WPT Australia 2026 Day 15: Adam Kharman Wins High Roller as Chauhan Leads WPT Championship Event
Thursday produced two more champions at WPT Australia 2026 , while the festival’s flagship event also got underway at The Star Sydney .
Adam Kharman claimed the title in the biggest buy-in of the series by defeating Thomas Lee heads-up in the AUD 10,000 WPT Aus High Roller, while Francois Leclerc came out on top in The Croc Hunter Bounty.
Meanwhile, the AUD 5,000 WPT Australia Championship began with 185 entries in Day 1a, with Shakti Chauhan finishing comfortably at the top of the counts.
Adam Kharman Wins WPT Aus High Roller for AUD 197,252
Kharman defeated Lee heads-up to take down the AUD 10,000 WPT Aus High Roller , collecting AUD 197,252 and the trophy after two days of play.
The biggest buy-in tournament of WPT Australia 2026 attracted 72 entries, with the top 11 players making the money. Lee eventually settled for second place, while Malcolm Trayner rounded out the podium in third.
Lee had been looking to become the fourth two-time champion of the festival after winning the True Blue Turbo on the opening day, but Kharman brought that bid to an end.
In the final hand, the chips went into the middle on a Q♥ 6♠ 9♥ flop with Lee at risk. Lee held 4♥ 3♥ for a flush draw against Kharman’s 9♠ 6♥ for two pair, before the 8♥ turn completed Lee’s flush and temporarily moved him ahead.
Kharman still had plenty of ways to improve, and the 9♦ river paired the board to give him a full house. The card sparked celebrations from Kharman and his rail as he was crowned WPT Aus High Roller champion and secured the AUD 197,252 top prize.
Francois Leclerc Takes Down Croc Hunter Bounty
The AUD 900 Croc Hunter Bounty also reached its conclusion on Thursday after 182 entries generated an AUD 144,800 prize pool.
Leclerc emerged with the trophy and AUD 16,878 from the regular payout structure after defeating Jeremy Wright heads-up. Wright collected AUD 11,226, while Johan Lees completed the podium in third for AUD 8,126.
A total of 24 players made the money, with Emanuel Seal finishing fourth and Jianke Li among those making a deeper run before bowing out in seventh.
| # | Payout | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A$16,878 $12,186 | FL Francois Leclerc ![New Caledonia [NCL]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/nc.svg "New Caledonia [NCL]"){kind=small} New Caledonia | 1,121.32 |
| 2 | A$11,226 $8,105 | JW Jeremy Wright ![Australia [AUS]](/assets/images/flags/4x3/au.svg "Australia [AUS]"){kind=small} Australia | 792.90 |
| 3 | A$8,126 $5,867 | JL Johan Lees Australia | 647.40 |
| 4 | A$5,972 $4,312 | ES Emanuel Seal Australia | 560.66 |
| 5 | A$4,457 $3,218 | SL Salvatore Lucisano Australia | 501.47 |
| 6 | A$3,378 $2,439 | ML Maolong Lin Australia | 457.78 |
| 7 | A$2,601 $1,878 | JL Jianke Li Australia | 423.82 |
| 8 | A$2,034 $1,468 | JL Jing Liang Yong Australia | 396.45 |
| 9 | A$1,616 $1,167 | AF Amir Farazmand Australia | 373.77 |
Shakti Chauhan Leads WPT Australia Championship Day 1a
The first of three starting flights in the AUD 5,000 WPT Australia Championship attracted 185 entries on Thursday, with 50 players surviving Day 1a and securing a place in Day 2.
Chauhan ended the night with a sizeable advantage after bagging 570,000. Kacper Kumpiewski was his nearest challenger on 514,500, while Zheming Zhu finished third in the counts with 493,500.
Patrick Yazbeck also enjoyed a strong opening flight with 388,000, while William Mckay and Nicholas Wright both finished above 340,000.
WPT Australia Championship Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shakti Chauhan | Australia | 570,000 |
| 2 | Kacper Kumpiewski | Australia | 514,500 |
| 3 | Zheming Zhu | Australia | 493,500 |
| 4 | Patrick Yazbeck | Australia | 388,000 |
| 5 | William Mckay | Australia | 355,000 |
| 6 | Nicholas Wright | Australia | 347,000 |
| 7 | Itsuki Aburatani | Japan | 328,000 |
| 8 | Aaron George | Australia | 321,000 |
| 9 | Jeremy Dunkel | Australia | 270,500 |
| 10 | Daniel Francis | Australia | 260,000 |
WPT Australia Championship Day 1b Gets Underway Friday
The Championship returns at 12:30 p.m. on Friday for Day 1b, the second of its three opening flights. Players once again start with 50,000 chips and play 60-minute levels, with Day 1c providing the final opportunity to advance on Saturday before the surviving fields combine for Day 2 on Sunday.
There are also two one-day trophy events on Friday’s WPT Australia schedule . The AUD 450 Twin Fin Turbo begins at 10:30 a.m. with 15-minute levels, before the AUD 880 Deadset Freezeout gets underway at 4:30 p.m. with 20-minute levels.
The Championship remains the main attraction as the festival heads toward its final weekend, with another wave of players set to take their shot in Day 1b.
All images are courtesy of The Star Sydney.
![Australia [AUS]](/assets/images/flags/1x1/au.svg "Australia [AUS]"){kind=small}
Tim Baker is a UK-born Live Poker Reporter based in Indonesia, covering major poker tournaments across Asia and around the world since 2023. With nearly two decades of experience around live and online poker, he brings deep knowledge of the game and the international poker scene to his tournament coverage.
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