Congratulations Justin Chu ($89,962), 2023 WPT Prime Gold Coast Mystery Bounty Champion!
Score one for Team Taiwan! Justin Chu has claimed his first major victory on Aussie soil, taking out the WPT Prime Gold Coast Mystery Bounty after a dominant heads-up performance against Kevin Lee.
The Taiwanese pro, who finished runner-up in last year’s WPT Prime Cambodia Main Event, claimed the last two bounties on offer, including a Big Bounty worth $16,700, but shortly before posing for his winner’s photo, Chu opened his backpack to bring out the rest of his massive haul: three bounties of $7K+, and another five $400 surfboards for a combined total of $130,062 in prize money!
And as Chu revealed to PokerMedia Australia during his post-match interview, it more than made up for his first visit to Australia last year during the WSOP Gold Coast Circuit series, even with play extended into a third day.
“It feels fantastic, really nice to win it,” Chu said. “Yesterday, we played six-handed for about three hours … it went back and forth for a while, but then I was lucky enough to get Aces versus two all-ins and was able to build my stack up from there.”
Regardless of today’s result, Chu now plans to spend more time after the series to explore more of the land down under, and hinted at an even greater Taiwanese contingent for the WPT Australia Main Tour festival in September.
“The CTP (Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker) Club is associated with WPT, and we just finished an event there about a month ago,” Chu explained. “Poker’s going really well in Taiwan right now, and I think we’ll see more players coming over. The environment is just lovely, I really enjoy it here.”
And we’re very much looking forward to welcoming you all! From all of us at PMA, 恭喜！
WPT PRIME GOLD COAST MYSTERY BOUNTY ($1,350 buy-in, 596 entries, 75 players paid)
| Place | Name | Country | Amount | Bounties |
| 1st | Justin Chu | Taiwan | $89,962 | $40,700 |
| 2nd | Kevin Lee | Australia | $63,075 | $4,500 |
| 3rd | Geoffrey Mooney | Australia | $40,555 | $2,000 |
| 4th | Jarrod Thatcher | Australia | $29,036 | $15,200 |
| 5th | Jason Sampson | Australia | $22,286 | $1,200 |
| 6th | Liem Tran | Australia | $18,278 | $2,400 |
| 7th | Steven Burgess | Australia | $15,042 | $14,200 |
| 8th | Paul Lombardi | Australia | $11,995 | $3,500 |
| 9th | Andrew McLaren | Australia | $8,996 | $2,600 |
This brings our coverage of this tournament to a close, but stay with us here at PMA for our coverage of the $3K PLO, as well as social media content and feature articles from the WPT Prime Gold Coast Main Event, together with live updates from our friends at WPT.com.
Thanks again for your continued support, and we’ll see you back on the felt real soon. ‘Bye for now!
Kevin Lee eliminated in 2nd place ($63,075)
In the last few minutes of the end of this level, Lee open-shoved from the button for his last 2.4 million holding A♣5♣ and Chu quickly called with K♦6♠, but neither hand improved on the board of Q♥Q♣4♠9♦3♠ to give Lee the full double.
A few hands later, Lee raised to 600,000 and Chu called before checking the flop of 4♥10♥6♣. Lee opened for 400,000, Chu check-raised to 1.5 million, Lee shoved over the top and Chu snap-called.
Chu: J♠J♣
Lee: 9♥7♥
Needing any heart or an eight, the turn of the 10♠ improved Chu to two pair, with the river 9♣ of no consolation to Lee, who was officially wiped out in second place.
| Kevin Lee | BUSTED! |
Congratulations to Justin Chu, your new WPT Prime Gold Coast Mystery Bounty Champion! We’ll be back shortly to wrap things up – stay tuned!
Lee bleeding out
Kevin Lee is now holding on for dear (tournament) life after losing another big pot to Kevin Chu in this Mystery Bounty heads-up clash.
Lee min-clicked from the button to 600,000 and Chu called before check-calling Lee’s bet of 750,000 after the flop of J♦7♦5♦. Both players then checked the turn of the 6♣ before Chu checked again on the river of the J♠.
Lee led out for 1.5 million, but Chu came back with a check-raise of 3.5 million, putting Lee into the blender before he made a crying call, but quickly mucked after Chu turned up A♦2♦ for the nut flush.
| Justin Chu | 20,050,000 |
| Kevin Lee | 3,775,000 |
Two for Chu
Justin Chu has taken down back-to-back pots to increase his chip lead over Kevin Lee as this heads-up battle in the Mystery Bounty continues.
In earlier action, Lee completed and Chu checked before opening for 300,000 after a flop of K♥A♠7♥. Chu then check-raised to 2 million after Lee’s bet of 650,000 on the turn of the Q♦ before both players checked the river A♦, with Chu’s Q♠8♣ best against Lee’s 10♠2♣.
Then in the next hand, Chu completed and Lee checked before check-calling Lee’s bet of 300,000 after the Q♠7♥6♦ flop. Chu checked again after the turn of the 5♥, which prompted a bet of 650,000 from Lee, only to then see Chu check-raise to 1,875,000.
Lee called, and fired out 3,350,000 on the river of the A♠, but after about two minutes or so Chu elected to call, turning up Q♥4♣ for the pair, while Lee could only muster up a busted straight draw with 10♣8♦. Advantage, Chu!
| Justin Chu | 15,200,000 |
| Kevin Lee | 8,625,000 |
Lee draws first blood
Kevin Lee has taken down the first full hand against Justin Chu in the early stages of the heads-up battle for the WPT Prime Gold Coast Mystery Bounty trophy.
After the two players threw a few jabs, Lee raised to 600,000 from the button and Chu called to a see a flop of Q♣Q♠J♣, which they both checked.
Chu then check-called Lee’s bet of 500,000 on the turn of the 4♠ before both players checked the river 7♥, with Chu tabling 10♣4♣, but was no good against Lee’s 9♦9♣.
| Justin Chu | 12,825,000 |
| Kevin Lee | 11,000,000 |
Level 33: 150,000/300,000 (300,000)
Aaaaaaand we’re back!
