The WPT Prime tour proved popular once again in the Land Down Under, as it made its third stop of the 2025 season with a return to Australia’s Gold Coast. The Championship Event kicked off on March 21 and wrapped up on March 26, when the final table was finished. Joshua McSwiney won the heads-up battle against Patrick Yazbeck to win $177,680 and a $10,400 seat for the 2025 WPT World Championships.
This win is the new most significant score for Joshua McSwiney, beating the previous score of $120,165 that came in 2022 when he came sixth in WPT $5,000 Mixed No Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha – 8-Handed. His total live earnings are now $835,808.
2025 WPT Prime Gold Coast Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Joshua McSwiney | Australia | $177,680 |
| 2 | Patrick Yazbeck | Australia | $156,775 |
| 3 | Jiaxu Chen | Australia | $98,910 |
| 4 | Joseph Antar | Australia | $73,874 |
| 5 | Michael Egan | Australia | $55,744 |
| 6 | Daniel Klinger | Australia | $42,500 |
| 7 | Gary Lin | Australia | $32,746 |
| 8 | Matthew Woodhall | Australia | $25,497 |
| 9 | Wiremu Renata | Australia | $20,068 |
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The event attracted 1,106 entries over four starting days, generating a prize pool of $1,203,091. After all four starting days were finished, only 154 players survived to see Day 2 of the event.
Day 2 Action
Entering Day 2, Michael Egan was leading the pack with 793,000 (79bb) chips in front of Craig Blight, who had 770,000 (77bb) chips. With 154 players remaining, the next milestone was minimum cash, which was reserved for 139 players who would secure $2,063.
The action was high-paced, and players were getting eliminated, but very rarely did something happen on the bubble when hand-for-hand was in play. Until two players go all-in and get called on separate tables.
Banipal Babana had A♣K♥ vs Louis Doherty’s A♥J♥, and the board ran J♠10♠3♥2♥8♠ giving top par to Doherty and eliminating Babana. However, there was still a hand being played on the other table where Oleg Ivanchenko was at risk holding A♦Q♥ against Gerald Trass’s K♦K♠ in a preflop all-in situation. The board ran 8♥4♥5♦K♣6♦, giving Trass top set and eliminating Ivancheko in the same hand as Babana, so two players had to split the mincash each receiving $1,032.
After the bubble burst, the game continued, and plenty of poker was played until the final nine players sat at the final table. After more than 11 hours of play, we reached the moment when that happened.
Michael Egan opened from SB, and Anthony Russo went into the tank before he shoved his 16.5 remaining big blinds and got snap-called. Egan was ahead with his J♠J♥ against Russo’s K♦9♥, and the board ran Q♠J♣8♠A♥3♣ furthering Egan’s lead on the flop and leaving Russo just with a gutshot hope before the turn and the river shut that hope down. Russo was eliminated in 10th place for $20,068, and the final table was set for the next day.
The Final Table Action
Coming onto the final table, Jiaxu Chen had a big chip lead with 9,850,000 chips (99 bb), ahead of Daniel Klinger, who was sitting on the stack of 7,300,000 chips (73 bb). The shortest stack was Matthew Woodhall, who had only 600,000 chips (6 bb).
It took only around 10 minutes before the first final table elimination, and it was Wiremu Renata who went all-in from CO holding K♣9♣ and got called by Joseph Antar in BB who had A♥Q♥. The board 5♥A♠4♦5♠7♣ gave Antar the lead on the flop, and nothing changed by the river. Renata was out in ninth place for $20,068.
Another 10 minutes passed before the next elimination, as Jiaxu Chen opened from CO and short-stacked Matt Woodhall shoved for a few more chips just to get called. Woodhall was ahead with his K♦J♣ against Chen’s J♥10♠, but the board 10♣10♥9♦J♦4♦ decided to send him home after it gave trips to Chen on the flop and upgraded him to a full house by the turn. Woodhall was out in eighth place for $25,497.
The next eliminated player was Gary Lin, who shoved from BB with 7♦3♦ against Chen’s SB open. Chen called with A♠6♠. The flop Q♦4♥3♣ gave Lin the lead. The turn was 9♦, and the river was an ace from space that eliminated Lin in seventh place for $32,746.
With six players remaining, the battles got tougher, as there were no short stacks remaining, and most players had similar stack sizes.
After the first three eliminations coming in the first hour of the final table, we had to wait for more than two hours to get the next elimination, and it was Daniel Klinger who cold 4-bet against open from Chen and a 3-bet from Yazbeck. Chen folded, and Yazbeck called, leaving Klinger with just a few chips behind.
The flop came 6♠Q♠K♠, and Klinger pushed the remaining chips in the middle, just to get snap-called by Yazbeck’s K♣K♥. Klinger was almost drawing dead with his A♣K♦, the turn was A♦, and the river was 5♣. Klinger was out in sixth place for $42,500.
Two hands later, Joshua McSwiney opened from the BTN, Michael Egan shoved from SB, and McSwiney called. Egan had K♠10♠, and McSwiney was dominating him with K♥K♣. The board ran 2♦A♥J♠2♥3♥, and Egan was on his way to the exit in fifth place with $55,744 waiting for him at the cashier.
Stacks were getting shorter, and eliminations kept coming, and the next one was Joseph Antar, who shoved in the BB against Chen’s open. Chen called with 7♣7♠ and was dominated by Antar’s 8♥8♣, but the board 3♦4♣5♥Q♦6♥ brought absolute disaster for Antar when it gave Chen one of six outs he had on the river and eliminated Antar in fourth place for $73,874.
More than two hours passed before the play was down to two finalists, as Patrick Yazbeck opened from BTN, Chen 3-bet from BB, Yazbeck shoved, and Chen called. Chen was behind with A♦10♦ against Yazbeck’s Q♣Q♠, and the board ran 9♥9♣2♠6♦Q♦, not giving Yazbeck much sweat, who rivered a full house and eliminated Chen in third place for $98,910.
The Heads-Up
Starting the heads-up, both players had similar stack sizes, and the title was open for anyone to take. After a few hands, McSwiney took over the lead, having a close to 3:1 lead, but Yazbeck wasn’t giving up, and he managed to reduce the gap before we had similar stack sizes again a few hands later.
The last hand happened when McSwiney limped, and Yazbeck shoved for around seven big blinds and got called. Yazbeck had K♠5♥ vs Q♦J♦ from Mcswiney, and the board ran A♥2♦2♠3♦7♦, giving McSwiney the title with a runner-runner flush. Yazbeck was eliminated in second place for $156,775.
Next Stop: Slovakia – WPT Prime Heads to Šamorín in May
Following the excitement in Australia, the WPT Prime tour is now preparing to make its next European stop with WPT Slovakia: Passport to the World Championship, set to take place at Card Casino Šamorín, from May 23 to June 2. While full details are yet to be announced, players can expect another thrilling WPT Prime experience with a coveted passport to the season-ending 2025 WPT World Championship on the line.
Meanwhile, the WPT Main Tour continues its U.S. run with two major stops on the horizon: the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, featuring a $3,500 Championship Event from April 4–8, and WPT Choctaw, where the $3,800 Championship Event will play out from May 1–5.
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