Naohito Tamaya
Zac Vigar
Adam Agresta
David HirstThree players saw the A♠A♥ K♠flop, where, after two checks from the blinds, Michael Culibrk bet 25,000 from the cutoff. Nicholas Low folded the small blind before Matteo Giordani check-raised to 67,000 from the big blind. Culibrk called.
Giordani continued for 75,000 when the 7â™ arrived on the turn, and Culibrk called again.
Giordani slowed down and checked the 5♥ river. Culibrk began to reach for chips, but before he could even put out a bet, Giordani released his cards.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
MC Michael Culibrk ![Australia [AUS]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/au.svg "Australia [AUS]"){kind=small} Australia | 525,000(44 BB) | 249,000 |
MG Matteo Giordani Australia | 500,000(42 BB) | |
NL Nicholas Low Australia | 320,000(27 BB) | 140,000 |
John StefanopoulosA bit of misfortune on the river just cost Jason Schmalkuche his tournament life.
Schmalkuche had his stack in the middle and was contesting for a pot of around 200,000 against John Stefanopulos.
Jason Schmalkuche: A♥ T♦
John Stefanopulos: A♠J♦
Schmalkuche was behind, but moved into the lead on the Q♥ T♣ 6♦ board with a pair of tens. Stefanopulos picked up a gutshot to a king, and some more outs arrived for him on the Q♦ turn as an ace river would mean his kicker player.
The big favorite was still Schmalkuche, but he couldn't hang on as the A♣ was slapped down on the river, giving both players two pair, but the jack-kicker of Stefanopulos was enough to see him win the pot and eliminate Schmalkuche.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
ZV Zac Vigar Australia | 580,000(48 BB) | 288,000 |
JS John Stefanopoulos Australia | 450,000(38 BB) | 210,000 |
DT Daniel Tolomeo Australia | 350,000(29 BB) | 95,000 |
NS Namkyung Sung Australia | 330,000(28 BB) | 82,000 |
SJ Simon Javor Australia | 180,000(15 BB) | 40,000 |
LW Liang Wang Australia | 140,000(12 BB) | -40,000 |
JW Jing Wang 2 Australia | busted | -53,000 |
JS Jason Schmalkuche Australia | busted | -262,000 |
Yoad Agmon has suddenly been hit with the deck just as the money bubble approaches.
First, he four-flushed Nicholas Woodhams to survive, after getting it all in bad with queens against Woodhams' kings.
Then, on the very next hand, Agmon sent Jack Sweet to the rail. Again, Agmon had queens, but this time he was in front against Sweet's tens.
A clean runout meant there was no bad beat coming back Agmon's way, and all of Sweet's chips headed across the table to Agmon.
With two huge hands in quick succession, Agmon has put his foot on the gas at just the right time, climbing to around 875,000 and becoming one of the biggest stacks in the room.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
YA Yoad Agmon Australia | 875,000(73 BB) | 633,000 |
JS Jack Sweet Australia | busted | -193,000 |
Eddy HosniEddy Hosni is no more!
Stephane Fontes opened to 20,000 from early position and Hosni three-bet to 60,000 on the button. Fontes took some time before he shoved, and Hosni did not hesitate to call off his stack of around 240,000 total.
Eddy Hosni: Q♣ 7♣
Stephane Fontes: 8♠8♦
Fontes was ahead with his pocket eights, but needed to dodge a few more outs on the K♦ T♥ A♣ flop as Hosni picked up a gutshot to Broadway.
The 6♠turn and 6♣ river were no help to Hosni, who had already left the table before his chips were slid across to Fontes.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
SF Stephane Fontes Australia | 800,000(80 BB) | 355,000 |
EH Eddy Hosni Australia | busted | -125,000 |
Sasha Skalrud raised to 20,000 from the hijack and Ardi Jaya three-bet from the cutoff to 55,000. Skalrud called.
Skalrud check-called Jaya's continuation-bet of 30,000 on the 9♥ 5♠3♣ flop.
Both checked the 3♣ turn before Skalrud led out for 45,000 on the 5♦ river. Jaya called, but was forced to muck upon seeing Skalrud's 9♣ 7♣ for a pair of nines.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
SS Sasha Skalrud Australia | 650,000(65 BB) | 209,000 |
AJ Ardi Jaya Australia | 375,000(38 BB) | -145,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
JC Jonathan Chee Zheng Yuan ![Singapore [SGP]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/sg.svg "Singapore [SGP]"){kind=small} Singapore | busted | -79,000 |
CC Chris Chen (4) Australia | busted | -90,000 |
LM Ljudevit Marinic Australia | busted | -70,000 |
AS Andrew Scarf Australia | busted | -107,000 |
AA Adam Agresta Australia | busted | -125,000 |
AM Aaima Mushtaq Australia | busted | -172,000 |
JH Justin Huang Australia | busted | -90,000 |
PD Peter Dykes Australia | busted | -189,000 |
Start-of-day chip leader Eddy Hosni hasn't had the best of days, and is down to around 125,000 from his huge 731,000 stack from Day 1a.
