"It's certainly thriving."

That's the view of Randy Lew, whose last live cash came in the most recent Aussie Millions Main Event six years ago.

He also finished tenth in the same event back in 2011, and Lew says the 2026 event has exceeded his expectations already.

"I played the $5,000 Challenge which had over 400 entries which was pretty insane," he said. "I busted but had to jump back in with registration closing because it was just too big of a tournament for me to pass up.

"I'm very excited to see the Aussie Millions is back, and I have high hopes for everything."

With the Main Event previously being won by big names such as Bryn Kenney, Toby Lewis and of course Patrik Antonius, Lew says that the tournament had become a "staple" of the worldwide poker landscape.

"Obviously, there was this huge gap. But now it's back it's clearly thriving once again. I think a lot of the expectations were that with it coming back, it was going to be smaller. But it's phenomenal. I've been at the tables, everyone's happy, and the vibes are just as good as expected."

The Australian poker landscape has evolved onver the intervening years, with other tours and events flourishing acorss the country.

"People have just been itching to play," says Lew. "And with a big marquee festival like the Aussie Millions coming back, players are excited to have a real big one that a lot of players will come out especially for, including those around the world.

"It's just phenomenal!"

Tags: Aussie MillionsRandy Lew