WPT Prime Australia | Cooper Feltham's river straight win propels him to victory, while Ling Liu finishes as runner-up and takes home AU$161,000.

On September 22, 2026, the World Poker Tour (WPT) witnessed a major championship crowning at The Star Sydney in Sydney, Australia. Australian professional poker player Cooper Feltham emerged victorious in the AU$1,500 buy-in WPT Prime Australia Championship, taking home AU$187,793 and the championship trophy.

The final hand of this championship battle was incredibly dramatic. Feltham and Ling Liu continued playing after reaching a prize agreement at the Heads-Up. Liu initially held A7 to pressure his opponent's A2, but was reversed by a straight on the river, ultimately finishing as runner-up and taking home AU$161,127.

Feltham secured the 2026 WPT Prime Australia Championship title with this crucial river card.

WPT Prime Australia concludes, Feltham takes the title and wins AU$187,793.

This year's WPT Australia will be held from September 10 to 30 at The Star Sydney, featuring a series of tournaments at different buy-in levels.

The WPT Prime Australia Championship, with a buy-in of AUD 1,500, is one of the two main championship events in this series.

The competition began on September 17th, and after several starting groups and subsequent days of competition, the champion was finally determined on September 22nd.

WPT Prime Australia Championship Key Data

The prize money for the champion and runner-up in this event has been adjusted according to the Heads-Up Agreement, so the final prize money figure reflects the deal reached by both parties.

Feltham has over a million dollars in live tournament prize money.

For Cooper Feltham, this WPT Prime Australia title is not his first achievement in a major live event.

According to PokerNews, Feltham had accumulated over $1 million in live tournament winnings before participating in this tournament.

This victory adds another AU$187,793 to his live tournament record.

However, the final stages on the road to the championship were not without their challenges. Despite Feltham having a clear scoreboard advantage heading into Heads-Up, Ling Liu launched several counterattacks, forcing both players to readjust the game.

Ling Liu counterattacked in a one-on-one fight, and the two sides reached a prize agreement.

After Feltham and Ling Liu entered heads-up play, Feltham once held a chip lead of nearly 3 to 1.

However, Liu did not give up his chance to win the championship.

Before the final hand, the two players had reached a Heads-Up bonus agreement, securing a six-figure Australian dollar prize for each of them.

According to other on-site reports, the two parties agreed that Feltham would initially secure AU$177,793, Liu would secure AU$161,127, and AU$10,000 and the championship trophy would be reserved for subsequent matches to determine their ownership.

Ultimately, Feltham won the remaining champion prize money, bringing his total winnings to AU$187,793.

Last move: Ling Liu A7 beats Feltham A2

When the championship was decided, Ling Liu was still trailing her opponent by nearly 3 to 1 on the scoreboard.

She received the following before the cards were flipped:

A♠7♥

Select all.

Feltham, however, held the following view:

A♦2♥

Complete the call.

After both players revealed their cards, Liu was clearly in the lead.

Both players hold an Ace, but Liu's 7-kick is stronger than Feltham's 2. If the community cards don't change the hand strength, Liu has a chance to complete a significant double-up and close the chip gap again.

Flop: 4♦J♦4♥

The flipped card shows a pair of 4s.

Although Feltham is still behind, his A♦ hand still gives him the potential to improve his hand.

At that time, Liu was still in the lead thanks to his seven powerful kicks.

Turn card: 3♠

After the turn card was 3♠, Feltham received a river card to draw.

He currently holds A2, and the community cards are 3 and 4.

If the river card is a 5, he can complete the task:

A-2-3-4-5 Straight

This is the lowest straight in Texas Hold'em, often referred to as a Wheel.

River card: 5♠

The last community card was:

5♠

The final community cards are:

4♦ J♦ 4♥ 3♠ 5♠

Feltham successfully completed a 5-high straight, directly overtaking Liu's A7 who was originally in the lead.

This river card not only determined the final pot, but also officially decided the winner of the entire WPT Prime Australia Championship.

Feltham took the championship, while Ling Liu finished as runner-up.

WPT Prime Australia Nine-Player Final Table Results

Several contestants with Chinese names achieved results in this Final Table.

Liu Yang made it into the final three, earning AU$99,000; Jinyu Wang, Louis Luo and Jiaxu Chen also finished 6th, 7th and 8th respectively.

It should be noted that the spelling of a name does not directly prove a contestant's nationality, therefore this article does not make any additional inferences about the contestant's country or region of origin.

Starting with 17 big blinds, Feltham staged a final table comeback.

There is another noteworthy background to Feltham's victory.

According to on-site tournament reports, he was only ranked sixth at the start of the nine-player final table, with about 17 big blinds in his hand.

This means he wasn't going into the final day with a lead.

However, as the final table progressed, Feltham gradually accumulated chips and began eliminating opponents one after another in the six-player stage, ultimately securing the heads-up qualification for the championship.

He faced a counterattack from Ling Liu during the Heads-Up, but ultimately managed to regain the lead and finish with a straight on the river.

WPT Australia's next stop: The AUD 5,000 Championship.

With the WPT Prime Australia Championship concluded, this year's WPT Australia is not yet over.

The main focus will now shift to buying:

A$5,000 WPT Australia Championship

This event belongs to the WPT Main Tour, which is different from the recently concluded WPT Prime Championship.

According to the announced schedule, the WPT Australia Championship will begin on September 24, with three Day 1 start groups, and the final table is scheduled to be broadcast live on September 30 to determine the champion.

Last year's champion, Alan Pham, will be one of the highlights of the event as the defending champion.

He won the WPT Australia Championship in 2025, earning AU$558,211.

Feltham's river card reversal brought WPT Prime Australia to a close.

Cooper Feltham emerged victorious in the 2026 WPT Prime Australia Championship.

He started from a position of about 17 big blinds at the nine-player final table and worked his way up to meet Ling Liu in heads-up play for the championship.

Even after facing a counterattack from his opponents during Heads-Up, Feltham still managed to secure the AU$187,793 champion prize through the prize money agreement and subsequent championship fight.

In the final hand, A♦2♥ faced off against A♠7♥, and Feltham completed a Wheel straight with the river card 5♠, becoming the most iconic moment of this championship battle.

Despite suffering a reversal in the final hand, Ling Liu still finished as runner-up, earning AU$161,127; Liu Yang took third place with AU$99,000.

With the WPT Prime champion now crowned, The Star Sydney will next host the AU$5,000 WPT Australia Championship, where another major title in this year's Australian series will be awarded.

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