The Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino was buzzing with energy as the 2023 Bar Poker Open Vegas World Championship (BPO) drew a crowd of over 1,000 participants. This poker event, taking three days of intense competition, was won by one standout player, Edward Holt.
What is so special about the BPO is that players start to qualify from bars and local leagues all across the United States. Engaging in daily online and in-bar tournaments also referred to as ‘bar poker‘, as many as 1 million BPO member-players had tried to make a spot in this prestigious event.
Ultimately, eight determined contenders returned for the final day of play, ready to fight it out for the title. The start was characterized by an immediate, high-octane tempo. The first to fall from the feature table, streamed by Gorilla Gaming, was John Carr. Despite holding a strong ace-queen, Carr succumbed to Anthony Lundy’s superior ace-king.
Shortly thereafter, Holt signaled his championship intent by eliminating Jeffrey Bowden. Holt’s ace-ten overpowered Bowden’s pocket queens in an unexpected turn of events.
The game’s pace then momentarily slowed down when play was six-handed. A subsequent face-off between Saverio Biancardi and Anthony Lundy resulted in Biancardi’s exit; his queen-ten couldn’t withstand Lundy’s queen-two.
The eliminations continued swiftly with crowd favorite Dawna Blyleven finishing fifth. Following Blyleven’s departure, the third day chip leader Brian Lerner fell to fourth place, and the first day chip leader, Anthony Lundy, took third place.
As the tournament winner would be decided in a heads-up match between Holt and New York’s Ryan Surdi, the game took on a strategic and cautious tone. The decisive moment occurred when Surdi went up against Holt’s pocket aces with an ace-jack. Surdi’s stack was reduced to under ten big blinds, and Holt became the clear favorite. Eventually, Surdi called Holt’s all-in with a queen-ten suited, facing Holt’s ace-eight. An ace on the flop and a safe runout solidified Holt’s victory.
Holt, a member of the Eastern Poker Tour, celebrated his impressive $100,000 win – the largest in BPO history – and his championship title with his family, sharing the joyous moments via Facetime with his daughter and a memorable victory photo with his wife.
Final Table Results
| Result | Winner | League | Prize |
| 1 | Edward Holt | Eastern Poker Tour | $100,000 |
| 2 | Ryan Surdi | No Limit New York | $50,000 |
| 3 | Anthony Lundy | New York Free Poker | $25,000 |
| 4 | Brian Lerner | Deepstacks Poker League | $15,000 |
| 5 | Daena Blyleven | Sunshine Poker League | $11,555 |
| 6 | Saverio Biancardi | Kontenders Poker USA | $10,008 |
| 7 | Jeffrey Bowden | Eastern Poker Tour | $7,307 |
| 8 | John Carr | No Limit Pub Poker Tour | $5,788 |
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