WPT Australia Day 9: Jianke Li Tops Prime Day 1b, Troy Sweet Claims Trophy

Another 223 entries joined the AUD 1,500 WPT Prime Championship Event on Day 9 of WPT Australia 2026 , as the second of four opening flights played out at The Star Sydney .

Jianke Li topped the Day 1b counts after bagging 635,000, while another trophy was awarded earlier in the day as Troy Sweet came through a remarkable heads-up battle to win the AUD 500 One Shot Grind.

The opening two Prime Championship flights have now attracted 458 entries, with 65 players having booked their places in Day 2 on Monday, September 21.

Jianke Li Tops WPT Prime Championship Day 1b

Another 16 levels were completed in the AUD 1,500 WPT Prime Championship Event, with 33 of the 223 Day 1b entries making it through to Day 2.

Li emerged with the biggest stack of the flight after accumulating 635,000, moving him into third place overall through the first half of the four starting flights.

Hussein Hassan was not far behind after bagging 616,000, while Chester Swords finished third in the Day 1b counts with 555,000.

Seve Jarvin brought through 543,000, with Edorado Sforza completing a group of five players to finish the flight above the half-million mark after bagging 533,000.

Despite Li’s strong showing, Travis O’Grady continues to hold the overall Day 2 lead with the 717,000 he accumulated in Day 1a. O’Grady remains the only player to have crossed the 700,000-chip mark so far.

Kenta Ito sits second overall with 674,000, leaving Li third ahead of the final two opening flights.

WPT Prime Championship Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts

Billy ‘The Croc’ Argyros Reflects on Poker’s Changing Character

Australian Poker Hall of Famer Billy ‘The Croc’ Argyros also made a deep run in Day 1b, but was unable to find a bag by the end of the night.

Argyros remains one of the most recognizable characters in Australian poker, and he had plenty to say in a recent interview with Somuchpoker about how much the game has changed since his early days in Las Vegas.

The veteran believes modern poker has lost some of the personality that once made the game so entertaining, while also revealing the story behind his famous nickname, why he thinks players should never chase recreational players away from the game, and the advice he considers more important than almost anything else in poker.

Interview

Legends of Poker

Live Poker

Billy ‘The Croc’ Argyros Wants Poker’s Character Back

Billy "The Croc" Argyros recalls facing Johnny Moss, earning his famous nickname and why today’s poker pros must respect recreational players.

2026.09.18

Troy Sweet Wins WPT Australia One Shot Grind

Sweet added his name to the WPT Australia 2026 winners list after taking down the AUD 500 One Shot Grind.

The one-day event attracted 90 entries, paying 13 spots, with Sweet eventually overcoming a remarkable heads-up fightback from Roy Vandersluis to collect AUD 11,095 and a WPT Australia 2026 boomerang trophy.

Vandersluis looked to have turned the contest on its head after doubling up seven times during heads-up play and at one stage moving into the chip lead.

Sweet was able to wrestle the momentum back in his favor before winning the final hand of the event.

Vandersluis collected AUD 7,399 for second place, while Zhichao Huang finished third for AUD 5,023.

Ailen Ji , listed as Yushun Ji in the official result, continued his strong festival with a fourth-place finish worth AUD 3,537.

#15 One Shot Grind - One Day Event (500 AUD)

Total Prize USD

$28,590

Total Prize

39.6K AUD

Entries

90

ITM

13

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	A$11,095 $8,010	TS Troy Sweet Australia	647.31
2	A$7,399 $5,342	RV Roy Vandersluis Australia	457.72
3	A$5,023 $3,626	ZH Zhichao Huang China	373.72
4	A$3,537 $2,554	YJ Yushun Ji China	323.65
5	A$2,587 $1,868	ST Steve Tupua Australia	289.49
6	A$1,967 $1,420	JH Jane Howard New Zealand	264.26
7	A$1,559 $1,126	KB Kerry Bugeja Australia	244.66
8	A$1,289 $931	MP Michael Pengelly Australia	228.86
9	A$1,114 $804	NB Nicholas Bovey Australia	215.77

Check the 13 Payouts & Results ...

WPT Australia 2026 Day 10 Schedule

Saturday, September 19 brings the third of four opening flights in the AUD 1,500 WPT Prime Championship Event .

Day 1c begins at 12:30 p.m. and uses the same structure as the opening two flights, with players receiving a 40,000 starting stack and playing through 16 40-minute levels. Unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 10.

Before that, the AUD 460 Bonsai Bounty gets underway at 11:30 a.m.. The one-day event features a 25,000 starting stack and 20-minute levels.

All images are courtesy of The Star Sydney.

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