Somuchpoker got to the table to see a full board of 6♦ 5♠A♦ K♠4♥ and the player in Seat 2, who held A♥ 5♦ for two pair, had already left.
Edorado Sforza had a set of kings holding K♦ K♣ and scooped the pot against Hosni, who held a pair of sevens with 7♥ 7♣.
Sitting on the same table is Ross Coveney, who has 750,000 in front of him and is certainly among the big stacks
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
RC Ross Coveney Australia | 750,000(75 BB) | 434,000 |
ES Edorado Sforza Australia | 280,000(28 BB) | 170,000 |
EH Eddy Hosni Australia | 125,000(13 BB) | -606,000 |
Adrian RobertsAdrian Roberts was all-in for 144,000 and was in bad shape against Joshua Guo, who had him covered.
Adrian Roberts: A♦ J♣
Joshua Guo: A♥ K♣
Guo hit top pair on the Q♣ K♠8♥ flop, while Roberts picked up a gutshot to Broadway.
Roberts drilled his straight on the T♦ turn and faded the chop when the Q♠completed the board.
Roberts doubled to around 300,000, while Guo dropped to under half a million.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
JG Joshua Guo Australia | 480,000(48 BB) | 32,000 |
AR Adrian Roberts Australia | 221,000(22 BB) | |
JH Justin Huang Australia | 90,000(9 BB) | -5,000 |
Nicholas Low's stack of 118,000 found its way into the middle from the button, with Sunny Kumar looking to take him out from under the gun.
Nicholas Low: 2♥ 2♦
Sunny Kumar: T♦ T♣
Kumar had Low dominated with the higher pair and stayed ahead through the 7♥ 8♦ 5♠flop and 4♠turn.
Low tried to convince the poker gods to keep him alive by standing up and putting on his jacket.
The tactic seemed to do the trick as the 2â™ rolled off on the river to give him a set and keep him seated in the Australian Poker Cup.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
SK Sunny Kumar Australia | 187,000(19 BB) |
NL Nicholas Low Australia | 180,000(18 BB) |
Ken DemlakianAustralia's own Ken Demlakian is off to a good start on Day 2, having grown his stack to around 375,000 after the opening level. Though, he did just lose a few chips to Nicholas Woodhams.
With around 50,000 in the pot on a Q♣ J♣ 9♠K♠board, Woodhams checked from under the gun and then called a bet of 19,000 from Demlakian, who was in middle position.
A bricky 2♦ hit the river and Woodhams opted to lead out for 56,000. After some time contemplating, Demlakian gave it up, earning Woodhams the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
KD Ken Demlakian Australia | 375,000(38 BB) | 328,000 |
NW Nicholas Woodhams ![United Kingdom [GBR]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/gb.svg "United Kingdom [GBR]"){kind=small} United Kingdom | 340,000(34 BB) | 27,000 |
After a raise from the cutoff, Matthew Jones three-bet from the small blind to 75,000. Yunsong Ge called for his last 20,000 from the big blind, and the initial raiser folded.
Yunsong Ge: 6♣ 3â™
Matthew Jones: A♣ Q♦
Ge was behind and needed some help from the dealer to begin his spin-up.
However, it was Jones who found the assistance on the K♥ A♥ 5♦ 7♥ 5♥ board, hitting a pair of aces to send Ge home.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
MJ Matthew Jones 1 Australia | 555,000(56 BB) | 226,000 |
YG Yunsong Ge Australia | busted | -268,000 |
Ardi JayaHaoyan Gu checked from the big blind on the Q♣ 4♦ 3♥ flop, and then called a bet of 15,000 from Ardi Jaya in early position.
Gu check-called a second bet from Jaya on the 3♣ turn, this time for 27,000.
One last check came from Gu when he saw the J♦ river, allowing Jaya to unload the clip with a third and final barrel of 40,000. Gu tank-folded, surrendering the pot to Jaya.
Four players saw the 6♦ 7♦ 8♦ flop, which checked through for the 7♣ to arrive on the turn.
Chris Chen checked from the small blind, Ljudevit Marinic checked from early position, while David Hirst fired for 13,000 from middle position. Adam Smith folded the button, Chen called, and Marinic folded.
A final check came from Chen on the 3♦ river, and Hirst quickly tossed out a bet of 75,000. Chen burned through a couple of time banks before sticking in the call.
