button in SafariPrize Pool Set to Cross $500,000 on Day 1c of $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event
The first two days of the $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event have produced plenty of exciting action at Crown Melbourne, and the third of four opening flights should continue that trend today.
As two more champions will be crowned in other events at the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship later tonight, players will once again be battling for a spot in Day 2 and a shot at pieces of the growing prize pool. With 217 entries to this point, the total purse has climbed close to A$500,000 and will easily surpass that in the early levels of the day.
Action will begin at 12:10 p.m. local time, with another 12 levels on the schedule for Day 1c. That will be followed by the final flight on Saturday, October 24 before the remaining field combines the next day.
The two chip leaders from their respective flights sit atop the overall standings, led by Wadih Barbara (414,500) after pacing the field by a wide margin on Day 1b. Tom McMahon (392,000) collected the most chips on Day 1a, sitting in second place before play gets underway today.
Overall Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadih Barbara | Australia | 414,500 | 104 |
| 2 | Tom McMahon | Australia | 392,000 | 98 |
| 3 | Jeapeng Kang | Australia | 342,500 | 86 |
| 4 | Shouzheng Hu | Australia | 323,000 | 81 |
| 5 | Jyrki Hilakari | Australia | 310,500 | 78 |
| 6 | Domenico Zappia | Italy | 307,000 | 77 |
| 7 | Brett MacDonald | Australia | 292,000 | 73 |
| 8 | Joshua Abady | United States | 282,000 | 71 |
| 9 | Hossein Ahwazi | Australia | 272,000 | 68 |
| 10 | Martin Nicol | Australia | 265,500 | 66 |
Several notable hometown names have already qualified for Day 2, including Matthew Wakeman (253,000), Michael Tomeny (232,000), Chris Kokkinos (186,500), Van Marcus (127,000) and Amin Riyazati (115,500).
Brazil's Higor Seibel (245,000) also earned a bag, alongside Randy Lew (168,500) after both advanced from Day 1b.
Starting stacks of 60,000 chips will be waiting at the tables for each player, as blinds begin at 100/200 along with a 200 big blind ante. Four time banks will also be distributed from the start, and additional 30-second cards available when contenders bag up for the night.
All opening flights see 40-minute levels being contested, extending to 60 minutes on Day 2. Breaks will occur after every two hours of play, and the clock will be pause to play the final hands once the end of Level 12 has been reached.
The final field of Day 1 survivors will join together on Sunday, October 25, battling into the money and determining a final table to be played out on Tuesday, October 27.
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The PokerNews team continues to provide full coverage, so be sure to stay tuned and follow all of the action on the way to determining a champion at Crown Melbourne.