The Star is one of the most luxurious casinos within Australia, based in Sydney, New South Wales. Based along the beautiful Pyrmont waterfront, it is a must see destination for gambling aficionados visiting Sydney, combining premium gaming within a stunning hotel boasting decadent restaurants, lively bars and a vibrant nightlife. View full schedule Sydney’s longest running homegrown poker tournament is returning to The Star Sydney this July. Sydney Champs 2019 offers an expanded and refreshed tournament schedule with brand new formats and an additional 5 days of world-class poker!The series – kicking off on Thursday, 11 July and running through to Monday, 5 August 2019, will be headlined by the $3,000 ($2,800.
The news for poker players in Australia is not good. Live poker is going to be slower to return than anticipated, especially in tournament form. Many tournament organizers and poker room managers who believed they could schedule some events for later in 2020 are discovering that their plans must be scrapped.
Places like The Star Sydney are acknowledging that there will be no live poker at all through the end of the year. And the Australian Poker Tour is already cancelling its recently-announced September event.
Not only is the coronavirus pandemic still lurking and threatening another wave of positive Covid-19 cases, but its unpredictable nature is also forcing businesses to refrain from taking chances. Cancelling an event after putting time and effort into planning it can be more costly and troublesome for organizers and players than a preemptive shutdown.
Less than one month ago, the Australian Poker Tour excitedly announced its return to the live tables. After much planning and clearance with the venue, not to mention new protocols in place for the event, the APT announced an 11-tour series at Southport Sharks on the Gold Coast over the first weekend in September.
CEO David Miles worked with the venue to plan for social distancing and sanitization at the series. They would set the tables at least 1.5 metres apart, limit the number of players at the tables, encourage online registration, and check the temperatures of players. They planned to offer hand sanitizer, masks, and gloves to all who wanted them.
It was going to be a unique weekend of tournaments, but the APT wanted to do it.
Just weeks later, the APT felt the need to postpone it. They offered this message on the website and through social media channels:
“We regret to inform that the Australian Poker Tour has had to postpone our upcoming event scheduled for the 4th of September at Southport Sharks. Unfortunately, our venue could not facilitate our series due to a scheduling conflict, as well as in response to increased public health concerns with Covid-19 restrictions.
“Once again, the APT apologises to all our players and affiliates who had booked flights and accommodation, as this has caused great inconvenience to some.”
However, the APT is allowing its next event to remain on the schedule for now. That series is planned for October 7-11 at the Eatons Hill Hotel in Queensland.
On June 1, The Star Sydney welcomed players back into its casino per the approval of the NSW government. It took only three days for an incident to develop, one in which people gathered too closely in a casino bar on a weekend night…and a person tested positive for Covid-19.
NSW Liquor & Gaming was more than a little displeased and levied a $5,000 fine. It wanted to send a strong message that the facility must mitigate risks or face more penalties and a possible shutdown.
As the casino did remain open, it was restricted to members of The Star Club and no guests. They are able to patronize some of the restaurants and bars and play the pokies.
The Star made no mention of its poker room during the reopening process. The poker room’s page of the website addressed the Star Poker community: “We are very appreciative of your many years of support and humbled by the outpouring of messages from our regulars. Thank you for your patience as we work towards a reopening date.”
Players remained hopeful…until a July 19 Twitter post from @StarPokerSydney:
“Star Poker cash games and tournaments for the remainder of the year have been cancelled until further notice. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank everyone for understanding.”
This came just days before the Sydney Championships live poker series was supposed to begin. And according to Poker Media Australia, a spokesperson for The Star Sydney also confirmed that the WSOP Sydney scheduled for November 2020 is “on hold indefinitely until the necessary easing of restrictions presents options.”
The Star Poker Gold Coast also halted all hopes for poker players there, closing what had reopened. However, there is no update on the website regarding the new closure and any potential second reopening plans.
Crown Casino in Victoria is keeping its casino action shuttered until further notice. There have been no updates on the Crown website or on the Crown Poker Twitter account since March.
The resurgence of Covid-19 since late June concerned many, especially those watching Victoria cases begin to overtake the previous hot spot of NSW.
In the last week, the daily average of newly reported cases was 355, with the majority from Victoria. The last 24 hours shows the trend:
As the numbers continue to surge, government and health officials may implement further restrictions and shutdowns to stop the spread again.
Sydney’s longest running homegrown poker tournament is returning to The Star Sydney this July. Sydney Champs 2019 offers an expanded and refreshed tournament schedule with brand new formats and an additional 5 days of world-class poker!
The series - kicking off on Thursday, 11 July and running through to Monday, 5 August 2019, will be headlined by the $3,000 ($2,800 + $200) Main Event, bringing with it a massive $1.5 Million guarantee in 2019!
The Main Event sits side by side with an additional 16 events, welcoming two brand new events, including a $330 ($300 + $30) Crazy Pineapple and the Sydney Champs NLH Cup running over six days including four starting days for just $500 ($450 + $50).
