James Obst claimed his first-ever World Poker Tour title and the AUD $585,359 top prize by outlasting the field at the WPT Australia Championship at The Star Gold Coast. The Australian must have felt right at home, battling for the top prize in his motherland. Along with the money and the title, Obst banked a seat in the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas this December.
Nearly 400 entrants – 396, to be exact – ponied up the AUD $8,000 buy-in to enter the event, generating a total prize pool of AUD $2,930,400 (~USD $1,995,016). The top 50 finishers made the money, earning themselves WPT Player of the Year points in the process, but Obst dominated the event and stood alone atop the podium when all was said and done.
'Feeling fantastic'
“It’s honestly just insane. It’s happened too quick to process it,” said Obst, following his victory. “I’m thankful for all the support that my friends showed off and got in the photos with me, and everyone who’s reached out afterwards to congratulate me. Yeah, just feeling fantastic.”
Obst defeated Travis Enderby in the heads up stage of play, adding another win to a string of recent notable results. After taking the better part of four years away from the game, Obst returned to the scene with an appearance at the 2023 World Series of Poker. Obst put together a string of cashes that year, the most noteworthy coming in the form of a fourth-place finish in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $411,824. This past summer, Obst returned to Las Vegas and added a second WSOP bracelet win to his resume with a victory in the $10,000 Limit Seven-Card Stud Championship.
WPT Australia Championship final table results
| Place | Player | Prize (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Obst | $585,359 |
| 2 | Travis Enderby | $389,478 |
| 3 | Daniel Murphy | $285,669 |
| 4 | Oleg Ivanchenko | $211,929 |
| 5 | Matthew Wakeman | $159,024 |
| 6 | Dillan Patel | $120,694 |
WPT Australia notables
Phoebe Yan took down the WPT Ladies Australian Championship, banking AUD $15,120 for her efforts. Chen Li claimed first place in the Shane Warne Legacy tournament, a fundraising event to honor the late Shane Warne. Corey Kempson rose above the rest in the AUD $20,000 Super High Roller, taking home AUD $354,541.
Bert Perry walked away as the Player of the Festival with a $5,000 WPT Passport and the POF trophy. Perry finished runner-up in both the AUD $800 Pot-Limit Omaha and AUD $2,000 Mini Championship events, notching 1,275 leaderboard points in the process.
