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Aussie Millions High Roller Event Struggles Continue

In case you missed it, and chances are you did, the 2018 Aussie Millions is in the books. Overall, the event is probably being considered a success thanks to the largest Main Event in the event’s history. One area where the event really suffered is the High Stakes tournaments.

The $25,000 Challenge drew a solid field and Ben Lamb took down the top prize of over $596,000. However, the attendance for both the $50k and $100k Challenges was just abysmal and makes one wonder whether the events will return in 2019.

So what happened? Why did two of the most prestigious High Roller tournaments in the world fail to live up to past editions? Today we take a quick look.

Just How Bad Was It?

Attendance for both the $50k and $100k Challenge was at all-time lows this year. The $50k Challenge didn’t exactly tear down the house last year, drawing just six players. However, this year it only drew four players. You read that right.

Sam Greenwood ultimately won the event for about A$116k, just a bit over double his buy-in. Not a bad day’s work mind you but it is still amazing to see a $50k just draw four players.

The $100k Challenge fared a bit better but drew a total of 19 entries with 2 of those being re-entries. While that is up by one entry from last year, it is still down significantly from 2016. That year, the event drew a field of 41 with Fabian Quoss taking home over A$1.4 million. This year’s winner, Michael Lim, won A$931,000.

So what happened here? Why are the numbers down? There are a couple of reasons.

Reason #1 – No Longer Sponsored by PokerStars

One major reason we see a reduction in the number of total players is that the even no longer has an association with PokerStars. After the 2016 edition, the event was no longer part of the APPT thanks to PokerStars restructuring their live events.

This caused a staunch drop in number in 2017 with the $250k Challenge not running. There was no $250k Challenge this year, effectively replaced by the $50k Challenge. The $100k became the main draw for high rollers, but then Poker Central had to step up and throw a monkey wrench into that one.

Reason #2 – US Poker Open Drawing a Large Chunk of Potential Players

The inaugural US Poker Open is presently underway at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The series features events ranging from $10k to $50k and many of the world’s best players are attending that one. Also, the series features a mix of games, making it a bit more appealing than an NL fest.

Justin Bonomo and Mike Gorodinsky have already taken down titles and Daniel Negreanu is playing for the Event #3 crown as we speak. It’s a lot more convenient to play a bunch of high rollers on your home turf than traveling the world.

Also, for the cost of the $100k and $50k Challenge, you could play several US Poker Open Events.

What Does This Mean for 2019?

I would not be surprised to see a revamp of the high roller schedule in 2019. At this point, it seems that only the $25k Challenge and the $100k Challenge are viable, and the $100k’s future will probably hinge a lot on next year’s turnout.

The $50k Challenge was a bit of an oddball pricing point in this series and the lack of interest showed this. There was plenty of action in the $25k Challenge and many of the elite high rollers came out for the $100k.

If I were in charge of the 2019 Aussie Millions, I would reach out to Poker Central and see what they are planning for next year and try and avoid any conflicts with the 2019 US Poker Open or any other similar events.

Aussie Millions has been one of the most prestigious events in the world but not so much that another comparable event can’t draw people away. If they want to see growth in the High Rollers, they need to take steps to ensure players will want to come out. Otherwise, replace them with something that will put butts in the seats and pull in rake for the casino.

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