Broadbeach, QLD, Australia (September 25, 2024) – James Obst picked up his first World Poker Tour® title and earned AUD $585,359 (~USD $398,512) after dominating the field in the WPT® Australia Championship, defeating nearly 400 entrants. On top of the prize money, the Australian also won a seat in the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas this December.
“It’s honestly just insane. It’s happened too quick to process it,” said Obst. “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.”
Registration closed with 396 total entries for the AUD $8,000 WPT Australia Championship at The Star Gold Coast. A prize pool of AUD $2,930,400 (~USD $1,995,016) ultimately paid out the top 50 finishers, all of which also earned WPT Player of The Year points for their cash.
“Congratulations to James for battling his way into the WPT Champions Club,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “There are only two more stops for the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup this season before settling back in Las Vegas for the year-end World Championship.”
Travis Endersby finished as the runner-up, banking AUD $389,478. He was preceded by his fellow final tablists Daniel Murphy (3rd place – AUD $285,669), Oleg Ivanchenko (4th place – AUD $211,929), Matthew Wakeman (5th place – AUD $159,024), and Dillan Patel (6th place – AUD $120,694).
Other notable victories during the festival were Phoebe Yan winning the Ladies Australian Championship for $15,120, Chen Li taking first in the annual Shane Warne Legacy tournament, a fundraising event that honors the late Shane Warne, and Corey Kempson winning the AUD $20,000 Super High Roller for AUD $354,541.
Walking away as Player of the Festival with a $5,000 WPT Passport and POF trophy was Bert Perry. Perry took second place in both the AUD $800 Pot Limit Omaha and AUD $2,000 Mini Championship events, finishing with 1,275 total points.
Photos from the WPT Australia Championship can be accessed via the WPT Flickr Page. Photos highlighting the rest of the festival can be found on The Star Gold Coast Flickr Page.
For more information regarding this and a list of all upcoming World Poker Tour events, visit WPT.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Eric Lusch
Media Relations Manager
[email protected]
About the World Poker Tour®
World Poker Tour® (WPT®) is the premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online, and mobile. WPT has hosted live poker tournaments in 48 countries, drawn more than 400,000 total entries, and awarded more than $1.5 billion in prize money. Leading innovation in the sport of poker since 2002, WPT ignited the global poker boom with the creation of a unique television show, which has broadcast globally in more than 150 countries and territories and is currently producing its 22nd season. Season XXII of WPT is sponsored by ClubWPT.com. ClubWPT.com is a unique online membership site that offers inside access to the WPT, as well as a sweepstakes-based poker club available in 43 states and territories across the United States, Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. WPT also participates in strategic brand license, partnership, and sponsorship opportunities. In 2012, the WPT Foundation was launched, which has gone on to raise $45 million over 10 years and 50 events. For more information, go to WPT.com.
©2024 WPT Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
WPT, World Poker Tour and Spade Card Design are registered trademarks of WPT Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.