Live poker is having a resurgence in Australia.
The Aussie Millions returns in 2026 after a six-year break, although it’s moved to late April from its traditional prime spot in January.
That opened the door for new poker room PlayLive to launch its own series in January – when the sun is shining and the Australian Open tennis is in full swing along the Yarra River.
The Melbourne Millions is underway and drawing big crowds to its venue, just a 15-minute walk from the iconic Crown Casino.
And PlayLive has revealed an impressive group of co-owners, including Alex and Kristen Foxen, Jeremy Ausmus, Eric Baldwin, and Abby Merk.
PlayLive: By players, for players
They join co-founders Josh Abady and Bridges Robinson Roe in a custom-built poker room described as “created by players, for players.” The venue opened in April and is already thriving in its new January slot, with guarantees being smashed in its first major series.
We spoke with Abady who said, "Our first ever Melbourne Millions series has been nothing short of extraordinary. We’ve been consistently crushing our guarantees — often doubling them, tripling them, and in some cases going well beyond that.
"The scale of the series has been so beyond our expectations that our Mini Main Event nearly covered the guarantee for our Main Event on its own! I want to sincerely thank the players and our incredible community for showing up and supporting what we’re building."
Both Merk and Baldwin are in Australia for the Melbourne Millions, which runs until February 7. Merk has also been busy sharing content on her Instagram.
Melbourne Millions highlights
The first flight of the $1,500 Main Event has already run. Day 1B starts at 1pm on Sunday, January 25, with Day 1C scheduled for the following Sunday. The event carries a $500K guarantee.
Other highlights include the $5K High Roller (Jan 26) and the $1,150 Mega Mystery Bounty (Jan 28). Daily satellites start from just $90.
For the full Melbourne Millions and weekly event schedule, head to the PlayLive website. The full 2026 schedule will drop soon and PlayLive has promised, "several exciting announcements later this year.”
Daily live streams are available on the PlayLive YouTube channel.
