$350 Diamond Cup
Day 3 Completed
2025 Australian Poker Open
$350 Diamond Cup
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2025 Australian Poker Open
Buy-in
350 AUD
Prize Pool
625,200 AUD
Entries
2,084
Level
37
Blinds
1,000,000 / 1,500,000
Ante
1,500,000
Entries
9
Players Left
1
Level 37
: Blinds 1,000,000/1,500,000, 1,500,000 ante
Michael O'Grady didn’t just win the Diamond Cup—he owned it. In a thunderous finale that shook the felt at Club Marconi at Doltone House Western Sydney, O’Grady danced through a record-smashing 2,084-player field to claim the title, the trophy, and the A$110,500 top prize at the 2025 Australian Poker Open. The massive turnout marked the third-largest field in Australian poker tournament history, and O’Grady’s victory felt all the more poetic after narrowly missing out last year.
“I ran third last year, which was bittersweet,” O’Grady said. “I wanted to go better this year… you never think it’s gonna happen, but it did luckily.” This time, the Melbourne grinder was determined to finish what he started—and he did just that, claiming the lion’s share of the A$625,200 prize pool.
His performance was pure firepower: fearless, flashy, and full of flair, punctuated by a cheeky windmill bluff that helped propel him toward the winner’s circle. O’Grady brought pressure when it mattered most and showed the kind of creativity that keeps fans on the edge of their seats.
He eventually met Andrew Samoa heads-up, where he sealed the deal in style. But it wasn’t just the chips that did the talking—it was the showmanship. Whether flicking cards mid-air or calling down with nothing but heart, O’Grady lit up the stage in a performance that was equal parts poker clinic and highlight reel.
2025 Diamond Cup Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (A$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael O'Grady | Australia | $110,500 |
| 2 | Andrew Samoa | Australia | $65,500 |
| 3 | Majid Shahikarijani | Australia | $40,500 |
| 4 | Welyam Gelyana | Australia | $28,500 |
| 5 | Corey van Jaarsveldt | Australia | $22,500 |
| 6 | Shayne Sim | Australia | $17,000 |
| 7 | Zac Vigar | Australia | $13,000 |
| 8 | Ulf Carlberg | Australia | $9,500 |
| 9 | Michael Oscuro | Australia | $7,900 |
Winner's Reaction
For O'Grady, the Diamond Cup victory was more than just a title—it was a satisfying culmination of unfinished business. “It’s very satisfying. That’s why I love tournament poker… to be the last one standing is the goal,” he said.
His path to the title was as composed as it was commanding. “It was pretty smooth sailing, really,” he reflected. “I got one bluff through early, which was really good,” he added. The calm confidence was visible from start to finish, and by the time he reached heads-up play against Samoa, O’Grady never looked back. “Heads-up was pretty cruisy—I had good hands, made good hands. I was always confident I was going to win.”
The turning point may have come the night before, in a massive flip with ace-king against queens that vaulted him into the chip lead. “Whoever won that flip probably wins the tournament,” he said. “I’m always playing to win—I’m not playing for ladders, I'm not playing for min-cashes.” With a healthy chip stack and unwavering focus, O’Grady powered through the final table and sealed the deal with a flopped full house. “It’s just good to be on the right side of it for a change,” he added with a grin.
Having played all over the globe, O’Grady didn’t hesitate to praise the APO setup. “I’ve played poker all around the world—Monte Carlo, Macau, Vegas—and I said to someone today, there’s no poker room that’s this good, that looks this good. It’s literally the best in the world,” he said. “It’s a world-class setup run by world-class people. All the dealers are great, all the staff are great, and all the players have a great time… that’s what we want.”
When asked if he planned to celebrate, O’Grady smiled: “I’m celebrating on the inside.” But don’t expect him to rest for long. “Win something else would be nice… I’ll jump into the $1,500 now and… be back the next day to try and win another.”
O'Grady's Journey to the Title
The action kicked off in explosive fashion, with Michael Oscuro hitting the rail within seconds after his short stack shove with ace-ten ran into the ace-jack of Majid Shahikarijani. The tone was set: it was going to be fast, fierce, and unforgiving.
Samoa picked up early momentum, turning a flush to bust Ulf Carlberg in eighth place, but it was O’Grady who made the first defining move of the final table. Facing a three-bet from Welyam Gelyana, O’Grady called and peeled two streets with a flush draw. When the river blanked, he pulled the trigger with a bold bluff that Gelyana couldn’t call. As if to punctuate the moment, O’Grady windmilled his cards into the air, landing face-up in front of Gelyana—a statement if there ever was one.
From there, the eliminations came quick. Zac Vigar fell in seventh, followed by Shayne Sim—last standing from the A$2K Fantasy Draft—in sixth, earning him 131.78 fantasy points. Samoa kept stacking chips, this time eliminating Corey van Jaarsveldt in fifth when queen-ten out-kicked him on the turn.
