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Yesterday saw 200 entries, and ten minutes into the second level of the 2026 Aussie Millions Main Event the tournament clock shows 131 of 134 entries remaining.
.Be sure to check out the live updates exclusively here on PokerNews
2026 Aussie Millions Poker Championship
Daily Tournament Highlights
Day: live
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Just nine players remain in the $25,000 Challenge, with each player guaranteed $75,265.
The chip leader is Kei Tanaka with more than double his nearest competitor Andy Lee. Play resumes shortly, with the action available on live stream at around 3 p.m.
You can stay up to date with all the live updates right here on PokerNews.
$25,000 Challenge Final Table Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Egan | 3,650,000 |
| 2 | Hieu Nguyen | 1,260,000 |
| 3 | Matthew Wakeman | 3,950,000 |
| 4 | Joe Sandaev | 2,300,000 |
| 5 | Andy Lee | 4,160,000 |
| 6 | Aaron Li | 2,080,000 |
| 7 | Josh Hutchins | 1,850,000 |
| 8 | Kei Tanaka | 8,450,000 |
| 9 | Luke Martinelli | 1,705,000 |
Just 47 players remain in the $1,500 PLO and they are led by Bruce King with 1,239,000 in chips. He is one of only two players with seven-figure stacks, the other being Kiko Puyat (1,010,000).
Last night a player was eliminated on the very last hand, bursting the bubble and guaranteeing the remaining players a $2,715 payout. Play resumes at 2:30 p.m. local time and plays down to a winner.
$1,500 PLO Final Table Payouts
| Place | Payout |
|---|---|
| 1 | $113,395 |
| 2 | $68,665 |
| 3 | $44,705 |
| 4 | $33,590 |
| 5 | $25,690 |
| 6 | $20,750 |
| 7 | $16,795 |
| 8 | $13,340 |
| 9 | $10,375 |
$1,500 PLO Day 2 Seating Draw
Cards are in the air on Day 1b of the Aussie Millions Main Event.
You can follow the live updates here with the tournament clock showing 59 entries so far.
Late registration remains open until the start of Day 2.
Day 1b of the 2026 Aussie Millions Main Event kicks off Tuesday's action here in Melbourne, with six more 90-minute levels.
Yesterday saw 136 players advance from a field of 200, and although a slightly smaller field is expected today, you can still catch all the updates right here on PokerNews.
Meanwhile, live coverage of the $25,000 Challenge continues with nine players returning for Day 3. Kei Tanaka leads the final table with A$652,670 awaiting the winner.
At 2:10 p.m. Event #13: $4,000 Teams Event NLHE/PLO kicks off, followed at 2:30 p.m. by Day 2 of Event #12: $1,500 PLO, with 47 players returning from a field of 380. The field is guaranteed A$2,715 with the winner walking away with A$113,395.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for a full recap of the first starting flight in the 2026 Aussie Millions Main Event.
Final flight numbers were confirmed, with the tournament clock showing 200 entries and 136 players advancing.
Day 1b starts at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5 with six more 90-minute levels scheduled.
In total there were 380 players in Event #12: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha, and 47 places will be paid.
A min-cash is worth $2,715, all the way up to the title, trophy and $113,395 in prize money. The tournament is currently in Level 10, with 15 scheduled for Day 1.
The tournament clock shows 137 players remaining. PokerNews will bring you full details of those advancing.
| Place | Payout (AUD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $113,395 |
| 2 | $68,665 |
| 3 | $44,705 |
| 4 | $33,590 |
| 5 | $25,690 |
| 6 | $20,750 |
| 7 | $16,795 |
| 8 | $13,340 |
Ten players remain in the $25,000 Challenge and it's been confirmed they'll be heading into an extra day, once the next player is eliminated.
Players are currently on a short break, and you can follow along to how that one concludes on the live updates page.
Congratulations to Libby Thomson, who topped a 91-player field to win Event #10: $2,500 8-Game.
She takes home $55,280 after defeating John Caridad heads-up, calling the tournament "an enjoyable experience", riding a big stack through the latter stages to secure victory.
"When you have heaps of chips, you don't have to worry," she told PokerNews. "It's when you don't have a lot of chips [in 8-Game] that you're really struggling."
"At the start of the tournament I was getting nothing. Towards the end of the first day it got a bit better, but once you've got chips it's a lot less stressful and you can sit out for ages!"
Aussie Millions Event #10: $2,500 8-Game Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Libby Thomson | $55,280 |
| 2 | John Caridad | $34,295 |
| 3 | Peter Vratsidis | $22,535 |
| 4 | Darragh Curtin | $17,405 |
| 5 | Harris Soetinko | $13,820 |
| 6 | Antonio Seremet | $11,260 |
| 7 | Lucas Durante | $9,215 |
| 8 | Jiang Pu | $7,165 |
Thomson says she prefers 8-Game over the aggression shown in No-Limit Hold'em tournaments.
"In No-Limit you're just coming up against those aggressive players who are butchering you all the time. That's why in 8-Game you just have to be careful on the No Limit Hold'em one that you don't get put in when you don't want to."
With the Crown absolutely packed to the rafters with the start of the Main Event, Thomson says she's happy with her victory and considers it a "one and done" as she's off back home tonight.
"I mean, I had a hip replacement six weeks ago! I can't sit and play for and I can't do two or three days ago. My dream was always to play in the $10,000 Aussie Millions Main Event, but it would just be a waste of money. I wouldn't make it four days!
"This has just been such an enjoyable experience. The staff have been great and these days this is such a great venue."
Prior to the start of Day 1a in the Aussie Millions Main Event, tournament officials had predicted approximately 200 entries.
Well, the tournament clock currently shows 198 entries so far today, with 155 players remaining. They're now into their final level of the day and you can catch all the updates plus the end-of-day recap on the event page.
