Michael O’Grady in Command Ahead of Diamond Cup Final Table
A record-breaking 2,084 entries piled into the Diamond Cup at the 2025 Australian Poker Open, obliterating the A$500,000 guarantee to create a massive A$625,200 prize pool. From that gigantic field, just 258 players returned for Day 2, all with dreams of capturing the title and the A$110,500 top prize inside Club Marconi at Doltone House Western Sydney.
After 15 action-packed 40-minute levels, only nine players remain, and it’s Michael O'Grady who leads the charge with a monstrous stack of 30,350,000 — almost a third of the chips in play. He’ll return atop the counts tomorrow, followed by Welyam Gelyana (17,225,000) and Shayne Sim (11,725,000), as the final table gets set for a thrilling conclusion.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael O'Grady | Australia | 30,350,000 | 101 |
| 2 | Welyam Gelyana | Australia | 17,225,000 | 57 |
| 3 | Shayne Sim | Australia | 11,725,000 | 39 |
| 4 | Zac Vigar | Australia | 10,650,000 | 36 |
| 5 | Andrew Samoa | Australia | 9,725,000 | 32 |
| 6 | Majid Shahikarijani | Australia | 9,700,000 | 32 |
| 7 | Ulf Carlberg | Australia | 6,625,000 | 22 |
| 8 | Corey Van Jaarsveldt | Australia | 4,775,000 | 16 |
| 9 | Michael Oscuro | Australia | 2,825,000 | 9.5 |
Day 2 Action
With 258 players returning for Day 2 in the money, it was no surprise to see a flurry of early eliminations. Jhye Kelley, Marcial Dias, and Michel Bouskila were among the roughly 100 players who hit the rail before the first break. Bouskila found himself on the wrong end of a cooler against Andrew Samoa, who brings the fifth-biggest stack into the final table.
Samoa had just flatted Bouskila’s open with pocket aces and flopped a monster on an ace-king-king board. Bouskila, holding Big Slick, also made a full house, and it was no surprise to see the chips fly into the middle. The brutal cooler catapulted Samoa toward the final table and left Bouskila wondering what might have been.
As play got towards the final few tables, both Liam Murray and Reece Bedot were in contention, but their dreams of making the final table came crashing down in the same hand as they were both sent packing by Kyle Waihi. Not long after, Waihi's run came to an end in twelfth and left the field just two eliminations from a massive final table.
O'Grady's stack had already swollen to over 25,000,000 after winning a gigantic flip against Charlie Leiataua, when his ace-king flopped a king to crack his opponent's queens. Moments later, another double elimination ended play for the day as O'Grady sent both Ying Zhang and Wiremu Moodie to the rail, agonizingly close to a huge payday.
All nine finalists have locked up A$7,900 for their efforts so far, but the real prize lies ahead. A final table run could see payouts climb steadily, with the top three set to earn A$40,500, A$65,500, and the ultimate A$110,500 for the champion. Even a fourth-place finish is worth A$28,500, ensuring a solid return for anyone who can ladder up. With a prestigious trophy and six-figure payday on the line, the pressure will be sky-high when play resumes.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize (A$) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $110,500 |
| 2 | $65,500 |
| 3 | $40,500 |
| 4 | $28,500 |
| 5 | $22,500 |
| 6 | $17,000 |
| 7 | $13,000 |
| 8 | $9,500 |
| 9 | $7,900 |
Just as there was for Day 2, a stream will be available to follow along the action of the final table and can be accessed via the Official Australian Poker Open Facebook page. Live updates will be synchronized with the stream's 30-minute delay to prevent any spoilers.
Cards are back in the air at 12:00 p.m. local time—don’t miss a moment of the action! Follow along right here on PokerNews for exclusive chip counts, key hands, and live updates from the Diamond Cup final table.