Australian poker players will have plenty to look forward to this September as Melbourne prepares to host The Finals, a 16-event festival offering a combined A$1.25 million in guaranteed prize pools. Running from September 24 to October 7, the series will be staged at PlayLive Melbourne, the city’s newest live poker venue, which opened earlier this year and has already completed its first Winter Championship.
Main Event – A$300K Guaranteed
The highlight of the festival is the A$1,500 Main Event, carrying a guaranteed prize pool of A$300,000. The tournament begins on Sunday, September 28 with Day 1A and offers four opening flights in total, including a turbo flight on Saturday evening, October 4.
Survivors from all starting flights will return on Sunday, October 5, when blind levels extend to 60 minutes. Late registration will be available until Level 9, with re-entries accepted until the close of Level 13.
Main Event Schedule
- Sunday, Sept 28 – Day 1A – 1:00 PM – 40 mins
- Friday, Oct 3 – Day 1B – 4:15 PM – 40 mins
- Saturday, Oct 4 – Day 1C – 12:00 PM – 40 mins
- Saturday, Oct 4 – Day 1D (Turbo) – 7:00 PM – 20 mins
- Sunday, Oct 5 – Day 2 – 12:00 PM – 60 mins
- Monday, Oct 6 – Day 3 – 12:00 PM – 60 mins
- Tuesday, Oct 7 – Day 4 – 12:00 PM – 60 mins
Full Festival Highlights
Beyond the Main Event, the schedule offers a wide variety of tournaments to suit all players:
- Opening Event (A$300, A$150K GTD) – Sept 24–26, with five starting flights.
- Mystery Bounty (A$1,150, A$75K GTD) – Sept 27.
- Mini Main Event (A$600, A$150K GTD) – Oct 1–3, with three Day 1 flights.
- Single Day High Roller (A$5,000, A$250K GTD) – Oct 6.
- Progressive Knockout (A$750, A$25K GTD) – Oct 1.
- Pot-Limit Omaha (A$2,000, A$25K GTD) – Oct 5–6.
- Nine Game (A$1,150, A$25K GTD) – Oct 5.
The schedule also includes satellites for many of the headline events, along with additional No-Limit Hold’em tournaments such as the Nightcrawler, Superstack, and The Final Siren.
A Festival for Every Player
With buy-ins ranging from A$100 satellites to the A$5,000 High Roller, The Finals offers something for every bankroll. The addition of formats like Mystery Bounty, Progressive Knockout, PLO, and mixed games ensures variety for players seeking more than traditional hold’em events.
Melbourne’s poker community can expect two weeks of action-packed competition as The Finals crowns its champions across a diverse range of tournaments, culminating with the Main Event’s conclusion on October 7.
