Fresh off his bracelet victory in the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #42, Australian poker pro James Obst secured his first WPT title by winning the 2024 World Poker Tour (WPT) Australia Championship. The win brought his career earnings to $4.4 million, placing him 9th on Australia’s all-time money list.
The 2024 WPT Australia AUD $8,000 buy-in Championship Event attracted 396 entries across two starting flights, generating a total prize pool of $1,995,016. The money bubble burst on Day 2, with the top 50 players securing payouts from the nearly $2 million prize pool.
Day 3 concluded with two time bracelet winner James Obst as the chip leader among the remaining 15 players. By the end of Day 4, the final table was set, with Obst maintaining his chip lead. Below is the recap of the 2024 WPT Australia Championship final table.
2024 World Poker Tour Australia Championship Final Table Recap
Forty minutes into the final table, the first elimination occurred when short-stacked Indian-origin Gautam Dhingra couldn’t crack the pocket aces of Matthew Wakeman with ace-five. Dhingra exited the tournament in 9th place, earning $38,452. WSOP bracelet winner Malcolm Trayner followed shortly after, finishing in 8th place and taking home $48,970.
Seven players remained, with play lasting nearly three hours. During this time, James Obst continued to extend his chip lead, with no one coming close. The elimination of Yuanting Wang in 7th place for $63,075 marked the break before the final six players moved on to Day 4.
On the first hand of the final day, short-stacked Indian-origin Dillan Patel pushed all-in with Qh-Jd. Travis Endersby called with pocket fours and hit a set on the board. Patel finished in 6th place, earning $82,168. Matthew Wakeman was the next to go, finishing 5th for a six-figure payout of $108,264.
Oleg Ivanchenko was eliminated in 4th place, setting up the three-handed play. He took home $144,281 for his deep run, leaving James Obst with the majority of the chips as play continued.
In a back-and-forth battle, Travis Endersby shoved all-in with As-3c but ran into Daniel Murphy’s pocket eights. The board came Ac-10c-4d-Kc-5d, giving Endersby top pair, but it wasn’t enough. Murphy finished in 3rd place, earning $194,483.
Heads-up play began with Obst holding 158 big blinds to Endersby’s 40. The final hand saw Endersby limp with Kd-Jd, while Obst raised with As-Kc. Endersby moved all-in, and the board ran out Qh-10h-7s-5s-Kh, securing the title for Obst.
For his victory, James Obst collected the top prize of $398,512 and earned a seat at the 2024 WPT World Championship. Travis Endersby locked up his second career-high score of $265,157.
2024 World Poker Tour Australia Championship Standings
| Rank | Player | Prize (USD) |
| 1st | James Obst | $398,512 |
| 2nd | Travis Endersby | $265,157 |
| 3rd | Daniel Murphy | $194,483 |
| 4th | Oleg Ivanchenko | $144,281 |
| 5th | Matthew Wakeman | $108,264 |
| 6th | Dillan Patel | $82,168 |
| 7th | Yuanting Wang | $63,075 |
| 8th | Malcolm Trayner | $48,970 |
| 9th | Gautam Dhingra | $38,452 |
Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates and news from live poker!
Source: WPT
Image Credit: WPT
