button in SafariLast Chance to Register the $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event
After four opening flights of the $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event, the prize pool has grown to AUD 1,375,000 with 625 entries recorded this week at Crown Melbourne. That number will continue to grow today, as the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship series continues with Day 2 at 12:30 p.m. local time.
A total of 250 players are still in contention, and they will be joined by new entrants as late registration remains open through the first level of the day. From there, it will be a race to the money bubble as contenders look to set up a deep run before a winner is determined on Tuesday, October 27.
Just two players will return to their seats with more than 100 big blinds in their stacks, led by Samuel Cheng (420,500) after pacing the field on Day 1c. Sitting close behind is fellow Australian Wadih Barbara (414,500), who ran away with the chip lead in the second flight of the week.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Cheng | Australia | 420,500 | 105 |
| 2 | Wadih Barbara | Australia | 414,500 | 104 |
| 3 | Tom McMahon | Australia | 392,000 | 98 |
| 4 | Chin Chan | Australia | 384,500 | 96 |
| 5 | Yixian Wang | Australia | 384,500 | 96 |
| 6 | Jonathan Braude | Australia | 382,000 | 96 |
| 7 | Farhad Mohajerani | Australia | 373,000 | 93 |
| 8 | Mario Doria | Australia | 365,000 | 91 |
| 9 | Hongbo Ju | Australia | 354,000 | 89 |
| 10 | Jeapeng Kang | Australia | 342,500 | 86 |
Other big stacks include Day 1a chip leader Tom McMahon (392,000), along with Jonathan Braude (382,000) sitting just outside the overall top five after leading the final flight.
Among the familiar faces still in contention are Martin Kozlov (251,000), Higor Seibel (245,000), Dean Blatt (208,500) and Sam Higgs (184,000).
Looking a little further down the leaderboard reveals more notable names, such as Randy Lew (168,500), Joshua McSwiney (151,500) and Martin Finger (132,500).
Gary Benson (99,000) and Joe Hachem (63,500) return among the short stacks in the field, looking to build up their stacks for a shot at making the money as the day progresses.
Action will resume on Level 13, with blinds of 2,000/4,000 along with a 4,000 big blind ante. Levels will now extend to 60 minutes in duration for the remainder of the tournament, leaving one more hour of late registration available.
Players are limited to a single entry on Day 2, and the first break of the day will follow the end of the opening level. Remaining breaks will then occur after every two hours of play, and all players that find a second bag will return for Day 3 on Monday, October 26.
Returning contenders will also receive four additional time bank cards to begin the day, with the chance to earn three more time banks upon reaching the final table.
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Full prize pool and payout information will be confirmed after late registration closes, and the PokerNews team will continue to provide full coverage so don't miss a moment of the action at Crown Melbourne.