Good morning and welcome back to PMA‘s Live Reporting coverage of the WPT Prime Gold Coast Mystery Bounty!
After heads-up action between Justin Chu (13,150,000) and Kevin Lee (10,675,000) was put on hold due to the 12-hour rule, our two combatants have now returned and are preparing to finish off the battle for the crystal surfboard and the majority share of the remaining $153,037 in prize money.
And if that wasn’t enough, today’s winner will also take the last two bounties on offer, including a Big Bounty worth $16,700!
Play will be getting back underway shortly, so stay with us until the final river falls!
DAY 3
Justin Chu leading – and that’s a wrap!
Play has completed one final hand before finishing this level as our top two will bag and tag, returning tomorrow for Day 3 at 11:30am AEST.
Kevin Lee completed the blinds as they went to the flop 7♥10♦4♦. Chu check-called Lee for 375,000, then on the K♥ turn, check-called Lee for 1.15M. On the river K♠, Chu led a bet of 1.5M, before folding after Lee raised a heavier 3.5M.
This concludes play for today as Chu and Lee have bagged up. With their counts close to even, it poses the question who will be our winner when play resumes tomorrow?
| Justin Chu | 13,150,000 |
| Kevin Lee | 10,675,000 |
Be sure to join us again as we bring you our continued Live Reporting coverage, but until then, from all of us here at PokerMedia Australia, it’s ‘bye for now!
Lee going off!
Kevin Lee is applying more pressure, after raising on the button to 500,000 and Justin Chu called.
The flop J♣4♠10♦ saw Chu check-call Lee for 375,000 to the 8♥ turn, with both players checked.
On the river K♥, Chu bet 500,000, then tank-called Lee’s raise to 1.475M.
Kevin Lee showed K♣8♠, prompting Lee to muck.
| Justin Chu | 13,625,000 |
| Kevin Lee | 10,200,000 |
Frothin’ up top
With just two bounties left, there is still an extra $16,400 total waiting to be claimed by our winner, increasing the first prize value to a six-figure pay of $106,362, not including any previously won bounties. Cowabunga!
Justin Chu and Kevin Lee are making the most of their extra time, trying to play for a winner tonight, with Justin Chu making the first move shoving on the button.
Lee snap-called, turning up A♠10♣ against Chu’s K♦10♦, but couldn’t find a diamond on the run of 6♣6♠4♣A♣K♥ as Lee scooped two pair for the win, scoring a decent double up.
| Justin Chu | 14,825,000 |
| Kevin Lee | 9,000,000 |
Level 32: 125,000/250,000 (250,000)
Point Break
Play has now been paused at heads up for a quick 5 minute break, and staff have indicated to the top two, Justin Chu and Kevin Lee, to play on for one more level. Just one wave, just one wave before they take them in!
After the last round of eliminations, Chu pulled three bounty tokens, peeling the stickers to reveal:
BOUNTY: $400
2x BIG BOUNTY: $7,000!
Another $14,400 in the bank for Chu. Cha-ching!
Lee also pulled a bounty, peeling back to see:
BIG BOUNTY: $1,300!
A quick look at the chip counts of our top two shows the balance of power heavily in Chu’s favour, with his stack holding almost 80% of the chips in play:
| Seat | Name | Country | Chips |
| 3 | Justin Chu | Australia | 17,800,000 |
| 4 | Kevin Lee | Australia | 5,250,000 |
Geoffrey Mooney eliminated in 3rd place ($40,555)
Not long after the double eliminations of Jason Sampson and Jarrod Thatcher, Geoffrey Mooney joined them on the rail.
Justin Chu raised on the button to 400,000, and Mooney shoved all in from the small blind, snapped up by Chu.
Mooney showed J♥10♠, which ran smack-bang into Chu’s cowboys K♦K♠, and failed to surface from under the waves through a runout 6♣5♦6♦J♣2♣.
Play is now heads up!
| Justin Chu | 17,800,000 |
| Geoffrey Mooney | WIPEOUT! |
Jason Sampson eliminated in 5th place ($22,286); Jarrod Thatcher eliminated in 4th place ($29,036)
Play is now moving along very quickly with the double eliminations at the hand of Justin Chu, after Sampson went all in, Jarrod Thatcher called short on the button and was snapped off by Chu.
Chu: A♦A♥
Sampson: K♣K♦
Thatcher: A♣J♦
It was a clean run for Chu through 8♥10♥J♥7♣5♦, as he took down the pot and chipped up, with Thatcher covering Sampson with enough chips for the higher finish.
| Justin Chu | 8,670,000 |
| Jason Sampson | WIPEOUT! |
| Jarrod Thatcher | WIPEOUT! |
Liem Tran eliminated in 6th place ($18,278)
After topping the final table at his peak of 11.22M in chips, Liem Tran has been tossed into the sea foam after sending the last of his 1.6M into the middle, called off by Kevin Lee on his direct left in blind-vs-blind action.
Lee showed A♠4♥ whilst Tran was trailing with 7♠5♥. Tran was hitting dead air as Lee raced down Q♦10♥3♣9♥A♣, with the river sealing up the win for Lee with top pair.
| Kevin Lee | 3,750,000 |
| Liem Tran | WIPEOUT! |
Cutbacks
Tournament staff have advised that due to time constraints of the “12 hour play” legal rule in effect, after this level play will be stopped and chips bagged up for a return tomorrow.
Level 31: 100,000/200,000 (200,000)
Chu carving
Jarrod Thatcher opened preflop to 325,000, finding two callers in Liem Tran and Justin Chu.
On the A♥5♥5♦ flop, all three checked to the J♠ turn.
Thatcher bet 200,000, Tran folded as Justin Chu went all in for 2.275M. Thatcher called, flipping up A♣J♥, against Chu’s 5♠8♣.
The board offered something for both players, with top two pair for Thatcher, but Chu hit a set which filled up to a boat on the river of A♥5♥5♦J♠8♠.
| Justin Chu | 5,650,000 |
| Jarrod Thatcher | 2,850,000 |
Shootin’ the Curls
A couple of double ups on our table as play has moved in level 30, with some big swings in stacks.
