Big Winners at the 2018 Melbourne Poker Championship
The Melbourne Poker Championship wrapped up at Crown Casino Aug. 13 after 13 days of poker tournaments. A total of 15 events played down to a winner, with Gautam Dhingra (lead image) shipping the A$1,650 buy-in Main Event for A$156,051 ($113,309). The flagship event attracted 523 entries, generating a total prize pool of A$784,500 with 63 getting paid a minimum of A$3,140.
A$1,650 Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Gautam Dhingra | Australia | A$156,051 ($113,309) |
| 2nd | Hyung Tai Kim | Korea | A$124,424 ($90,319) |
| 3rd | Julius Colman | Australia | A$66,690 ($48,410) |
| 4th | Simon Chahine | Australia | A$50,210 ($36,447) |
| 5th | Jordan Westmoreland | United States | A$34,520 ($24,941) |
| 6th | James Harketts | Australia | A$27,455 ($19,836) |
| 7th | Adam Markiewicz | Australia | A$22,360 ($16,155) |
| 8th | Andrew Zebrovius | Australia | A$18,830 ($13,605) |
| 9th | Minh Hau Nguyen | Australia | A$15,690 ($11,336) |
In addition to the big one, 14 side events offered more chances to secure a hefty profit, with everything from 8-Game to Pot-Limit Omaha Knock-Out to Hyper Turbo No-Limit Hold'em and a variety of events that employed a Shot Clock. Here's a look at some of the biggest winners from the series.
Series Highlights
The A$350 Opening Event drew a whopping 740 entries to generate a prize pool worth A$185,000 ($136,911). David Kelly got the victory along with the first-place prize of A$40,240 ($29,780).
Plenty of other events handed out five-figure scores for their winners, including Event #4: A$550 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack. That event drew 392 entries for a prize pool of A$196,000 ($144,804) and Idris Hassan emerged victorious for a score of A$45,030 ($33,268). Also banking five-figure scores in that one were Natalia Rozova (second place for A$28,420; $20,997), David Tam (third place for A$17,640; $13,032) and Eugene Portlen (fourth place for A$13,915; $10,280).
Event #6: A$550 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Max got 243 total entries for a prize pool of A$121,500 ($90,130). Khac-Trung Tran took it down to claim the A$30,975 ($22,977) first-place prize while runner-up finisher Srdjan Brkic banked A$20,350 ($15,096). Main Event winner Dhingra final tabled the 6-max, finishing in 7th place for A$3,340 ($2,478).
The series also offered a A$1,100 No Limit Hold'em 6-Max Shot Clock Event which 129 players partook in. A total of 14 players got a piece of the A$129,000 ($95,531) prize pool with Joel Williams winning the lion's share of A$34,835 ($25,797).
Bobby Zhang also banked five-figures for second place worth A$23,865 ($17,673), as did third-place finisher Corentin Bouguennec, who won A$15,480 ($11,464). Also finishing at the final table were Eugene Portlen, who got his second fourth-place finish of the series for A$11,610 ($8,598) and well-know Australian online and live pro, Jonathan Karamalikis (seventh place for A$4,835; $3,581).
Cashing big in the A$550 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty were Jesse McKenzie, who took home A$21,625 ($16,055) for his victory, and Thomas Pearce, who had to settle for A$14,270 ($10,594) for his runner-up performance.
High Roller Results
The A$5,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Event drew 61 runners, generating a prize pool of A$289,750 ($215,116). Seven players would finish in the money and Tino Lechich shipped it all to collect A$95,620 ($70,990). The lone German at the final table, Henri Buehler, fell short in fourth place for a payout worth A$31,870 ($23,661).
A$5,000 High Roller Complete Payouts
| Place | Name | Country | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tino Lechich | Australia | A$95,620 ($70,990) |
| 2nd | Robert Spano | Australia | A$60,850 ($45,176) |
| 3rd | Andrew Hinrichsen | Australia | $40,565 ($30,116) |
| 4th | Henri Buehler | Germany | A$31,870 ($23,661) |
| 5th | Jordan Westmoreland | Australia | $23,180 ($17,209) |
| 6th | Luke Stokie | Australia | $20,280 ($15,056) |
| 7th | Zackery Lowrie | New Zealand | $17,385 ($12,907) |
Photos courtesy of Crown Poker