Hirst showed an unbeatable T♦ 9♦ for a flopped straight flush to earn the big pot and send Chen down to just over ten big blinds.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
DH David Hirst Australia | 620,000(78 BB) | 215,000 |
AS Adam Smith (9) Australia | 190,000(24 BB) | 11,000 |
CC Chris Chen (4) Australia | 90,000(11 BB) | -69,000 |
LM Ljudevit Marinic Australia | 70,000(9 BB) | -40,000 |
Matteo Giordani boosted his stack to around half a million after he delivered a double knockout to Linus Goh and Yue Wang.
The three had their chips in the middle preflop, with Giordani holding overcards to his opponents' two pocket pairs.
Yue Wang: 5♠5♣
Linus Goh: T♠T♥
Matteo Giordani: A♥ Kâ™
Giordani found the card he was looking for on the 8♦ 4♥ K♥ flop, and his pair of kings held up through the turn and river, earning him a stack of around 500,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
MG Matteo Giordani Australia | 500,000(63 BB) | 337,000 |
LG Linus Goh Australia | busted | -159,000 |
YW Yue Wang 2 ![China [CHN]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/cn.svg "China [CHN]"){kind=small} China | busted | -85,000 |
There were a few early eliminations from Day 2.
Slav Rypinski had his remaining 92,000 in the middle and was put at risk by Bryan Liu.
Slav Rypinski: 7♠7♦
Bryan Liu: T♥ T♦
Rypinski was way behind with his sevens, and despite flopping a gutshot on the 4♥ 5♥ 8♣ flop, the 5♦ K♣ runout meant he hit the rail.
A few moments later, Ningyuan Zhou was seen getting up from his seat and making his way to the exit.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
BL Bryan Liu Australia | 475,000(59 BB) | 131,000 |
SR Slav Rypinski Australia | busted | -92,000 |
NZ Ningyuan Zhou Australia | busted | -95,000 |
Khuynh NguyenThere was a limp from early position before Zheqi Wang jammed for 65,000 from middle position. Khuynh Nguyen shoved over the top from the button, which forced the blinds and the limper out.
Zheqi Wang: A♣ Q♥
Khuynh Nguyen: T♠T♦
It was a flip, but Wang fell far behind after Nguyen improved to a set on the T♣ 8♦ 5♠flop.
The 4♥ turn left Wang drawing dead, with the 9♣ river a mere formality.
Wang put on his coat and headed to the rail, while Nguyen climbed to over half a million.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
KN Khuynh Nguyen Australia | 505,000(63 BB) | 92,000 |
ZW Zheqi Wang Australia | busted | -73,000 |
Eddy HosniThe Australian Poker Cup resumes at 12:30 p.m. local time today inside The Star Sydney, with the penultimate day of the opening event at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Australia 2026 festival set to play down towards the final table.
Across three starting flights, a total of 441 entries were recorded, generating a prize pool of AUD 441,000. A total of players will return for Day 2, with both playing their largest stack and their smaller stack being removed from play.
Leading the way is Australia's Eddy Hosni, who amassed 731,000 during Day 1a. Ricardo Bono sits second with 644,000, while Day 1c chip leader Darren Rees rounds out the top three with 552,000. Sam Pantos (530,000), Frederick Williams (453,000), Joshua Guo (448,000), Stephane Fontes (445,000), Sasha Skalrud (441,000), Khuynh Nguyen (413,000), and David Hirst (405,000) make up the remainder of the top ten.
Stephane FontesWith only 56 places set to be paid, a large portion of the returning field will still leave empty-handed. Those who make the money will secure at least AUD 2,000, while one of the remaining players will eventually walk away with the AUD 83,740 top prize, along with an AUD 1,500 WPT Prime Championship seat, which takes place at The Wynn, Las Vegas, in December.
Play will resume at Level 17, with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and an 8,000 big blind ante. Levels increase to 45 minutes in length for Day 2, with play continuing until the final table is reached or the completion of Level 27, whichever comes first.
