Congratulations Angel Guillen ($182,594), 2023 WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge Champion!
After enduring a two-hour long heads-up battle, Angel Guillen has clinched the 2023 WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge title, defeating a field of 139 entries for $182,594 in prize money!
Guillen – who came oh-so-close to winning last year’s WPT Australia Opening Event – locked horns with 2005 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Hachem for over two hours, with the chip lead changing hands six times before Guillen finally broke through for his first major victory on Aussie soil.
It’s a fact that’s hard to believe, considering that Guillen has been living down under for such a long time, but the Mexican-born pro has achieved results all across the the globe, building a poker tournament CV worth more than USD $2.1 million.
Still, as PokerMedia Australia knows first-hand, there may have been no prouder moment in Guillen’s career than when he was coaching his wife and WPT Anchor Lynn Gilmartin in preparation for last year’s WPT World Championship Main Event in Las Vegas, where she was one of three Aussie players to have reached the money.
And for Guillen, the support of family and friends means everything, even if it’s from afar.
“Lynn just called me (from Melbourne), she’s so happy!” Guillen said. “It always feels like she’s here, even if she’s not. I also had Lynn’s parents here, and my friends … I didn’t feel like she had missed this at all.”
No doubt that it’ll be one helluva fiesta when she arrives though – and we are totally here for it! From all of us here at PMA, congratulations Angel!
WPT PRIME GOLD COAST $5K CHALLENGE: FINAL TABLE RESULTS ($5,000 buy-in, 139 entries, 18 players paid)
| Place | Name | Country | Amount |
| 1st | Angel Guillen | Mexico | $182,594 |
| 2nd | Joe Hachem | Australia | $114,981 |
| 3rd | Adrian Pacheco | Australia | $68,270 |
| 4th | Mata Ye | Australia | $41,158 |
| 5th | Joseph Vinecombe | Australia | $32,012 |
| 6th | Zhimeng Zhu | Australia | $26,785 |
| 7th | Jason Sampson | Australia | $23,192 |
| 8th | Marco Perri | Australia | $20,612 |
| 9th | Brandon Bailey | Australia | $18,260 |
This concludes our broadcast day, but the PMA Live Reporting Team will be back on Thursday to bring you updates from Day 2 of the Mystery Bounty, along with our social media and feature article coverage of the WPT Prime Gold Coast Main Event, in partnership with the international crew from worldpokertour.com.
Be sure to follow us for everything that’s happening on and around the felt right through until the final river falls, but until next time, from all of us here at The Star Gold Coast, it’s ‘bye for now!
Joe Hachem eliminated in 2nd place ($114,981)
We promised that today’s finale would be one for the ages, and it truly delivered on all fronts, with the epic heads-up battle between Joe Hachem and Angel Guillen coming to an end shortly before 12:30am local time.
Hachem raised from the button to 1.2 million before Guillen announced he was all in. Joe short-called and the hands were revealed.
Guillen: A♣Q♥
Hachem: K♣9♣
The A♠ appeared in the window, with the 4♠ and 2♦ completed the flop, but Hachem was left drawing dead on the turn as the board completed 7♦, 5♦.
| Joe Hachem | BUSTED! |
A phenomenal effort from the Australian Poker Hall of Famer, who takes home $114,981 for second place. Well played, sir!
PokerMedia Australia will return soon to wrap up tonight’s proceedings – stick around and we’ll be right back!
Swings and roundabouts
The chip lead in this heads-up battle has now changed hands for a sixth time after Angel Guillen doubled up twice through Joe Hachem.
Earlier, Hachem shoved from the button with A♠9♣ and found himself ahead of Guillen, who had undercalled with K♥5♠, but Guillen hit two pair on the board of J♥Q♣K♦4♦J♦ to increase his stack to 9.55 million.
All the money went into the middle again two hands later, with Guillen again at risk, but although Hachem picked up a flush draw on the board 6♦7♦2♦3♥10♠ with his holding of J♦J♣, Guillen took it down comfortably with A♥A♣.
| Angel Guillen | 18,500,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 10,200,000 |
Critical hit for Guillen
Joe Hachem has taken another big pot off Angel Guillen to now hold more than three-quarters of the chips in play as we moved into Level 27.
Joe Hachem raised to 1.5 million from the button and Angel Guillen called before he check-called Hachem’s c-bet of 1 million after the flop of 3♣9♥Q♦.
Guillen then check-called again after Hachem fired out 2 million on the turn of the 5♣ before checking again after the river K♥. Hachem moved all-in for his last 6.175 million and Guillen tank-called, but was no good against Hachem’s Q♠Q♣.
Pass the sugar!
| Joe Hachem | 21,900,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 5,900,000 |
Level 27: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
WPT Prime Gold Coast Player of the Festival update
As shared earlier on the PokerMedia Australia Facebook page, the team at the WPT and Star Poker Gold Coast have now updated the Player of the Festival leader board after four events, and prior to today, Brandon Bailey and Benn McAuley were all tied up for the lead.
Given the results that both Bailey and Adrian Pacheco have registered in the $5K Challenge, however, expect some big changes once things wrap up tonight and as we head into the second half of the schedule.
In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye out for our results round-up of all the other completed side events tomorrow, before we return to The Star Gold Coast for Day 2 of the Mystery Bounty and bring you social media coverage of the Main Event alongside live updates from our friends at worldpokertour.com.
WPT PRIME GOLD COAST: PLAYER OF THE FESTIVAL LEADER BOARD*
| Rank | Name | Points |
| eq. 1st | Brandon Bailey | 600 |
| eq. 1st | Benn McAuley | 600 |
| 3rd | Adrian Sportelli | 550 |
| 4th | Jarrod Thatcher | 500 |
| 5th | Tu Le | 450 |
| 6th | Michel Bouskila | 425 |
| 7th | Zheming Zhu | 375 |
| 8th | Daniel Austin | 350 |
| 9th | Zongchi He | 315 |
| eq. 10th | Adrian Pacheco | 300 |
| eq. 10th | Mark Lawton | 300 |
| eq. 10th | Daniel Smiljanic | 300 |
| 13th | Peter Apostolou | 275 |
| eq. 14th | Anthony Cierco | 250 |
| eq. 14th | Ben Turner | 250 |
| 16th | Nathanial Hutton | 225 |
| eq. 17th | Nil Esteve | 200 |
| eq. 17th | Noman Mirza | 200 |
| eq. 19th | Peter Sun | 175 |
| eq. 19th | Jeison Berdugo | 175 |
Back and forth
The chip lead has swung back into Angel Guillen’s favour as action continues heads-up in the WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge.
