2011 January 13, Lynn Gilmartin

The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest tournament series has begun with the $1,100 Opening Event kick-starting the 2011 Aussie Millions on Thursday night. I absolutely love being at the Aussie Millions, not only because it’s in my home town of Melbourne, but also because there is so much hype around it, and that hype continues to linger in the Crown Poker Room once the cards are in the air. Perhaps it’s because the Australian Open is on at the same time, creating the craziest vibe in Melbourne, or because the Aussie Millions events team is run by women, so it’s got that feminine “Midas Touch,” or of course, because one of the best Tournament Directors in the world, Jonno Pittock, runs the show. Who knows, but I do know that I have an absolute ball every year and so do all the players who attend.

In celebration for the kickoff, I’m taking you on a look back at the highlights of 2010. A prime example of the hype inside the Crown Poker Room during the Aussie Millions is Day 1 of the Main Event, and the following video shows you why. No other poker tournament (that I’ve been to) puts on a concert to announce shuffle-up-and-deal!

Phil Ivey’s second place finish in the $100k Challenge saw him top the all-time money list. Despite being teased with the title that Dan Shak then won, he was obviously still in good spirits with his achievement when I caught up with him after the event. With this being my first interview with this great man, you can pretty much see my heart beating at triple speed.

Each year sees the Main Event play on Australia Day, so I escaped the confines of the Poker Room for a few hours and headed to St Kilda Beach for some sunshine with my fellow Aussies to give you a taste of a “True Blue” celebration.

While speaking of “True Blue,” the Australian’s of the PokerNews Team took the American’s for a cricket match and barbecue on our day off, so we took this opportunity to introduce our hard-working team who don’t usually show their face on the videos.

If you don’t religiously read Elaine Chaivarlis’ Nightly Turbo, then you’re losing at life. If you must be convinced, then listen to your favorite poker players instead!

The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be in the Crown Poker Room everyday until 30th January, so stay right here on PokerNews.com for all of our live updates and videos, and while you’re railing the Aussie Millions action, get your poker fix on Full Tilt Poker.

2011 January 13, Barry Carter

Sign up to our Free $50 No Deposit Bonus on PartyPoker and get a free month at PokerNews Strategy on top.

PokerNews and PartyPoker have come together once again to prove that you really can get something for nothing. You can now fast track your poker career with our Exclusive Free $50 No Deposit Bonus* on PartyPoker and you will also be rewarded with a free month at our training site worth $25. That’s $75 for nothing which you could turn into much more!

Not only do you get a free poker bankroll to play with, you can learn how to crush the games you will be playing in too. PokerNews Strategy features some of the best online players in the world including Randy “nanonoko” Lew, Scott “URnotINdanger2″ Palmer, WSOP bracelet winner Josh “LitleBastrd” Tieman and even PartyPoker Pro Tony G. Just check out this list of our pros career earnings to see just how good they are.

This offer is exclusive to Club PokerNews and it couldn’t be easier to get. First of all you need to go to our Free $50 Landing Page and sign up a new PartyPoker account following our walkthrough, making sure to use bonus code PN50FREE. This is to get your free $50 bankroll on PartyPoker without having to deposit, play any raked hands or give any bank details.

Once your PartyPoker account has been credited with the first $25 of your free $50 you will receive an email to confirm your free month at PokerNews Strategy. This will direct you to a special sign up page for this promotion and you must use the same email address you registered with PartyPoker in order for us to recognise you as having a free PokerNews Strategy subscription.

To get an idea of what PokerNews Strategy is about, check out this free sample of PartyPoker Pro Tony G in action:

This really is one of the best combi offers you will ever find in online poker and is a brilliant way to get started on your way to becoming a poker pro. Normally you would have to pay a heavy premium to learn from the best in the world but not only are Club PokerNews offering you free training, we are giving you a free bankroll to do it with too!

Already joined our Free $50 no deposit promotion? … then take advantage of our New Club PokerNews $50 Reload bonus! Deposit at least $25 and enter code “PNEWS50” for a 100% match bonus up to $50. 3X smaller playthrough requirement – EXCLUSIVE to PokerNews Players!

*Players must complete the full registration process and await confirmation of eligibility from PokerNews. The first $25 will be transferred to the player’s PartyPoker account. The player’s bonus account will receive $25 only to be released once 200 PartyPoker Points have been earned within 45 days. We highly recommend you read the full Terms & Conditions available here.