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2026 Aussie Millions Poker Championship
Daily Tournament Highlights
Day: live
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Day 1c has reached its 30-minute dinner break, with 443 of the 696 entries still remaining as players head off for a bite to eat.
Across Day 1A, 1B, and 1C, the field has now climbed to 1,688 total entries, pushing the prize pool to $2,194,000.
Late registration will close when play resumes in this flight.
WSOP Main Event champion Michaell Mizrachi is still searching for his first Day 2 bag of the Aussie Millions Poker Championship 2026 Presented by CrownBet.
Mizrachi landed in Melbourne on Saturday, and entered the $2,500 H.O.R.S.E. but fell just before the bags came out for Day 2.
Today, he's been grinding the massive $1,500 Opening Event but was eliminated by Tom Pearce just before the dinner break.
With the blinds at 1,000/2,000, Pearce briefly recalled the action, saying Mizrachi opened on the button before he three-bet from the small blind. Mizrachi then jammed for around 60,000. Pearce called as the covering stack.
Michael Mizrachi: 7♦6♦
Tom Pearce: 10♥10♣
The K♠8♠2♣ flop left Mizrachi drawing thin, with the A♠ turn and A♥ river confirming his departure.
But Mizrachi, and anyone else with $1,500 can still hop back in. There's 30 minutes left of late registration in the Day 1c flight.
The Day 1d turbo flight is also underway, and it's second level. and has registration open until the start of level 10.
Five players remain in the $2,500 H.O.R.S.E. event.
Following Dion Hawkins’ elimination on the money bubble, Jiang Pu was the next to exit, setting up the final table. Since then, Nathanial Hutton, Matthew Ginn, and Alex Tchong have been knocked out in eighth, seventh, and sixth place respectively.
The remaining contenders for the festival’s first title are Sascha Manns, Michelle Guzzandi, Aussie Millions ambassador Van Marcus, Gary Benson, and John Lombardo.
| Place | Player | Prize (AUS$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | $43,200 |
| 2 | — | $27,360 |
| 3 | — | $18,000 |
| 4 | — | $13,680 |
| 5 | — | $11,160 |
| 6 | Alex Tchong | $9,380 |
| 7 | Matthew Ginn | $8,280 |
| 8 | Nathanial Hutton | $7,200 |
| 9 | Jiang Pu | $5,760 |
More than 20 years have passed since the man from Down Under earned his place among poker's immortal few by winning the 2005 WSOP Main Event, yet memories of that electric night at Binion’s remain as vivid as ever.
Hachem's was a victory that helped define a golden era. Riding the shockwaves of the Chris Moneymaker-inspired Poker Boom, another charismatic, relatable world champion had emerged — the first, and still only, Australian to win the game's greatest prize.
If poker fans could borrow Doc Brown’s DeLorean for a night, there's no doubt July 16, 2005 would be a popular destination.
However, sweet as nostalgia can be, Hachem's focus is firmly on the road ahead. The Aussie Millions Poker Championship 2026 Presented by CrownBet has finally returned after a 6-year hiatus, and Hachem— the Godfather of Australian poker — couldn’t be more excited for the grand homecoming.
Catching up with PokerNews, the former world champion reflected on two decades in the spotlight, his strong views on the 'poker owes me nothing' crowd, family, legacy, and a burning desire to 'pass the sugar' once again.
Veteran poker executive Danny McDonagh will return to a familiar role in 2026 after being confirmed as tournament director for the relaunch of the Aussie Millions Poker Championship 2026 Presented by CrownBet, stepping back into the series he helped build into a global poker powerhouse.
Widely regarded as one of the most experienced tournament directors in the Asia-Pacific region, McDonagh was a key figure in the early rise of the Aussie Millions. And as the festival prepares for its first full edition in more than six years, the Crown Melbourne Casino has leaned on a trusted hand to help guide the festival into its next era.
McDonagh spoke exclusively to PokerNews, and told us about his fond memories of the early explosion in Main Event player numbers from 2004 to 2007.
"It went up from 133 to 263, then to 418 and to 747 — all down to the fact that local players had the chance to compete against the cream of professional poker players, all thanks to the three-phrase satellite program," said McDonagh. "The satellite program continues to be very popular today at Crown."
He also spoke of the spectators who were able to come and rail the action.
"It made the event a real buzz! Some are railing a close friend or relative, while others are coming specially to see some of the biggest names in poker in action. Local players were very welcoming of international players. This, combined with Melbourne city and the fabulous Crown complex, helped make the Aussie Millions a must-visit stop for so many players.
"Personally it's very exciting to be coming to my hometown Melbourne as Head TD for the Aussie Millions."
Day 1c of the $1,500 Opening Event has reached its second break of the day, and it has already surged ahead as the biggest starting flight of the tournament so far.
There have been 642 entries recorded in Day 1c alone, pushing the overall total field to 1,634 entries across all flights. With A$1,300 from each buy-in going into the prize pool, that figure has already climbed to A$2,124,200, and there’s still plenty of time for it to grow.
Late registration remains open for three more levels in this flight, and there is also a full turbo flight kicking off at 6:10 p.m., meaning the numbers — and the prize pool — are expected to continue climbing throughout the evening.
Dion Hawkins earned the unfortunate distinction of becoming the first bubble boy of the Aussie Millions Poker Championship 2026 Presented by CrownBet, bowing out in tenth place in the $2,500 H.O.R.S.E.
Hawkins entered the bubble as the short stack and was reduced to his final big bet after calling a raise in Stud Hi-Lo, only to fold on fourth street when facing another bet.
That left him with just 33,000 as the game switched to Limit Hold'em.
The action folded to Hawkins on the button, where he raised to 30,000. Michelle Guzzardi folded in the small blind, before the second-shortest stack, Alex Tchong, reraised from the big blind to put Hawkins all in. Hawkins committed his final 3,000, and after the hand between John Lombardo and Aussie Millions ambassador Van Marcus concluded on the other table, the cards were tabled.
Dion Hawkins: A♠2♣
Alex Tchong: 7♠7♣
Hawkins failed to leapfrog the sevens with the J♣2♦6♠3♠5♠ runout, and his elimination secured the $5,760 min-cash for the final nine players, who now find themselves on the final table bubble.
$2,500 H.O.R.S.E Payouts
| Place | Prize (AUS$) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $43,200 |
| 2 | $27,360 |
| 3 | $18,000 |
| 4 | $13,680 |
| 5 | $11,160 |
| 6 | $9,380 |
| 7 | $8,280 |
| 8 | $7,200 |
| 9 | $5,760 |
Players looking to register into any tournament across the Aussie Millions Poker Championship 2026 Presented by CrownBet need to head to the cashier first and change their cash into chips, before heading over to the registration desk.
Jarrod Smith was eliminated in 11th place, meaning the tournament is now on the stone bubble.
The remaining ten players have been sent on a 15-minute break.
| Table | Seat | Player | Chips | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 1 | Gary Benson | 202,000 | 7 |
| 34 | 2 | Dion Hawkins | 77,000 | 3 |
| 34 | 3 | Michelle Guzzandi | 248,000 | 8 |
| 34 | 4 | Alex Tchong | 84,000 | 3 |
| 34 | 5 | Nathanial Hutton | 264,000 | 9 |
| 36 | 1 | Matthew Ginn | 415,000 | 14 |
| 36 | 2 | John Lombardo | 486,000 | 16 |
| 36 | 3 | Jiang Pu | 105,000 | 4 |
| 36 | 4 | Sascha Manns | 450,000 | 15 |
| 36 | 5 | Van Marcus | 221,000 | 7 |