Jason Sampson doubled through Kevin Lee, after his A♠10♣ held against Lee’s A♦9♠ on an Ace-high rainbow board, Q♠5♠A♥7♥2♣.
Jarrod Thatcher also found a double through Liem Tran, going all in on the big blind after Tran opened UTG.
Tran turned over K♣Q♦, but couldn’t shake off Thatcher’s pocket 7♣7♥ which got through the wave on 5♣9♦5♦8♠3♥.
| Jarrod Thatcher | 5,200,000 |
| Jason Sampson | 3,200,000 |
| Kevin Lee | 2,300,000 |
| Liem Tran | 2,400,000 |
Level 30: 75,000/150,000 (150,000)
Breezy waves
The action on our final table has slowed down considerably as chip stacks are evening up amongst our field.
Justin Chu opened from the Hijack to 250,000, and Geoffrey Mooney shoved all in pre on the button for 1,975,000. Liem Tran asked the dealer for a count, thinking it over in the tank before making the call, as Chu folded to get out of the way.
Tran: 8♣8♥
Mooney: J♦J♥
Both players hit a set on the spread of 4♦K♣J♠6♥8♦, with Mooney’s higher set raking in the pot for a timely double up off Tran.
| Liem Tran | 4,360,000 |
| Geoffrey Mooney | 4,025,000 |
Updated Counts
We have an update on the chip counts for our remaining 6 players after the break. Liem Tran, Kevin Lee and Jarrod Thatcher lead the top 3, with between 32BBs to 51BBs.
| Seat | Name | Country | Chips |
| 3 | Liem Tran | Australia | 6,460,000 |
| 4 | Kevin Lee | Australia | 4,675,000 |
| 5 | Jason Sampson | Australia | 2,750,000 |
| 7 | Justin Chu | Australia | 1,750,000 |
| 8 | Geoffrey Mooney | Australia | 2,650,000 |
| 9 | Jarrod Thatcher | Australia | 4,075,000 |
Level 29: 75,000/125,000 (125,000)
Break!
Our players are taking a quick 15 minute break, we’ll be right back with an update on the chip counts.
Doubles curling through
Justin Chu has doubled up through Jason Sampson, after his pocket 7♣7♥ held against Sampson’s A♦J♦, improving to a straight on the board of 5♥K♥6♥8♦9♠ and boosting his chips to stay in the game.
Geoffrey Mooney found a double through Liem Tran, after his 6♦5♦ suited connectors rivered a pair on the J♠7♣8♠8♥5♥ spread against Tran’s A♦Q♥.
Kevin Lee also doubled up, taking further chips off Jason Sampson after his all in was called, and his A♥9♣ hit on the turn through 2♠J♠8♦9♦4♣, against Sampson’s A♠K♠.
| Liem Tran | 6,750,000 |
| Kevin Lee | 4,675,000 |
| Justin Chu | 3,400,000 |
| Jason Sampson | 2,750,000 |
| Geoffrey Mooney | 2,700,000 |
Sampson v Chipleader
Jason Sampson opened preflop UTG+1, called by Liem Tran in the big blind. On the flop 2♣3♥K♥, Tran called out a bet from Sampson, then called on the 10♠ turn as Sampson led out a bet again.
On the 4♣ river, Sampson pushed most of his stack into the middle, called again by Tran.
Sampson turned over A♦A♠ for the winning hand, as Tran mucked.
| Liem Tran | 8,150,000 |
| Jason Sampson | 5,350,000 |
Level 28: 50,000/100,000 (100,000)
Paul Lombardi eliminated in 8th place ($11,995); Steven Burgess eliminated in 7th place ($15,042)
A massive three-way action unfolded after Liem Tran opened under the gun to 225,000, Paul Lombardi went all in, then Steven Burgess ripped all in on top by about 5 million from the big blind.
Liem Tran snapped, turning up A♣A♥.
Burgess was not too far behind with Q♣Q♠, although Lombardi was almost drawing dead with A♦J♣, but Tran held as the board ran out K♠2♠K♥7♣9♣, successfully delivering a double knockout to emerge as the monster chip leader.
| Liem Tran | 11,220,000 |
| Paul Lombardi | WIPEOUT! |
| Steven Burgess | WIPEOUT! |
Thatcher rides the tube
Jarrod Thatcher opened UTG+1, Steven Burgess 3-bet from middle position before tank-calling Thatcher’s all in.
Burgess: 8♣8♠
Thatcher: A♣3♣
The board gave Thatcher the top pair on the first window, completing A♥K♦9♥7♥J♠.
| Steven Burgess | 4,725,000 |
| Jarrod Thatcher | 4,300,000 |
Andrew McLaren eliminated in 9th place ($8,996)
Our final table seats were barely warm when Andrew McLaren went all in pre, called off by Liem Tran.
McLaren: A♥9♠
Tran: J♣J♠
The board ran dry 7♥4♦10♠K♥2♥, allowing Tran to hold out and take down the pot.
Tran then pulled a surfboard bounty token, revealing:
BOUNTY: $400!
| Liem Tran | 4,900,000 |
| Andrew McLaren | WIPEOUT! |
WPT Prime Gold Coast Mystery Bounty final table
Our final table nine have taken to their seats.
| Seat | Name | Country | Chips |
| 1 | Steven Burgess | Australia | 6,535,000 |
| 2 | Andrew McLaren | Australia | 1,615,000 |
| 3 | Liem (Jimmy) Tran | Australia | 3,455,000 |
| 4 | Kevin Lee | Australia | 3,260,000 |
| 5 | Jason Sampson | Australia | 1,815,000 |
| 6 | Paul Lombardi | Australia | 1,640,000 |
| 7 | Justin Chu | Australia | 1,800,000 |
| 8 | Geoffrey Mooney | Australia | 1,440,000 |
| 9 | Jarrod Thatcher | Australia | 2,350,000 |
Remaining Payouts:
| Place | Amount |
| 1st | $89,962 |
| 2nd | $63,075 |
| 3rd | $40,555 |
| 4th | $29,036 |
| 5th | $22,286 |
| 6th | $18,278 |
| 7th | $15,042 |
| 8th | $11,995 |
| 9th | $8,996 |
Gnarly bubble
Thomas Karadimos has been eliminated as our bubble for the final table has burst.