Guillen completed and Hachem checked to see a flop of 3♦4♥7♠ before leading out for 500,000. Guillen called, and did so again after Hachem bet 1.2 million after the turn of the 4♦.
Hachem checked again on the river Q♦, but quickly folded after Guillen’s bet of 2.8 million.
| Angel Guillen | 17,125,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 10,675,000 |
Hachem strikes back
Joe Hachem has returned fire against Angel Guillen to steal back the lead in this heads-up battle for the WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge title.
Hachem completed from the button and Guillen checked before check-calling to Hachem’s bet after the flop of 5♦Q♣6♦.
The action repeated after Hachem’s bet of 1.4 million on the turn of the 5♣, but Guillen check-folded to Hachem’s bet of 2.5 millon after the river J♦.
| Joe Hachem | 17,775,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 10,025,000 |
Level 26: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Evening things out
Another big pot for Angel Guillen has now resulted in him taking back the chip lead as we head into Level 26.
Guillen completed the button, Hachem raised to 1.4 million and Guillen called before calling Hachem’s bet of 800,000 after the flop of 3♥Q♣4♦.
Hachem fired another 1.6 million after the turn of the K♣ and Guillen called, but then after the dealer produced the river 8♥, Hachem open-shoved.
Guillen snap-called and rolled over K♠K♦ for the set, and Hachem sent his hand into the muck.
| Angel Guillen | 14,800,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 13,000,000 |
Guillen gets one back
Angel Guillen has recovered a small portion from Joe Hachem as this $5K Challenge heads-up battle heats up.
Guillen completed from the button and Hachem checked before both players passed after the flop of 8♦K♦6♠.
Hachem then check-called to Guillen’s bet of 400,000 on the turn of the 3♥, and the action repeated after Guillen fired out 2 million straight on the river Q♦, but Hachem mucked his hand after Guillen tabled 7♦3♦.
| Joe Hachem | 19,850,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 8,850,000 |
Advantage, Hachem
Joe Hachem has now taken control in this heads-up battle to move up to more than 20 million in chips against Angel Guillen.
Hachem raised to 1,000,000 on the button and Guillen called before leading out for 600,000 after the flop of 9♦4♣3♦.
Guillen then check-called Hachem’s bet of 1.4 million after the turn of the 9♥, but check-folded as soon as Hachem bet 3.9 million on the river 5♠.
| Joe Hachem | 21,950,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 6,750,000 |
Adrian Pacheco eliminated in 3rd place ($68,270)
We are now officially heads-up in the WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge after Adrian Pacheco bowed out in third place.
In one of the first hands back from the break, Pacheco moved all-in pre-flop with A♥9♦, but chopped against Joe Hachem’s A♣7♥ after the runout of 3♦K♠3♠10♥4♣.
Pacheco then opened from the button and Guillen folded before Hachem three-bet out of the small blind. Pacheco moved all-in and Hachem snap-called.
Hachem: J♠J♣
Pacheco: A♦5♠
Board: 7♠6♠3♥6♦5♦
| Joe Hachem | 17,625,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 10,575,000 |
| Adrian Pacheco | BUSTED! |
Level 25: 200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Mexican stand-off
A south-of-the-border battle – of sorts – has been waged between Mexico City’s Angel Guillen and Melbourne’s Joe Hachem as the clock ticked over into the next break of the night.
Round 1!
After Pacheco folded on the button, Guillen completed and Hachem checked his option before leading out after a flop of A♠5♦10♣.
Guillen flatted, and then Hachem check-called Guillen’s bet of 1,250,000 after the turn of the 2♦ before the both checked the river 2♠, but Hachem mucked after showing down A♦8♦.
Round 2!
Hachem opened from the button, Pacheco folded and Guillen flatted before check-calling Hachem’s two bets of 450,000 after the flop of 9♥9♠Q♠ and the turn of the Q♦ before check-folding to Hachem’s third shell of 1.5 million after river Q♣.
Round 3!
Pacheco folded the button and Guillen raised to 900,000 before Hachem called before leading out for 750,000 after the flop of 4♦7♥K♥.
Guillen called, and the action repeated after Hachem opened for 1.5 million on the turn of the 2♣ before both players checked the river 6♣, with Hachem’s 7♣5♣ good enough to take it down.
Our final three players are now on another 15-minute break. Back soon!
| Joe Hachem | 11,675,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 10,250,000 |
| Adrian Pacheco | 5,400,000 |
Pacheco bounces back
Adrian Pacheco copped a hit against Angel Guillen, but was able to recover with a full double through Joe Hachem as three-handed action rolls on at this final table.
After Guillen raised to 600,000 from the button, Hachem folded his small blind before Pacheco three-bet to 1,000,000 from the big blind. Guillen called, then called Pacheco’s c-bet of 300,000 after the flop of K♦4♠K♥.
Pacheco then fired 1.45 million after the turn of the 10♠ and again Guillen called before both players checked the river 8♣.
“Ace high,” declared Pacheco, only to muck after Guillen showed down 10♦7♦.
In the very next hand, Pacheco shoved from the small blind after Hachem raised from the button to force Guillen out of the way before going to showdown.
