Sydney’s Malcolm Trayner has cemented his place in Australian poker folklore after outlasting a field of 770 players to win the 2026 Aussie Millions Main Event.
Already regarded as one of the hottest talents in the country after winning his first WSOP bracelet in 2024 and dominating the local scene, Trayner produced a similarly stunning performance on Sunday’s Aussie Millions final table to scoop over $1.3 million and the coveted Aussie Millions ring. After a three-way deal, he went heads-up with highly regarded Melbourne local Dean Blatt before emerging victorious.
Coming into the final day’s play second in chips behind only Dejan Boskovic, Trayner assumed the chip lead early and by the time play was four-handed held around half the chips in play.
After Boskovic was eliminated in third, the Sydneysider almost killed off Blatt early as they got it in with Trayner holding A♦J♣ against his opponent’s A♣10♦ – only for the 10♣ to land on the turn and give Blatt a lifeline. Blatt himself was one flip away from the title before Trayner won back control, eventually sealing the deal with 7♣7♦ against Blatt’s A♣10♣ all in-pre as the board ran out K♠4♣8♦J♣4♦.
“I’m feeling great, I’m feeling really good,” Trayner told PokerMedia Australia after lifting the trophy – the first time a new Aussie Millions champ has been crowned since 2020.
“There were a lot of ups and downs. I was one of the short stacks heading into the final 14 or 15 players but then I won a big flip [against Mishel Anunu] for about a 3.2 million pot and after that the momentum just went my way.
“I had really good cards on the final table and it just all went my way until heads-up. Losing that AJ was really scary, threw my momentum off and I thought I’d lost it for sure, but then just winning two flips in a row, I’m super blessed.”
The day was made even more special by an unexpected appearance on the rail by Trayner’s mum – the perfect Mother’s Day gift.
“I actually sent her a text to say, ‘Sorry Mum, I’m going to miss Mother’s Day’, and she was like, ‘Oh it’s okay, I think I can forgive you for this one’.
“But she came, she actually came and surprised me on the rail, so it was beautiful.”
This is Trayner’s second seven-figure score following his stunning victory in the 2024 WSOP Mystery Millions event for US$1 million (AU$1.38 million) – a result that comes as no surprise to those who have watched him play. A genuine student of the game – not to mention a highly sought after coach – he attributed his success to the hard work he has put in over the past eight years.
“After every session [I review] hands and run them in the solver,” he said. “I’m cross-checking and using my knowledge to try and improve, constantly improve my game. I think that’s the key to being good at poker, knowing you still have so much more to learn. If I’m studying, you should be studying too, and I’m studying as much as I can among playing.”
So where does this win sit in his rapidly growing list of accomplishments?
“I actually don’t know,” he smiled. “Is this above the [WSOP] bracelet? I would say it’s on par with the bracelet – like, it’s really hard to put one above the other. I mean, the bracelet is the most prestigious thing in poker but having the Australian title of Main Event Champ, it just means so much to me.”
2026 AUSSIE MILLIONS MAIN EVENT
Final Table Placings:
| Position | Player | Prize AU$ (Official) |
| 1st | Malcolm Trayner | $1,667,050 |
| 2nd | Dean Blatt | $1,001,000 |
| 3rd | Dejan Boskovic | $635,250 |
| 4th | Sheldon Mayer | $466,620 |
| 5th | Ricky Vikas | $346,500 |
| 6th | Patrick Barba | $269,500 |
| 7th | Kanaan Youkhanna | $211,750 |
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