Malcolm Trayner won the 2026 Aussie Millions Main Event, taking home AU$1,382,198 with a $1. He dominated the final table, becoming the first champion in six years.
After a six-year hiatus, one of the most iconic poker series, the 2026 Aussie Millions Poker Championship presented by CrownBet, has finally reignited, and its results have exceeded everyone's expectations.
This highly anticipated comeback event attracted massive crowds throughout the tournament, including the $10,600 main event, which drew a total of [number missing]. 770 A large number of participants competed for the glory of the Aussie Millions – the fifth largest main event in the series' history.
After five days of intense competition at the poker tables, the Australian player ultimately prevailed. Malcolm Trayner Trayner emerged victorious, becoming the first champion of a new era in the Aussie Millions. He displayed overwhelming dominance at the final table, securing his best-ever victory. $1,382,198 Australian Dollars He won the prize money and made his name known in the history of Aussie Millions.
2026 Aussie Millions Main Event Final Table Results
| Ranking | player | country | Prize money (Australian dollars) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malcolm Trayner | Australia | $1,382,198* |
| 2 | Dean Blatt | Australia | $1,000,072* |
| 3 | Dejan Boskovic | Australia | $921,030* |
| 4 | Sheldon Mayer | Australia | $466,620 |
| 5 | Ricky Vikas | Australia | $346,500 |
| 6 | Patrick Barba | Australia | $269,500 |
| 7 | Kanaan Youkhanna | Australia | $211,750 |
*Indicates a three-party agreement for prize sharing.
A roller coaster-like victory
Immediately after winning the championship, Trayner gave an exclusive interview to PokerNews, describing the victory as "unbelievable."
"I can't express how much winning Australia's most prestigious tournament means to me."
"I thought I would lose in a one-on-one match," he admitted. "It was like a roller coaster ride."
When Aussie Millions was last held, Trayner was still playing in Sydney in a $300 buy-in tournament.
"For the past eight years, I have dedicated my life to poker. People usually only see the wins, but they don't see the hard work behind them, or the months of losing money. Winning a tournament like this means a lot to me. I can't express how much winning Australia's most prestigious tournament means to me."
Final table results
The final table started uneventfully, with players exchanging only small pots in the first level before the first major pot appeared about an hour later. In this hand, Patrick Barba, who entered the final table short-stacked, gradually reduced his stack to about 7 big blinds before going all-in pre-flop with AJ. Sheldon Mayer in the big blind called with Q-6, and Barba doubled up after hitting an Ace, returning to the competition.
Blatt then completed several crucial doubles to avoid elimination. He first defeated Dejan Boskovic in a coin toss, and then successfully held his own against Ricky Vikas' AK with pocket Ks.
Despite the slow pace, Trayner displayed aggression with precise timing, taking down small pots that exceeded his share and gaining a significant chip lead in the seven-player game.
The first elimination of the day finally occurred when Kanaan Youkhanna went all-in pre-flop with AJ and lost in a coin toss against Boskovic's pocket nines—leaving Trayner and Boskovic with significantly more chips than the rest of the field.
Shortly after, Vikas went top pair against Boskovic's trips on the turn and became short-stacked after paying out several value bets. However, Vikas had a lucky double-up comeback. He went all-in pre-flop with 8-7 suited against Blatt's A-10 (who hit a set of 10s on the flop), eventually making his flush.
Barba, who had the shortest stack, then went all-in with his last remaining chips with scattered low cards. In the three-way showdown against Blatt and Mayer, he only lost to Blatt with a King-high hand.
Just a few hands later, having secured a decent jump in prize money, Vikas raised all-in with J-10 suited after Trayner raised. Blatt, in the big blind, called with AJ suited and then raised all-in four times to isolate his opponent. Trayner folded, and Vikas failed to improve his hand—reducing his ranking to fifth place.
With no one holding particularly short stacks, the four-player game opened the door to a wealth of action after the flop, and soon another big pot appeared. Mayer opened with QJ from the button, and Trayner called with 5-4 to see the flop. Both players hit a pair on the flop, but Trayner made trips on the turn, taking the lead. After calling the turn bet, Mayer faced an all-in on the river with only top pair and couldn't escape—eliminating in fourth place.
After Mayer was eliminated in fourth place, the competition was paused, and the remaining three players discussed the possibility of a prize-sharing deal.
At that time, Trayner led with 26,025,000 chips, more than double Blatt's (11,325,000), while Boskovic (8,850,000) was in third place.
The original bonus distribution is as follows:
| Ranking | Prize money (Australian dollars) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $1,667,050 |
| 2 | $1,001,000 |
| 3 | $635,250 |
After a brief discussion, the three agreed to the ICM agreement. Furthermore, Blatt and Boskovic each agreed to give Trayner $25,000, resulting in the following adjusted bonus distribution:
| player | Chip quantity | ICM Agreement Bonus | Adjusted bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malcolm Trayner | 26,025,000 | $1,332,198 | $1,382,198 |
| Dean Blatt | 11,325,000 | $1,025,072 | $1,000,072 |
| Dejan Boskovic | 8,850,000 | $946,029 | $921,030 |
They also reached an agreement to continue competing for the trophy, gold ring, and Aussie Millions title.
After the game resumed, Trayner immediately took action, extending his chip lead with a series of aggressive plays. Blatt and Boskovic then swapped short stacks several times until Boskovic finally countered Trayner with KJ suited. Unfortunately, Trayner held a superior KQ and managed to hold on, taking the game to heads-up.
One-on-one duel for the glory of Aussie Millions
At the start of the heads-up match, Trayner had a chip lead of nearly 4:1 against Blatt, but Blatt remained highly motivated.
After some back and forth, Blatt narrowed the gap. He first made a flush, and then, while holding a full house, induced Trayner to bluff.
Shortly after, Blatt and Trayner engaged in a pre-flop raise battle, with Blatt ultimately going all-in with A-10 against Trayner's AJ, fighting for his championship life. The flop left Trayner just two cards away from the title, but the turn paired Blatt's 10, giving him a huge double-up and the lead.
Despite being at a disadvantage, Trayner didn't give up and quickly regained the lead by doubling up twice. First, he held off Blatt's all-in with AK pre-flop against A-6, and then beat Blatt's pocket threes in a coin toss with A-5.
Two hands later, the dust settled. Blatt held A-10 and went live, while Trayner immediately raised all-in with pocket sevens. Blatt quickly poured in his remaining chips, but the final board gave Trayner the victory—securing the win and becoming the first Aussie Millions Main Event champion in six years.
Common Mistakes Review: Why Do You Keep Losing? The Problem Lies Here
Most players lose money not because of luck, but because they repeat the same mistakes.
These debriefings will help you identify the most common mistakes and understand how to correct them:
Why does constantly calling cause you to lose money?
[Bluff Imbalance] What are the costs of excessive bluffing?
Why do you always lose on the last street? [Never fold]
[Slow Play Error] Why do I lose big pots when I play slowly?
What's the problem with betting too small?
Why do people lose money when they bet too much?
[Emotional Issues] How do emotions affect your decision-making?
[Range Misjudgment] Analysis of Errors Caused by a Lack of Understanding of Range
[Location Ignore] What are the consequences of ignoring location?
[Misinterpreting People] The Impact of Misinterpreting an Opponent's Behavior
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