Hachem: 5♥5♦
Pacheco: K♠Q♦
Pacheco won the flip for his tournament life after he paired his Queen on the flop of A♠Q♣9♥, which held after the turn and river ran out 3♣, J♥.
| Angel Guillen | 11,000,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 9,450,000 |
| Adrian Pacheco | 7,350,000 |
Mata Ye eliminated in 4th place ($41,158)
After taking a huge hit to his stack against Angel Guillen, Mata Ye’s run in the $5K Challenge was ended by Joe Hachem to bring us down to our final three!
In the last few minutes before the blinds went up, Guillen opened from the button and Ye defended his big blind before both players checked the flop of 3♠4♣4♦. Ye then opened on the turn of the 7♠ and Guillen called before both players checked the river 8♠, with Guillen’s A♣8♣ best against Ye’s Q♦J♣.
Down to around 2.3 million after that hand, it didn’t take long for Ye to get them all-in, with Hachem calling him down.
Hachem: A♥7♦
Ye: 9♣7♣
Board: A♣7♥6♥Q♣K♦
| Joe Hachem | 10,350,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 10,300,000 |
| Adrian Pacheco | 7,150,000 |
| Mata Ye | BUSTED! |
Level 24: 150,000/300,000 (300,000)
Joseph Vinecombe eliminated in 5th place ($32,012)
After being crippled in an earlier hand by Angel Guillen, Joseph Vinecombe had the last of his chips taken by Joe Hachem to end his tournament run in fifth place.
In earlier action, Vinecombe raised to 400,000 from the cut-off and Mata Ye folded on the button before Adrian Pacheco called out the small blind. Guillen took a moment, and then announced he was all in; Vinecombe called and Pacheco folded.
Guillen: K♦K♣
Vinecombe: A♠J♣
“Nice hand!” Vinecombe exclaimed before the dealer spread a board of 8♦5♠7♣10♣4♦.
Down to his last 1,350,000 in chips, Vinecombe ripped them in a short time later with A♠7♣, but lost the fair fight against Hachem’s J♠8♠ which hooked up a pair on the river on the board of 4♣10♠Q♣6♥J♥.
Down to four!
| Angel Guillen | 7,700,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 7,250,000 |
| Joseph Vinecombe | BUSTED! |
10 million!
Adrian Pacheco has now hit the magic milestone of 10 million chips as action continues five-handed in the $5K Challenge final table.
Earlier, the action folded to Pacheco who completed his small blind before Angel Guillen checked his option in the big blind to see a flop of 7♦4♥7♥. Pacheco check-called Guillen’s c-bet of 150,000, then led out for 600,000 after the turn of the 9♦.
Guillen smooth-called, and then both players checked the river 6♥ before Pacheco showed down J♠J♣, which was enough to take the pot down.
A short time later, Joe Hachem raised to 400,000 and Pacheco defended his big blind before check-calling Hachem’s second shell of 400,000 after the flop of 7♠3♣10♣, but check-folded to Hachem’s all-in bet of 1.2 million after the turn of the 2♣.
| Adrian Pacheco | 10,100,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 4,000,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 3,100,000 |
Level 23: 100,000/200,000 (200,000)
Zhimeng Zhu eliminated in 6th place ($20,612)
Now down to five in the $5K Challenge, with Zhimeng Zhu felted by Adrian Pacheco just before the price of poker went up.
Zhu min-clicked to 300,000 before play folded around to Pacheco, who raised to 1.1 million from the cut-off. The others got out of the way before Zhu four-bet shoved, but Pacheco beat him into the pot.
Pacheco: J♠J♣
Zhu: 9♦9♣
Board: 4♦10♠2♥6♠3♠
| Adrian Pacheco | 8,500,000 |
| Zhimeng Zhu | BUSTED! |
Peaks and troughs
Zheming Zhu has managed to find a double through Joe Hachem to stay alive after being crippled by Mata Ye.
In earlier action, action folded to Zhu who completed the small blind before Ye checked his option in the big blind to see a flop of Q♣8♦9♦. Zhu check-called after Ye’s bet of 300,000, then checked again after dealer produced the turn of the A♥.
Ye moved all-in for a touch over 2 million and after about a minute or so, Zhu made the call.
Zhu: 10♦6♦
Ye: 9♠8♠
Ye’s two pair improved after turn and river repeated A♥, A♣, leaving Zhu with 1.125 million, which he shoved into the middle from the button in the very next hand after Hachem raised to 300,000 from UTG+1. Hachem called and their hands were tabled.
Zhu: A♥K♥
Hachem: Q♥J♥
Both players paired up on the board of J♦4♥K♠8♣6♠, but Zhu’s Kings ensured the full double.
| Mata Ye | 5,150,000 |
| Zheming Zhu | 2,500,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 2,500,000 |
Pacheco chips up
Adrian Pacheco has now increased his stack to more than 6.5 million as action in the $5K Challenge final table continues.
After Pacheco raised to 300,000 from the +1 position, the action folded around to Joseph Vinecombe who called from the small blind, as did Zheming Zhu from the big blind to make it three handed to a flop of 10♥7♠6♣.
The blinds checked to Pacheco who opened for 150,000; Vinecombe folded, but after Zhu check-raised to 650,000, Pacheco re-raised to 1.45 million. Zhu flat-called, only to then check-fold to Pacheco’s bet of 1 million after the turn of the J♦.
| Adrian Pacheco | 6,525,000 |
| Zheming Zhu | 3,550,000 |
Updated chip counts
| Name | Country | Chips | BBs |
| Angel Guillen | Mexico | 6,145,000 | 49 |
| Joseph Vinecombe | Australia | 5,650,000 | 45 |
| Zheming Zhu | Australia | 5,525,000 | 44 |
| Adrian Pacheco | Australia | 4,320,000 | 34 |
| Joe Hachem | Australia | 3,495,000 | 26 |
| Mata Ye | Australia | 2,660,000 | 21 |
Level 22: 75,000/150,000 (150,000)
Break time!
Our players are now on another 15-minute break. Counts incoming!
Jason Sampson eliminated in 7th place ($20,612)
Just before we reached the end of the blind level, the action folded around to Mata Ye who min-raised to 250,00 from the cut-off before Jason Sampson moved all-in from the button.
