Vladas Tamasauskas was forced all in from the big blind for his last 60,000 and Scott Stewart raised to 120,000 from the cutoff. Everyone else folded to set up a showdown between Tamasauskas and Stewart.
Vladas Tamasauskas: 6♠4♦
Scott Stewart: A♥7♠
Tamasauskas turned his cards over one-by-one to find himself behind, but at least had two live cards.
The 10♦J♥6♥ flop brought a six right in the window to pull Tamasauskas ahead, much to the chagrin of the onlookers looking to secure a spot in the money.
However, the dealer brought the A♣ on the turn — pairing Stewart's ace to retake a commanding lead in the hand.
The 9♦ river bricked out for Tamasauskas and he was forced to the rail one spot shy of the money.
That's the view of Randy Lew, whose last live cash came in the most recent Aussie Millions Main Event six years ago.
He also finished tenth in the same event back in 2011, and Lew says the 2026 event has exceeded his expectations already.
"I played the $5,000 Challenge which had over 400 entries which was pretty insane," he said. "I busted but had to jump back in with registration closing because it was just too big of a tournament for me to pass up.
"I'm very excited to see the Aussie Millions is back, and I have high hopes for everything."
Randy Lew at the 2020 Aussie Millions
With the Main Event previously being won by big names such as Bryn Kenney, Toby Lewis and of course Patrik Antonius, Lew says that the tournament had become a "staple" of the worldwide poker landscape.
"Obviously, there was this huge gap. But now it's back it's clearly thriving once again. I think a lot of the expectations were that with it coming back, it was going to be smaller. But it's phenomenal. I've been at the tables, everyone's happy, and the vibes are just as good as expected."
The Australian poker landscape has evolved onver the intervening years, with other tours and events flourishing acorss the country.
"People have just been itching to play," says Lew. "And with a big marquee festival like the Aussie Millions coming back, players are excited to have a real big one that a lot of players will come out especially for, including those around the world.
With 55 places paid and 61 players remaining, the money bubble is rapidly approaching in the Aussie Millions $5,000 Challenge.
Leading the way at this stage is 2020 Main Event champion Vincent Wan, with former WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem and overnight chip leader Corey Kempson all sitting towards the top of the counts.
Stay up to date with all the updates right here on PokerNews
In addition to the trophy and estimated seven-figures in prize money, the winner of the 2026 Aussie Millions Main Event will also receive this stunning ring.
Crafted by ANTON, Melbourne's #1 jewelers, the ring features the iconic Crown logo as well as heart, spade, club, and diamond emblems.
Who will be wearing the ring come the end of the Main Event? Stay tuned to PokerNews to find out!
The chip leaders are beginning to emerge in the $5,000 Challenge, with less than 90 players remaining. Just 55 places will be paid, with the leaders sitting comfortably on seven-figure stacks.
The overall chip leader appears to be Yu Hai Kee who cracked Kings with ace-eight suited in a massive spot to soar up the counts. Also sitting with healthy counts include overnight chip leader Corey Kempson and Japan's Masato Yokosawa.
Four-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael Gathy has fond memories of Melbourne, winning an Aussie Millions title back in 2019 in the $2,500 8 Game Mix for A$58,590.
Now he's back and among the international players jumping into the action here in Melbourne after the event's return.
Gathy has six Aussie Millions cashes including his 2019 victory, his largest cash coming in the 2018 $25,000 Challenge.
"The standard of play is probably a little bit worse than in the United States," says Gathy. "But they've caught up a lot since the last time I was here! Back then they were maybe five years behind where everyone else is.
"Now maybe it's only a year and a half."
The standard of play may have increased, but the size of the fields have as well.
"I thought it was going to be smaller," he admits. "But I'm super happy. I think because it's the first year back, some [international players] didn't know about it.
"The fields are big, but I'm sure next year it's going to be even bigger."
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