An amateur Australian poker player has turned $134 into $1.65 million in just a week after pulling off an improbable win in one of the world's top professional tournaments.
Shurane Vijayaram paid the AU$130 fee to enter an amateur event at Melbourne's Crown Casino a week ago - the top prize for which was a $10,600 entry ticket to the Aussie Millions Poker Championship.
Vijayaram cleaned up in that competition and that made him eligible to take a seat at the table with some of the top professionals in the sport.
That included Briton Ben Heath, a long-time professional who came into the tournament having already won more than $200,000 in January 2017, who Vijayaram came up against in his final round.
The rookie held his nerve at the death, successfully calling Heath's bluff - and pocketed the AU$1.6 million cash prize and a $30,000 bracelet for his first ever win at a professional tournament.
"I just try to play my best game and not think about people that are really good players," Vijayaram told The Age.
"It doesn't matter who you are, you just have to get the cards.
"It's just been a really fast, surreal journey."
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