Four days after the dust settled on Day 2, the 2025 Australian Poker Open A$10,000 Trojan is finally ready to crown its champion at 1 p.m. today.
Originally scheduled to play out on Saturday, the final table was pushed back by a day after Kahle Burns made a deep run in the APO Main Event. Now, six players return today — Sunday, April 27 — to battle it out for the A$250,000 top prize at Club Marconi at Doltone House Western Sydney.
Noel Jaber leads the way with a slight edge over Joseph Antar, but with an elite lineup still in the mix — including Burns himself — the road to the trophy is wide open. With blinds high and chips flying, it won't take long for the action to reach a boiling point as the 85-entry field plays down to a winner.
Final Six Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Noel Jaber
Australia
2,090,000
42
2
Joseph Antar
Australia
1,935,000
39
3
Weiran Pu
China
1,610,000
32
4
Benjamin LeBlond
Canada
1,065,000
21
5
Kahle Burns
Australia
970,000
19
6
Joshua McSwiney
Australia
830,000
17
Three players have already secured their cash payouts, with Najeem Ajez (A$23,970), Anthony Xu (A$27,970), and John Perry (A$33,960) falling just short of the final six. The remaining players are now guaranteed at least A$41,900, with A$250,000 still waiting up top for the eventual champion.
Results and Final Table Payouts
Place
Player
Country
Prize (A$)
1
$250,000
2
$177,700
3
$117,800
4
$69,800
5
$55,900
6
$41,900
7
John Perry
Australia
$33,960
8
Anthony Xu
Australia
$27,970
9
Najeem Ajez
Australia
$23,970
Stay tuned as PokerNews brings you all the live updates, chip counts, and crowning moments from the thrilling conclusion of The Trojan.
Weiran Pu opened the action to 100,000 from the hijack and Kahle Burns called on the button. Joshua McSwiney then three-bet to 310,000 from the big blind, leaving himself around 300,000 behind. Pu shoved, Burns folded, and McSwiney called off his remaining stack.
Joshua McSwiney: A♦2♦
Weiran Pu: A♣K♣
McSwiney didn't seem confident and was already on his feet when the flop came K♥4♥9♠, giving Pu top pair. The Q♣ turn left McSwiney drawing dead, and the 3♣ river was just a formality.
The action got to Benjamin LeBlond in the small blind, who ripped in his stack of 840,000. Weiran Pu was in the big blind and after getting a count, he called.
Benjamin LeBlond: A♠10♣
Weiran Pu: A♥6♥
LeBlond held the lead and his hand was still good after the 8♥J♣J♠ flop. However, things changed when the 6♦ on the turn paired Pu, leaving LeBlond with one chance to survive. Instead, Pu boated up as the 6♠ river earned him the pot, and sent LeBlond out in 5th.
In the Main Event after being eliminated with two tables remaining, Noel Jaber said to Kahle Burns, "I'll get you in the high roller,". He just delivered on his promise.
Burns shoved for around 600,000 on the button and Jaber put him at risk from the small blind.
Kahle Burns: K♦8♦
Noel Jaber: A♦10♦
Jaber had the best of it and took a huge leap towards eliminating Burns when the flop came A♣9♦Q♣. Burns was left with no hope when the 9♥ dropped on the turn, and a meaningless J♠ filled out the board.
Joseph Antar is now a commanding chip leader with three remaining.
Antar raised to 120,000 from the button and Weiran Pu defended his big blind to see a flop of A♥K♠2♦, where Pu check-called a bet of 80,000 from Antar.
A 5♠ dropped on the turn and after Pu checked, Antar fired 400,000. Pu took some time and called.
The Q♣ landd on the river and after Pu checked for a third time, Antar sent out an army of chips totaling 1,500,000. It took some time for Pu to think it through but eventually, he called.
Antar then showed a wheel with 4♦3♦, and Pu mucked his hand.
After getting a few shoves through, Noel Jaber shoved again for 910,000 and Joseph Antar called.
Noel Jaber: A♦8♦
Joseph Antar: K♠5♥
Antar had a chance to win it all but was reduced to just four outs on the 3♣4♠A♠ flop as he picked up a wheel draw. More outs arrived on the 6♣ turn, but the A♣ river gave Jaber trips.
Noel Jaber shoved the button for around 1,200,000 and Joseph Antar snap-called.
Noel Jaber: A♠2♦
Joseph Antar: K♦K♠
Jaber couldn't believe that he had ran into kings and was looking for some help from the board in order to double up and get back into contention.
However, the flop of J♣10♣9♦ favored Antar as he added a gutshot to his overpair. The 2♣ turn did give Jaber a few more outs after he paired his deuce, but he had to settle for second as the 7♦ filled out the board.
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.
Joseph Antar
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.
Kahle Burns
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.
Noel Jaber
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!
