$1,000 Pro-Am
Day 2 Completed
2025 Bar Poker Open Vegas World Championship
$1,000 Pro-Am
Day: 2
Level 21
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
After two intense days of action here at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas, the 2025 Bar Poker Open Vegas World Championship has come to an end with Nathan Thrush claiming victory, taking home a five-figure payday of $32,624 and the title of BPO Pro-Am No-Limit Hold’em Champion. The final day saw only eight players return from a field that started with 125 competitors, all fighting for a piece of the $111,250 prize pool.
Thrush came into the final table as the overwhelming chip leader and kept piling on the pressure, eliminating half the table on his way to victory. He gained the title by defeating a young but experienced Kaiwen Wei in a heads-up match, Thrush sought max value with the best hand and folded the worst making him an extremely tough opponent to play. Although this is not the biggest score of his career, Thrush felt extremely grateful to have taken the title in such a tough field.
PokerNews asked Thrush for a quote on how he was feeling in the moment, and as a man of many words, he said “I feel amazing, I just keep it simple” but nothing was simple about how he played in the final stages of this tournament. Thrush was also impressed by the new nickname as he laughed and said “I like it, I hope it gets me into some good home games”.
2025 Bar Poker Open Pro-Am Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathan Thrush | United States | $32,624 |
| 2 | Kaiwen Wei | United States | $20,025 |
| 3 | Carlos Sáez | Spain | $11,959 |
| 4 | Samy Boujmala | France | $7,509 |
| 5 | Conor O'Rourke | Ireland | $5,563 |
| 6 | Zachary Lipeles | United States | $4,784 |
| 7 | Cosme Gomez | Spain | $4,144 |
| 8 | John Paoloca | United States | $3,671 |
From $30 Home Games to the $1K Grind: The Rise of the River King
Long before his great run at the 2025 Bar Poker Open, Thrush was just a casual player grinding $30 tournaments in his hometown of Susanville, California. Despite being of age in the poker boom, Thrush did not get into poker until much later “I remember making a bad play and someone would call me a donkey” Thrush laughed and said but now I think back and say to myself “it offended me a bit at the time but maybe I was a donkey”. Before taking poker more seriously Thrush used to enjoy playing sports and as he stands at 6’7, basketball was his main choice.
The very accomplished Thrush, now based in Florida, labels himself as a semi-professional as he splits his time up between independent contract work and playing poker. A very humble but disciplined man especially when it comes to bankroll management as he quoted “I stick to the $1,000 level mostly it’s where I feel comfortable and competitive,” he explained. “I’m not trying to jump into high rollers or anything. There are still a lot of players better than me out there, but at this level, I do pretty well.”
What started as a casual hobby turned into a serious pursuit. Over time, Thrush began studying the game more, talking hands with friends online, and eventually subscribing to Jonathan Little’s PokerCoaching.com site. “He teaches you what you need to know without overcomplicating it,” Thrush said. “That really helped shape my game.” His measured approach has paid off with a few scores north of $30,000 already under his belt. with two of them coming inside this year.
The Turning Point: Folding Top Pair Heads-Up
Thrush trusted his instincts and made a massive fold that preserved his chip lead. “I just didn’t feel like I was good there,” he explained. “If I call and I’m wrong, he becomes chip leader and has all the momentum. Folding let me stay ahead and in control, it was a disciplined move, and one that ultimately cleared the path to victory in my opinion”
What’s Next?
“I’m just going to keep grinding the $1Ks, play within my bankroll, and keep studying”. You can find Thrush grinding the WSOP schedule and his next event will be the $1,500 Monster Stack. “When I’m done with the schedule, I live in Florida right next to the beach and I plan to go there to relax after this grind”.
That wraps up coverage of the 2025 BPO Vegas World Championship. Be sure to follow PokerNews for updates on future events.
Level 21
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Nathan Thrush, who was on the button, put Kaiwen Wei, in the big blind, all in. Wei called.
Kaiwen Wei: Q♥J♦ 
Nathan Thrush: A♣4♥
The flop came 10♠A♦2♦, giving Kaiwen Wei a glimmer of hope and a flush draw to chase. “Give me a diamond,” he pleaded and sure enough, the 9♦ hit the turn.
“What a sweat,” Thrush remarked, watching the drama unfold. But the river bricked with the 3♣, and with that, Wei’s run came to an end in second place for $20,025.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,125,000
2,215,000
|
2,215,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 21
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 40,000
Level 20
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Kaiwen Wei raised to 75,000 on the button with J♦3♥. Nathan Thrush called in the big blind with A♣5♥.
Wei fired out a bet of 55,000 on a flop of A♥Q♥4♦, action did not slow down on the 3♦ turn as Wei fired out another bet of 225,000, Thrush called. Wei announced, "all in," for 475,000 when the J♠ hit the river.
Thrush said, "I believe you," and folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,215,000
225,000
|
225,000 |
|
|
910,000
1,225,000
|
1,225,000 |
Level 20
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,135,000
215,000
|
215,000 |
|
|
990,000 |
Level 20
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Carlos Sáez shoved 170,000 from the small blind. Kaiwen Wei called in the big blind.
Carlos Sáez: J♠10♠
Kaiwen Wei: A♦5♥
The flop brought hope with 8♠K♠2♦, giving Sáez a flush draw and a shot at survival, but the 4♥ turn and 3♥ river offered no help.
Sáez’s tournament came to an end in third place after an amazing run.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
990,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 20
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Nathan Thrush, in the small blind, put Samy Boujmala, in the big blind, all in. Boujmala called.
Samy Boujmala: Q♥J♥
Nathan Thrush: A♦4♠
There wasn’t much hope for Boujmala when the flop came 10♣4♣7♣. The 5♣ on the turn nearly sealed it, and the 7♥ on the river eliminated him from the tournament.
Boujmala’s remarkable run ended in fourth place, an impressive finish after a strong showing throughout the event.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,135,000
215,000
|
215,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 20
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,920,000 | |
|
|
820,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
|
|
245,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
140,000
240,000
|
240,000 |
Level 20
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Conor O'Rourke announced an all-in for 255,000 from under the gun. Nathan Thrush isolated on the button and the blinds folded.
Conor O'Rourke: 4♦4♣
Nathan Thrush: J♥J♣
The flop came A♠8♣7♦, giving O’Rourke hope with some backdoor equity, but the 8♠ on the turn paired the board and when the 10♠ hit the river, it was all over.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,920,000
525,000
|
525,000 |
|
Busted |