Adrian Pacheco folded his small blind, and Angel Guillen took a beat before he iso-shoved out the big blind, forcing Ye out of the way before the cards were tabled.
Sampson: 2♥2♣
Guillen: A♣Q♦
Board: 8♣A♠7♥10♦Q♥
And just like that, we’re down to six!
| Angel Guillen | 6,145,000 |
| Jason Sampson | BUSTED! |
Marco Perri eliminated in 8th place ($20,612)
Marco Perri has collected a tidy $20K and change for his eighth place finish in the $5K Challenge.
Action folded to Perri who open-shoved out of middle position before it went around to Mata, who was the only caller out of the small blind.
Perri showed down Q♠9♠ and found himself trailing Ye’s A♥Q♥, but despite picking up a flush draw after the flop of 7♥4♣3♠, the turn and river J♥, 8♦ and we now have seven players remaining.
| Mata Ye | 3,225,000 |
| Marco Perri | BUSTED! |
Brandon Bailey eliminated in 9th place ($18,260)
Joseph Vinecombe has now taken over the chip lead at this final table after eliminating Brandon Bailey in ninth place.
Action folded to Vinecombe who min-clicked from the cut-off before Bailey shoved from the button with 3♠3♥.
Vinecombe snap-called and rolled up 9♦9♣,which hit the better two pair on the board of Q♣2♠2♥Q♥A♣.
| Joseph Vinecombe | 6,200,000 |
| Brandon Bailey | BUSTED! |
Mata draws first blood
In the very first hand of the final table, the action folded around Mata Ye who open shoved out of the small blind before Jason Sampson called from the big blind.
Sampson: 3♥3♦
Ye: Q♦3♠
Board: 5♣Q♥Q♣K♣K♥
A full house and a full double for Ye, who now moves up to more than 3.5 million in chips after that hand.
| Mata Ye | 3,575,000 |
| Jason Sampson | 3,160,000 |
Level 21: 60,000/120,000 (120,000)
WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge final table
The clock was paused with 2m 40m second remaining in the previous level as our final table was formed, and after the numbers were crunched and the official final table portrait taken, we are now already back underway.
From all of us at PokerMedia Australia, we wish all our final tablists the very best of luck!
| Seat | Name | Country | Chips | BBs |
| 1 | Mata Ye | Australia | 930,000 | 9 |
| 2 | Jason Sampson | Australia | 4,650,000 | 47 |
| 3 | Adrian Pacheco | Australia | 3,820,000 | 38 |
| 4 | Angel Guillen | Mexico | 3,760,000 | 38 |
| 5 | Marco Perri | Australia | 1,275,000 | 13 |
| 6 | Joe Hachem | Australia | 3,570,000 | 36 |
| 7 | Joseph Vinecombe | Australia | 4,155,000 | 42 |
| 8 | Brandon Bailey | Australia | 2,655,000 | 27 |
| 9 | Zheming Zhu | Australia | 3,475,000 | 35 |
Emmanuel Seal eliminated in 10th place ($16,006)
Out on Table 9, Vinecombe raised to 200,000 from the cut-off before Seal ripped in his last 700,000 from the button, forcing Joe Hachem and Adrian Pacheco out of the blinds.
“Be nice to each other!” Hachem quipped.
Vinecombe: K♠K♣
Seal: A♠8♦
Board: K♥A♣7♠5♠K♦
Quads for Vinecombe, a $16K payday for Seal and our $5K Challenge final table has now been set! We’ll be back shortly with the official final line-up shortly.
| Joseph Vinecombe | 4,100,000 |
| Emmanuel ‘Curly’ Seal | BUSTED! |
Anthony Hachem eliminated in 11th place ($16,006)
Only moments after the two Joe’s clashed on Table 9, the cry of “all-in call” went up from the feature table, where we saw Anthony Hachem at risk against Jason Sampson.
Sampson: A♦Q♥
Hachem: A♣5♦
The most senior of the Hachems is now the last one standing out of the trio, after Sampson filled up against Anthony on the board of 6♥K♣6♦Q♦Q♠.
Play has now reverted back to hand-for-hand with only 10 players remaining.
| Jason Sampson | 4,200,000 |
| Anthony Hachem | BUSTED! |
Joe-Joe a-go-go
Over on Table 9, the action folded around to Joseph Vinecombe who raised to 200,000; Joe Hachem called, and then check-called Vinecombe’s c-bet of 200,000 after the flop of 5♠Q♦A♦.
The action repeated after Vinecombe’s bet of 425,000 after the turn of the K♣, but Hachem then check-folded to Vinecombe’s open-shove of 1.195 million after the river 8♦. Vinecombe flashed the J♦ before raking in the pot.
| Joe Hachem | 3,100,000 |
| Josepeh Vinecombe | 2,900,000 |
AAngel
Angel Guillen has now padded his stack, moving up to almost 3.5 million after doubling through Marco Perri.
After Perri raised from middle position, Guillen ripped in his stack of 1.59 million from the cut-off, forcing the others out of the way before the cards were tabled.
Guillen: A♦A♣
Marco: K♠K♣
Board: 7♣4♣10♠4♦J♣. Vamos!
| Angel Guillen | 3,430,000 |
| Marco Perri | 2,185,000 |
Straight for Zhu
From UTG+1, Zheming Zhu raised to 200,000 and found one caller in Mata Ye from the button to go heads-up to a flop of 5♠10♥9♣.
Zhu opened for 300,000 and Ye called, which prompted the dealer to bring forth the turn of the 4♦. Zhu then open-shoved and Ye snap-called.
Ye: 9♥9♦
Zhu: J♥8♠
Ye had set himself up, but incredibly, Zhu completed his open-ender with the river 7♦ to secure the full double!
| Zheming Zhu | 3,450,000 |
| Mata Ye | 1,975,000 |
Level 20: 50,000/100,000 (100,000)
Vinecombe back in the hunt
Joseph Vinecombe has found a timely double through Emmanuel ‘Curly’ Seal as the clock ticked down into the 20th level of play.
