Aussie Millions Cash Game Invitational Review

The Aussie Millions Cash Game Invitational is an average production, but it's still well worth watching, as it's a high-stakes cash game. I give it four-stars.

The show's greatest weakness is that it doesn't show all the hole cards. Fox Sports and Full Tilt Poker have done plenty of shows that show all the hole cards, and automated hole-card-graphic generation systems can result in lower costs and a better product, so I hope it's only a matter of time before all shows show all the hole cards.

Like most poker shows, this one could use more onscreen information; the action (bet/call/raise and amount) would be a good start. Another weakness is that they spend too much time on interviews and a golf segment. The show is also an invitational: I'd prefer they film a real game that anyone could show up for (like Cash Poker or Live at the Bike).

One advantage of this show over HSP and Cash Poker is that they show the players' profit/loss for the session. That's something that viewers are constantly speculating about, so it's obviously of value to us. They should additionally tell us how much the players bought in for however.

Michael Konik isn't one of the most highly-regarded announcers, but he's not the worst either. He didn't seem to be at his best in the first episode of this show, however, as I noticed some errors: he missed Kagawa's gutshot outs on one hand, and mischaracterized the size of a river bet in another instance.

I'd rank Aussie Millions Cash Game Invitational slightly lower than High Stakes Poker or Cash Poker, which are probably my two favorite poker shows on TV right now. I do hope that the quality of poker shows on TV improves enough in the future, however, that just being an average cash game broadcast isn't enough to earn a four-star rating.