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The first of four opening flights in the $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event has concluded, with 91 entries taking part at the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship series.
That saw the prize pool climb just over $200,000, with that number primed to grow rapidly over the next few days at Crown Melbourne. In the end, just 32 players advanced out of the first flight, booking their spot in Day 2 on October 25.
Late charges from Tom McMahon (392,000) and Jeapeng Kang (342,500) saw them ascend to the top of the Day 1a chip counts, building more than five starting stacks to carry forward for the rest of the week.
Shouzheng Hu (323,000) rounds out the top three on the leaderboard after making a steady climb and maintaining his position in the final levels.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom McMahon | Australia | 392,000 | 98 |
| 2 | Jeapeng Kang | Australia | 342,500 | 86 |
| 3 | Shouzheng Hu | Australia | 323,000 | 81 |
| 4 | Domenico Zappia | Italy | 307,000 | 77 |
| 5 | Hossein Ahwazi | Australia | 272,000 | 68 |
| 6 | Martin Nicol | Australia | 265,500 | 66 |
| 7 | Matthew Wakeman | Australia | 253,000 | 63 |
| 8 | Andrew Freer | Australia | 235,000 | 59 |
| 9 | Michael Tomeny | United States | 232,000 | 58 |
| 10 | Akram Marcus | Australia | 220,000 | 55 |
Big Hands All Day Long
Among the notable names to join the field was Dean Blatt, who earned a big score earlier this year when he finished runner-up in the $10,600 Aussie Millions Main Event. Blatt was back at Crown Melbourne, but was caught in a cooler and could not recover.
Kanaan Youkhanna was also at that Aussie Millions Main Event final table earning a seventh-place finish, and he managed to survive the opening flight with 91,000 chips.
It was a quick start for Jordan Batis (192,500), who busted Stephen Panourakis with a superior straight to begin his climb up the leaderboard. Another notable name was Michael Tomeny (232,000), who turned trips to secure a knockout while collecting a bunch of new chips.
Another cooler saw Domenico Zappia (307,000) find a late-night boost when a big river helped him crack pocket kings, while Matthew Wakeman (253,000) used kings to score a double-knockout and finish inside the top ten.
Wakeman sits just ahead of Andrew Freer (235,000), who won a flip on the final few hands of the night to gain ground while sending Phil Truong to the rail.
The second starting flight begins at 12:10 p.m. local time on October 22, where a new group of hopefuls will take their seats looking to navigate through the first 12 levels of play.
Players will once again start with 60,000 chips, battling through 40-minute levels with blinds beginning at 100/200 and a 200 big blind ante. Breaks will pause the clock for 15 minutes after every three levels are completed, and those who bag will join the 32 survivors on Sunday, October 25.
Action is just getting started in the $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event, so be sure to follow the PokerNews updates throughout the remainder of the series here at Crown Melbourne.
