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After a six-year hiatus, the popular Aussie Millions is set to make its long-awaited return, and PokerNews will be in attendance as the official live reporting partner when cards go in the air at Crown Melbourne from April 24 to May 10, 2026.
The 2026 Aussie Millions will feature 18 tournaments played across 18 action-packed days, with an estimated total prize pool of AU$14 million (approximately $9.1 million USD). Buy-ins will range from AU$1,500 to AU$25,000, with the headline act being the prestigious AU$10,600 Main Event.
And PokerNews will be on site in the beautiful Victorian capital to bring you all the chip counts, bustouts, photos, videos, and more from our award-winning team of reporters at one of the most anticipated poker events of 2026.
“Like everyone else who loves poker, we cannot wait for the return of Aussie Millions,” said Shirley Ang, PokerNews’ Senior Global Live Events Manager. “We’re thrilled that the PokerNews team will be there for its comeback year, providing on-the-spot reporting from an event that has long been cherished by poker fans around the world.”
A spokesperson from Crown Poker would add, “With the return of Aussie Millions in 2026 comes the return of a great partner in PokerNews. Crown Poker is excited to reunite with the leader in live reporting, bringing world-class coverage to one of the most iconic poker events in the southern hemisphere.”
“This partnership ensures players and fans alike can experience every moment of the action, reinforcing our shared commitment to delivering an unforgettable tournament experience.”
A Trip Down (Under) Memory Lane
Before the Aussie Millions went on break in 2020, PokerNews had been on the ground at 13 consecutive editions of the festival, capturing some of poker’s most unforgettable moments from the floor of Crown Melbourne.
From Gus Hansen’s iconic Main Event win to Phil Ivey’s Super High Roller triumph and Vincent “Wonky” Wan taking 2020’s showpiece event, here are some of our favorite moments from the archives ahead of the return in 2026.
2007
Although the Aussie Millions has been around since 1998, PokerNews didn’t begin live reporting the event until 2007, and what a year it turned out to be. That was the year poker icon Gus Hansen captured the Main Event title, winning what was then the richest tournament in the Southern Hemisphere.
Hansen’s victory would go on to be immortalized in his classic book Every Hand Revealed, which offered fans an unprecedented look inside a top pro’s thought process as he navigated the 747-player field to claim the $1.2 million first prize.
2011
2011 marked the debut of the $250,000 Super High Roller at the Aussie Millions, attracting an all-star lineup of 20 of poker’s finest, including Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, and eventual champion Erik Seidel.
Seidel, then the newest Poker Hall of Fame inductee, would call on every ounce of experience to stop 2011 $100,000 Challenge winner Sam Trickett, overturning a substantial chip lead against the Englishman heads-up to claim the $2.5 million first prize and the crown Down Under.
2012
A year after Seidel’s victory, the 2012 Aussie Millions $250,000 Super High Roller grabbed headlines once again as poker G.O.A.T. Phil Ivey made a spectacular return to the tournament scene, claiming the $2 million first prize against another elite field.
Ivey, returning after a lengthy break from tournament poker, proved that his class was permanent, besting a final table of Patrik Antonius and Gus Hansen, while other stars such as Jason Mercier, John Juanda, and Daniel Negreanu fell short of the money at Crown Melbourne.
2016
The 2016 Aussie Millions Main Event delivered once again as one of Canada’s finest, Ari Engel, overcame Tony Dunst heads-up to claim the $1.6 million first prize.
The final table was a star-studded affair, featuring players such as Sam Abernathy, a recent guest on Life Outside Poker with Connor Richards, and Kitty Kuo, alongside Dunst and Engel. In an attritional heads-up battle, Engel emerged victorious, securing what still remains the biggest score of his career for the multiple WSOP bracelet winner.
2018
As the premier poker festival in the Southern Hemisphere, the Aussie Millions has always attracted some of the biggest names, and few names were bigger than Australian legend Shane Warne.
