Joseph Antar’s Career Ride
The most attention in recent days was drawn by the prestigious 5,000 A$ NLH Challenge, which due to immense player interest, required an unplanned third day of play. The tournament saw a total of 464 entries, pushing the prizepool to an impressive 2,134,400 Australian dollars.
The champion was local pro Joseph Antar, who pocketed 482,405 A$ for his victory, marking the biggest achievement of his career so far.
Antar, who has dedicated the last two years to studying tournament poker after transitioning from cash games, delivered an exceptionally focused performance at the final table. In the final heads-up, he defeated Jennifer Cassell when his A h A d demolished her A c 7 h on a board of J c 3 d 2 s 5 s 7 c.
Final Table Results for Event #8: 5,000 A$ Challenge
|
Place |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
|
1. |
Joseph Antar |
Australia |
482,405 A$ |
|
|
2. |
Jennifer Cassell |
Australia |
290,280 A$ |
|
|
3. |
Michael Tomeny |
USA |
188,895 A$ |
|
|
4. |
Kahle Burns |
Australia |
141,725 A$ |
|
|
5. |
Michael Gathy |
Belgium |
108,955 A$ |
|
|
6. |
Vincent Wan |
Australia |
87,510 A$ |
|
|
7. |
Xiaosheng Zheng |
China |
72,570 A$ |
|
|
8. |
Troy Sweet |
Australia |
57,630 A$ |
|
|
9. |
Thijs Hilberts |
Netherlands |
43,755 A$ |
Diego Ponce Triumphs Down Under
WPT Global ambassador Diego Ponce secured his first Aussie Millions title in Melbourne after dominating Event #7: 2,500 A$ NLH. The Mexican prevailed in a field of 342 entries, taking home 179,665 A$, the second-largest cash prize of his career.
Ponce entered the final table as the chipleader, and despite a brief setback when Josh Chen took the lead, he reclaimed control in the final heads-up against WSOP bracelet holder Weiran Pu.
In the decisive hand, Pu went all-in with 6 h 6 d, only to face Ponce’s T h T c. The board 8 s 7 h 3 d 9 s J d eventually gave Ponce a winning straight, marking his second career title, both achieved on Australian soil.
Final Table Results for Event #7: 2,500 A$ NLH
|
Place |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1. |
Diego Ponce |
Mexico |
179,665 A$ |
|
2. |
Weiran Pu |
China |
108,115 A$ |
|
3. |
Josh Chen |
New Zealand |
69,870 A$ |
|
4. |
Jordan Tentori |
Australia |
53,480 A$ |
|
5. |
Ronan Hanley |
Australia |
39,245 A$ |
|
6. |
Sang Hong |
Australia |
31,550 A$ |
|
7. |
Dean Blatt |
Australia |
26,165 A$ |
|
8. |
Banipal Babana |
Australia |
21,160 A$ |
|
9. |
Lachlan Crilly |
Australia |
16,930 A$ |
Libby Thomson’s Inspiring Triumph
One of the festival’s most heartwarming moments came with Libby (Elizabeth) Thomson’s victory in the challenging 2,500 A$ 8-Game. Despite undergoing hip surgery just six weeks ago, she overcame a field of 91 entries to capture the trophy and a 55,280 A$ prize.
Thomson admitted her preference for mixed games over the aggression of No-Limit Hold’em, describing her tournament experience as a “pleasant ride” after defeating John Caridad in heads-up play.
After her win, she humbly noted that playing the Main Event is unrealistic for her due to her health, but this triumph in the 8-game feels like the perfect capstone to the festival.
Final Table Results for Event #10: 2,500 A$ 8-Game
|
Place |
Player |
Prize |
|
|
1. |
Libby Thomson |
55,280 A$ |
|
|
2. |
John Caridad |
34,295 A$ |
|
|
3. |
Peter Vratsidis |
22,535 A$ |
|
|
4. |
Darragh Curtin |
17,405 A$ |
|
|
5. |
Harris Soetinko |
13,820 A$ |
|
|
6. |
Antonio Seremet |
11,260 A$ |
|
|
7. |
Lucas Durante |
9,215 A$ |
|
|
8. |
Jiang Pu |
7,165 A$ |
Sources: Crown Poker, PokerNews
