Michael Nia Takes Down 2025 L.A. Poker Classic Main Event For Career-Best $308,270 Score
The 2025 L.A. Poker Classic $10,000 no-limit hold em main event wrapped up in the early hours of Thursday, February 27, with a heads-up deal deciding the final payout. Michael Nia, a 71-year-old Southern California regular, claimed the title, the trophy, and $308,270 after finishing with more chips than runner-up Elvyn Bello, who walked away with $300,000 for second place.
Nia, a familiar face in the region’s poker scene, now boasts nearly $900,000 in career tournament earnings. This victory easily surpassed his previous personal best of $57,530, earned from a win at the same series back in 2013.
The victory also earned Nia 720 Player of the Year points, launching him close to the top 100 in Card Player’s 2025 POY standings, powered by Global Poker. It marks Nia’s first qualifying score of the year.
The event drew 145 entries, building a prize pool of $1,348,500. A total of 19 players cashed, with each of the top three earning six figures.
Several notable pros made deep runs, including bracelet holders Tyler Cornell (16th), Jonathan Cohen (12th), and Jonathan Pastore (9th). Early at the final table, Nia’s flopped straight cracked Anthony Hu’s pocket kings, sending Hu out in eighth for $42,140. Bello, meanwhile, eliminated Cecile Ticherfatine (7th - $47,200) after winning a preflop coin flip, then busted Gevork Kasabyan (6th - $54,010) to continue his hot streak.
Adam Weinraub, winner of the 2007 WPT Celebrity Invitational, bowed out in fifth place for $65,400 after his ace-king failed to overcome Faraz Jaka’a pocket nines. Frank Brannan followed in fourth for $84,320 when his small-blind shove with ace-three ran into Bello’s pocket aces.
Jaka, starting three-handed play as the short stack, fought his way into the lead briefly. However, a brutal clash saw his two pair fall to Bello’s straight, knocking Jaka back into third. His final hand saw his king-four lose to Nia’s seven-five when the board ran out with a straight for Nia. Jaka collected $138,900, adding valuable points to his POY campaign, moving him into 22nd place for the year thanks to this run and a recent MSPT win in Colorada.
Source: https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/29863-71-year-old-mike-nia-wins-l-a-poker-classic-main-event
The 2025 L.A. Poker Classic $10,000 no-limit hold em main event wrapped up in the early hours of Thursday, February 27, with a heads-up deal deciding the final payout. Michael Nia, a 71-year-old Southern California regular, claimed the title, the trophy, and $308,270 after finishing with more chips than runner-up Elvyn Bello, who walked away with $300,000 for second place.
Nia, a familiar face in the region’s poker scene, now boasts nearly $900,000 in career tournament earnings. This victory easily surpassed his previous personal best of $57,530, earned from a win at the same series back in 2013.
The victory also earned Nia 720 Player of the Year points, launching him close to the top 100 in Card Player’s 2025 POY standings, powered by Global Poker. It marks Nia’s first qualifying score of the year.
The event drew 145 entries, building a prize pool of $1,348,500. A total of 19 players cashed, with each of the top three earning six figures.
Several notable pros made deep runs, including bracelet holders Tyler Cornell (16th), Jonathan Cohen (12th), and Jonathan Pastore (9th). Early at the final table, Nia’s flopped straight cracked Anthony Hu’s pocket kings, sending Hu out in eighth for $42,140. Bello, meanwhile, eliminated Cecile Ticherfatine (7th - $47,200) after winning a preflop coin flip, then busted Gevork Kasabyan (6th - $54,010) to continue his hot streak.
Adam Weinraub, winner of the 2007 WPT Celebrity Invitational, bowed out in fifth place for $65,400 after his ace-king failed to overcome Faraz Jaka’a pocket nines. Frank Brannan followed in fourth for $84,320 when his small-blind shove with ace-three ran into Bello’s pocket aces.
Jaka, starting three-handed play as the short stack, fought his way into the lead briefly. However, a brutal clash saw his two pair fall to Bello’s straight, knocking Jaka back into third. His final hand saw his king-four lose to Nia’s seven-five when the board ran out with a straight for Nia. Jaka collected $138,900, adding valuable points to his POY campaign, moving him into 22nd place for the year thanks to this run and a recent MSPT win in Colorada.
Source: https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/29863-71-year-old-mike-nia-wins-l-a-poker-classic-main-event
