Aussie Millions Poker Tourney Final In Sight

Published: Thursday, January 19, 2006 Online-Casinos.com

AUSSIE MILLIONS POKER TOURNEY FINAL IN SIGHT

36 poker players left....and world champ Hatchem is out


Australian press reports have be en following the progress of the Aussie Millions poker tournaments, currently being fought at the Crown Casino In Melbourne.

On day 4, 36 players were battling toward the final table with more than $660,000 separating the lowest trailing contestant from US chip leader Kenna James, who resumed play with $700,500.

The players are competing for a share of more than $US4 million ($A5.32 million) in the main event prize pool and the $US1 million ($A1.33 million) championship title.

Just over 50 percent of the remaining field are Australians, minus reigning WSOP poker champion Joe Hachem, who bowed out on day 2 in position number 56.

The field numbered 418 ambitious players at the start, each worth a buy-in of $10 500 to play in the No Limit Texas Hold 'Em competition and the endurance to play up to 10 hours a day

Fox Sports Net has been packaging the highlights for a 10-week television series to be beamed into 81 million homes in the US from March.

Poker in Australia is growing at an impressive pace, with some estimates that two million people or more play in some form. In the US, there are 88 million people who play Texas Holdem including TV, film, music and sporting celebrities who add glamour to the game.

Only 5 per cent of the world's players make a substantial living from the game. There is at least one million-dollar event each month somewhere in the world - in Europe, the US, South America or in the Asia-Pacific region. Travelling 12 months of the year can cost a player between $300,000 and $500,000 in entry fees and expenses.