Karadimos went all in pre with 8♥6♣ as the short stack, easily snapped up by the chipleader Steven Burgess.
Burgess flipped over J♠10♦ and hit the third window on the 5♥7♠10♣ flop for the top pair, although it also teased Karadimos with the prospect of a straight draw.
The 10♠ turn and 10♥ gave Burgess the quads for a resounding win, dumping Karadimos ashore.
| Steven Burgess | 6,535,000 |
| Thomas Karadimos | WIPEOUT! |
Mo Money for Mooney
Mooney has doubled up through Steven Burgess, after ripping all in pre with A♥Q♠, snapped up by Burgess’s K♣8♦.
Mooney flopped a pair which improved to two pair on the turn, holding through Q♦J♠4♥A♠5♠ to steal a pot off Burgess, who is still running hot as the chipleader.
| Steven Burgess | 4,230,000 |
| Geoffrey Mooney | 1,440,000 |
Level 27: 40,000/80,000 (80,000)
Perry pitted
Bert Perry pushed his stack into the middle, finding only one caller in Liem Tran as they turned over their cards for the heads up.
Tran was ahead with A♥4♥, Perry trying to find something with K♠9♥. Tran hit a bottom pair on the Q♥7♦4♣ flop, which was enough to hold as Perry bricked out on the 10♥ turn and 8♣ river.
Not long after, Reagan Samoa joined Perry on the rail after going all in pre with pockets 8♣8♦, and couldn’t hold against Andrew McLaren’s Q♣9♣ which connected a 9 on the flop to pair up and held on the board.
McLaren then claimed a mystery bounty, taking off the sticker to reveal:
BIG BOUNTY: $2,600
We are now on the bubble for the final table, with 10 players remaining to battle it out for a top prixe of $89,962, with the top remaining bounty of $16,700 to be claimed.
| Andrew McLaren | 2,100,000 |
| Liem Tran | 1,600,000 |
| Bert Perry | WIPEOUT! |
| Reagan Samoa | WIPEOUT! |
Karadimos drops in
Simon Thwaites went all in preflop as the short stack, with pocket 5♣5♠, snapped up by Karadimos’ 10♠9♦.
Karadimos paired on the flop and Thwaites tumbled out as he couldn’t find a set through 3♣6♦9♥Q♠2♠.
| Thomas Karadimos | 2,200,000 |
| Simon Thwaites | WIPEOUT! |
No Yew for Yu
Yu Chen went all in pre from the Hijack with 7♦7♠, snapped up by Paul Lombardi from middle position holding A♦K♠.
Chen’s pockets barely held on the flop, before Lombardi hit top pair and held on 4♦8♠9♥K♥3♠.
| Paul Lombardi | 1,700,000 |
| Yu Chen | WIPEOUT! |
Hang eleven (BBs)
Liem Tran has taken a big change of chips off Bert Perry for a double up, after calling Perry’s jam on the button.
Perry was holding A♥J♣ as Tran turned over pockets 8♣8♦, which held out on the 5♣4♥3♥7♠9♥ board, leaving Perry hanging with a little over 11BB.
| Liem Tran | 2,800,000 |
| Bert Perry | 700,000 |
Updated Counts
We have an update on the chip counts for our remaining field of 14 players after the break:
| Name | Chips |
| Steven Burgess | 3,870,000 |
| Justin Chu | 3,425,000 |
| Kevin Lee | 2,920,000 |
| Bert Perry | 2,080,000 |
| Jason Sampson | 2,065,000 |
| Yu Chen | 1,550,000 |
| Paul Lombardi | 1,455,000 |
| Liem Tran | 1,425,000 |
| Simon Thwaites | 1,150,000 |
| Geoffrey Mooney | 1,095,000 |
| Andrew McLaren | 845,000 |
| Thomas Karadimos | 735,000 |
| Jarrod Thatcher | 705,000 |
| Reagan Samoa | 635,000 |
Level 26: 30,000/60,000 (60,000)
Break!
Our remaining 14 players are now on a 10-minute break.
Lee lines up
Colin Denby went all in heads up holding A♣6♠ against Kevin Lee’s J♥10♣, getting churned out on the run out of 2♠3♦10♦5♣8♦.
Mason Trevanion also got the last of his stack all in pre, his 8♦8♥ unable to hold out against Jason Sampson’s A♠3♥ which connected two pair on J♣A♥Q♣Q♠4♦, sending Trevanion to the rail.
| Kevin Lee | 2,650,000 |
| Jason Sampson | 2,300,000 |
| Colin Denby | WIPEOUT! |
| Mason Trevanion | WIPEOUT! |
Chu riding high
Justin Chu has taken down out Fletcher Smith, calling with after Smith went all in from the Hijack with A♣J♥.
Chu rolled up 9♦9♥, which hit a set on the flop against Smith’s top pair, and smashed through 6♣J♠9♠7♦8♦.
It was a massive chip up for Chu with a pot well over 1 million, moving him to the top of the ladder with just under 4 million in chips, neck and neck with Steven Burgess.
Chu rocked up to the Tiki Hut to claim his Mystery Bounty, peeling back a sticker on a surfboard token revealing:
BIG BOUNTY: $7,600!
| Justin Chu | 3,900,000 |
| Fletcher Smith | WIPEOUT! |
Big Blue Crush
Yu Chen doubled up off Mooney, after jamming from late positions with A♦10♠ to hold against Mooney’s A♠8♦ through a spread of K♣6♦K♥7♠5♣, moving Chen back up over the half million mark.
Meerwais Hussaini got the last of his chips in with 9♣9♠, called for the heads up by Steven Burgess with 3♦3♥.
The flop 5♣7♠6♦ offered both players a straight draw, which connected for Burgess as a straight to the seven on the 4♦ turn, and Hussaini bricked out for the higher straight on the K♠ river.
