Halil Bozdugan jammed the small blind for 48,000 and Gary Benson moved all-in over the top from the big blind.
Halil Bozdugan: K♥Q♥ 
Gary Benson: A♥K♣
The J♥9♣6♦10♦8♥ board gave Bozgudan the nut straight and Benson's stack was cut into more than half, he busted soon after.
Cheng-Tse Chien opened from under the gun to 8,000, and Michael Pinzone used a time bank card before moving all in for his last 35,000. Chien slid in the call, leaving Pinzone at risk.
Michael Pinzone: K♥Q♥
Cheng-Tse Chien: A♠Q♦
Chien was the only one to improve on the 10♥10♠6♣A♦8♥ runout, winning the pot and sending Pinzone to the rail.
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.
| 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.
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.
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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.
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