Fresh off victory in the A$1,500 Opening Event, Joshua Duce is in position for another triumph at the 2026 Aussie Millions Poker Championship Presented by CrownBet, as he leads the final 49 players in the A$2,500 NLHE.
Duce bagged 819,000 chips, good for 82 big blinds when play resumes, putting him firmly in top spot to become the first player of the series to capture two titles.
Jordan Tentori (564,000) and Ronan Hanley (514,000) sit second and third in chips respectively, with Paris Sitzoukis (513,000) and Dean Blatt (503,000) also returning with healthy stacks above the 50 big blind mark.
Several familiar names remain in the field, including Weiran Pu (236,000), who sits in the middle of the pack, and H.O.R.S.E. champion Sascha Manns (231,000), who is looking to add a second title of his own this series.
Others still in contention include Tomas Szwarcberg (177,000), Stevan Chew (138,000), and Matthew Wakeman (111,000), all of whom will be looking to navigate the early stages and secure a payout.
The A$2,500 NLHE once again drew a strong turnout, with 342 entries building a prize pool of A$769,500. Just 49 players remain, and with 44 spots paid, only five eliminations are needed before the money bubble bursts. Those who survive will lock up a A$4,695 min-cash, while the eventual winner will walk away with the A$179,665 top prize.
Play resumes at 12:30 p.m. local time, with blinds at 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante.
Day 2 Chip Counts
| Name | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|
| Joshua Duce | 819,000 | 82 |
| Jordan Tentori | 564,000 | 56 |
| Ronan Hanley | 514,000 | 51 |
| Paris Sitzoukis | 513,000 | 51 |
| Dean Blatt | 503,000 | 50 |
| John Lane | 495,000 | 50 |
| Christopher Lee | 477,000 | 48 |
| Banipal Babana | 458,000 | 46 |
| Armon Van Wijk | 452,000 | 45 |
| Jianting Cai | 432,000 | 43 |
| Anders Christiansen | 421,000 | 42 |
| Jiaxu Chen | 397,000 | 40 |
| Michael Tchong | 380,000 | 38 |
| Pranav Bhatt | 380,000 | 38 |
| Diego Silva | 372,000 | 37 |
| Hai Yang | 361,000 | 36 |
| Chenyang Huang | 350,000 | 35 |
| Kelvin Li | 324,000 | 32 |
| Hao Zhang | 297,000 | 30 |
| Angel Guillen | 295,000 | 30 |
| Joseph Antar | 291,000 | 29 |
| Timothy Jenkins | 290,000 | 29 |
| Lachlan Crilly | 277,000 | 28 |
| Oliver Yu | 262,000 | 26 |
| Weiran Pu | 236,000 | 24 |
| Sascha Manns | 231,000 | 23 |
| Robert Damelian | 227,000 | 23 |
| Ming Yao Leam | 224,000 | 22 |
| Jongjun Park | 198,000 | 20 |
| Tomas Szwarcberg | 177,000 | 18 |
| Calvin Hoang | 174,000 | 17 |
| Mudit Malhotra | 172,000 | 17 |
| Ken Doi | 170,000 | 17 |
| Michael O'Grady | 168,000 | 17 |
| Fabrice Fokchak | 152,000 | 15 |
| Milan Stojilovic | 147,000 | 15 |
| William Jia | 140,000 | 14 |