Burgess is still running as our top chipleader in the field with almost 4 million in chips.
| Steven Burgess | 3,750,000 |
| Yu Chen | 620,000 |
| Geoffrey Mooney | 425,000 |
| Meerwais Hussaini | WIPEOUT! |
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 (50,000)
No Shaka for Sheng
Sheng Ye moved all in preflop from the button with A♦A♥, snapped up by Thomas Karadimos with K♠Q♥.
Karadimos was drawing the straight on the flop which connected on the turn and held through 9♥J♦10♦8♥6♥, eliminating Ye.
Jarrod Thatcher has accrued more chips after busting Les Whiteside, who shoved all in with 3♣3♦. Whiteside briefly held the lead over Thatcher’s 10♦2♥, which then quickly paired on the flop and held on 9♥10♥4♠J♦6♥.
Our field has now broken to two tables.
| Thomas Karadimos | 1,450,000 |
| Jarrod Thatcher | 1,025,000 |
| Les Whiteside | WIPEOUT! |
| Sheng Ye | WIPEOUT! |
Segers under the sea
Jarrod Thatcher has found a double through Fletcher Smith, after jamming all in with 8♣8♦, holding off Smith’s A♣J♥ to run cleanly through 6♥2♣4♣5♠4♦.
Kristof Segers has been tumbled out after a brutal river card heads up with Kevin Lee. Segers’ 5♣5♠ started off behind Lee’s 10♥10♠, but flopped a dream full house on 7♣7♥5♥.
The dream quickly turned into a nightmare as the 7♦ swept away the lead to Lee for a higher full house Tens full of Sevens, and Segers couldn’t find an outter on the 6♦ river.
| Kevin Lee | 1,310,000 |
| Fletcher Smith | 1,105,000 |
| Jarrod Thatcher | 900,000 |
| Kristof Segers | WIPEOUT! |
No mushburgers for Burgess
Luke Martinelli put the last of his chips into the middle from the cutoff, snapped up by Steven Burgess in the blinds.
Martinelli rolled over 5♣5♠, holding ahead of Burgess preflop with A♦Q♥. Burgess quickly connected on the flop to hold and wipeout Martinelli through a run of 3♥A♣K♥3♠9♣.
It was a massive pot with well over half a million, giving Burgess a big chip lead to ride out even bigger waves.
| Steven Burgess | 3,380,000 |
| Luke Martinelli | WIPEOUT! |
Level 24: 20,000/40,000 (40,000)
Mooney tides up and down
Geoffrey Mooney eliminated Cam Adams after they went all-in and heads up to a spread of 4♣8♥K♥4♦2♦.
Mooney’s K♠J♥ had him beat, with his 7♥6♥ suited connectors unable to find a flush or straight after drawing both on the flop.
Colin Denby managed to double up off Mooney in the next hand after shoving all in with Q♥9♥. He paired up on the flop and improved to trips through 6♦Q♣4♥Q♦A♠, with Mooney’s J♦J♥ beat.
| Geoffrey Mooney | 1,230,000 |
| Colin Denby | 1,020,000 |
| Cam Adams | WIPEOUT! |
Big Swells forming
Mason Trevanion has moved up past the average stack to 1 Million neat in chips after eliminating Charlie Hawes, after his A♥8♣ found two pair against Hawes’ K♦6♣ on 6♦8♦4♥A♣Q♦.
Trent Paul won’t be back to surf another wave, getting dumped after shoving all in with A♦J♥. He was called off by Paul Lombardi’s Q♣Q♠ which improved to a Queen-high flush on the runout of 4♣10♣3♠5♣8♣.
Simon Twaites has scored another double up off Kristof Segers, moving within a whisker of the 2 Million chips mark.
Twaites faced off Segers’ K♦K♠ in an uber-cooler heads up showdown with A♣A♦, with Thwaites hitting a set on the flop to ride out 7♦3♣A♠6♥5♣ and leave Segers with 6BB left.
| Simon Thwaites | 1,950,000 |
| Paul Lombardi | 1,535,000 |
| Mason Trevanion | 1,000,000 |
| Kristof Segers | 180,000 |
| Charlie Hawes | WIPEOUT! |
| Trent Paul | WIPEOUT! |
Egan and CC left at sea
C.C Piccione has been eliminated after going all in with A♥9♥, but was pipped at the heads up by Trent Paul’s A♣10♠, which held through a spread of 3♣5♣A♠K♥K♣.
Michael Egan’s stack suffered a major hit after going all in pre, reduced to 10,000 as he lost J♣J♥ against an opponent’s A♣J♦ which hit top pair on the board Q♥A♥3♦4♥7♠.
He went all in on the next hand, his J♥7♣ no good against Luke Martinelli whose K♣4♠ had him beat on the board Q♣K♦9♥6♣J♣.
| Luke Martinelli | 1,200,000 |
| Trent Paul | 810,000 |
| Michael Egan | WIPEOUT! |
| C.C. Piccione | WIPEOUT! |
Level 23: 15,000/30,000 (30,000)
Break!
Our remaining 27 players are now on a 30-minute break.
Calm waters
Action has slowed down considerably towards the late end of this break, with no eliminations, but a few chip ups for players.
On one table, action opened to 130,000, with two callers and Thomas Karadimos all in short for 45,000. Four players went to the flop 2♥8♥5♣.
Two players check-folded to an all-in on top from Simon Thwaites who went heads up with Karadimos who turned over 7♦6♥, against Thwaites’ K♥K♠.
Karadimos was visibly relieved as the dealer spread 2♥8♥5♣3♣4♠ for the rivered straight, giving him a triple up as the side pot was awarded to Thwaites.
Luke Martinelli also found a triple up after defending against two players who both held red Ace-King offsuits, when his A♠Q♠ hit on the flop and held through J♣Q♦6♣4♥6♦.
| Luke Martinelli | 1,100,000 |
| Simon Thwaites | 750,000 |
| Thomas Karadimos | 175,000 |
Chu chews another
There is no stopping Chu who is on a roll after eliminating another player, this time in the form of Ali Ghezelbesh.
