After two intense days of motion right here on the Golden Nugget Las Vegas, the 2025 Bar Poker Open (BPO) Vegas World Championship has come to an finish with Nathan Thrush claiming victory within the $1,000 Pro-Am and taking residence a five-figure payday of $32,624.
The ultimate day noticed solely eight gamers return from a discipline that began with 125 opponents, all preventing for a chunk of the $111,250 prize pool.
Thrush got here into the ultimate desk because the overwhelming chip chief and stored piling on the strain, eliminating half the desk on his technique to victory. He gained the title by defeating a younger however skilled Kaiwen Wei in a heads-up match, Thrush sought max worth with one of the best hand and folded the worst making him a particularly robust opponent to play. Though this isn’t the largest rating of his profession, Thrush felt extraordinarily grateful to have taken the title in such a tricky discipline.
“I really feel wonderful, I simply hold it easy” mentioned Thrush after the win. Nonetheless, nothing was easy about how he performed within the last levels of this match. Thrush was additionally impressed by his newly minted nickname “The River King” after he burst the cash and last desk bubbles by spiking the river.
“I prefer it, I hope it will get me into some good residence video games.” Thrush added.
2025 Bar Poker Open Professional-Am Ultimate Desk Outcomes
| Place | Participant | Nation | 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 | Eire | $5,563 |
| 6 | Zachary Lipeles | United States | $4,784 |
| 7 | Cosme Gomez | Spain | $4,144 |
| 8 | John Paoloca | United States | $3,671 |
From $30 Dwelling Video games to the $1K Grind
Lengthy earlier than his nice run on the BPO, Thrush was only a informal participant grinding $30 tournaments in his hometown of Susanville, California. Regardless of being of age within the poker growth, Thrush didn’t get into poker till a lot later.
“I keep in mind making a nasty play and somebody would name me a donkey” Thrush laughed. “Now, I feel again to myself it offended me a bit on the time, however perhaps I used to be a donkey.”
Earlier than taking poker extra significantly Thrush used to take pleasure in enjoying sports activities and as he stands at 6’7, basketball was his primary alternative.
The very achieved Thrush, now primarily based in Florida, labels himself as a semi-professional as he splits his time up between impartial contract work and enjoying poker. A really humble however disciplined man particularly with regards to bankroll administration.
“I stick with the $1,000 degree largely it’s the place I really feel comfy and aggressive,” he defined. “I’m not making an attempt to leap into excessive rollers or something. There are nonetheless a variety of gamers higher than me on the market, however at this degree, I do fairly nicely.”
What began as an off-the-cuff interest become a severe pursuit. Over time, Thrush started learning the sport extra, speaking palms with pals on-line, and ultimately subscribing to Jonathan Little’s coaching website.
“He teaches you what that you must know with out overcomplicating it,” Thrush mentioned. “That actually helped form my recreation.” His measured method has paid off with a couple of scores north of $30,000 already underneath his belt, with two of these coming inside this yr.
The Turning Level: Folding High Pair Heads-Up
Thrush trusted his instincts and made a massive fold that preserved his chip lead. “I simply didn’t really feel like I used to be good there,” he recalled. “If I name and I’m improper, he [Kaiwen Wei] turns into chip chief and has all of the momentum. Folding let me keep forward and in management, it was a disciplined transfer, and one which finally cleared the trail to victory for my part”
So what’s subsequent for the Professional-Am champion?
“I’m simply going to maintain grinding the $1Ks, play inside my bankroll, and hold learning”. Yow will discover Thrush grinding the WSOP schedule and his subsequent occasion would be the $1,500 Monster Stack. “Once I’m carried out with the schedule, I stay in Florida proper subsequent to the seaside and I plan to go there to chill out after this grind”.
