Will This Be the Largest Aussie Millions Main Event Ever?
The 2014 Aussie Millions Main Event has teamed up with the PokerStars.net Asia-Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) and expectations are high. While today marks only Day 1a of the Main Event, let's take a look at the previous seven years in terms of field size, the tournament winner, and the first-place prize money awarded:
| Year | Entries | Winner | First Prize (AU$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 747 | Gus Hansen | $1,500,000 |
| 2008 | 780 | Alexander Kostritsyn | $1,650,000 |
| 2009 | 681 | Stewart Scott | $2,000,000 |
| 2010 | 746 | Tyron Krost | $2,000,000 |
| 2011 | 721 | David Gorr | $2,000,000 |
| 2012 | 659 | Oliver Speidel | $1,600,000 |
| 2013 | 629 | Mervin Chan | $1,600,000 |
Russian Alexander Kostritsyn won the largest Aussie Millions Main Event in 2008 after conquering a field of 780 runners to win the top prize of AU$1,650,000, but it was the following year, 2008, that would see the largest first-place prize given out when Stewart Scott walked away with the top prize of AU$2,000,000. First place remained at AU$2,000,000 the following two years after that before it dropped back down to AU$1,600,000 in 2012 and 2013. Mervin Chan was also awarded a car as part of his prize last year when he won the event.
Teaming up with PokerStars.net and the APPT does have expectations high for the Main Event, as rumor has it that over 100 more qualifiers will be in the field. If you simply add those qualifiers to last year's number, it puts the field back over 700, but only time will tell as to how many entries are actually generated. If we were going to place a bet, though, we'd be betting on the fact that the decline in numbers flips this year and things end up back on the rise.