Michael O’Grady Wins 2025 APO Diamond Cup

Michael O’Grady didn’t simply win the Diamond Cup—he owned it. In a thunderous finale that shook the felt at Membership Marconi at Doltone Home Western Sydney, O’Grady danced via a record-smashing 2,084-player area to say the title, the trophy, and the A$110,500 prime prize on the 2025 Australian Poker Open. The large turnout marked the third-largest area in Australian poker match historical past, and O’Grady’s victory felt all of the extra poetic after narrowly lacking out final yr.

“I ran third final yr, which was bittersweet,” O’Grady mentioned. “I wished to go higher this yr… you by no means assume it’s gonna occur, however it did fortunately.” This time, the Melbourne grinder was decided to complete what he began—and he did simply that, claiming the lion’s share of the A$625,200 prize pool.

His efficiency was pure firepower: fearless, flashy, and stuffed with aptitude, punctuated by a cheeky windmill bluff that helped propel him towards the winner’s circle. O’Grady introduced stress when it mattered most and confirmed the sort of creativity that retains followers on the sting of their seats.

He ultimately met Andrew Samoa heads-up, the place he sealed the deal in fashion. But it surely wasn’t simply the chips that did the speaking—it was the showmanship. Whether or not flicking playing cards mid-air or calling down with nothing however coronary heart, O’Grady lit up the stage in a efficiency that was equal elements poker clinic and spotlight reel.

2025 Diamond Cup Closing Desk Outcomes

Winner’s Response

For O’Grady, the Diamond Cup victory was greater than only a title—it was a satisfying fruits of unfinished enterprise. “It’s very satisfying. That’s why I like match poker… to be the final one standing is the aim,” he mentioned.

His path to the title was as composed because it was commanding. “It was fairly clean crusing, actually,” he mirrored. “I received one bluff via early, which was actually good,” he added. The calm confidence was seen from begin to end, and by the point he reached heads-up play in opposition to Samoa, O’Grady by no means seemed again. “Heads-up was fairly cruisy—I had good palms, made good palms. I used to be all the time assured I used to be going to win.”

The turning level might have come the night time earlier than, in a large flip with ace-king in opposition to queens that vaulted him into the chip lead. “Whoever gained that flip in all probability wins the match,” he mentioned. “I’m all the time enjoying to win—I’m not enjoying for ladders, I am not enjoying for min-cashes.” With a wholesome chip stack and unwavering focus, O’Grady powered via the ultimate desk and sealed the take care of a flopped full home. “It’s simply good to be on the correct aspect of it for a change,” he added with a smile.

Having performed everywhere in the globe, O’Grady didn’t hesitate to reward the APO setup. “I’ve performed poker all world wide—Monte Carlo, Macau, Vegas—and I mentioned to somebody at the moment, there’s no poker site that’s this good, that appears this good. It’s actually the very best on the earth,” he mentioned. “It’s a world-class setup run by world-class folks. All of the sellers are nice, all of the workers are nice, and all of the gamers have a good time… that’s what we wish.”

When requested if he deliberate to have a good time, O’Grady smiled: “I’m celebrating on the within.” However don’t count on him to relaxation for lengthy. “Win one thing else can be good… I’ll soar into the $1,500 now and… be again the subsequent day to attempt to win one other.”

O’Grady’s Journey to the Title

The motion kicked off in explosive vogue, with Michael Oscuro hitting the rail inside seconds after his brief stack shove with ace-ten bumped into the ace-jack of Majid Shahikarijani. The tone was set: it was going to be quick, fierce, and unforgiving.

Samoa picked up early momentum, turning a flush to bust Ulf Carlberg in eighth place, however it was O’Grady who made the primary defining transfer of the ultimate desk. Going through a three-bet from Welyam Gelyana, O’Grady known as and peeled two streets with a flush draw. When the river blanked, he pulled the set off with a daring bluff that Gelyana couldn’t name. As if to punctuate the second, O’Grady windmilled his playing cards into the air, touchdown face-up in entrance of Gelyana—an announcement if there ever was one.

From there, the eliminations got here fast. Zac Vigar fell in seventh, adopted by Shayne Sim—final standing from the A$2K Fantasy Draft—in sixth, incomes him 131.78 fantasy factors. Samoa saved stacking chips, this time eliminating Corey van Jaarsveldt in fifth when queen-ten out-kicked him on the flip.

Then got here one of many wildest palms of the night time. Gelyana, who had flirted with the chip lead all through the day, discovered himself on the incorrect aspect 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, however a monster pot for O’Grady.

With three left, fireworks ensued in a large three-way all-in. O’Grady shoved the button with Huge Slick, Shahikarijani snap-called with ace-nine, and Samoa seemed down at pocket kings and dedicated his stack. The kings held, tripling up Samoa, however O’Grady snagged the aspect pot to ship Shahikarijani packing and enter heads-up play with a hefty chip lead.

O’Grady sealed the deal in fashion. Holding pocket queens, he limped in and flopped a full home. Samoa, with eight-six, turned a pair and tried to get inventive with a check-raise. But it surely was too little, too late. On the river, Samoa check-called for his match life and noticed the dangerous information.

And similar to that, it was over. From daring bluffs to quad kings, O’Grady survived the chaos, outplayed the sector, and walked away A$110,500 richer—with the Diamond Cup title etched perpetually beside his identify.

Keep tuned to PokerNews for continued protection of the 2025 Australian Poker Open, with dwell updates, chip counts, photographs, and have tales from Membership Marconi. With main occasions just like the A$1,500 Platinum Gamers Championship, A$3,300 APO Essential Occasion, and A$10,000 The Trojan nonetheless to come back, the motion is barely simply heating up.