Nelson Dong Winbest rummy appss APO Main Event for A$390,000

Table Of Contents

• 2025 APO Main Event Final Table Results
• Winner’s Reaction
• Final Day Action

For Nelson Dong, tournament poker isn’t about riding momentum or visualizing the win, it’s about staying present and focusing solely on the task at hand.

Today, that mindset earned him A$390,000 and the title of APO Main Event Champion.

Over three days inside the stunning Club Marconi at Doltone House Western Sydney, Dong outlasted a record-setting field of 690 entrants to capture the coveted Australian Poker Open Main Event trophy and the largest share of the A$2,001,000 prize pool.

"While I was playing, I never thought 'Oh my God I'm going to win', Dong explained. "I just took each hand as it came — one at a time — and tried to play the best poker I could."

Dong showcased the grit of a true champion throughout the event, but it was at the final table where he truly shined. Poker phenom Kahle Burns looked poised to take over after building a towering stack, at one point holding half the chips in play with six left. But Dong, with a bit of luck and impeccable timing, doubled through Burns before eliminating him with a dramatic three-outer.

With his toughest opponent vanquished, Dong’s path to victory was smooth. When Dong faced off against Romain Morvan heads-up for the title, it took just two hands to seal the win and the biggest cash of his live-tournament career.

2025 APO Main Event Final Table Results

Winner’s Reaction

“It’s honestly unreal,” Dong said, still soaking in the moment shortly after his tournament victory. "I didn't expect too much, obviously. We had a real tough final table. [There were] a lot of good players still in. Kahle was doing a really good job of managing the table and setting the tone. Toward the end, things just went my way and sometimes poker's just like that."

Eager to hop back into the grind, Nelson shared that any celebrations would have to wait until later in the year.

"There may not be much time for celebration because we've gotta get back on the grind. I'm actually going to Vegas this year as well. We'll see! Maybe later in the year we can celebrate but for now... the grind continues."

Final Day Action

Eleven players returned for Day 3, each hoping to etch their name into APO history. For Yuanting Wang and Kiavash Arbabi, however, the dream ended quickly as both were eliminated within the first 20 minutes to set the stage for a nine-handed final table.

The final table started with a bang as Luke Edwards, holding just five big blinds, moved all in with an ace on the button. Unfortunately for him, David Pham woke up with pocket fours in the big blind and held, sending Edwards out in ninth on the very first hand.

Action slowed from there as the short stacks found room to maneuver. Eventually, it was Pham who broke the stalemate, committing his chips with queen-nine suited against Steven Zhou's ace-jack and failing to improve.

Following Pham's elimination, Burns began to seize control. A well-timed five-bet bluff against Morvan vaulted Burns into the chip lead, and he pressed the advantage, dragging multiple pots to distance himself further from the field.

After crowd favorite Chad Awerbuch bowed out in seventh following a frustrating lack of hands, Burns continued to build momentum, eliminating Louis Luo in sixth with pocket kings. Paawan Bansal soon followed, busting in fifth when his queen-ten failed to catch up to Morvan’s ace-nine.

Four-handed play turned into a marathon, with players exchanging double-ups for more than two levels before the next elimination. Burns won the mini battle of attrition, however, after sending Steven Zhou out in a two-hand sequence to get to three-handed play.

Two pivotal hands were all it took to give Dong an overwhelming lead. In the first, Burns made an ill-timed shove holding king-deuce after Dong had opened with pocket queens, which lead to a double up for Dong. Just a few hands later, Dong had Burns all in holding jack-ten against Burns' pocket tens. Dong drilled a jack on the turn and held, knocking one of the most accomplished tournament players out in third.

The heads-up match between Dong and Morvan was a quick one. On just the second hand, Dong picked up pocket kings against Morvan’s ace-jack. All the chips went in preflop, and the board ran clean, securing Dong’s win.