EVENT 1 | Monster Stack (Freezeout) |
DAY 1A | 5.15PM Thu, 11 Jul |
LATE REGO | Approx. 7:35PM |
DAY 1B | 12.30PM Fri, 12 Jul |
LATE REGO | Approx. 2:50PM |
DAY 2 | 12.30PM Sat, 13 Jul |
DAY 3 | 12.30PM Sun, 14 Jul |
BUY-IN | $1,100 ($1,000 + $100)^ |
STARTING STACK | 50,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 30 Minutes |
EVENT 2 | Short Deck (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 12.30PM Sun, 14 Jul |
DAY 2 | 5.15PM Mon, 15 Jul |
BUY-IN | $500 ($450+$50)^ |
STARTING STACK | 20,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 25 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 2:50PM |
EVENT 3 | Pineapple (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 6.15PM Mon, 15 Jul |
BUY-IN | $330 ($300+$30)^ |
STARTING STACK | 10,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 25 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 8:15PM |
EVENT 4 | Sydney Champs NLH Cup (Repechage) |
DAY 1A | 6.15PM Tues, 16 Jul |
LATE REGO | Approx. 8:35PM |
DAY 1B | 6.15PM Wed, 17 Jul |
LATE REGO | Approx. 8:35PM |
DAY 1C | 12.30PM Thurs, 18 Jul |
LATE REGO | Approx. 2:50PM |
DAY 1D | 12.30PM Fri, 19 Jul |
LATE REGO | Approx. 2:50PM |
DAY 2 | 12.30PM Sat, 20 Jul |
DAY 3 | 4.00PM Sun, 21 Jul |
BUY-IN | $500 ($450+$50)^ |
STARTING STACK | 15,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 40 Minutes |
EVENT 5 | Ladies Event (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 2.15PM Sun, 21 Jul |
DAY 2 | 5.15PM Mon, 22 Jul |
BUY-IN | $330 ($300+$30)^ |
STARTING STACK | 10,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 25 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 4:15PM |
EVENT 6 | Turbo (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 6.15PM Mon, 22 Jul |
BUY-IN | $440 ($400+$40)^ |
STARTING STACK | 6,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 20 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 8:35PM |
EVENT 7 | Teams NLH (Freezeout) |
DAY 1 | 6.15PM Tue, 23 Jul |
BUY-IN | $500 ($450+$50)^ |
STARTING STACK | 8,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 20 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 7:55PM |
EVENT 8 | Masters Tournament 50+ Years (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 12.30PM Wed, 24 Jul |
DAY 2 | 5.15PM Thu, 25 Jul |
BUY-IN | $440 ($400+$40)^ |
STARTING STACK | 10,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 30 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 2:50PM |
EVENT 9 | Mixed PLO/NLH (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 6.15PM Thu, 25 Jul |
DAY 2 | 5.15PM Fri, 26 Jul |
BUY-IN | $550 ($500+$50)^ |
STARTING STACK | 10,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 25 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 8:15PM |
EVENT 10 | $5K Challenge (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 2.15PM Fri, 26 Jul |
DAY 2 | 2.15PM Sat, 27 Jul |
BUY-IN | $5,000 ($4,750+$250)^ |
STARTING STACK | 25,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 45 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 9:50PM |
EVENT 11 | 6 Max (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 12.30PM Sun, 28 Jul |
DAY 2 | 12.30PM Mon, 29 Jul |
BUY-IN | $1,100 ($1,000+$100)^ |
STARTING STACK | 15,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 40 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 4:50PM |
EVENT 12 | Omaha (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 12.30PM Mon, 29 Jul |
DAY 2 | 5.15PM Tues, 30 Jul |
BUY-IN | $550 ($500+$50)^ |
STARTING STACK | 10,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 30 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 2:50PM |
EVENT 13 | High Roller (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 2.15PM Wed, 31 Jul |
DAY 2 | 2.15PM Thu, 1 Aug |
BUY-IN | $20,000 ($19,000+$1,000)^ |
STARTING STACK | 50,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 45 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 9:50PM |
EVENT 14 | Main Event (Repechage) |
DAY 1A | 12.30PM Fri, 2 Aug |
DAY 1B | 12.30PM Sat, 3 Aug |
DAY 2 | 12.30PM Sun, 4 Aug |
DAY 3 | 12.30PM Mon, 5 Aug |
BUY-IN | $3,000 ($2,800 + $200)^ |
STARTING STACK | 30,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 60 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 4:50PM |
EVENT 15 | Crazy Pineapple (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 8.15PM Sat, 3 Aug |
DAY 2 | 5.15PM Sun, 4 Aug |
BUY-IN | $330 ($300+$30)^ |
STARTING STACK | 10,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 25 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 10:40PM |
EVENT 16 | 6 Max PLO (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 6.15PM Sun, 4 Aug |
DAY 2 | 5.15PM Mon, 5 Aug |
BUY-IN | $1,650 ($1,500+$150)^ |
STARTING STACK | 25,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 45 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 11:15PM |
EVENT 17 | Bounty (Re-Entry) |
DAY 1 | 12.30PM Mon, 5 Aug |
BUY-IN | $550 ($400+$100+$50)^ |
STARTING STACK | 10,000 |
BLIND LEVELS | 30 Minutes |
LATE REGO | Approx. 2:50PM |
Main Event Super Satellites - 40 Seat GTD* Final Week Countdown:
The Star Sydney Champs for the first time in 2019 is offering a total of 40 Main Event seats over six satellites in the final week of the series! The six Main Event Satellites from Tuesday 30 July - Friday 2 August, offer a combined 40 seat guarantee, that will count down from the 40 seats as each satellite happens with all remaining seats to be won at the Friday, 2 August 6.15PM satellite!
Satellites included
Tuesday, 30 July - 12:30pm
Wednesday, 31 July - 12:30pm & 6:15pm
Thursday, 1 August - 12:30pm & 6:15pm
Friday, 2 August - 6:15pm
Tournament Conditions apply. *40 seat guarantee is across the combined 6 Main Event Super Satellites on Tuesday 30 July 2019, Wednesday 31 July 2019, Thursday 1 August 2019 and Friday 2 August 2019. To enter any Star Poker tournament, you must be aged 18 years or over and a member of The Star Club. ^Buy-in non-refundable less than five days prior to the tournament, except at The Star’s discretion or if the tournament is cancelled. Think! About your choices. Call Gambling Help 1800 858 858 www.gamblinghelp.nsw.gov.au The Star Pty Limited.