Alex Thompson Wins WPT Australia

Alex Thompson Captures WPT Australia Championship

Australian poker player Alex Thompson has won the WPT Australia 2026 Championship, the flagship event of a three-week festival, earning a first-place prize of 450,900 AUD (approximately 325,539 USD). The result represents the largest score of his live tournament career.

Thompson entered the final day as the chip leader and converted that advantage into the title. According to the Hendon Mob database, his previous live tournament earnings totaled roughly 100,000 dollars, meaning this single victory more than tripled his prior career total.

Event Turnout and Payouts

The WPT Australia Championship main event carried a buy-in of 5,000 AUD and drew 527 entries. The prize pool reached 2,424,200 AUD (approximately 1,750,215 USD), with the top 66 finishers receiving a payout.

The Pivotal Flip

The turning point of Thompson's run came on Day 3 in a large all-in confrontation. Holding A-K against Itsuki Aburatani's Q-Q, Thompson spiked a king on the turn to win the flip and move to the top of the chip counts. Although he briefly lost the lead at the final table, he quickly regained control.

From five-handed play onward, Thompson eliminated every remaining opponent. He entered heads-up play against Filip Radic with a roughly 5:1 chip advantage.

The Decisive Hand

In the final hand, Radic moved all-in with 6d 5d and Thompson called with Jc Td. The flop came Qc 3h 4d, giving Radic an open-ended straight draw. Neither the turn 4h nor the river As completed his straight, eliminating Radic in second place and confirming Thompson as the WPT Australia 2026 champion.

Final Table Results

• 1. Alex Thompson, Australia — 450,900 AUD (325,539 USD)
• 2. Filip Radic, Australia — 290,000 AUD (209,373 USD)
• 3. Pranav Bhatt, Australia — 214,000 AUD (154,503 USD)
• 4. Jack Sweet, Australia — 159,000 AUD (114,794 USD)
• 5. Tingjia Huang, Australia — 119,000 AUD (85,915 USD)
• 6. Ryan Henry, New Zealand — 89,000 AUD (64,256 USD)
• 7. Jun Wang, Australia — 68,000 AUD (49,094 USD)
• 8. Michael Zhang, Australia — 53,500 AUD (38,626 USD)
• 9. Joshua McSwiney, Australia — 46,000 AUD (33,211 USD)

What This Result Means

For Thompson, the win marks a significant breakthrough. A six-figure AUD score of this size typically elevates a player's standing on national and regional leaderboards and can open doors to larger buy-in events and sponsorship opportunities. The final table was dominated by Australian players, with New Zealand's Ryan Henry the only non-Australian among the top six finishers.

The WPT Australia festival ran for three weeks and featured a full schedule of side events alongside the 5,000 AUD main event. The championship's 527-entry field and 2.4 million AUD prize pool reflect the continued strength of the live tournament market in the Asia-Pacific region.