Aussie Millions Recon.

Upon arriving, I scanned the poker room yesterday. They had the 100,000 buy-in event going on. No, it's not a misprint, the buy-in was $100,000. 18 players started and 9 were left when I got there. Phil Ivey and Eric Lindgren were at one table and Eric Seidel was at another.

I am not sure what the scoop is, but a lot of the biggest names in poker are here to play in the main event. There must've been some heavy promotion going down to get these players to take two weeks out of their lives to come here when they could be fleecing tourists in Las Vegas.

I am trying to keep it in perspective, but I am getting pretty nervous. It is a mix of internet players and sharks, with some of the very best pros in the world showing up.

They have a unique format for the main event which starts tomorrow. (I play Monday). You start with 20,000 in chips, which double the usual and the blinds last f0r 90 minutes, instead of an hour, although they do start at 50-100 instead of the customary 25-50.

This format hugely favors the better players and reduces the luck factor greatly. I mean, no one wins anything without getting lucky a couple times, but this structure favors superior players. That may have something to do with some of these pros traveling here for this event.

I am trying not to get to nervous about looking foolish and am trying to forget the schooling Joe Hachem gave me in Copenhagen and remember how well I played at the WSOP.

I have a small freeroll (free tournament) today sponsored by the website I am representing and a fancy shmancy dinner tonight at some chi chi restaurant.