Widely regarded as the greatest cricketer of all time, Warne was also a passionate poker player and made deep runs in the 2014 WSOP APAC Main Event and the 2015 WSOP Main Event before taking his seat in the 2018 Aussie Millions Main Event in Melbourne, where he caught up with PokerNews. Tragically, the superstar sportsman passed away in 2022, but his appearance at the tables in 2018 was a reminder of the star power the tour could command.
2020
The 2020 Aussie Millions Main Event produced another memorable champion as Vincent “Wonky” Wan beat Ngoc Tai Hoang heads up to claim the $1,318,000 first prize.
Wan, who was known at Crown Casino for winning two six-figure Royal Flush Jackpots, now had his first seven-figure score, marking the biggest cash of his career. Meanwhile, second-place Hoang, who started the day as the short stack, would also make history by taking the largest single payout in Vietnamese poker history.
Just months later, the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, forcing the cancellation of poker tournaments everywhere, including in Melbourne. The 2021 Aussie Millions was called off, and years of uncertainty followed, fueled by changes to gambling laws and questions about the appetite for tournament poker, leaving fans to wonder if the event would ever return.
2026
Rumors began circulating in late 2024 that the Aussie Millions could return in 2025, but those plans would not materialize this year. This summer, however, the festival’s comeback was officially confirmed for 2026, ending a six-year hiatus and bringing world-class poker back to the Crown Casino.
Who will join the list of Main Event champions below remains to be seen, but PokerNews will be on the ground in Melbourne to provide live updates and bring fans all the action as one of the game’s much-loved tournaments makes a triumphant return.
Aussie Millions Main Event Winners (1998-2020)
| Year | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 74 | A$74,000 | Alex Horowitz | Australia | A$25,900 |
| 1999 | 109 | A$109,000 | Milo Nadalin | Australia | A$38,150 |
| 2000 | 109 | A$173,500 | Leo Boxell | Australia | A$65,225 |
| 2001 | 101 | A$151,500 | Sam Korman | Australia | A$53,025 |
| 2002 | 66 | A$330,000 | John Maver | Australia | A$150,000 |
| 2003 | 122 | A$1,220,000 | Peter Costa | United Kingdom | A$394,870 |
| 2004 | 133 | A$1,330,000 | Tony Bloom | United Kingdom | A$426,500 |
| 2005 | 263 | A$2,630,000 | Jamil Dia | New Zealand | A$1,000,000 |
| 2006 | 418 | A$4,180,000 | Lee Nelson | New Zealand | A$1,295,800 |
| 2007 | 747 | A$7,470,000 | Gus Hansen | Denmark | A$1,500,000 |
| 2008 | 780 | A$7,758,500 | Alexander Kostritsyn | Russia | A$1,650,000 |
| 2009 | 681 | A$6,810,000 | Stewart Scott | Australia | A$2,000,000 |
| 2010 | 746 | A$7,460,000 | Tyron Krost | Australia | A$2,000,000 |
| 2011 | 721 | A$7,210,000 | David Gorr | Australia | A$2,000,000 |
| 2012 | 659 | A$6,590,000 | Oliver Speidel | Australia | A$1,600,000 |
| 2013 | 629 | A$6,290,000 | Mervin Chan | Malaysia | A$1,600,000 |
| 2014 | 668 | A$6,680,000 | Ami Barer | Canada | A$1,600,000 |
| 2015 | 648 | A$6,480,000 | Manny Stavropoulos | Australia | A$1,385,500 |
| 2016 | 732 | A$7,320,000 | Ari Engel | Canada | A$1,600,000 |
| 2017 | 725 | A$7,250,000 | Shurane Vijayaram | Australia | A$1,600,000 |
| 2018 | 800 | A$8,000,000 | Toby Lewis | United Kingdom | A$1,458,198 |
| 2019 | 822 | A$8,220,000 | Bryn Kenney | United States | A$1,272,598 |
| 2020 | 820 | A$8,200,000 | Vincent Wan | Australia | A$1,318,000 |
Editor, Poker & Casino
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