Crown Casino in Melbourne has released the full schedule for the 2013 Aussie Millions tournament series, traditionally the biggest annual live poker event in the southern hemisphere.

The Aussie Millions was first played in 1998, and has since grown into a major stop on the international tournament calendar, with scores of pros rallying to Australia to join the festivities every year.

The list of Aussie Millions champions counts players like Gus Hansen, Aleksander Kostritsyn, David Gorr and most recently Oliver Speidel, while numerous stars like Erik Seidel, Annette Obrestad, Chris Moorman, Sorel Mizzi and Peter Jetten have made final tables over the past few years.

For the 2013 edition, the Aussie Millions will kick off on January 17, running till February 3. All in all, a total of 26 events are on the schedule, with organizers expecting as much as 4,000 poker players to travel to Melbourne during the events.

Among those who will be sure to make it to Melbourne is Gus Hansen, who has been playing in the series every year since he won the 2007 Main Event for a $1,500,000 first prize.

"It's the place I keep coming back to, for the poker, the Australian Open tennis, the atmosphere, the staff and the Australian people," Hansen said, according to a press release.

"The exquisite effort by Crown to make it a great event for the novice, the aspiring amateur and the high stakes pro keeps you coming back time after time," he added.

Apart from the $10,000 Main Event - set to begin on January 27 - the 2013 Aussie Millions will also offer several high roller tournaments, with buy-ins ranging from $25,000 to $250,000.

For an overview of the full schedule, see the Aussie Millions website.