Then came one of the wildest hands of the night. Gelyana, who had flirted with the chip lead throughout the day, found himself on the wrong side of a cooler—his ace-jack falling to O’Grady’s king-eight after the board ran out with quad kings. A brutal exit for Gelyana, but a monster pot for O’Grady.
With three left, fireworks ensued in a massive three-way all-in. O’Grady shoved the button with Big Slick, Shahikarijani snap-called with ace-nine, and Samoa looked down at pocket kings and committed his stack. The kings held, tripling up Samoa, but O’Grady snagged the side pot to send Shahikarijani packing and enter heads-up play with a hefty chip lead.
O’Grady sealed the deal in style. Holding pocket queens, he limped in and flopped a full house. Samoa, with eight-six, turned a pair and tried to get creative with a check-raise. But it was too little, too late. On the river, Samoa check-called for his tournament life and saw the bad news.
And just like that, it was over. From bold bluffs to quad kings, O’Grady survived the chaos, outplayed the field, and walked away A$110,500 richer—with the Diamond Cup title etched forever beside his name.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage of the 2025 Australian Poker Open, with live updates, chip counts, photos, and feature stories from Club Marconi. With major events like the A$1,500 Platinum Players Championship, A$3,300 APO Main Event, and A$10,000 The Trojan still to come, the action is only just heating up.
Level 37
: Blinds 1,000,000/1,500,000, 1,500,000 ante
Michael O'Grady limped in from the button and Andrew Samoa checked his option in the big blind.
The flop came 2♦Q♦2♣ and both checked to the 8♥ turn. Samoa checked and O'Grady fired out a bet of 2,000,000. After thinking for some time, Samoa elected to raise to 4,500,000. O'Grady called.
A 10♣ dropped on the river and Samoa slowed down with a check, then O'Grady shoved. Samoa had around 6,500,000 remaining in his stack and after thinking it over, he called.
O'Grady then showed a flopped full house with Q♥Q♣, and Samoa's 8♣6♥ went into the muck,
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
104,000,000
24,000,000
|
24,000,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level: 37
Blinds: 1,000,000/1,500,000
Ante: 1,500,000
Level 36
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Michael O'Grady limped in from the button and Andrew Samoa checked his option to see the Q♠2♦K♥ flop. Samou led out for 2,000,000 and O'Grady called to see the K♦ turn, where both checked.
A 4♦ dropped on the river and after Samoa checked, O'Grady checked back. Samoa showed Q♥3♥ for a pair of queens and O'Grady mucked his J♠8♥.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
80,000,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
24,000,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Andrew Samoa raised the button to 3,700,000 with A♠10♦ and Michael O'Grady called from the big blind with 9♦6♦.
The flop came Q♠10♥4♠ and Samoa's continuation-bet of 1,500,000 got the job done as O'Grady folded.
In the next hand, Samoa raised out of turn to 2,400,000 with J♠9♦ and O'Grady called with A♠3♠. The flop came 5♦Q♥2♠ and Samoa check-folded to O'Grady's bet.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
80,000,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
23,000,000
3,000,000
|
3,000,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Cards are back in the air and the battle for the title is on!
Level 36
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
There will be a short break before the heads-up battle begins! Here's a reminder of what's at stake.
| Place | Prize (A$) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $110,500 |
| 2 | $65,500 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
78,000,000
8,000,000
|
8,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
26,000,000
4,000,000
|
4,000,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
The action was on Michael O'Grady on the button and he just shoved for around 65,000,000. Majid Shahikarijani was in the small blind and snap-called for his stack of 24,000,000. Andrew Samoa was in the big blind and after he looked at his cards, he called for around 10,000,000!
Andrew Samoa: K♠K♥ 
Majid Shahikarijani: A♥9♠
Michael O'Grady: A♦K♣
Samoa was in a great spot to triple up but O'Grady could secure the title right now if his Big Slick could find a way to win the hand. The flop of 5♠8♦10♠ didn't change much but it was Shahikarijani who picked up equity on the 7♥ turn with an open-ended straight draw. However, the 8♠ river was anti-climatic, which meant Shahikarijani was eliminated, Samoa tripled up, and O'Grady took the side pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
70,000,000
5,000,000
|
5,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
30,000,000
7,000,000
|
7,000,000 |
|
Busted | |
Level 36
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Michael O'Grady raised to 2,500,000 from the small blind with 9♠8♠ and Majid Shahikarijani called in the big blind holding A♥3♥.
The flop came 2♠J♥7♥ and O'Grady continued for 2,000,000, only to be met with a shove from Shahikarijani for around 16,000,000. O'Grady quickly gave it up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
65,000,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
24,000,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
