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Home / Uncategorized / Aussie Millions: Plunder Down Under

And she said, “Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover”

The words of Men At Work in 1981 resonated with a nation with the song “Down Under” not only becoming an international mega-hit, but a rock anthem of patriotism and pride in Australia. If you asked an Australian “Do you speak-a my language?” just watch them smile and give you a Vegemite sandwich.

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The lyrics talk about Australia as a country where men plunder. We doubt that they were referring to the early days of Australian poker, but maybe there was a late night poker game or two in the studio after a long day of rehearsals. If that’s the case, then perhaps we could interpret the lyrics as a subtle warning for anyone arriving in Melbourne this week at the 2014 Aussie Millions Poker Championship with thoughts of fame and fortune. The locals are ready. They’re hungry and they’re ready to make some noise. You better take cover.

It all kicks off Sunday afternoon with the first flight of the AU$10,600 Aussie Millions Main Event kicking off at 2:15pm. Over the course of three opening day flights we’re going to see the best players in the world attempt to plunder down under. Hansen, Ivey, Negreanu, Seidel, Mercier, Greenstein, Duhamel, Riess – they’ll all be here for the biggest poker tournament series this side of the equator.

There is a real sense of anticipation in the air in 2014 as it will be the first time that the Aussie Millions has partnered with the APPT with this year’s Main Event kicking off Season 8 of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour.

With the partnership of two of the biggest entities in the region, it’s expected that we’ll see an increase in numbers for the Main Event. The poker economy has stagnated over the past few years, and the Aussie Millions has felt the effect. The Main Event has slipped from a high of 780 entrants in 2008 to the 629 players who took part last year when Malaysia’s Mervin Chan became the first winner from Asia, collecting the AU$1.6 million top prize.

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With over 150 PokerStars players and qualifiers joining the field this year, it’s very realistic to think that we’ll see a field of 700+ in the Crown Poker Room this year which would be a tremendous result.

You can follow all of the action right here on the PokerStars Blog throughout the week as the all-Aussie combination of Joshua Bell and yours truly bring you all the stories on and off the felt at the 2014 Aussie Millions Poker Championship.

Click here for the complete APPT 8 Aussie Millions Poker Championship schedule.

Heath “TassieDevil” Chick is a Freelance Contributor for the PokerStars Blog.

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