What is Australian Poker Today
The game of poker has taken over the world and it is currently one of the most popular card games around. The game, as we know it, has been around for over a hundred years but since the age of the Internet, has catapulted poker, particularly Australian poker to a whole new level.
In addition to the Internet, television has also contributed to the game’s recent rise in popularity. The World Series of Poker is a major television series, watched by millions around the world, who avidly follow the compelling and talented characters who compete for the grand prize in this prestigious poker tournament. Additionally, the Aussie Millions tournament is one of the major events of Australian online poker, not to mention the contributions it has made to offline poker in Australia. Australian poker online players have a wide variety of online poker sites to choose from where they can experience the thrill of playing against other live players either from around the world or in a local setting.
Australia has welcomed the game of poker with open arms, and it is now the most popular card game down under. Australian poker has greatly improved recently and some of the world’s premier poker tournaments take place in Australia.
The Aussie Millions poker tournament is definitely one of the highest paying poker tourneys in the Southern Hemisphere and is hosted every January by Melbourne’s prestigious Crown Casino. The tournament handed out an enormous $2M first place cash prize last year and this was taken of course by… an Aussie. As poker has grown in Australia, so has the skill level of Aussies playing the epic game.
The Asia Pacific Poker Tour is another major mark on the poker calendar and is comprised of a series of events which take place in major cities across the Asia-Pacific. The tournament is otherwise referred to as the APPT. In 2008, Aussie Martin Rowe took the $1M first place prize in the Sydney stop of the tour. Aussies are a great contending force in the world of major poker tournaments.
Some of the greatest players to ever play the game are Aussie poker players and they have reached the status of “poker legends”. Joseph ‘Joe’ Hachem was the first Aussie player to ever win the Main Event at the WSOP, taking home a first place prize of $7.5M in 2005. “The Silver Fox”, who’s real name is Mel Judah is another oz poker legend. The Fox has earned over $3M throughout his career, winning two WSOP bracelets along with many other prestigious titles.
As far as playing Australian poker online, due to the influx in online poker sites, many sites offer great promotions and bonuses to players. Such poker promotions and bonuses can mean increased earnings and a lot of cash saved so it is useful to stay updated on this front. Australians are known as good sportsmen, and on the poker front, why should it be any different. Aussies are captivating world audiences by stealing the thunder, as Mel Judah and Joe Hachem are proudly demonstrating. Let’s give ourselves a pat on the back and a salute to Poker online Australia!
[...] Australian poker law can be confusing at first glance. It is not illegal to play a cash game of poker in a casino in any part of Australia, however the law surrounding poker tournaments outside of casinos is a little different. These are only allowed in New South Wales and Victoria. The law for Australian online poker sites is stranger still. On June 28th, 2001, the Australian government passed an act known as the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, or the IGA. This act was designed to protect Australian poker players from some of what they see as the harmful effects of online gambling – for example, the increased risk of addiction from such an easy-to-access form of gambling. The Interactive Gambling Act focuses on the people who provide online gambling services, rather than on the consumers themselves. Under the IGA, it is an offence to provide onling gambling services to customers who are preset in Australia. It is not, however, illegal for an Australian to play online poker, or partake of other online gambling services, under Australian law. No online gambling service providers may offer online poker or other forms of gambling, whether they are based in Australia, or offshore. It does not matter if the company is Australian, or foreign owned, they are not allowed to provide services to Australians. Sports betting; however, is legal in Australia, and there are many sports betting sites in operation in the country. [...]