Hun Wei Lee Claims His Second Crown Melbourne Title of 2026 After a 2-Hour Heads-Up Duel
Updated on October 29, 2026.
Hun Wei Lee won the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship Main Event at Crown Melbourne on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and took home A$350,000. He beat 2005 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem heads-up to top a field of 715 entries, according to PokerNews.
Quick summary
- Winner: Hun Wei Lee (Australia), for A$350,000.
- Runner-up: Joe Hachem, for A$210,000, after more than two hours of heads-up play.
- Field: 715 entries in the A$2,500 Main Event, for a A$1,573,000 prize pool.
- Second big title of 2026: Lee also won the A$25,000 Challenge at the Aussie Millions in May.
- Lee won the last hand by hitting a set on the river.
Who won the Victorian Poker Championship 2026?
Hun Wei Lee won it. The Australian started the final table as the chip leader and finished the job on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Crown Melbourne. Card Player lists the win at about US$245,000.
We covered the final nine in our Victorian Poker Championship 2026 final table preview. Hachem came into the day seventh in chips, but he climbed all the way to heads-up against the leader.
Lee told PokerNews that the result meant more because of who he was facing. “Joe is the reason why I started playing poker to start with,” he said. “It’s a dream come true, really.”
How Hun Wei Lee beat Joe Hachem heads-up
The heads-up match lasted more than two hours, and Hachem refused to go away. According to PokerNews, he doubled up early with pocket kings to get back in the match. Later, he survived an all-in when a six on the turn saved him, and he doubled twice more after that.
Lee also gave chips back. He called an all-in from Hachem with pocket nines and lost the hand. “I knew straight away it was the wrong decision,” Lee said.
He rebuilt his lead, partly by knocking out Nektarios Dimitrakis in sixth place in a big pot. In the final hand, Lee hit a set on the river to end the tournament.
Victorian Poker Championship 2026 final table results
Seven of the nine players at the final table were Australian. These are the payouts in Australian dollars, according to PokerNews:
Place | Player | Country | Prize (A$) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hun Wei Lee | Australia | 350,000 |
2 | Joe Hachem | Australia | 210,000 |
3 | Zac Miravet | Australia | 135,000 |
4 | Ben Richardson | Australia | 90,000 |
5 | Bobby Zhang | Australia | 72,500 |
6 | Nektarios Dimitrakis | Australia | 58,000 |
7 | Higor Seibel | Brazil | 47,500 |
8 | Jyrki Hilakari | Australia | 38,000 |
9 | Michael Tomeny | United States | 30,500 |
The gap between ninth and first was A$319,500. Pay jumps that steep are why final table strategy changes so much, and our ICM calculator shows how much each stack is really worth in a spot like this.
Who is Hun Wei Lee?
Hun Wei Lee is an Australian tournament player who now has two big titles at Crown Melbourne this year. In May, he won the A$25,000 Challenge at the 2026 Aussie Millions, also at Crown Melbourne. Card Player lists that win at $469,922.
He also has a WSOP bracelet. In 2020, he won Event #37 of the WSOP Online, a $1,050 Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha, for $161,886, according to PokerNews.
Lee told PokerNews he loves playing at Crown. “I really love coming to Crown,” he said.
Hachem had already won a trophy at this festival. Earlier in the series, he took down the A$1,250 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event, beating Chi Troung heads-up in a 48-player field, according to PokerNews.
What it means for players in Australia
The Victorian Poker Championship is a live event, so the only way to play was in person at Crown Melbourne. Crown also hosts the Aussie Millions, where Lee won his first big title of the year.
Online, the rules are different. The Interactive Gambling Act bans companies from offering online poker to Australians, but it doesn’t penalize players. Read our online poker guide for Australia to see how the law works before you sign up anywhere.
Some international rooms still accept Australian players, and none of them is licensed in Australia. They operate outside Australian law, so local player protections don’t apply. Many of them take crypto deposits; see our list of poker sites that accept Bitcoin. If you open an account through the button in our Ignition Poker review and message us on Telegram, we register it under our deal: 40% rakeback, paid monthly.
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Frequently asked questions
Who won the Victorian Poker Championship 2026?
Hun Wei Lee of Australia won the A$2,500 Main Event at Crown Melbourne on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, for A$350,000. He beat Joe Hachem heads-up, according to PokerNews.
How much did Joe Hachem win at the Victorian Poker Championship?
Joe Hachem finished second in the Main Event for A$210,000. Earlier in the series, he also won the A$1,250 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event.
How many players entered the Victorian Poker Championship Main Event?
The A$2,500 Main Event drew 715 entries and built a prize pool of A$1,573,000, according to PokerNews.
Can Australians play online poker?
The Interactive Gambling Act bans companies from offering online poker to Australians, but it does not penalize players. Check our Australia guide for the details before you sign up anywhere.
Sources
- PokerNews: “Dream Come True” as Hun Wei Lee doubles down at Crown
- Card Player: Hun Wei Lee poker results
- PokerNews: Joe Hachem back in the winner’s circle at the Victorian Poker Championship
- PokerNews: Hun Wei Lee wins Event #37, $1,050 Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha ($161,886)
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