Brutal River Bursts the Bubble at 2026 Aussie Millions Event

Inside Crown Melbourne at the Aussie Millions Poker Championship 2026 Presented by CrownBet, the $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em event drew 342 total entries, creating a prize pool with $179,665 up top.

On Day 2, the field had been reduced to 45 players with just 44 set to be paid, leaving the tournament on the stone bubble — and a brutal bad beat was about to unfold.

Pocket Kings Cracked to Burst the Bubble

Blinds were at 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante as Diego Ponce, who finished 19th in last year’s WSOP Main Event, opened the action on the button. In the small blind, Sascha Manns three-bet all in for roughly 170,000.

Ponce, sitting on a healthy stack well over 550,000, made the call, putting Manns at risk on the stone bubble.

Sascha Manns: K♣K♦
Diego Ponce: 2♥2♣

Manns was in a great spot to double on the bubble with his pocket kings, but the board ran out 4♦7♠4♥A♣2♦, giving Ponce a full house on the river, deuces full of fours, to take the pot, knock out Manns, and burst the bubble.

However, it hasn’t been all bad for Manns, who has already picked up a title earlier in the series, winning the $2,500 H.O.R.S.E. event at the 2026 Aussie Millions.

At the time of publishing, Ponce still remains in the event having locked up $A6,925, with only two tables remaining.

You stay updated on all the action at the 2026 Aussie Millions Poker Championship Presented by CrownBet, with the updates on PokerNews.