Whether held in classic, brick-and-mortar locations or in the virtual space, taking the shape of freezeout, re-buy, or re-entry events, poker tournaments have a certain allure that only real fans of the genre can truly understand. As one of the leading gambling nations on the planet, Australia is a big fan of these engaging events. Players from Down Under love to show off their online poker skills in front of fellow poker aficionados from all parts of the planet, advance through the rounds, hone their skills during daily deep stack tourneys, or join multi-table online tournaments with low buy-ins. If you are looking for the best poker tournament to join in the upcoming months, we have great news. This year is absolutely packed with enough poker tournaments for Australians to keep you busy until December.
Without further ado, here is an overview of some of the most popular and relevant offline and online poker tourneys to keep a close eye on in 2023.
Massive Poker Tourneys In and Out of Oz: Aussie Millions, WSOP & More
Whether you would like to join a massive poker tournament in a casino in Las Vegas or you are mostly interested in homebred events at Melbourne or Sydney venues, 2023 is rammed with events for Aussie live poker lovers. In fact, there is a Texas Hold'em tournament held on an almost weekly basis somewhere – you just need to keep an eye on your calendar and mark the dates.
Join the Wizards of Oz at the Aussie Millions Poker Championship
The Aussie Millions Poker Championship is a yearly poker event organised every January at the iconic Crown Casino in Melbourne. The event has been bringing together a massive crowd of professional players along with loads of local talents since July 1998 when the first major poker event called the Australasian Poker Championship was held.
The best way to qualify for the Aussie Millions is by joining a popular casino online for real money that organises daily or weekly poker satellites for Australians. Frequent player points or small buy-ins for large satellites will carry players to the final satellite set at $700. Here, they will have a chance to win their package into the popular championship. A seat at the event is valued at $10,000, with poker pros having at least one guaranteed seat in qualifiers for the finals.
Regarding this year's event in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Crown Melbourne issued a statement announcing that the event will be placed on a momentary hold. Crown will keep monitoring and reviewing the evolving situation to establish when will be the best time to resume the event while complying with official governmental recommendations. Crown Melbourne also expressed its eagerness to re-schedule the long-standing yearly championship along with other equally popular events held there, such as:
- the Crown Poker Championship with a Main Event prize pool of about $1 million
- the Melbourne Poker Championship features 16 events that accept all bankroll sizes with over $1 million in total prizes
- the Victorian Poker Championship with 17 events held over 13 days
- numerous weekly poker tournaments with re-entries, late registration, and amazing prize pools
Check Out the World Series of Poker Main Event With a $10,000 Entry
Considered the ultimate way of testing one's skills by many global poker players, the World Series of Poker Main Event (WSOP) is a yearly event organised at the luxurious Rio Hotel & Casino in Vegas. The event consists of around 60 poker tourney events covering all poker disciplines, thus catering to the preferences and expectations of all types of players. Aussies can check out the $1,000 No Limit Hold'em tournament, the $5,000 Seven Card Stud, or the $100,000 buy-in charity poker event, to name just a few of the options here. There are also loads of online poker satellites going on during the event, along with the mesmerising No Limit Hold'em Main with a $10,000 buy-in for high rollers.
To qualify for the WSOP Main Event, be prepared to join a few poker rooms online that will hold qualifying satellites with low $1 buy-ins. Opt for a good poker room online with decent qualifier pools of prizes and packages.
In 2023, the 53rd yearly WSOP will begin on May 31 at the Ballys/Paris Las Vegas and it will continue until July 20.
Join the Australian Poker Tour in Sydney
The APT Sydney series will be held at the Campbelltown Convention Entertainment Centre also known as the Cube between 21-27 March. The APT will have an approximate prize pool that is expected to go over $1.5M, with the first event having a $150 NLHE Opener with two flights, one re-entry per flight, and a $30K estimate.
There are also additional Australian Poker Tour stops to keep an eye on once the Sydney event will be over, including:
- the APT Gold Coast between April 26 and May 1 held at the Southport Sharks
- the APT Adelaide between July 12-17 at a location soon to be announced
- the APT Brisbane September organised at Eatons Hill
- the APT Sydney in November with a location and date soon to be made public
The Stacked Poker Championship in North Adelaide
2022 kicked off nicely with the first live poker tourney series, the Stacked Poker Championship, held in North Adelaide. The event hosted five tournaments with a guaranteed Main Event first prize of $100,000 that ended on February 7. The five events counted close to 320 entries with a total prize pool valued at approximately $340,000. The Main Event had a $2,000 buy-in and 123 people joined it, hoping to get a piece of the massive $252,000 prize pool.
Participate in the WPTDeepStacks Sydney at the Star Sydney
The World Poker Tour (WPT) had its debut Down Under in 2019 at The Star Gold Coast. The event was resumed in 2021 when the pandemic situation allowed for it to be organised. In 2022, the WPT will be held at The Star Sydney and it will host a genuine WPTDeepStacks festival with 11 events, starting flights with a massive $1,500 buy-in for the Main Event., and multiple reentries that will culminate in the much-anticipated Main Event. The first event will begin on March 30 and it will feature a $750 buy-in in the WPTDS Opener with three flights, $25,000 chips, and one re-entry per flight. The first event will finish on April 3.
Final Thoughts
If you are getting ready to put your bankroll together, look for some investors eager to support your dream of participating in the biggest Australian or global poker tournaments and championships, or simply brush up on your strategies at a small buy-in satellite, 2023 is the year for you. In the meantime, remember to keep practising your skills at the best casinos online for real money that offer standard and live dealer poker games with massive welcome bonuses so you can take the next tournament by storm!
