Is WPT Prime Gold Coast Championship Winner Australia's Next Poker Star?
Table Of Contents
Joshua McSwiney has etched his name into WPT history, taking down the WPT Prime Gold Coast Championship for a career-best AU$283,336 (~US$177,680). The victory at The Star Gold Coast marks his third Main Event title in the last two years and his biggest score to date, pushing his live tournament earnings past $800,000, with $200,000 of that coming in 2025 alone.
McSwiney topped a 1,106-entry field in the AU$1,100 buy-in event, which generated a AUD $1,918,500 (US $$1,203,091) prize pool. After agreeing to a heads-up chop with runner-up Patrick Yazbeck, McSwiney secured the lion’s share of the prize pool and a $10,400 seat to the 2025 WPT World Championship in Las Vegas.
WPT Prime Gold Coast Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize (AU$) | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua McSwiney | AU$283,336* | ~US$177,680* |
| 2 | Patrick Yazbeck | AU$250,000 | ~US$156,775** |
| 3 | Jiaxu Chen | AU$157,726 | ~US$98,910 |
| 4 | Joseph Antar | AU$117,802 | ~US$73,874 |
| 5 | Michael Egan | AU$88,892 | ~US$55,744 |
| 6 | Daniel Klinger | AU$67,773 | ~US$42,500 |
| 7 | Gary Lin | AU$52,218 | ~US$32,746 |
| 8 | Matthew Woodhall | AU$40,659 | ~US$25,497 |
| 9 | Wiremu Renata | AU$32,001 | ~US$20,068 |
* includes $10,400 2025 WPT World Championships seat
** indicates heads-up deal
Final Table Action
The final table kicked off with a rapid-fire start, as Wiremu Renata and Matthew Woodhall both fell within the first nine hands.
Gary Lin was left short with just three big blinds after McSwiney’s ace-queen paired up to crack pocket jacks. The very next hand, Jiaxu Chen rivered a pair of aces to send Lin to the payout desk in seventh.
With momentum on his side, McSwiney climbed into the chip lead after Chen endured three all-in losses. But Yazbeck soon took control, slow-playing kings to perfection and eliminating Daniel Klinger in a four-bet pot.
McSwiney then picked up some cowboys of his own, using them to send Michael Egan, the most accomplished player at the table, to the rail. Moments later, Chen snatched the top spot when his pocket sevens rivered a straight to eliminate Joseph Antar, whose pocket eights couldn’t hold.
Three-handed play stretched over 56 hands before Yazbeck dashed Chen’s hopes of a wire-to-wire victory. Yazbeck’s queens held against Chen’s ace-ten, setting the stage for an intense heads-up battle.
The final duel between McSwiney and Yazbeck was a back-and-forth affair, with multiple lead changes. Eventually, the two agreed to a heads-up chop, guaranteeing each player AU$250,000 (~US$156,775). That left AU$33,336 (~US$20,905), the trophy, and the WPT World Championship seat still up for grabs.
Just 14 hands after the deal, Yazbeck made his final stand with king-five, only to run into McSwiney’s queen-jack suited. A flush on the river sealed the win for McSwiney, cementing his place among Australia’s rising poker stars.
