The wait was worth it. Four days after the action was paused with six players remaining, Joseph Antar returned to Club Marconi at Doltone House Western Sydney and closed the deal, capturing the 2025 Australian Poker Open A$10,000 Trojan title and a career-best A$250,000 payday.
The event, which attracted 85 entries and built a A$799,000 prize pool, was originally set to finish four days ago but was rescheduled to Saturday. However, because Kahle Burns ran deep in the Main Event, the Trojan finale was pushed back another day.
Antar came into today second in chips but quickly took control, winning two key pots against Weiran Pu that shifted the momentum firmly in his direction. Reflecting on those hands, Antar admitted both pots were "very lucky" for different reasons. In one, he turned a wheel, a hand he said he might not have even opened if he had realized how close he and Pu were in stacks.
From there, Antar stayed composed during heads-up play, even with a big chip lead. Drawing on past experiences where momentum had swung away from him, he stayed mentally sharp and saw it through to claim his first cash in a A$10,000 buy-in event — and one of the biggest trophies of his career.
The Trojan Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (A$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Antar | Australia | $250,000 |
| 2 | Noel Jaber | Australia | $177,700 |
| 3 | Weiran Pu | China | $117,800 |
| 4 | Kahle Burns | Australia | $69,800 |
| 5 | Benjamin LeBlond | Canada | $55,900 |
| 6 | Joshua McSwiney | Australia | $41,900 |
| 7 | John Perry | Australia | $33,960 |
| 8 | Anthony Xu | Australia | $27,970 |
| 9 | Najeem Ajez | Australia | $23,970 |
Antar Reflects on Victory
Speaking after his win, Antar said the whole final table felt surreal at times. "The whole board was just a dream," he said, recalling the hand where he turned the wheel against Pu. He also noted that when he jammed against Pu in another big pot, he "had a good hand" but "was happy to see a fold as well."
Heading into heads-up play with a massive chip advantage, Antar admitted that sometimes the pressure can feel even heavier when you're in front. "It’s very much a mental match. You can't get too down on yourself when momentum changes," he said, referencing a recent tournament where a big lead slipped away.
The victory was also a timely one, as Antar described it as a "bit of a series saver." While his series hadn't been terrible, he said, "it hasn't been great either," making this title even sweeter.
With this being his first 10k cash, Antar said it gives him confidence to maybe play a few more tournaments around this stake in the future, although he plans to mainly stick to his roots in cash games.
As for the overall Australian Poker Open experience, Antar couldn't have been more complimentary: "It’s a great setup — really well run, giving Aussie Millions vibes but a bit smaller. It’s just a great series, perfectly run for poker players."
Plans for celebrating? "I think we’re gonna go out tonight, have some drinks in the city," he said with a grin.
The Road to the Title
The final day wasted no time getting chaotic, with Joshua McSwiney and Benjamin LeBlond both hitting the rail within the first half-hour — and both at the hands of Pu. First, McSwiney's short stack went in with ace-deuce but couldn’t outrun Pu’s Big Slick. Then LeBlond, in prime position with ace-ten against Pu’s ace-six, watched in disbelief as Pu spiked a six on both the turn and river to send him packing.
The spotlight then turned to a grudge match between Burns and Noel Jaber. After Burns busted Jaber from the Main Event a few days ago, Jaber had left with a warning: "I'll get you in the high roller." True to his word, he did just that. Burns jammed with king-eight, Jaber snapped him off with ace-ten, and an ace on the flop gave Jaber sweet revenge as Burns bowed out in fourth.
At that point, it looked like Antar and Jaber were scrapping for second place, with Pu holding more than half the chips in play. But poker has a way of flipping the script fast. Antar first won a big three-bet pot by shoving over Pu's turn bet, forcing a fold, then pulled off a dream scenario — turning a wheel with four-three and getting paid big on the river to snatch the chip lead.
Pu and Jaber both managed double-ups to stay alive, but Pu’s luck finally ran out when his ace-deuce couldn’t catch against Antar’s pocket eights, sending him out in third.
Heads-up was almost over before it started. Antar came in with a five-to-one chip lead, stretched it to thirteen-to-one after sweeping the first five pots, and while Jaber found a couple of double-ups to stay afloat, the mountain was simply too steep.
In the final hand, Jaber jammed ace-deuce, Antar looked him up with pocket kings, and five cards later it was all over — Antar locked up the title, the trophy, and a career-best payday.
With Joseph Antar lifting The Trojan trophy, the curtain officially falls on the 2025 Australian Poker Open. After two thrilling weeks of action at Club Marconi, the series has once again cemented itself as one of the must-play stops on the Australian poker calendar. Until next time, thanks for following all the action with PokerNews!
