By far the most prestigious poker event in the Australia is the Crown Australian Poker Championships. Most people read that and think they have never heard of it. However after they realise that it has been given the popular nickname the Aussie Millions they recognise just how big poker in Australia has become.
The Aussie Millions is the southern hemispheres largest poker tournament. It has really taken poker in Australia to the next level and with an excess of 7 million dollars in the prize pool it is no surprise why. This massive tournament started in 1997 being hosted in the world famous crown casino is Melbourne. The Aussie millions is not televised and broadcast around the world. The Aussie millions really have become an important date in pokers busy calendar and mainly great poker professionals will flock over the Australia just to play this tournament. Off the back of the Aussie Millions has dawned an Aussie Millions million dollar cash game where a number of television poker celebrities and high rollers buy in and play for huge amounts of money playing cash games. This is a media born event however in the last few years it has really taken off in popularity.
Melbourne is home to a lot of gambling and poker venues in Australia. Familiar names will of course be the Crown Casino as well as the world famous Golden Nugget. For a poker player looking for the best places to gamble Melbourne is definitely worth a look in.
Since the introduction of the massive Aussie millions, which is sponsored by FullTilt, in Melbourne, poker in Australia has really started to take off. Sydney is another place that a poker player will be able to find multiple poker games running. Star city is one of the larger gambling venues found in Sydney with many table and machine games as well as poker being offered. Sydney is host to a whole range of poker rooms and poker clubs.
On March 27, 2008, Betfair won a court case against Full Tilt Poker Download regarding accepting bets for Internet gambling events from residents in Australia. This legal victory cemented the growth of Internet gambling and poker in Australia as a popular and on going trend with residents. Wagering on the Internet in Australia is not illegal unless a bookmaker accepts bet after the online event has already started. Poker in Australia is not to the calibre of what Vegas is just yet but it is well on its way.