Michael Tchong checked the 10♣3♥J♠ flop from middle position, and Phat Nguyen did the same as next to act. Anne Jennings slid out a bet of 3,000 in the cutoff, with only Nguyen calling to see the 6♣ turn.
Another check from Nguyen was followed by a bet of 5,000 from Jennings. That was enough to claim the pot, as Nguyen slid his cards into the muck.
Huy Lam checked the 8♣3♥8♦ flop from the small blind, and Brayden Bolster did the same in the big blind. Vikram Gupta slid out a bet of 2,200 on the button, and Lam quickly folded.
Bolster then check-raised to 6,500, and Gupta stuck in the call. Bolster led out for 8,000 on the [6] turn, with Gupta calling again to see the J♠ river.
After taking a moment, Bolster tossed out a bet of 16,000, and Gupta thought it over before making the call.
"You have a pair?" asked Bolster as he revealed 10♥9♥, and Gupta nodded as he tabled 2♣2♦ to claim the pot as the table reacted in amazement.
Dennis Huntly fired a bet of 5,000 from middle position on a completed board showing 9♦5♦Q♦3♣Q♣, and Nik Maljkovic replied by announcing all for on the button for 29,600.
"Filled up, huh?" asked Huntly as he took some time reaching a decision. Huntly opted to fold, flipping over A♦4♦ as he sent his cards to the dealer.
Maljkovic took down the pot, indicating to his opponent that it was a good fold.
After a strong opening flight of the $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event, a new group of players will enter Crown Melbourne looking to earn a bag and advance at the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship.
The first flight of the week attracted 91 entries to push the early prize pool above $200,000, while just 32 survivors remained after the first 12 levels were completed. Action will resume with Day 1b at 12:10 p.m. local time, as the slate is wiped clean for a second chance to book a spot in Day 2.
This tournament features a single reentry for each starting flight, plus an additional entry available prior to the end of late registration one level into the second day of action.
Tom McMahon (392,000) grabbed the early lead by setting the pace on Day 1a, followed by Jeapeng Kang (342,500) and Shouzheng Hu (323,000). With more chips expected to be in play during the second flight, those marks will be challenged later tonight.
| 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 |
The event schedule for today also includes Event #14: $500 VPC Hyper, along with the opening day of Event #15: $10,000 Super High Roller. You can follow all of the action from those events on our Daily Tournament Highlights page, updated throughout the day before final results are available.
The Main Event will once again begin with all players receiving 60,000 chips upon registration, and all Day 1 levels will be 40 minutes long. Blinds will start at 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante, working their way upwards through 12 levels of action. Breaks will occur after the completion of every three levels, and and players may reenter each flight once.
Time clocks will be in play from the start of the event, with all players starting with four time bank cards after joining their first table. Additional time banks will be issued at the start of Day 2 on Sunday, October 25, and then again after the tournament has reached the final table.
| 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 |
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on poker's biggest stars or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you.
No subscriptions, no paywalls, just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most. It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Don't miss any of the exciting action, as the PokerNews team will be inside the ropes bringing you full coverage until a champion is determined early next week.
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