The WPT Australia Festival has been underway at The Star Sydney since September 10. The first five champions were crowned during the opening week of the World Poker Tour stop.
Deborah An won the two-day AUD 500 Ladies Australian Championship. She prevailed in a field of 69 female players and ultimately took home prize money of AUD 9,304.
Ladies Australian Championship
| Place | Player | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deborah An | A$9,304 |
| 2 | Wenjing Zhang | A$6,203 |
| 3 | Emmalee Taylor | A$4,135 |
| 4 | Farnaz Bahrehbar | A$2,874 |
| 5 | Raija Thapper | A$2,085 |
| 6 | Jane Howard | A$1,583 |
| 7 | Weiming Tang | A$1,261 |
| 8 | Azadeh Yaghoubi | A$1,055 |
| 9 | Tayla Pickles | A$930 |
Alex Horowitz claimed victory at the two-day AUD 1,150 Sydney PLO Open. Horowitz prevailed over 112 competitors and claimed the top prize of AUD 29,169 by defeating Jarryd Godena in the heads-up final. A total of 16 players finished in the money from the AUD 112,000 prize pool.
Sydney PLO Open
| Place | Player | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Horowitz | A$29,169 |
| 2 | Jarryd Godena | A$19,490 |
| 3 | Ricardo Bono | A$13,523 |
| 4 | Michael O’Grady | A$9,668 |
| 5 | Hunter Cichy | A$7,127 |
| 6 | Wei Zhu | A$5,423 |
| 7 | Amin Riyazati | A$4,264 |
| 8 | Yojun Yun | A$3,468 |
| 9 | Craig Blight | A$2,921 |
The AUD 680 Bounty Bonanza was won by Zac Vigar. Vigar prevailed over 120 competitors and won AUD 12,068, with AUD 48,000 in the prize pool.
Bonanza Bounty
| Place | Player | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zac Vigar | A$12,068 |
| 2 | Ben Miller | A$8,046 |
| 3 | Bernard Stang | A$5,623 |
| 4 | Michael Tran | A$4,041 |
| 5 | Yan Shurunov | A$2,988 |
| 6 | Liam Jehu | A$2,275 |
| 7 | Liu Yang | A$1,786 |
| 8 | Rahim Nasab | A$1,447 |
| 9 | Qi Xu | A$1,210 |
Guangyu Wang was the last player standing in the AUD 400 Outlaw Omaha tournament. The Chinese player prevailed against 44 competitors and secured the trophy as well as AUD 5,235. Seven players finished in the money, with a total of AUD 15,400 in prize money awarded.
Outlaw Omaha
| Place | Player | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guangyu Wang | A$5,235 |
| 2 | Nicholas Lee | A$3,489 |
| 3 | Xueying Fang | A$2,326 |
| 4 | William Liu | A$1,613 |
| 5 | David Manassen | A$1,165 |
| 6 | Fufu Huu | A$879 |
| 7 | Steven Zhou | A$693 |
And last but not least, Yanik Weerasekera won the Ned Kelly Double Bullet. There were 83 players in the field. The winner received AUD 9,536. The top twelve players earned prize money, with a total of AUD 33,200 in prize money awarded.
Ned Kelly Double Bullet
| Place | Player | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yanik Weerasekera | A$9,536 |
| 2 | William Wu | A$6,357 |
| 3 | Guangyu Wang | A$4,310 |
| 4 | Tsz Cheung | A$3,031 |
| 5 | Dane Swinfield | A$2,215 |
| 6 | Michel Bouskila | A$1,684 |
| 7 | Luke Hanna | A$1,334 |
| 8 | Alex Thompson | A$1,103 |
| 9 | Joshua Baraba | A$954 |
With the first week of the 2026 WPT Australia now complete, the spotlight shifts to the AUD 1,500 WPT Prime Championship Event, the second major event of the series.