WPT Australian Poker Cup TrophyStay tuned to Somuchpoker throughout the day for live tournament updates and chip counts direct from the tournament floor at The Star Sydney, as the players look for their place at the final table.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
EH Eddy Hosni Australia | 731,000 |
RB Ricardo Bono Australia | 644,000 |
DR Darren Rees Australia | 552,000 |
SP Sam Pantos Australia | 530,000 |
FW Frederick Williams (4) Australia | 453,000 |
JG Joshua Guo Australia | 448,000 |
SF Stephane Fontes Australia | 445,000 |
SS Sasha Skalrud Australia | 441,000 |
KN Khuynh Nguyen Australia | 413,000 |
DH David Hirst Australia | 405,000 |
SL Stan Levitin Australia | 395,000 |
HG Haoyan Gu Australia | 385,000 |
AJ Ardi Jaya Australia | 377,000 |
YL Yin Lai 1 Australia | 375,000 |
NB Nick Bovey Australia | 370,000 |
GL Gongli Li Australia | 364,000 |
KC Katia Chami Australia | 357,000 |
AT Alex Thompson Australia | 350,000 |
BL Bryan Liu Australia | 344,000 |
AJ Ailen Ji Australia | 338,000 |
TS Tolly Sakellariou Australia | 337,000 |
RC Robert Cobain Australia | 330,000 |
MJ Matthew Jones 1 Australia | 329,000 |
HC Hunter Cichy ![United States of America [USA]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/us.svg "United States of America [USA]"){kind=small} United States of America | 323,000 |
MM Matthew Maks Australia | 317,000 |
RC Ross Coveney Australia | 316,000 |
NW Nicholas Woodhams United Kingdom | 313,000 |
ZV Zac Vigar Australia | 292,000 |
MC Michael Culibrk Australia | 276,000 |
IA Itsuki Aburatani ![Japan [JPN]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/jp.svg "Japan [JPN]"){kind=small} Japan | 271,000 |
YG Yunsong Ge Australia | 268,000 |
JS Jason Schmalkuche Australia | 262,000 |
DT Daniel Tolomeo Australia | 255,000 |
IL Ian Logan Australia | 252,000 |
HB Harry Basle Australia | 251,000 |
LY Li Yang (9) China | 250,000 |
NS Namkyung Sung Australia | 248,000 |
YA Yoad Agmon Australia | 242,000 |
JS John Stefanopoulos Australia | 240,000 |
KS Kamran Samimi Australia | 238,000 |
JB Jordan Bautista Australia | 229,000 |
DL Dong Li China | 228,000 |
AR Adrian Roberts Australia | 221,000 |
XQ Xiaojun Qu Australia | 209,000 |
MA Michel asmar Australia | 207,000 |
KD Ken Demlakian Australia | 197,000 |
JM Joey Masangcay Australia | 195,000 |
FR Filip Radic Australia | 195,000 |
XN Xuan Nghiem Australia | 195,000 |
NW Nicholas Wright Australia | 194,000 |
JS Jack Sweet Australia | 193,000 |
PD Peter Dykes Australia | 189,000 |
SK Sunny Kumar Australia | 187,000 |
NL Nicholas Low Australia | 180,000 |
LW Liang Wang Australia | 180,000 |
GC Guoxi Chen Australia | 179,000 |
AS Adam Smith (9) Australia | 179,000 |
HL Hok Lam Australia | 175,000 |
AM Aaima Mushtaq Australia | 172,000 |
TW Tang Wei (3) China | 171,000 |
VK Vanig Kalpakian Australia | 166,000 |
MG Matteo Giordani Australia | 163,000 |
YZ Yi Zhi Lee Australia | 163,000 |
LH Lachlan Hoenig Australia | 162,000 |
LG Linus Goh Australia | 159,000 |
CC Chris Chen (4) Australia | 159,000 |
SJ Simon Javor Australia | 140,000 |
MB Michel Bouskila Australia | 137,000 |
SM Sheung Man Yuen United States of America | 137,000 |
RD Roberto Damelian Australia | 131,000 |
MS Majid Shahikarijani Australia | 130,000 |
JG Jonathan Gamerov Australia | 128,000 |
MS Mirko Saluvere Australia | 127,000 |
AA Adam Agresta Australia | 125,000 |
NT Naohito Tamaya Japan | 122,000 |
DH David Hovey Australia | 120,000 |
DG Daniel Griffith Australia | 116,000 |
TS Troy Sweet Australia | 114,000 |
LM Ljudevit Marinic Australia | 110,000 |
ES Edorado Sforza Australia | 110,000 |
SJ Seve Jarvin Australia | 107,000 |
AS Andrew Scarf Australia | 107,000 |
UA Umair Anjum Australia | 106,000 |
TK Todor Kondevski Australia | 97,000 |
NZ Ningyuan Zhou Australia | 95,000 |
JH Justin Huang Australia | 95,000 |
SR Slav Rypinski Australia | 92,000 |
YZ Yifeng Zhang Australia | 91,000 |
ML Mark Lasarow Australia | 90,000 |
LM Luo Ming Liu Australia | 88,000 |
YW Yue Wang 2 China | 85,000 |
JB Jonathan Bennett (3) Australia | 85,000 |
JC Jonathan Chee Zheng Yuan Singapore | 79,000 |
ZW Zheqi Wang Australia | 73,000 |
MR Matthew Rolfe Australia | 65,000 |
DL Daniel Lei United States of America | 60,000 |
JW Jing Wang 2 Australia | 53,000 |
SK Salwa Khoueis Australia | 28,000 |