| Rahul Rastogi | 140,000 | 14 |
| Stevan Chew | 138,000 | 14 |
| Liang Chen | 136,000 | 14 |
| Sang Hong | 131,000 | 13 |
| Noman Mirza | 128,000 | 13 |
| Itsuki Aburattani | 128,000 | 13 |
| Sal Fazzino | 122,000 | 12 |
| Paawan Bansal | 122,000 | 12 |
| Matthew Wakeman | 111,000 | 11 |
| Liam Jehu | 86,000 | 9 |
| Hamish Crawshaw | 86,000 | 9 |
| Hayato Kitajima | 70,000 | 7 |
Payouts
| Place | Payout |
|---|
| 1 | $179,665 |
| 2 | $108,115 |
| 3 | $69,870 |
| 4 | $53,480 |
| 5 | $39,245 |
| 6 | $31,550 |
| 7 | $26,165 |
| 8 | $21,160 |
| 9 | $16,930 |
| 10 - 11 | $13,080 |
| 12 - 13 | $10,235 |
| 14 - 15 | $8,620 |
| 16 - 17 | $7,695 |
| 18 - 20 | $6,925 |
| 21 - 23 | $6,155 |
| 24 -26 | $5,615 |
| 27 - 35 | $5,080 |
| 36 - 44 | $4,695 |
Day 2 Seat Draw
| Table | Seat | Name | Chip Count |
|---|
| 25 | 1 | Noman Mirza | 128,000 |
| 25 | 2 | Ronan Hanley | 514,000 |
| 25 | 3 | -EMPTY- | |
| 25 | 4 | Itsuki Aburattani | 128,000 |
| 25 | 5 | -EMPTY- | |
| 25 | 6 | Jordan Tentori | 564,000 |
| 25 | 7 | Fabrice Fokchak | 152,000 |
| 25 | 8 | Ken Doi | 170,000 |
| 25 | 9 | Joshua Duce | 819,000 |
| | | | |
| 26 | 1 | Christopher Lee | 477,000 |
| 26 | 2 | Tomas Szwarcberg | 177,000 |
| 26 | 3 | Milan Stojilovic | 147,000 |
| 26 | 4 | John Lane | 495,000 |
| 26 | 5 | Jiaxu Chen | 397,000 |
| 26 | 6 | Hao Zhang | 297,000 |
| 26 | 7 | Liang Chen | 136,000 |
| 26 | 8 | Dean Blatt | 503,000 |
| 26 | 9 | Sal Fazzino | 122,000 |
| | | | |
| 27 | 1 | Liam Jehu | 86,000 |
| 27 | 2 | William Jia | 140,000 |
| 27 | 3 | Michael Tchong | 380,000 |
| 27 | 4 | Matthew Wakeman | 111,000 |
| 27 | 5 | Lachlan Crilly | 277,000 |
| 27 | 6 | Diego Silva | 372,000 |
| 27 | 7 | Sascha Manns | 231,000 |
| 27 | 8 | Mudit Malhotra | 172,000 |
| 27 | 9 | -EMPTY- | |
| | | | |
| 28 | 1 | Timothy Jenkins | 290,000 |
| 28 | 2 | Rahul Rastogi | 140,000 |
| 28 | 3 | Paris Sitzoukis | 513,000 |
| 28 | 4 | Weiran Pu | 236,000 |
| 28 | 5 | Kelvin Li | 324,000 |
| 28 | 6 | Calvin Hoang | 174,000 |
| 28 | 7 | Hamish Crawshaw | 86,000 |
| 28 | 8 | Stevan Chew | 138,000 |
| 28 | 9 | Jianting Cai | 432,000 |
| | | | |
| 29 | 1 | Hayato Kitajima | 70,000 |
| 29 | 2 | Armon Van Wijk | 452,000 |
| 29 | 3 | Sang Hong | 131,000 |
| 29 | 4 | Michael O'Grady | 168,000 |
| 29 | 5 | Ming Yao Leam | 224,000 |
| 29 | 6 | Joseph Antar | 291,000 |
| 29 | 7 | Chenyang Huang | 350,000 |
| 29 | 8 | Robert Damelian | 227,000 |
| 29 | 9 | Jongjun Park | 198,000 |
| | | | |
| 30 | 1 | Hai Yang | 361,000 |
| 30 | 2 | Paawan Bansal | 122,000 |
| 30 | 3 | Angel Guillen | 295,000 |
| 30 | 4 | Banipal Babana | 458,000 |
| 30 | 5 | Oliver Yu | 262,000 |
| 30 | 6 | Pranav Bhatt | 380,000 |
| 30 | 7 | Anders Christiansen | 421,000 |
| 30 | 8 | -EMPTY- | |
| 30 | 9 | -EMPTY- | |
button in Safari
