The Joe Hachem Deep Stack tournaments have proved to be another fantastic success story for Crown Casino. 2009 was the second year the series has been run and it certainly should become an annual event given its soaring popularity. It is an excellent chance for smaller players to enjoy well structured live tournaments usually reserved for big buy in Main Events. Tournaments started at around the $200 buy in with the Main Event being a very affordable $550.

Other events like the Aussie Millions cater to the more experienced players including most of the international pros that make the journey down under every year in January. Jono Pittock, Crown Casino’s Card Room Manager and Tournament Director, has been instrumental in creating other tournaments that cater to social players. There was a No Limit Hold’em High Rollers Event and a Pot Limit Omaha Rebuy Event that catered to the larger players, but for the most part these tournaments were there to cater to the smaller sized bankroll.

888 Poker’s very own ‘King of Spin’ Shane Warne played in the Main Event and made the final two tables before being knocked out in a very respectable 15th position. Considering there were just under 900 starters this was a fantastic effort. Don’t get fooled by other celebrities that view poker as a bit of fun, Warnie has been working very hard on his game and practicing his tournament skills at 888Poker. It won’t be long before he finds himself winning a big live tournament.

Local card player Daniel Botta came away with his first big tournament win and pocketed a lazy $100,000 for his troubles when he outlasted a good final table. Sam Higgs, another Melbournian, finished in second place earning $65,000 with Ronnie Shabtay from Sydney rounding out the top three earning $45,000. These are pretty impressive returns from $550 dollar investments.

888 Poker gives local players the chance to win their way into great live tournaments all over the world. We will keep you up-to-date on how you could be the next big winner by winning a seat at 888Poker.