button in SafariMartinelli Leads; Wan Seeking Third Aussie Millions Title in $5,000 Challenge
Welcome back for the third and final day of the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Challenge here at the Aussie Millions Poker Championship 2026 Presented by CrownBet. What began with 464 entrants has been whittled down to just 26 hopefuls chasing Aussie Millions glory. They will return at 12:30 p.m. local time and play down until just one person is left holding all the chips.
Leading the charge is Aussie Luke Martinelli, who bagged an enourmous stack worth 14,200,000 last night — more than 30 big blinds more than his next closest competitor, Corey Kempson, who ended a distant second with 9,125,000.
Nathan Ong rounded out the podium spots with 7,900,000, but sitting just below him in the fourth spot is 2020 Aussie Millions Main Event Champion Vincent Wan with 7,725,000. In addition to being the last person to win the Aussie Millions Main Event, Wan also won an $1,100 No Limit Hold'em event in the 2008 edition of the iconic series after besting a 527-entry field and besting now retired poker phenom Mike McDonald heads up for $142,302 AUD — his second largest score to date.
Start of Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke Martinelli | Australia | 14,200,000 | 95 |
| 2 | Corey Kempson | Australia | 9,125,000 | 61 |
| 3 | Nathan Ong | Australia | 7,900,000 | 53 |
| 4 | Vincent Wan | Hong Kong | 7,725,000 | 52 |
| 5 | Xiaosheng Zheng | China | 7,175,000 | 48 |
| 6 | Kahle Burns | Australia | 6,325,000 | 42 |
| 7 | Thijs Hilberts | Netherlands | 5,875,000 | 39 |
| 8 | Joseph Antar | Australia | 5,825,000 | 39 |
| 9 | Jian Ting Cai | China | 5,675,000 | 38 |
| 10 | Billy Argyros | Australia | 4,925,000 | 33 |
Other notables still in the hunts include Kahle Burns (6,325,000), Billy "The Croc" Argyros (4,925,000), Michael Gathy (3,500,000), Joe Hachem (1,875,000), and Jennifer Cassell, who is the last woman remaining in the event and will bring 2,475,000 to work with.
Everyone remaining has already secured a payout of at least $13,445 AUD. However, a cool $482,405 AUD awaits the eventual champion. Here's a look at the remaining payouts:
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Payout | Place | Payout (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $482,405 | 10–11 | $ 32,015 |
| 2 | $290,280 | 12–13 | $ 26,680 |
| 3 | $188,895 | 14–15 | $ 23,050 |
| 4 | $141,725 | 16–17 | $ 19,850 |
| 5 | $108,955 | 18–20 | $ 17,715 |
| 6 | $87,510 | 21–23 | $ 15,580 |
| 7 | $72,570 | 24–26 | $ 13,445 |
| 8 | $57,630 | ||
| 9 | $43,755 |
As aforementioned, action is set to get underway at 12:30 p.m. local time. Play will resume on Level 22, which features 75,000/150,000 blinds with a 150,000 big blind ante. Levels will remain 60 minutes each and a full redraw will occur once the field reaches the final two tables and again at the final table.
Live stream footage of the event can be found on the Crown Resorts YouTube page here on a 30-minute delay.
With a commanding chip leader, plenty of notables, and nearly half a million awaiting the last player standing, the final day of the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Challenge is primed for a memorable finish. Be sure to keep it with PokerNews for all the latest until a champion is crowned.