2026 Aussie Millions Poker Championship

With the 8-Game event starting today at the Aussie Millions, it's time to brush up on the rules and key strategies for the event.

The games are typically played in a specific order, rotating after a set number of hands. The games are:

• 2-7 Triple Draw: A lowball draw game where the goal is to make the "worst" possible hand.
• Limit Hold'em: The classic game, but with structured betting limits.
• Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better: A split-pot flop game where players compete for both the high and low halves of the pot.
• Razz: A Seven Card Stud variant where only the lowest hand wins.
• Seven Card Stud: The traditional "high" board game with no community cards.
• Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better: Another split-pot game, played with the Seven Card Stud format.
• No-Limit Texas Hold'em: The most popular poker variant in the world.
• Pot-Limit Omaha: A high-action flop game where players receive four hole cards.

Success in 8-Game tournaments requires more than just knowing the rules of each individual discipline:

Know Your Rotation: It is easy to lose track of which game is being played, especially when moving between "Hi" and "Hi-Lo" variants. Always check the current game marker.

Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Most players have one or two "weak" games in the mix. The goal is to minimize losses in your weaker games while maximizing value in your specialties.

Understand Game Types: The mix transitions between Flop games (Hold'em, Omaha), Board games (Stud, Razz), and Draw games (2-7 Triple Draw). Each requires a fundamental shift in how you read opponents and calculate odds.

The $2,500 8-Game is underway in the poker room at Crown Melbourne, with 33 entries in the first level.

They include 2011 Aussie Millions Main Event champion David Gorr and Eugene Portlen, who has two Aussie Millions titles from 2010 and 2018.

The $25,000 Challenge is underway with a starting field of ten, including 2020 final tablist Masato Yokosawa.

Meanwhile, the 26 players remaining in the $5,000 Challenge have taken their seats with play in that event also underway.