Vinecombe put himself at risk with J♠5♥, but although he found himself well behind Seal’s A♥Q♥, he was hooked up with a pair after the flop of 4♥J♣2♦.
‘Curly’ then caught a wheel draw with the 3♦ on the turn, but Vinecombe’s hand held up after the dealer completed the board with the river 8♥.
| Joseph Vinecombe | 2,280,000 |
| Emmanuel ‘Curly’ Seal | 1,620,000 |
Leo Kamiya eliminated in 12th place ($16,006)
Down to 11 in the WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge now, after Leo Kamiya was taken out in brutal fashion against Jason Sampson on the feature table.
Action folded around to Sampson who open-shoved out of the small blind with 7♠5♣ before Kamiya called short from the big blind to find himself ahead holding A♠K♦.
Kamiya was outdrawn, however, as Sampson went on to finish with two pair after the runout of 4♣J♦5♥Q♠Q♦. Ouch.
| Jason Sampson | 2,180,000 |
| Leo Kamiya | BUSTED! |
Chip counts at the break
| Name | Chips |
| Adrian Pacheco | 4,215,000 |
| Marco Perri | 3,420,000 |
| Emanuel ‘Curly’ Seal | 2,720,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 2,655,000 |
| Brandon Bailey | 2,635,000 |
| Zhifan Ye | 2,325,000 |
| Anthony Hachem | 2,310,000 |
| Joseph Vinecombe | 1,780,000 |
| Jason Sampson | 1,565,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 1,540,000 |
| Zheming Zhu | 1,420,000 |
| Leo Kamiya | 1,115,000 |
Level 19: 40,000/80,000 (80,000)
Dinner break!
Our players are now on a 30-minute dinner break. Back soon with another full round of counts!
Daniel Hachem eliminated in 13th place ($13,883)
WPT League Ambassador Adrian Pacheco is now our new chip leader after taking out Daniel Hachem in 13th place.
Hachem got the last of his money in before the flop holding A♦Q♦, but Pacheco called him down with A♠K♠ and drilled Broadway on the flop of Q♣J♠10♣.
Hachem was then left drawing to a chop with the 5♥ on the turn, but the river 2♣ was a brick and we are now down to 12!
| Adrian Pacheco | 4,200,000 |
| Daniel Hachem | BUSTED! |
Chao Duan eliminated in 14th place ($13,883)
Joe Hachem has picked up another elimination, taking out Chao Duan as we approach the next break.
We picked up the action on the river heads-up between Hachem and Duan on a board of 8♦4♦6♥7♦2♦; Hachem had moved all-in on the river and Duan was in the tank for a good long while before the clock was called.
Within the last 10 seconds, Duan made a crying call and showed Q♦9♦, but Hachem had him beat with K♥K♦.
| Joe Hachem | 2,700,000 |
| Chao Duan | BUSTED! |
Gautam Dhingra eliminated in 15th place ($13,883)
Gautam Dhingra was the first to ladder up after being sent to the rail in 15th place by WPT Prime Gold Coast Opening Event Champion Brandon Bailey.
Once again, all the money was in the middle pre-flop and we got there as the two players went to showdown.
Bailey: K♥K♦
Dhingra: A♠J♥
Board: 6♣8♦5♥4♥6♥
| Brandon Bailey | 2,775,000 |
| Gautam Dhingra | BUSTED! |
Sean Ragozzini eliminated in 16th place ($11,923)
At the same time that Gary Lin was eliminated, Sean Ragozzini got the last of his money in the middle pre-flop before he was called off by Adrian Pacheco.
Ragozzini was at risk with A♦K♦, but was left for dead against Pacheco’s Q♥Q♦ after he turned a set on the board of 7♦8♠4♥Q♠10♥.
Pay jump!
| Adrian Pacheco | 2,300,000 |
| Sean Ragozzini | BUSTED! |
Gary Lin eliminated in 17th place ($11,923)
Action has been crazy since the bubble has burst, with Gary Lin taken out by Joe Hachem.
As the 2005 WSOP Main Event Champion recalled, action folded around to him before he ripped from the small blind holding K-10 off-suit; Lin undercalled with A-7o, and another 10 on the flop was enough to lock it up.
| Joe Hachem | 1,020,000 |
| Gary Lin | BUSTED! |
Liam O’Rourke eliminated in 18th place ($11,923)
Liam O’Rourke was our first player to cash out from the $5K Challenge, felted at the hands of Zheming Zhu.
O’Rourke moved the last of his money in pre-flop with 2♠2♣, however he ran head-first into the 10♠10♥ of Zhu, which made the bigger two pair on the board of A♣K♣5♣K♥4♦.
| Zheming Zhu | 2,220,000 |
| Liam O’Rourke | BUSTED! |
Level 18: 30,000/60,000 (60,000)
Apostolou picked off
It only took one hand, but we’re now officially in the money after Peter Apostolou was sent to the rail by Anthony Hachem!
Action folded around to Hachem who raised from the button pre-flop before Apostolou shoved out of the big blind. Hachem quickly called and the cards were tabled.
Hachem: 7♥7♦
Apostolou: A♦6♥
Board: Q♠2♣Q♦3♣4♥
| Anthony Hachem | 2,525,000 |
| Peter Apostolou | BUSTED! |
Adios, Argyros
We’re now on the bubble in the WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge after Billy ‘The Croc’ Argyros was eliminated by Zheming Zhu.
After an early position raise from Zhu, the action folded around to Argyros who three-bet-shoved from the button holding A♣9♦. Zhu quickly called and showed 4♠4♥, which held after a clean runout of 10♣5♦7♠K♠6♠
With the field now down to 19 players, the tournament clock has been paused in preparation for hand-for-hand play.
| Zheming Zhu | 1,030,000 |
| Billy ‘The Croc’ Argyros | BUSTED! |
Parallel universe?
It’s been mixed fortunes for two of our Aussie poker veterans, with Billy Argyros and Emmanuel Seal both getting busy with just 20 players remaining.
