button in SafariSpencer Davies Leads the Final 20 of Aussie Millions Opening Event
The A$1,500 Opening Event at the 2026 Aussie Millions Poker Championship Presented by CrownBet is down to just 20 players after 11 full levels of action on Day 2 at Crown Melbourne.
A total of 355 players returned to the felt, headlined by WSOP Main Event champions Michael Mizrachi and Joe Hachem, with the first major milestone of the day being the race to the money bubble.
The top 268 players were guaranteed at least A$2,800, and the bubble burst during the second level of play. One player saw pocket aces cracked by ace-king, while another exited shortly after with ace-jack when two opponents both tabled pocket queens to send the field into the money.
Originally, the plan was to play down to the final table, but the sheer size of the field made that target unrealistic. Tournament staff instead confirmed that play would conclude after 11 levels, leaving a sizable group to return for the final push.
Several familiar faces picked up early payouts before heading to the rail. Mizrachi and Hachem were among the headline casualties, along with Aussie Millions ambassador Van Marcus. They were joined on the payout list by Vasilios "Croc" Argyros, Luke Martinelli, Martin Finger, Malcolm Trayner, Weiran Pu, four-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael Gathy, and reigning Aussie Millions Main Event champion Vincent Wan.
Davies Out Front With Commanding Chip Lead
Leading the charge into the final day is Spencer Davies, who bagged a commanding 11,250,000 chips, good for 90 big blinds. He is the only player to eclipse the 11-million mark and sits well clear of the chasing pack as he eyes the A$438,400 top prize from the A$2,787,200 prize pool.
Davies enters one of the biggest spot of his live tournament career. According to The Hendon Mob, he has recorded A$76,075 in lifetime earnings, with more than half of that total coming from a single result when he finished eighth in the 2022 WPTDeepStacks Sydney Main Event for A$52,655 ($39,400).
While Davies holds a clear advantage, Itsuki Aburattani (7,700,000) and Edison Chan (7,250,000) are the next closest challengers, rounding out the top three stacks heading into the final day. Earlier flight chip leaders have also continued their strong runs, with Day 1A leader Xin Li and Day 1B leader Subramanyah Vanaparthy both still firmly in contention.
With 20 players remaining, everyone left in the field has locked up A$16,500, but the biggest jumps are still to come. Reaching the final table guarantees at least A$44,000, while six-figure payouts begin from fifth place, where A$117,000 awaits.
Play resumes at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28 on Level 27, with blinds at 75,000/125,000 and a 125,000 big blind ante, as the remaining players return to battle for the first major title of the 2026 Aussie Millions.