Ghezelbash moved all in, putting his stack where his mouth is with A♦10♣, charging in front of Chu who called him with A♥8♠.
Ghezelbash secured top pair on the flop, but was quickly pulled under the waves as Chu hit a runner-runner straight on 4♥10♠6♠7♣5♣.
Our field has now broken down to three tables with 27 players remaining.
| Justin Chu | 2,415,000 |
| Ali Ghezelbash | WIPEOUT! |
Level 22: 15,000/25,000 (25,000)
Here’s lookin at Chu
Justin Chu is ready for the big swells after eliminating Dylan Wayne to move closer in chips to the 2 Million mark.
Wayne went all in preflop on the button with K♥10♥, called off by Chu in late position with A♥10♦.
Neither hit on the board 7♣Q♠3♠5♠9♦, with Wayne washed ashore.
| Justin Chu | 1,800,000 |
| Dylan Wayne | WIPEOUT! |
Sandaev hits the sands
Joe Sandaev has been eliminated by Bert Perry after moving the last of his short stack all in with A♥J♣. Perry snapped him off from the button with 9♥7♥.
The board ran dry 3♦3♥K♦5♦, and looked set to give Sandaev the double until the Perry came in front on the river 7♦ to steal with two pair.
Steven Burgess also eliminated Paul Murray, after Murray shoved all in with K♦J♦ and Burgess called him off with A♠8♥. Murray paired up on the flop, but the turn gave Burgess a straight as it ran 10♥J♣7♥9♣4♠.
Tino Lechich also joined Paul Murray and Joe Sandaev on the rail.
| Steven Burgess | 2,000,000 |
| Bert Perry | 1,500,000 |
| Tino Lechich | WIPEOUT! |
| Paul Murray | WIPEOUT! |
| Joe Sandaev | WIPEOUT! |
Level 21: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Gilbert fed to the Gulls
A threeway all-in call erupted over on one table as Cam Adams went to showdown with Jason Gilbert and C.C. Piccione:
Gilbert: 7♣7♦
Adams: A♥3♥
Piccione: A♦K♣
Board: Q♥5♥K♥4♦6♠
Piccione’s Ace-Kings took down the main pot, with Cam Adam’s flopped Ace-high flush raking in the side pot, eliminating Gilbert.
| Cam Adams | 720,000 |
| C.C. Piccione | 210,000 |
| Jason Gilbert | WIPEOUT! |
Bounty for Burgess
Steven Burgess is running hot at the top of the leaderboard, after snapping up and eliminating Mark Montague who shoved all in with A♦K♣.
Montague was ahead of Burgess’ J♦10♦ on the flop of A♠Q♦4♦, but the flush draw loomed dangerously close, and completed on the 2♦ turn, leaving Montague floating dead on the 4♠ river.
Burgess then went to collect his mystery bounty, removing a sticker on a surfboard token:
BOUNTY: $9,000!
Yita Choong has now also joined Montague on the rail.
| Steven Burgess | 1,490,000 |
| Yita Choong | WIPEOUT! |
| Mark Montague | WIPEOUT! |
Chu churns one out
Justin Chu has eliminated Jessy Song to snatch the running crown of chipleader, after Song went all in with A♠9♥.
Chu snapped a call with K♣J♠, pairing up early on the flop to take the pot over 3♠K♠Q♦4♣3♦.
Mishel Anunu, Paul Whiteman, Fan Zhang have also been sent to the rail.
| Justin Chu | 1,450,000 |
| Mishel Anunu | WIPEOUT! |
| Jessy Song | WIPEOUT! |
| Paul Whiteman | WIPEOUT! |
| Fan Zhang | WIPEOUT! |
Updated Counts
After frenetic action with many eliminations, we bring you an update on where our field is sitting, with a quick list of the top 10 chip leaders:
| Name | Chips |
| Jason Sampson | 1,438,000 |
| Justin Chu | 1,219,000 |
| Fletcher Smith | 1,185,000 |
| Reagan Samoa | 1,018,000 |
| Kristof Segers | 836,000 |
| Simon Thwaites | 830,000 |
| J.P. Rounce | 825,000 |
| Jarrod Thatcher | 805,000 |
| Geoffrey Mooney | 800,000 |
| Daniel Orecchio | 765,000 |
Level 20: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Break!
Our remaining 47 players are now on a 10-minute break.
Lei’d out
Yang Lei, the reigning WPT Prime Main Event champion, has been eliminated by Michael Egan, after jamming all in with A♦9♠ and Egan called heads up with 10♣10♥.
The 8♠10♠6♥ flop probably wasn’t what Lei had in mind, and although he had a straight draw, it wasn’t to be as the Q♠ turn and 9♥ dumped him out of contention.
Rob Bean, Amin Chehade and Robert Spano have also been wiped out, as our field now sits on 47 players remaining.
| Michael Egan | 580,000 |
| Rob Bean | WIPEOUT! |
| Amin Chehade | WIPEOUT! |
| Robert Spano | WIPEOUT! |
| Yang Lei | WIPEOUT! |
Here we go Egan!
Daniel Orecchio has tossed another player from the big waves, this time Kenneth Marcum who went all in from the button. Orecchio snapped him up with 10♠8♥, shortly behind Marcum’s 10♦9♣, but the tide quickly turned on the flop 8♣7♥2♦, and held out on the A♥ turn and 5♠ river.
Robyn Bognar, Benedikt Eberle, Jian Long and Qi Xu have also been wiped out.
| Robyn Bognar | WIPEOUT! |
| Benedikt Eberle | WIPEOUT! |
| Kenneth Marcum | WIPEOUT! |
| Jian Long | WIPEOUT! |
| Qi Xu | WIPEOUT! |
Big KahunAA!
Jason Gilbert has delivered a double knock out to Luke McCredie and Simon Chahine after coming out firing with A♣A♦, with McCredie holding A♠10♦ and Chahine further behind with Q♠10♠.
Gilbert held up top as he flopped a set, improving to a boat (jetski boat?) on the river. Gilbert rode even higher as he picked out a surfboard bounty token, revealing:
GRAND BOUNTY:
$62,500!
