Homegrown Talent Dominates and Three-Way Deal
When Aussie Millions last took place in 2020, Malcolm Trayner was a budding player competing in tournaments with a 300 AUD buy-in. Now, he returned to the festival as a local star, showcasing a commanding performance in the Main Event with a 10,600 AUD buy-in. After five days of grueling competition, he became the first champion of the new era of Aussie Millions.
The final table was an all-Australian affair, and Trayner entered as one of the favorites. The game culminated in a three-handed play where Trayner, Dean Blatt, and Dejan Boskovic agreed on an ICM deal.
Malcolm Trayner, holding more than half of the total chips in play at that time, secured a payout of 1,382,198 AUD. The players then continued to battle for the prestigious trophy, a gold ring, and the champion's title.
The road to victory was anything but easy. In the final heads-up against Dean Blatt, the lead shifted momentarily. However, Trayner managed to reclaim the lead, and in the decisive hand, his pair of 7 d 7 s held against Blatt's A c T c on a board of 4 c 8 d K s J c 4 d.
The atmosphere throughout the final day, including the thrilling heads-up and the victory celebrations, can be viewed on the official Crown Resorts YouTube channel:
Emotional Victory on Mother's Day
For Trayner, this triumph holds deep personal significance. He has dedicated the last eight years of his life to poker. “People often only see the wins, but they don't see the hard work and the months full of losses. Winning something like this means an incredible amount to me,” Trayner stated in an interview following his title win.
The victory was even sweeter since it occurred on Mother's Day, with his mother Anna in the audience for the first time in his career. Although she was initially not thrilled about her son's professional path, she couldn't hide her pride after this success. With a fresh title and million-dollar prize in his pocket, Trayner now heads to Las Vegas for the upcoming WSOP series.
Results of Aussie Millions Main Event 2026 Final Table:
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Prize (AUD) |
|
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$ |
*ICM deal
Sources: Crown Resorts, PokerNews, YouTube
