The pot held more than 7,000 on the J♥K♣9♣ flop, and Jason Lee moved all in for his last 4,600. Moustafa Khalil made the call on his left, and the hands were turned up.
Jason Lee: Q♦J♣ 
Moustafa Khalil: A♦K♦
Khalil revealed top pair, but the Q♠ turn gave Lee two pair. The 8♣ river was a blank, confirming Lee's double-up through Khalil.
Adrian DiGirolamo raised to 1,200 in the cutoff before Shouzheng Hu tossed out a three-bet to 3,500 on the button. Van Mai called in the small blind, and DiGirolamo also came along to the 9♣J♣10♠ flop.
All three players declined to bet, and the dealer revealed the A♠ turn. Mai and DiGirolamo checked once more, with Hu firing 3,000 into the middle.
That produced folds from both opponents, and Hu tabled A♥K♠ while picking up the pot.
Action continues in the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship series, with the first of four starting flights getting underway to open Event #12: $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event.
Players will take their seats inside the Crown Melbourne tournament room at 12:10 p.m. local time, where Day 1a kicks off with the first 12 levels to be completed today.
Opening flights continue through Saturday, October 24, and the tournament features a single reentry for each Day 1. Late registration will remain open through the first level of Day 2 on Sunday, October 25, with one additional reentry available that day.
The series has already seen notable Australian poker star Joe Hachem take down Event #9: $1,250 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo for only the seventh victory of his long career. Hachem defeated Chi Troung heads-up, topping a 48-player field to earn A$16,000, at a final table that also featured Billy "The Croc" Argyros.
| Place | Player | Prize (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Hachem | $16,000 |
| 2 | Chi Troung | $10,300 |
| 3 | Perry Jeffs | $6,700 |
| 4 | Michal Jalc | $5,200 |
| 5 | Jim Chahoud | $4,100 |
| 6 | Simon Chahine | $3,600 |
| 7 | Billy Argyros | $3,100 |
| 8 | Benjamin Pockett | $2,600 |
Players will sit down with starting stacks of 60,000 chips, facing blinds of 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante at the start of Day 1a. Levels will begin at 40 minutes in duration before extending to 60 minutes from Day 2 onwards. Breaks will occur after every two hours of play, and the day will conclude after the first 12 levels have been completed.
All contenders will receive four time bank cards upon taking their seats, with four additional time banks handed out at the start of Day 2. Players can then earn three added time banks upon reaching the final table.
The field of Day 1 survivors will combine on Sunday, October 25, looking to find two more bags before earning a spot among the final nine. The winner will be determined on Tuesday, October 27, marking the final day of the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship series.
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 2 | 200 | 300 | 300 |
| 3 | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 4 | 300 | 500 | 500 |
| 5 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 6 | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| 7 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 8 | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| 9 | 1,000 | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| 10 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| 11 | 1,500 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| 12 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
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Our coverage from Crown Melbourne is just getting started, so be sure to follow the PokerNews team for all of the action from the $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event this week.
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