,400 prize pool and 10 international participants, mainly from New Zealand. Since, the tournament has grown to become a major event on the international poker tournament schedule.

GROWTH OF THE $10,000 NO LIMIT HOLD'EM MAIN EVENT
The 2012 Aussie Millions will mark the tenth anniversary of the Main Event.

Date-Entrants-Main Event Buy-In-Prize Pool-1st Prize
1998-74-$1,100-$81,400-$25,900
1999-109-$1,500-$163,500-$38,150
2000-109-$1,500-$163,500-$65,225
2001-101-$1,500 $151,500-$53,025
2002-66-$5,000 $330,000-$150,000
2003-122-$10,500-$1.22 million-$394,870
2004-133-$10,500-$1.33 million-$426,500
2005-263-$10,500-$2.63 million-$1 million
2006-418-$10,500-$4.18 million-$1.3 million
2007-747-$10,500-$7.47 million-$1.5 million
2008-780-$10,500-$7.80 million-$1.65 million
2009 681-$10,500-$6.81 million-$2 million
2010 746-$10,500-$7.46 million-$2 million
2011 721-$10,500-$7.21 million-$2 million

PRIZE POOL  
The richest poker event in the Southern Hemisphere is Crown’s Aussie Millions continues to escalate, attracting the cream of the poker world from across the globe, who will all vie for a lion’s share of an overall prize pool in excess of PLAYERS  
Players seen at Crown’s Aussie Millions over the past years have included Alexander Kostritsyn, Annette Obrestad, Chris Ferguson, Dan Cates, Dan Shak, Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Eugene Katchalov, Greg Raymer, Gus  Hansen, James Akenhead, Joe Hachem, John Juanda, JP Kelly, Maria Ho, Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, Phil Laak, Roland de Wolfe, Scotty Nguyen, and Tom Dwan.

THE AUSSIE MILLIONS ‘MAIN EVENT’  
Winning the ‘Main Event’ makes instant stars and instant millionaires out of those with a dream and the determination to outmanoeuvre and outlast the competition. Day 1* of the ‘Main Event’ will commence on Sunday 22 January 2012.

The ‘Main Event’ is considered by many to be one of the best-structured and best operated anywhere in the world today. Players receive a starting bank of 30,000 chips, there are long levels (90 minutes on Day 1, and 120 minutes from Day 2 onwards) and reasonable hours of play particularly early on in the tournament. This is important to the poker tourist who wants to enjoy their holiday as well as the action on the felt. The tournament starts nine handed, then goes to eight handed, and then even to six handed when it is down to 36 players.

*Due to the large field of players, Day 1 of the ‘Main Event’ is divided into three separate starting days. Sunday 22 January ‘Day 1-Flight 1’, Monday 23 January ‘Day 1 -Flight 2’, Tuesday 24 January ‘Day 1-Flight 3’, with Day 2 will commence at 12:30pm on Wednesday 25 January.

HIGH-STAKES ACTION
The Aussie Millions has rapidly become a high-stakes tournament destination for the elite, with Crown providing top players in the world with a high-stakes playground, unrivalled anywhere else in the world.  

Poker players’ appetites for high-stakes action is insatiable, and the 2011 $100,000 Challenge attracted 38 players.

In 2011, Crown hosted the largest poker tournament on the planet, which saw an astounding 20 players entering the $250,000 Super High Roller Event, creating a prize-pool of $5,000,000. The list of entrants was at a premium and more than impressive, the poker world will again be transfixed, as Crown repeats history on Friday 27 January 2012, as the event is staged in ‘Studio 3’.

CROWN EMPLOYEES
Making it all happen behind the scenes will be over 7,000 members of staff, including 384 Poker Dealers, 62 Game
Supervisors, 30 Pit Bosses and 20 Operations staff, along with 20,000,000 hands of poker that have been dealt at
Crown’s Aussie Millions over the past ten years.

HIGH PROFILE GUESTS
High-profile guests who have tried their hand in the Crown Poker Room over the years have included Andy Roddick,  Jack Black, Jason Alexander, Jennifer Tilly, Justin Timberlake, Anthony Caleb Followill, Ivan Nathan Followill, Michael Jared Followill and Cameron Matthew Followill from Kings of Leon, Martin Short, Matt Damon, Michael Schumacher, Michael Vartan, Serena Williams, Shannon Elizabeth and Zac Efron.

THE POKER BOOM
Legions of locals have been swept up in the Australian poker boom that was ignited when Melbournian and Crown ambassador Joe Hachem became the 2005 World Series of Poker Champion, scooping up $10 million in prize money for his efforts. With people from around the world playing poker at home, in casinos and in staggering numbers online, the sensation known as Texas Holdem Poker has become a favourite over the past decade. Madefor-television tournaments, where concealed cameras reveal each player’s cards to the viewer, have elevated the game to a spectacular sport and opened up a players-eye-view of the action, skyrocketing its popularity even further.