Sports Editor
Alex Thompson turned a final-table chip lead into a title, winning the WPT Australia Championship for AUD $465,900 after beating a field of 527 entries. The $5,000 buy-in event at The Star Sydney ended with a rare kind of control: Thompson began the six-handed final table in front and never relinquished the lead, according to PokerNews.
A wire-to-wire final table
Thompson’s advantage was not simply a strong start. He maintained the chip lead throughout the final table, navigating a session in which more than two hours passed before the first elimination on the livestream. Filip Radic briefly drew level with him, but the challenge did not last long.
The result was a major breakthrough for Thompson. PokerNews reported that he had no big tournament cashes before entering the World Poker Tour event, and he now leaves Sydney with the title and its top prize. The final-table finishers shared the payouts, with $290,000 for second and $214,000 for third.
Radic reaches heads-up, but Thompson closes
Ryan Henry was the first finalist out, in sixth place for $89,000. He moved all in with Q♦4♥ but lost to Radic’s K♥10♥. Tingjia Huang followed in fifth for $119,000, while Jack Sweet took fourth for $159,000. Pranav Bhatt, the shortest stack with three players remaining, finished third for $214,000.
Thompson held a six-to-one chip lead when heads-up play began against Radic. The match lasted five minutes, ending when Thompson moved Radic all in with J-x-10-x. Radic called with 6-x-5-x but could not pair, securing Thompson the win and leaving Radic with the $290,000 runner-up prize.
A defining result in Sydney
Thompson’s run had the cleanest possible final-table arc: he started out front, kept control as the field narrowed, and finished the job quickly once heads-up play began. The outcome also gives a clear measure of the performance, with $465,900 going to the champion after 527 entries contested the $5,000 event.
For Radic, the deep run ended just short of the trophy, despite briefly threatening Thompson’s lead. For Thompson, the WPT Australia Championship title marks a standout arrival on a major tournament stage: he came into the event without a big tournament cash and left as a World Poker Tour champion, AUD $465,900 richer.