A big cheer erupted in the room to congratulate Gilbert for scooping the top Mystery Bounty prize.
| Jason Gilbert | 375,000 |
| Luke McCredie | WIPEOUT! |
| Simon Chahine | WIPEOUT! |
Rip tide ahead
Sherif Derias went all in pre flop for his last 92,000 chips, with J♥J♠, ahead of Luke Martinelli who snapped with A♣Q♠.
Martinelli hit the board early and Derias tumbled out on Q♣3♣A♥3♠8♣.
Next to hit the rail was Yann Del Rey after Robyn Bognar’s A♠10♠ held out against his A♣5♥ which failed to hit on a dry board.
Not long after, Jeison Berdugo joined the rail as his A♥J♦ couldn’t pair up against Charlie Hawes’s 6♣6♠ which dived cleanly through 2♠4♦7♣4♥2♦.
Attila Bognar, George Psarras and Marc Seymour have also emerged as the latest who have been drawn out by the rip.
| Jeison Berdugo | WIPEOUT! |
| Attila Bognar | WIPEOUT! |
| Yann Del Rey | WIPEOUT! |
| Sherif Derias | WIPEOUT! |
| George Psarras | WIPEOUT! |
| Marc Seymour | WIPEOUT! |
McCredie sneaks up
Simon Chahine has tripled up as Anya Azimai has been stacked by Aces A♦A♥.
Azimai went all in preflop with 7♥7♠, going to showdown with Luke McCredie who flipped up J♦9♦.
The board played out 5♦6♣2♥4♥J♠ to give McCredie the winning main pot, and triple up Chahine, still hanging on by a thread.
Joe Kim, Michelle Psarras have also joined the rail.
| Simon Chahine | 24,000 |
| Amya Azimai | WIPEOUT! |
| Joe Kim | WIPEOUT! |
| Michelle Psarras | WIPEOUT! |
Level 18: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Dumped on the next wave
Play has now resumed in the money, and we have just seen the successive eliminations of Kenny Wang, Ricky Kroesen and Daniel Hachem, and Steven Hoek.
Hoek was riding ahead all in preflop with 4♣4♠, against Steven Burgess floating behind with Q♠9♠.
Hoek quickly lost his grip as the flop showed up 2♥Q♦7♥, and wiped out as the A♥ turn and 9♥ river sealed two pair for Burgess.
| Steven Burgess | 412,000 |
| Steven Hoek | WIPEOUT! |
| Daniel Hachem | WIPEOUT! |
| Ricky Kroesen | WIPEOUT! |
| Kenny Wang | WIPEOUT! |
Bubble bursts
Players over 8 tables have been hovering hand-for-hand on the bubble which has now burst on table 21.
Alan Wilson went all in on the flop 8♣10♠J♠ with A♣A♠, snapped up by Steven Burgess who had already flopped two pair with J♣8♦.
Wilson couldn’t get any extra current to move on the 3♥ turn and 6♦ river, dumping out on the wave.
Burgess then peeled the sticker off his surfboard bounty token, revealing:
BOUNTY: $1,200!
| Steven Burgess | 405,000 |
| Alan Wilson | WIPEOUT! |
What the sea wants, the sea will have
A quick series of eliminations early in this level has brought us to the bubble. Brendon Rubie’s 7♣7♦ was pulled under by Daniel Orecchio’s 8♥8♠ and couldn’t ride through the barrel as the dealer spread 3♥6♠5♦9♣Q♣.
Orecchio claimed his wipeout bounty, getting down to the Tiki hut to peel a surfboard token.
BOUNTY: $400!
Liam Jehu’s suited Q♠9♠ couldn’t get ahead of Yu Chen’s A♥4♣ as the board lifted him up for the ride on 4♥J♣8♦A♣J♠ for the two pair, dumping Jehu out. Chen the peeled a surfboard token, revealing his bounty.
BOUNTY: $700!
Ben Turner and Emad Moeref were also seen joining the rail, and we are now hand for hand on the bubble!
| Brendon Rubie | WIPEOUT! |
| Liam Jehu | WIPEOUT! |
Hoek paddles up
It didn’t take long for our first elimination of the day, as an “ALL IN AND CALL” cry went up on Table 17.
Steven Hoek, the returning champion of the WPT Prime Mystery Bounty, turned over Q♥J♥ against Omer Silajdzija hoping to ride another wave with 8♥8♠.
The board had other plans however, as Hoek surfed through K♥10♥6♣A♥9♥ for a royal flush!!
Hoek then plucked out a wipeout bounty from the Tiki Hut, peeling back the sticker on the surfboard token.
BOUNTY: $400!
| Steven Hoek | 266,000 |
| Omer Silajdzija | WIPEOUT! |
Shuffle up and deal!
Cards are now back in the air for Day 2 of the Mystery Bounty!
The clock has been wound back to Level 17 and we’ll be playing down until we have a trophy winner tonight.
Level 17: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Surf’s up!
From wherever you’re watching in Australia, New Zealand or around the world, good morning and welcome back to PokerMedia Australia for our continued Live Reporting coverage of the WPT Prime Gold Coast series!
Today, we pick up the action from the start of Day 2 of the $1,350 buy-in Mystery Bounty, which garnered a combined 596 total entries to generate a total prize pool of $476,000. Of the 91 players dropping back in today, the top 75 will earn themselves a minimum of $1,190, while tonight’s winner will take home $89,962.
Of course, our players all have their sights set on collecting as many Mystery Bounties as possible, with a Grand Bounty of $62,500 up for grabs – and although things are pumping right now, it’s gonna get choppy out there real quick, so stay tuned from 11:30am AEST as PMA drop in and hang ten to bring you all the action!
Day 2 seat draw
Play will resume at 11:30am AEST, with recommencing blinds at 4,000/8,000 (8,000). Please ensure you have your Star Club Card and photo ID for verification purposes, and should you have any questions regarding your seat allocation, please see staff at Star Poker Gold Coast upon arrival. Best of luck, everyone!