On the feature table, Argyros jammed over the top of Jason Sampson’s all-in to force the rest of the table out of the way before going to showdown; Argyros was ahead with A♦Q♠ against Sampson’s A♠7♦, but Sampson doubled through after flopping middle pair on the board of 8♣7♠4♠10♥6♠.
It was an eerily similar story for Seal, however the ending was a lot happier as his A♦Q♣ held against Chao Duan’s A♣7♥ after the dealer fanned out a board of A♠K♦3♥5♦10♥.
| Chao Duan | 2,93,000 |
| Jason Sampson | 1,250,000 |
| Emmanuel ‘Curly’ Seal | 1,030,000 |
| Billy ‘The Croc’ Argyros | 240,000 |
Zhongchi gonged
Zongchi He has just been eliminated by Australian Poker Hall of Fame Legend Joe Hachem as we move closer to the money in the $5K Challenge.
Once again, all the money was in the middle pre-flop and our reporter was on the scene to capture the showdown.
Hachem: 9♦9♣
He: A♦J♥
Board: 3♣A♣Q♥9♥K♣
| Joe Hachem | 1,030,000 |
| Zongchi He | BUSTED! |
Level 17: 25,000/50,000 (50,000)
Fang banged up, woe for Mo
Two more eliminations as we approach Level 17, with Powen Fang and Mo Haidary now having hit the rail.
In earlier action, Fang moved all-in pre-flop with 9♠9♥ and found himself flipping against Daniel Hachem’s A♥K♥; Fang moved further ahead after the flop of 8♥Q♣Q♠, but Hachem Greenstein’d the better two pair after the the board completed 3♦, A♣.
Haidary was then given the old heave-ho, losing the flip for his tournament life after Leo Kamiya’s 10♥10♦ drilled a set on the board of 10♣2♦5♣J♦Q♠ against Haidary’s A♥Q♦.
| Leo Kamiya | 1,475,000 |
| Daniel Hachem | 1,400,000 |
| Mo Haidary | BUSTED! |
| Powen Fang | BUSTED! |
Croc bites Wright
Another pre-flop all-in and call on Table 6, with Nick Wright putting himself at-risk with K♦10♥ against Billy Argyros, who called with J♣10♦.
No change after the flop of 9♣8♣9♠, however ‘The Croc’ snapped up Wright’s remaining chips after he rivered the flush as the turn and river ran out A♣, 4♣.
| Billy ‘The Croc’ Argyros | 1,100,000 |
| Nick Wright | BUSTED! |
Best bust
Sadly, any dreams of a repeat victory in this event have been dashed for Gavin Best, who has been eliminated from the feature table by Anthony Hachem.
All the money was in the middle after the flop of 6♥K♥J♠ and we picked up the action as the two players went to showdown.
Hachem: A♠K♠
Best: J♦8♣
Both players had paired up, but Hachem had the best of it, and then freerolled to the nut flush as the board completed 5♠, 8♠.
| Anthony Hachem | 2,535,000 |
| Gavin Best | BUSTED! |
Updated chip counts
Our players are now back from break, and it’s Marco Perri who now tops the counts with almost 2.8 million. We can also confirm that Alex Le, Ken Demlakian, Robert Damelian and reigning WSOP Circuit Gold Coast Champion Po Hu have all been eliminated.
| Name | Chips |
| Marco Perri | 2,745,000 |
| Chao Duan | 2,685,000 |
| Anthony Hachem | 2,250,000 |
| Sean Ragozzini | 1,775,000 |
| Brandon Bailey | 1,700,000 |
| Adrian Pacheco | 1,450,000 |
| Gary Lin | 1,435,000 |
| Leo Kamiya | 1,285,000 |
| Zheming Zhu | 1,210,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 1,140,000 |
| Gautam Dhingra | 1,080,000 |
| Joseph Vinecombe | 1,055,000 |
| Jason Sampson | 895,000 |
| Liam O’Rourke | 880,000 |
| Daniel Hachem | 845,000 |
| Powen Fang | 735,000 |
| Zhifan Ye | 670,000 |
| Mo Haidary | 670,000 |
| Emanuel ‘Curly’ Seal | 625,000 |
| Zongchi He | 470,000 |
| Gavin Best | 435,000 |
| Angel Guillen | 425,000 |
| Billy ‘The Croc’ Argyros | 420,000 |
| Peter Apostolou | 390,000 |
| Nick Wright | 300,000 |
Level 16: 20,000/40,000 (40,000)
Break it up!
Our 25 remaining players are now on a 15-minute break. Full round of counts incoming!
O’Rourke’s alright
After being crippled down to less than 200K, Liam O’Rourke has found another late double against Leo Kamiya to keep himself in this tournament as we approach the first break.
After Kamiya opened to 60,000, O’Rourke three-bet it to 150,000, which then prompted Kamiya to come back with a four-bet shove before O’Rourke undercalled.
O’Rourke: Q♦Q♣
Kamiya: Q♠J♣
Board: 3♥9♠4♦3♣4♣
| Leo Kamiya | 935,000 |
| Liam O’Rourke | 630,000 |
Mata and Wright on the double
A couple more big double-ups as the $5K Challenge rolls on, with Mata Ye now back up past one million in chips.
Earlier, Ye got his money in good pre-flop with A♥K♣ against Liam O’Rourke, who called him down with A♣J♥, but Ye completed the full double after neither hand improved on the board of 4♠8♥2♦6♦4♣.
Then over on the feature table, Peter Apostolou was crippled after he lost the fair fight holding K♣J♠ against Wright’s A♥5♥, which jagged two pair on the river after the dealer fanned out a board of 7♦9♣7♠4♠5♠.
| Mata Ye | 1,055,000 |
| Nick Wright | 515,000 |
| Peter Apostolou | 185,000 |
| Liam O’Rourke | 180,000 |
Vasquez vanquished
A massive pot for Adrian Pacheco has resulted in the WPT League Illawarra chipping up to more than a million and all but eliminating Andreas Vasquez.
