Exclusive: Adrian Portelli explains his strategy in buying three out of five houses on this season of The Block

Adrian Portelli is the man all of Australia is talking about today.

During Sunday night's auction, the billionaire businessman snapped up an impressive three houses – calmly throwing down a total of $12.4 million.

Stream the latest episodes of The Block for free on 9Now.

Last year, online speculation queried whether Adrian was a legitimate buyer. In 2023, he silenced those critics once and for all.

"[I] proved I'm no dummy bidder, and that was the goal for today," he grinned, immediately after the final auction had been wrapped.

Watch some of what he said in our exclusive video above.

"I'm not here to play games," he said. "Get in a [bidding] war with me... let's go!"

In an exclusive chat with 9Entertainment, Adrian beamed as he admitted he was having a lot of fun while purchasing the multi-million dollar properties.

READ MORE: Who is Adrian Portelli?

"It was a fun day," he admitted in the video above.

"We had fun. And to see the reactions of the contestants like Steph and Gian, it was incredible.

AS IT HAPPENED: The Block 2023 live auction results

"It felt really good."

Adrian admitted that he didn't initially know what the reserves were and he hoped it had paid off for the pair.

In fact, his bids made Steph and Gian and Eliza and Liberty instant millionaires, with whopping profits of $1,650,000 and $1,050,000, respectively.

READ MORE: Steph and Gian reveal how they'll be spending their record-breaking $1.7 million win from The Block 2023

Steph and Gian were thrilled, later telling the affable entrepreneur that he had changed their life.

READ MORE: Kristy and Brett hit out at their agents as 'worst case scenario' auction transpires on The Block 2023

Adrian said he was aware House 4 was the favourite.

"I knew everyone was going to come out pretty strong, so that was just a big statement piece, bidding a million dollars over the last bid," he shared.

Adrian also pulled a move that had everyone talking, when he bid against himself – twice.

"Everyone seemed a bit quiet so I just thought I'd have a bit of fun!" he laughed.

READ MORE: Leah and Ash are 'confident' in decision to pass their house in during The Block 2023 auctions

It had rumoured earlier in the week that Adrian was prepared to buy all five houses, something he admitted he actually would have liked to have done.

"I just came in here with an open mind. I just came in and got a vibe on the day," he shared. "Whatever I fancied I went for."

READ MORE: Kyle and Leslie have 'no regrets' following their disappointing auction result on The Block 2023

Kristy in House 3 was upset that Adrian didn't end up buying her house, despite him having chosen it as his preference during the Domain Buyers' Listing Challenge.

But he said that he actually chose their house by mistake.

"To be honest, I actually voted for the wrong house," he said sheepishly. "I was just confused on the night! But it was a nice house."

Adrian confessed he suspected he would have copped a lot of criticism if he had purchased all five homes.

"I'll leave some for others," he joked.

Adrian is famous for gifting his last Block purchase through his company, LMCT+, a promotions and giveaway platform with a focus on luxury vehicles and prestige houses.

However, he says he is considering keeping one this year for himself.

"I'll have a proper look around all the houses and see if there's something I'd potentially move into in the future," he added.

Adrian openly says he asked his audience which houses he liked, eager to hear their feedback. "House 4 and 5 were obviously the favourite," he said.

READ MORE: The Block auction results in numbers and winner for 2023

"They're the ones I wanted."

He said the idea of someone winning the house via LMCT is "cool".

"At this price point, unfortunately, it's out of the reach of a lot of Australians, so to be able to give someone the opportunity to win one feels good."

And despite going toe-to-toe with investor Danny Wallis, Adrian said there were no hard feelings between them. "He's a good bloke," Adrian added.

Stream the latest episodes of The Block for free on 9Now.