WPT Australia: Hari Varma triumphs in the Main Event; Hussien Hassan wins 5K Challenge

The inaugural WPT Australia festival has been illuminating the Gold Coast for just over a week now.

During that time, some great poker has been played and worthy champions crowned. Of all the titles on offer at Star Poker Gold Coast however, none are more coveted than the Main Event. After a lengthy battle at the final table, we have now found our WPT Australia Main Event champion, along with a host of side event winners along the way. Allow us to bring you all the latest action.

WPT Australia Main Event – Winner: Hari Varma

The Main Event of Australia’s first WPT festival commanded a buy in of AU$2,500 (US$1,686) with 658 players stepping up to lay claim to the title. This helped the final figure for the prize pool rise to AU$1,480,500 (US$998,449) with 83 fortunate players going on to make the money.

The latter stages of the tournament were filled with intrigue, with Australian stars making deep runs and looking to etch their name into WPT history. With 20 remaining, former WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem was still in the running, as was cricket legend Shane Warne and Australian tournament grinders Travis Endersby, Julius Colman and George Psarras.

Unfortunately for the watching crowd, Hachem got his last 15 big blinds in with an could not find help against the of his opponent. Hachem left the tournament in 16^th place, collecting a AU$10,225 payout. Shane Warne wasn’t too far behind him, exiting in dramatic fashion after getting it in with only to be called by . Warne flopped two pair, but his opponent caught a three-outer on the river to take the pot.

As the final table neared its end, another of Australia’s better-known players hit the rail. Travis Endersby made a desperate shove with with under 10 big blinds, only to be called and defeated by the of Louis Yin. Hari Varma continued to lead the way, but George Psarras brought himself close to level by eliminating Yin in 4^th. Varma then extended his lead once again by eliminating Julius Colman in 3^rd place to set the stage for a heads-up duel which would turn out to be brief.

Having started with the lead, Varma strengthened his position in the opening few hands before finding himself the lucky recipient of a cooler. In a limped pot, Psarras held with Varma holding . The flop did not appear too lethal, but after a bet, check-raise and call, the which hit the turn brought fatal qualities to the hand. The on the river improved Varma but changed nothing. The chips quickly went in and Varma took the title and top prize.

The final payouts are as follows:
1^st – Hari Varma (Australia) – AU$274,247 (US$185,693)
2^nd – George Psarras – AU$192,273
3^rd – Julius Colman – AU$123,933
4^th – Louis Yin – AU$90,207
5^th – Travis Endersby – AU$69,139
6^th – Luke Stewart – AU$55,326
7^th – Chris Barker – AU$45,851
8^th – Josh Emerton – AU$36,509
9^th – Joshua Bell – AU$27,419

WPT Australia 5K Challenge – Winner: Hussien Hassan

Another of the more hotly anticipated events on the schedule was the 5K Challenge. The AU$4,700 (US$3,170) event attracted a field of 99 runners, generating a prize pool of AU$465,300 (US$313,798). Many familiar names from Australia’s live circuit were in attendance as the field gathered to contest the title and 1^st place prize of just over AU$140,000.

The final skirmishes of this event saw Andrea Rispoli, Luke Edwards and Hussien Hassan engage in a three-way struggle for supremacy. Rispoli was the first to fall, before Edwards and Hassan played on without any suggestion of a deal being made. Hassan soon managed to force his opponent onto the backfoot, and shortly after, Edwards was consoling himself with 2^nd place as Hassan collected the trophy.

Here are the final table payouts:
1^st – Hussien Hassan – AU$141,913 (US$95,706)
2^nd – Luke Edwards – AU$87,244
3^rd – Andrea Rispoli – AU$53,510
4^th – Michael Seymour – AU$34,898
5^th – Hamish Crawshaw – AU$27,220
6^th – Stanton Kroenert – AU$21,753
7^th – Jordan Wesmorland – AU$18,496
8^th – Michel Bouskila – AU$16,053
9^th – Takemi Munakata – AU$14,192

Other Events

Event 4 – AU$400 (US$270) PLO
Prize Pool: AU$77,200 (US$52,064)
Entries: 193
Winner: Luke Burmester AU$19,218 (US$12,961)

Event 5 – AU$600 (US$405) Big Bounty
Prize Pool: AU$170,400 (US$114,918)
Entries: 284
Winner: Attila Bognar – AU$18,895 (US$12,743)

Event 6 – AU$4,800 (US$3,237) 5K Single Day
Prize Pool: AU$350,400 (US$236,310)
Entries: 73
Winner: Corey Kempson – AU$119,135 (US$80,345)

Event 7 – AU$600 (US$405) Mix Max Freezeout
Prize Pool: AU$75,600 (US$50,985)
Entries: 126
Winner: Suraj Kara – AU$21,924 (US$14,786)

Event 8 – AU$500 (US$337) Deepstack Freezeout
Prize Pool: AU$123,000 (US$82,951)
Entries: 246
Winner: John Perry – AU$28,510 (US$19,227)

Article by Craig Bradshaw