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 14
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 1401 | 1 | Jeison Berdugo | 154,000 |
| 1402 | 2 | Fletcher Smith | 361,000 |
| 1403 | 3 | Kenny Wang | 81,000 |
| 1404 | 4 | Paul Murray | 145,000 |
| 1405 | 5 | Luke McCredie | 142,000 |
| 1406 | 6 | Andrew McLaren | 403,000 |
| 1407 | 7 | Thomas Karadimos | 152,000 |
| 1408 | 8 | Brendon Rubie | 71,000 |
| 1409 | 9 | Jason Gilbert | 30,500 |
Table 15
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 1501 | 1 | Win Meng Tan | 157,000 |
| 1502 | 2 | Tino Lechich | 622,000 |
| 1503 | 3 | Tola Keo | 57,000 |
| 1504 | 4 | Fan Zhang | 108,000 |
| 1505 | 5 | Richard Holmes | 144,000 |
| 1506 | 6 | Liem Trang | 340,000 |
| 1507 | 7 | George Psarras | 535,000 |
| 1508 | 8 | Naoto Takeya | 442,000 |
| 1509 | 9 | J.P. Rounce | 957,000 |
Table 16
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 1601 | 1 | Luke Martinelli | 409,000 |
| 1602 | 2 | Anthony Xu | 554,000 |
| 1603 | 3 | Yita Choong | 208,000 |
| 1604 | 4 | Justin Moat | 166,000 |
| 1605 | 5 | Jessy Song | 557,000 |
| 1606 | 6 | Meerwais Hussaini | 451,000 |
| 1607 | 7 | Cam Lopez | 181,000 |
| 1608 | 8 | Mason Trevanion | 173,000 |
| 1609 | 9 | Dwan Setton | 94,000 |
Table 17
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 1701 | 1 | Jian Long | 177,000 |
| 1702 | 2 | Steven Hoek | 205,000 |
| 1703 | 3 | Omer Silajdzija | 90,000 |
| 1704 | 4 | Gavin Best | 437,000 |
| 1705 | 5 | Daniel Hachem | 104,000 |
| 1706 | 6 | Anya Azimai | 207,000 |
| 1707 | 7 | Hamish Crawshaw | 132,000 |
| 1708 | 8 | Michel Bouskila | 287,000 |
| 9 |
Table 21
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 2101 | 1 | Amin Chehade | 369,000 |
| 2102 | 2 | Bert Perry | 111,000 |
| 2103 | 3 | Robert Damelian | 107,000 |
| 2104 | 4 | Alan Wilson | 138,000 |
| 2105 | 5 | Michelle Psarras | 108,000 |
| 6 | |||
| 2107 | 7 | Kristof Segers | 269,000 |
| 2108 | 8 | Ben Turner | 154,000 |
| 2109 | 9 | Steven Burgess | 433,000 |
Table 22
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 2201 | 1 | Michael Egan | 295,000 |
| 2202 | 2 | C.C. Piccione | 189,000 |
| 2203 | 3 | Motoki Nakai | 43,000 |
| 2204 | 4 | Kevin Lee | 581,000 |
| 2205 | 5 | Ricky Kroesen | 179,000 |
| 2206 | 6 | Benedikt Eberle | 189,000 |
| 2207 | 7 | Patrick Murphy | 72,000 |
| 8 | |||
| 2209 | 9 | Yang Lei | 84,000 |
Table 23
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 2301 | 1 | Marc Seymour | 216,000 |
| 2302 | 2 | Colin Denby | 377,000 |
| 3 | |||
| 2304 | 4 | Kenneth Marcum | 165,000 |
| 2305 | 5 | Paul Lombardi | 425,000 |
| 2306 | 6 | Daniel Orecchio | 322,000 |
| 2307 | 7 | Conrad Wolfgramm | 154,000 |
| 2308 | 8 | Simon Thwaites | 235,000 |
| 2309 | 9 | Ron Bean | 500,000 |
Table 24
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 2401 | 1 | Andrew Menzies | 82,000 |
| 2402 | 2 | Chi Chu | 545,000 |
| 2403 | 3 | Les Whiteside | 110,000 |
| 2404 | 4 | Dylan Wayne | 233,000 |
| 2405 | 5 | Paul Whiteman | 276,000 |
| 2406 | 6 | Qi Xu | 330,000 |
| 7 | |||
| 2408 | 8 | Reagan Samoa | 555,000 |
| 2409 | 9 | Sherif Derias | 119,000 |
Table 25
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 2501 | 1 | Yu Chen | 106,000 |
| 2502 | 2 | Trent Paul | 319,000 |
| 2503 | 3 | Emad Moaref | 171,000 |
| 2504 | 4 | Charles Tsai | 70,000 |
| 2505 | 5 | Robert Spano | 89,000 |
| 2506 | 6 | Geoffrey Mooney | 262,000 |
| 7 | |||
| 2508 | 8 | Liam Jehu | 110,000 |
| 2509 | 9 | Simon Chahine | 122,000 |
Table 28
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 2801 | 1 | Robyn Bognar | 360,000 |
| 2802 | 2 | Lucho Vargas | 166,000 |
| 2803 | 3 | Jason Sampson | 600,000 |
| 2804 | 4 | Charlie Hawes | 108,000 |
| 2805 | 5 | Chao Duan | 330,000 |
| 2806 | 6 | Joe Kim | 231,000 |
| 7 | |||
| 2808 | 8 | Joe Sandaev | 153,000 |
| 2809 | 9 | Yann Del Rey | 216,000 |
Table 29
| PMA ID | Seat | Name | Chips |
| 2901 | 1 | Chris Savelle | 398,000 |
| 2902 | 2 | Attila Bognar | 130,000 |
| 2903 | 3 | Craig Trevenna | 417,000 |
| 2904 | 4 | Sheng Ye | 511,000 |
| 2905 | 5 | Cam Adams | 150,000 |
| 6 | |||
| 2907 | 7 | Jarrod Thatcher | 248,000 |
| 2908 | 8 | Ali Ghezelbash | 634,000 |
| 2909 | 9 | Mark Montague | 423,000 |
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