All the money was in the middle pre-flop and we got there as the cards were tabled.
Pacheco: A♥10♦
Vasquez: Q♦J♦
Board: 4♠3♣A♠K♥4♥
Down to just 15,000 in chips after that hand, Vasquez did find some reprieve after doubling through Brandon Bailey, but was eliminated soon after.
| Adrian Pacheco | 1,150,000 |
| Brandon Bailey | 875,000 |
| Andres Vasquez | BUSTED! |
Level 15: 15,000/30,000 (30,000)
Sheeeeeesh!
After Andres Vasquez crippled Najeem Ajez in a previous hand, Marco Perri has delivered the killer blow as the tournament clock ticked over into Level 15.
Ajez put his last 530,000 over the line pre-flop holding K♠Q♦ and was called by Perri who tabled A♣K♦, but although Ajez paired his Queen on the flop of Q♣5♠10♦, Perri took back the lead with the A♦ on the turn and held after the 4♥ bricked out on the river.
Ashish Gupta has also hit the rail, running his A♦Q♦ into the A♠A♣ of Emmanuel ‘Curly’ Seal; Gupta did pick up a gut-shot Broadway draw on the turn, but whiffed after the board completed 6♦3♣K♥10♥7♥.
| Marco Perri | 2,375,000 |
| Emmanuel ‘Curly’ Seal | 610,000 |
| Najeem Ajez | BUSTED! |
| Ashish Gupta | BUSTED! |
Vinecombe crushing
Joseph Vinecombe is now dominating at the feature table, sitting behind a stack worth almost three million after eliminating Jason Berdugo.
Berdugo put his tournament life on the line before the flop with A♦3♦, however Vinecombe’s K♥Q♥ turned a straight on the board of 5♦J♣8♠10♠4♣.
That was after Daniel Ao got the last of his money in pre-flop holding Q♠7♠, which failed to improve against the A♣Q♥ of Powen Fang after the board was spread 4♥3♥10♦5♥9♠.
| Joseph Vinecombe | 2,580,000 |
| Powen Fang | 700,000 |
| Jeison Berdugo | BUSTED! |
| Daniel Ao | BUSTED! |
A ‘tens’ moment for Perri
Marco Perri has now moved past two million in chips after taking a bit pot off Najeem Ajez.
Our reporter picked up the action between the pair on a board of 10♦4♦10♥10♣3♣; Ajez checked from the big blind position, and Perri led out for 315,000 from the button into a pot worth roughly 1 million.
Ajez called, but mucked after Perri showed J♠10♠. Just quads.
| Marco Perri | 2,040,000 |
| Najeem Ajez | 1,030,000 |
Martin in the casualty ward
Martin Ward and Haozhe Gan have now both hit the rail as action continues here at The Star Gold Coast.
On Table 6, Ward moved all-in pre-flop with 2♥2♣, but lost the flip for his tournament life after Gautam Dhingra’s K♦Q♦ which turned second pair on the board of 5♠8♦4♦K♣A♠.
Ward was followed soon after by Haozhe Gan, who despite turning a pair on the board of 4♠J♦7♦A♦4♦ with his A♣Q♠, was flushed out by Angel Guillen’s Q♥Q♦.
| Angel Guillen | 1,150,000 |
| Zheming Zhu | 910,000 |
| Haozhe Gan | BUSTED! |
| Martin Ward | BUSTED! |
Level 14: 15,000/25,000 (25,000)
Vinecombe and Hachem climbing
Joseph Vinecombe continues to build, taking out Sam Higgs over on the feature table before the start of the next level.
Higgs moved all-in pre-flop with 9♠9♣, but ran smack-bang into Vinecombe’s K♠K♦ which kept the lead across all streets on a runout of Q♠2♦Q♥4♣3♠.
Our reporter then caught heads-up action between Hachem and Ken Demlakian on a board showing 2♥K♣K♠8♦Q♥ as Hachem led out for a pot-sized bet of 500,000 on the river.
After a few minutes in the tank, Demlakian reluctantly open-folded A♠A♣ and Hachem claimed the pot, becoming the first player to move past the two-million chip mark.
| Anthony Hachem | 2,140,000 |
| Joseph Vinecombe | 1,560,000 |
| Ken Demlakian | 360,000 |
| Sam Higgs | BUSTED! |
Egan and Esca eliminated
Two more eliminations from Table 7, with both Michael Egan and Elliott Esca both sent to the rail as the the field was reduced to five tables.
In earlier action, Egan moved all-in pre-flop with A♥9♥, but failed to improve against the A♦K♦ of Zheming Zhu after the board ran out 4♠7♥6♣2♦Q♠.
Elliott Esca then followed soon after, jamming pre-flop with Q♠J♥, however ran into Joseph Vinecombe’s J♦J♣, with no change after the runout of 8♦K♣4♠2♣3♦.
| Joseph Vinecombe | 1,360,000 |
| Zheming Zhu | 580,000 |
| Elliott Esca | BUSTED! |
| Michael Egan | BUSTED! |
Peeters peters out
Peter Peeters and Junbeum Chun have been sighted as our first two eliminations from Day 2 of the $5K Challenge.
Over on Table 9, Peeters had moved all-in on the turn holding A♥A♦ with the board reading 3♠8♣2♦6♣, but although he was well ahead of Alex Lee’s Q♥8♦, the Q♦ appeared on the river to give him two pair and the scoop.
Then on Table 5, Chun got the last of his money in good with A♠K♦, but fell to Ken Demlakian’s A♣J♣ after hooking up two pair on the board of 9♥9♣10♠J♦4♠.
| Alex Lee | 1,250,000 |
| Ken Demlakian | 620,000 |
| Junbeum Chun | BUSTED! |
| Peter Peeters | BUSTED! |
Shuffle up and deal!
Play is now back underway in the 2023 WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge!
Once again, we’ll be playing through 40-minute levels, but we expect action to move relatively quickly in these early stages, as the average stack is currently at around 34 bigs.
