button in SafariJordan Batis Tops Day 1c of Aussie Millions Main Event
As expected, Day 1c of the $10,600 Aussie Millions Main Event proved to be the largest of the starting flights, with an additional 320 entrants making their way inside the Crown Casino to chase poker glory in the Aussie Millions Poker Championship 2026 Presented by CrownBet.
When added with 200 from Day 1a and 186 from Day 1b, the Main Event is now up to 706 entries with two levels of late registration still available on Day 2. A last-minute surge could push this year's Main Event to over 800 entrants and will likely knock on the door of the 822-entry record set in 2019.
Leading the way of the 234 remaining players is Jordan Batis, who managed to end with 271,500 after six levels of play. He is followed closely by fellow Aussies Andrew White (252,900) and Dale Bryan (231,600) in second and third place, respectively.
Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan Batis | Australia | 271,500 |
| 2 | Andrew White | Australia | 252,900 |
| 3 | Dale Bryan | Australia | 231,600 |
| 4 | Steven Zhou | Australia | 224,000 |
| 5 | Adrian Wenger | Australia | 218,000 |
| 6 | Jia Chi Li | Taiwan | 214,900 |
| 7 | Robert Salter | Australia | 213,100 |
| 8 | Gautam Dhingra | Australia | 195,300 |
| 9 | Stevan Chew | Australia | 190,500 |
| 10 | Song Ki Cho | Australia | 188,100 |
Several other notables who fared well on Day 1c include Troy Sweet (157,900), Timothy Jenkins (148,700), Kahle Burns (125,300), Tony Hachem (101,300), and David Yan (86,100).
Despite a somewhat muted start, typical of Day 1's with deep structures, Michael Gathy produced one of the most memorable hands of the day after flopping a straight flush with Q♣10♣ against Greg Sly. Gathy fast-played his monster holding and extracted a couple streets of value, but Sly folded on the river and Gathy couldn't help but show the goods. Gathy went on to have a stellar day and ultimately tripled his starting stack to 180,000 by the end.
Also faring well was $25k Challenge champion Andy Lee, who enjoyed a productive first six levels and bagged just outside the top ten with a stack worth 184,600. Following his victory, Lee explained it is his dream to win the Aussie Millions Main Event and is already off to a stellar start in pursuit of that goal.
Several former champions and high-profile pros remained active throughout the day, including Poker Hall of Famer John Juanda, who battled with a short stack for much of the evening. Juanda briefly extended his tournament life after rivering a pair to double through Batis in a dominated ace-versus-ace confrontation, but his comeback attempt ultimately fell short near the end of the night as he was eliminated before bagging.
Others notables who ran poorly and were eliminated before the end of play include Johan Lees, Luke Martinelli, John Perry, Michael Wang, Joseph Antar, Joe Sandaev, and Spencer Davies — who busted shortly before Day 1c ended after shoving with king-jack only to run into Ricky Vikas' Big Slick.
Remaining Main Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Start Time | Level Duration | Late Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | Thursday, May 7 | 12:30 p.m. | 90 minutes | Start of Level 9 |
| Day 3 | Friday, May 8 | 12:30 p.m. | 90 minutes | — |
| Day 4 | Saturday, May 9 | 12:30 p.m. | 90 minutes | — |
| Final Day | Sunday, May 10 | 2:30 p.m. | 90 minutes | — |
Day 2 is set to get underway on Thursday, May 7 at 12:30 p.m. local time, with the surviving players from all three opening flights returning to continue their Main Event run. Play will resume in Level 7, which features blinds of 500/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante. Seven more 90-minute levels are scheduled to be played before Day 2 wraps up.
Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 9, meaning the field is expected to grow even further before the prize pool and official numbers are finalized. With 706 entries already recorded and the 822-entry modern-era record within reach, all eyes will now turn to whether the 2026 Aussie Millions Main Event can produce one of the largest fields in the festival’s storied history.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for continuing coverage of the Aussie Millions Main Event as the road to the final table rolls on.