Late registration has officially closed in the Day 1D Turbo flight of the A$1,500 Opening Event, and the numbers have delivered a huge statement to kick off the Aussie Millions Poker Championship 2026 Presented by CrownBet.

Another 380 entries were fired in the final starting flight, pushing the grand total to a massive 2,144. That turnout generated a prize pool of A$2,787,200, almost tripling the A$1 million guarantee and setting the tone for what is already shaping up to be a blockbuster return for the iconic series.

With the Aussie Millions absent from the calendar for six years, there was plenty of curiosity about what the appetite would look like once the festival returned. The answer has been loud and clear. Players have turned up in force, filling the Crown Melbourne poker room and showing that the demand for this series never went away.

The final numbers also comfortably surpassed Tournament Director Danny McDonagh’s early prediction. After Day 1A, McDonagh suggested the prize pool could reach A$2 million, but was unsure whether the field would pass the 2,000-entry mark. In the end, both figures were cleared without much trouble.

Big congratulations to Crown Melbourne and what a way to start the Aussie Millions!

Tags: Aussie Millions