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | BB Ante |
| 13 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| 14 | 15,000 | 25,000 | 25,000 |
| 15 | 15,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 |
| 16 | 20,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 |
| 17 | 25,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 |
| 18 | 30,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 |
| 19 | 40,000 | 80,000 | 80,000 |
| 20 | 50,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 |
| 21 | 75,000 | 125,000 | 125,000 |
| 22 | 75,000 | 150,000 | 150,000 |
| 23 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 |
| 24 | 150,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 |
| 25 | 200,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 |
| 26 | 250,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 |
| 27 | 300,000 | 600,000 | 600,000 |
| 28 | 400,000 | 800,000 | 800,000 |
| 29 | 500,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 30 | 600,000 | 1,200,000 | 1,200,000 |
Level 13: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
The best of the best
From wherever you’re watching in Australia, New Zealand or around the world, good morning and welcome back to The Star Gold Coast for Day 2 of the WPT Prime Gold Coast $5K Challenge!
After the field was last night locked out at 139 entries, we start today with 41 players, with Anthony Hachem returning as the overall chip leader. The Hachem family name is one synonymous with success in the Australian poker scene, ever since his father Joe won the 2005 WSOP Main Event, followed by back-to-back ANZPT Player of the Year titles from his uncle Tony in 2009 and 2010.
That’s not to discount the efforts of the new generation by any stretch, with Anthony himself having taken down the $1,100 buy-in ANZPT Main Event back in 2013, while his brother Daniel shipped his first major mid-tier title at the 2018 APT Gold Coast series, winning The Grind for $36,200.
Together, it all adds to the continued success and prowess of the Hachem family dynasty, but in order to be the best, you have to beat the best, and there’ll be plenty of people getting behind Gavin Best, who is still well in contention to go back-to-back in this $5K Challenge.
WPT PRIME GOLD COAST $5K CHALLENGE: PAYOUTS ($5,000 buy-in, 139 entries, 18 players paid)
| Place | Amount |
| 1st | $182,594 |
| 2nd | $114,981 |
| 3rd | $68,270 |
| 4th | $41,158 |
| 5th | $32,012 |
| 6th | $26,785 |
| 7th | $23,192 |
| 8th | $20,612 |
| 9th | $18,260 |
| 10th-12th | $16,006 |
| 13th-15th | $13,883 |
| 16th-18th | $11,923 |
One thing’s for certain: regardless of who wins tonight, it’s going to be one for the ages, and PMA will be ringside to bring you all the action right up until the final river falls. Stay tuned!
Day 2 seat draw
Play will resume at 12:30pm AEST, with recommencing blinds at 15,000/30,000 (30,000). Please ensure you have your Star Club Card and photo ID for verification purposes, and if you have any questions regarding your seat allocation, please see Star Poker Gold Coast staff upon arrival. Best of luck to everyone, and may the flop be with you!
To assist our WPT Live Reporting Team, please ensure your PMA ID cards are kept close to your stack, face-up and visible at all times.
Players are also asked to move their PMA IDs with them when broken or balanced to another table, and they must be left on the table to be collected after an elimination and at the end of day’s play.
Table 1 (Feature Table)
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 0101 | 1 | Sam Higgs | 325,000 |
| 0102 | 2 | Jason Sampson | 760,000 |
| 0103 | 3 | Jeison Berdugo | 345,000 |
| 0104 | 4 | Joseph Vinecombe | 280,000 |
| 0105 | 5 | Robert Damelian | 120,000 |
| 0106 | 6 | Zheming Zhu | 335,000 |
| 0107 | 7 | Peter Apostolou | 370,000 |
| 8 |
Table 5
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 0501 | 1 | Marco Perri | 1,135,000 |
| 0502 | 2 | Nick Wright | 335,000 |
| 0503 | 3 | Powen Fang | 405,000 |
| 0504 | 4 | Ken Demlakian | 340,000 |
| 0505 | 5 | Billy ‘The Croc’ Argyros | 940,000 |
| 0506 | 6 | Junbeum Chun | 190,000 |
| 0507 | 7 | Gavin Best | 945,000 |
| 8 |
Table 6
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 0601 | 1 | Emanuel ‘Curly’ Seal | 380,000 |
| 0602 | 2 | Gautam Dhingra | 880,000 |
| 0603 | 3 | Po Hu | 200,000 |
| 0604 | 4 | Leo Kamiya | 750,000 |
| 0605 | 5 | Ashish Gupta | 260,000 |
| 0606 | 6 | Haozhe Gan | 350,000 |
| 0607 | 7 | Liam O’Rourke | 755,000 |
| 8 |
Table 7
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 0701 | 1 | Anthony Hachem | 1,795,000 |
| 0702 | 2 | Martin Ward | 440,000 |
| 0703 | 3 | Daniel Hachem | 705,000 |
| 0704 | 4 | Elliott Esca | 570,000 |
| 0705 | 5 | Michael Egan | 335,000 |
| 0706 | 6 | Chao Duan | 1,270,000 |
| 0707 | 7 | Zhifan Ye | 895,000 |
| 8 |
Table 8
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 0801 | 1 | Najeem Ajez | 1,770,000 |
| 0802 | 2 | Adrian Pacheco | 670,000 |
| 0803 | 3 | Andres Vasquez | 925,000 |
| 0804 | 4 | Sean Ragozzini | 1,650,000 |
| 0805 | 5 | Zongchi He | 625,000 |
| 0806 | 6 | Mo Haidary | 835,000 |
| 0807 | 7 | Brandon Bailey | 815,000 |
| 8 |
Table 9
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 1 | |||
| 0902 | 2 | Alex Lee | 685,000 |
| 0903 | 3 | Angel Guillen | 1,155,000 |
| 0904 | 4 | Peter Peeters | 575,000 |
| 0905 | 5 | Daniel Ao | 185,000 |
| 0906 | 6 | Joe Hachem | 340,000 |
| 0907 | 7 | Gary Lin | 1,065,000 |
| 8 |
Be the first to comment