![Japan [JPN]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/jp.svg "Japan [JPN]"){kind=small}
Entries
46/189
Total Chips
15,050,000
Average
327,174
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Day 1c of the Australian Poker Cup attracted 190 entries, bringing the three starting flights to a close. A total of 190 players survived the day's 16 levels of play, with Darren Rees topping the counts after bagging 552,000. Second goes to Sasha Skalrud with 491,000, while Fred Williams rounds out the podium with 453,000.
Across all three starting flights, the event attracted a total of 441 entries, generating a prize pool of AUD 441,000. A total of 100 players will return for Day 2, but with only the top 56 places set to be paid, there will still be almost half of the field leaving empty-handed.
A min-cash will be worth AUD 2,000, while the eventual champion will 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.
Day 2 gets underway at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 13, with play continuing until the final table Is reached. Somuchpoker will be providing live tournament updates directly from the tournament floor at The Star Sydney throughout the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
DR Darren Rees ![Australia [AUS]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/au.svg "Australia [AUS]"){kind=small} Australia | 552,000 | 502,000 |
SS Sasha Skalrud Australia | 453,000 | 403,000 |
The 54 remaining Day 1c players have just reached the final level of the night.
After another 30 minutes on the felt, the ones still with chips will bag up for the night and return for the penultimate day at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 13.
With 181 entries recorded so far in Day 1c of Event #1: Australian Poker Cup, 93 players remain, all of whom are now heading on a 45-minute dinner break.
Play will resume at 7:45 p.m., with blinds at 1,500/3,000 and a big blind ante of 3,000.
At the conclusion of the break, registration will officially close.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
PD Peter Dykes (2) Australia | 270,000 | 220,000 |
MJ Matthew Jones (13) Australia | 180,000 | 130,000 |
TG Toby Giles Australia | 165,000 | 115,000 |
FL Fred Litchfield Australia | 120,000 | -70,000 |
KD Ken Demlakian Australia | 115,000 | -115,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
KD Ken Demlakian Australia | 230,000 | 145,000 |
FL Fred Litchfield Australia | 190,000 | 140,000 |
MJ Mark Jennings (5) Australia | 105,000 | 77,000 |
LS Lindsay Schmalkuche (2) Australia | 101,000 | 16,000 |
BC Barrington Calia Australia | 80,000 | -4,000 |
SF Stylianos Frangeskos Australia | 75,000 | 30,000 |
MA Meysam Ardestani Australia | 70,000 | 25,000 |
MA Michel asmar Australia | 55,000 | 5,000 |
FG Frederik Grimberg ![Canada [CAN]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/ca.svg "Canada [CAN]"){kind=small} Canada | 45,000 | -21,000 |
JC Jerome Couturier ![France [FRA]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/fr.svg "France [FRA]"){kind=small} France | 40,000 | -6,000 |
VG Vincent Green-Gibson Australia | 40,000 | -10,000 |
HX Hong Xie (2) Australia | 40,000 | -10,000 |
Adrian RobertsAdrian Roberts completed from the small blind, and the player in the big blind made it 3,500 to go. Roberts called.
Both checked the 2♣ 4♠7♥ flop for the 6♦ to fall on the turn. Roberts fired for 5,000, which his opponent called.
Another two checks came after the board-pairing 6♥ river, and the big blind player took down the pot with A♦ Q♣ for just ace-high.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
AR Adrian Roberts Australia | 65,000(65 BB) | 15,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
CA Costas Argirou Australia | 150,000 | 100,000 |
LS Lindsay Schmalkuche (2) Australia | 85,000 | 35,000 |
KD Ken Demlakian Australia | 85,000 | 35,000 |
FG Frederik Grimberg Canada | 66,000 | 16,000 |
JC Jerome Couturier France | 46,000 | -4,000 |
MA Meysam Ardestani Australia | 45,000 | -5,000 |
OM Obrad Milinkovic Australia | 43,000 | -7,000 |
RB Ronald Bean Australia | 37,000 | -13,000 |
CW Christopheros Winters Australia | 33,000 | -17,000 |
MJ Mark Jennings (5) Australia | 28,000 | -22,000 |
SL Stan Levitin Australia | 5,300 | -44,700 |
Barrington Calia limped from the hijack and Stylianos Frangeskos made it 1,800 to go on the button. Calia came along with a call.
Calia check-called Frangeskos' continuation-bet of 2,500 on the 9♥ A♠9♦ flop, before both players checked through the 3♥ turn and 2♣ river.
Calia was first to show and flipped over A♥ 8♦ for top pair. Frangeskos mucked, and the pot went to Calia.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
BC Barrington Calia Australia | 84,000(210 BB) | 34,000 |
SF Stylianos Frangeskos Australia | 45,000(113 BB) | -5,000 |
The final starting flight of the Australian Poker Cup gets underway at 12:30 p.m. local time today as the opening event of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Australia 2026 festival continues inside The Star Sydney. Day 1c represents the last opportunity for players to secure their place in Day 2, with the surviving field set to combine on Sunday, September 13.
Day 1b attracted 144 entries, with 34 players successfully navigating their way through the 16 levels of play. Joshua Guo finished atop the counts after bagging 448,000, narrowly ahead of Stephane Fontes (445,000), while Haoyan Gu (385,000) rounded out the top three.
Across the opening two flights, the Australian Poker Cup has now attracted 251 entries, with 53 players already guaranteed a return for Day 2. Day 1a chip leader Eddy Hosni remains the overall player to catch after putting 731,000 into the bag during the festival's first day.
WPT Australian Poker Cup TrophyThe third and final starting flight follows the same structure as the previous two, with players receiving 50,000 chips to start and blinds lasting 30 minutes throughout. The plan is to play through 16 levels before the survivors bag up their chips and join the Day 1a and Day 1b qualifiers for Day 2.
Players will receive a 15-minute break after every four levels, with a 45-minute dinner break scheduled after the completion of Level 8. Registration remains open until the start of Level 13, with unlimited re-entries permitted throughout.
Like always, Somuchpoker will be providing big-stack chip counts throughout the day, direct from the tournament floor at The Star Sydney.