Victorian Poker Championship 2026: Joe Hachem Makes the Final 9, A$350,000 to Win Oct. 27
Updated on October 26, 2026.
The Victorian Poker Championship 2026 Main Event at Crown Melbourne is down to its final nine players, with Hun Wei Lee in the lead and 2005 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem seventh in chips. The A$2,500 event drew 715 entries and an A$1,573,000 prize pool, and the winner takes A$350,000 when play resumes at 2 p.m. AEDT on Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to PokerNews.
Quick summary
- The A$2,500 Main Event drew 715 entries over four starting flights, Oct. 21-24, for an A$1,573,000 prize pool.
- Nine players remain. Hun Wei Lee leads with 9,955,000 chips, ahead of Bobby Zhang with 8,455,000.
- Joe Hachem starts seventh with 2,735,000 chips, about 23 big blinds. His son Anthony Hachem finished 14th.
- The winner gets A$350,000, and ninth place pays A$30,500.
- The final table starts at 2 p.m. AEDT on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and streams on Crown Resorts’ YouTube channel on a 30-minute delay.
Who is at the Victorian Poker Championship final table?
Seven Australians, one American and one Brazilian make up the final nine, according to PokerNews’ live coverage. Hun Wei Lee bagged the chip lead with 9,955,000, or 83 big blinds at the 60,000/120,000 level. Bobby Zhang is second after his flush knocked out Naz Sibaei on the final-table bubble.
Higor Seibel, who led after Day 2, sits third with 5,125,000. Michael Tomeny of the United States is in the middle of the pack. Jyrki Hilakari is the short stack, with 1,435,000, or 12 big blinds.
| Seat | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jyrki Hilakari | Australia | 1,435,000 |
| 2 | Bobby Zhang | Australia | 8,455,000 |
| 3 | Hun Wei Lee | Australia | 9,955,000 |
| 4 | Ben Richardson | Australia | 4,545,000 |
| 5 | Michael Tomeny | United States | 4,010,000 |
| 6 | Nektarios Dimitrakis | Australia | 4,130,000 |
| 7 | Joe Hachem | Australia | 2,735,000 |
| 8 | Zac Miravet | Australia | 2,430,000 |
| 9 | Higor Seibel | Brazil | 5,125,000 |
Source: PokerNews, end of Day 3 chip counts.
Can Joe Hachem win a second title this series?
Joe Hachem has already won once at this Victorian Poker Championship, so a Main Event title would be his second trophy of the series. PokerNews reported on Oct. 19 that he beat Chi Troung heads-up to win Event #9, an A$1,250 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, topping a 48-player field for A$16,000.
Hachem, the 2005 WSOP Main Event champion, ranks third on Australia’s all-time live tournament money list, behind Kahle Burns and Michael Addamo, according to PokerNews. He starts the final table with about 23 big blinds, so he has room to wait for spots but little margin for a lost flip. Anthony Hachem, his son, also made a deep run and finished 14th.
How much does the winner get?
The Victorian Poker Championship 2026 winner gets A$350,000, according to PokerNews. The 715 entries built a prize pool of A$1,573,000, paid to the top 89 places. The first elimination at the final table adds an A$7,500 pay jump.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | A$350,000 |
| 2nd | A$210,000 |
| 3rd | A$135,000 |
| 4th | A$90,000 |
| 5th | A$72,500 |
| 6th | A$58,000 |
| 7th | A$47,500 |
| 8th | A$38,000 |
| 9th | A$30,500 |
With pay jumps this steep, chip value and prize value stop moving together. Short stacks such as Hilakari and Hachem gain prize equity with every elimination, the kind of pressure our ICM calculator helps you measure.
When is the Victorian Poker Championship final table?
The final table starts at 2 p.m. AEDT on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Crown Melbourne, the last day of a series that began on Oct. 12. In the US, that is 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT) on Monday, Oct. 26. Play resumes with 20 minutes left in Level 28, and levels last 60 minutes. Crown Resorts streams the action on its YouTube channel on a 30-minute delay, according to PokerNews.
What it means for players in Australia
The Victorian Poker Championship is a live event, so you play it at Crown Melbourne, not online. If you want to build a bankroll for the next big Crown series, you should know where online poker stands in Australia first.
The Interactive Gambling Act bans companies from offering online poker to Australians, but it doesn’t penalize players. Our Australia online poker guide explains the rules in detail. Two of our partner rooms accept Australian players: Ignition Poker, with 40% rakeback through us, and CoinPoker, with 30%. Neither is licensed in Australia, so local consumer protections don’t apply. Both work with crypto deposits, and our guide to poker sites that accept Bitcoin covers how that works.
We pay rakeback monthly. To get it, sign up through the button on the room review and message us on Telegram. You can compare every room in our best online poker sites ranking.
This article is for information only and is not legal advice.
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Frequently asked questions
When is the Victorian Poker Championship 2026 final table?
The final table starts at 2 p.m. AEDT on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Crown Melbourne. That is 11 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 26, in the US.
How much does the Victorian Poker Championship winner get?
First place pays A$350,000, according to PokerNews. The 715-entry field built a prize pool of A$1,573,000, and ninth place pays A$30,500.
Is Joe Hachem at the Victorian Poker Championship final table?
Yes. The 2005 WSOP Main Event champion made the final nine and starts seventh in chips with 2,735,000, according to PokerNews. He already won Event #9, an A$1,250 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, earlier in the series.
Where can I watch the Victorian Poker Championship final table?
Crown Resorts streams the final table on its YouTube channel on a 30-minute delay, according to PokerNews.
Sources
- PokerNews: Hun Wei Lee In Charge as Final Table Set in $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event
- PokerNews: $2,500 Victorian Champs Main Event live coverage
- PokerNews: Joe Hachem Back in the Winner’s Circle at Victorian Poker Championship
- PokerNews: Melbourne Set to Stage Victorian Poker Championship From October 12-27
- SoMuchPoker: Victorian Poker Championship 2026 at Crown Melbourne
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