The 2025 L.A. Poker Classic $10,000 no-limit maintain’em most important occasion concluded through a heads-up deal within the early hours of Thursday, Feb. 27. 71-year-old Michael Nia was topped the champion, incomes $308,270 and the trophy because the chip chief over Elvyn Bello (2nd – $300,000).
Nia is a Southern California native with $897,000 in profession event earnings, together with eight recorded titles to his identify. This was his largest payday but, blowing away his earlier high rating of $57,530 that got here from a win in a $2,000 six-max occasion at this identical collection again in 2013.
This victory got here with 720 Card Player Player of the Year factors for Nia, sufficient to maneuver him inside attain of the highest 100 within the 2025 POY race standings introduced by Global Poker. This was his first certified rating of the 12 months.
A complete of 145 entries had been made on this newest LAPC championship event, leading to a prize pool of $1,348,500. The high 19 finishers made the cash, with six-figure payouts for the ultimate three.
Plenty of massive names ran deep, together with bracelet winners Tyler Cornell (sixteenth), Jonathan Cohen (twelfth), and Jonathan Pastore (ninth). Anthony Hu (eighth – $42,140) ran pocket kings into the flopped straight of Nia early on the closing desk. Bello then received a preflop coin flip to eradicate Cecile Ticherfatine (seventh – $47,200). Bello continued his surge with one other race received in opposition to Gevork Kasabyan, who completed sixth for $54,010.
2007 World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational winner Adam Weinraub was the following to fall, along with his A-Ok unable to enhance in opposition to the pocket nines of bracelet winner and up to date Mid-States Poker Tour Bally’s Blackhawk champion Faraz Jaka. Weinraub was awarded $65,400 because the fifth-place finisher.
Frank Brannan’s closing hand noticed him three-bet shoved over Nia’s button elevate with A
3 from the small blind. Bello reshoved from the large blind with A
A
and Nia received out of the best way. The pocket aces held up and Brannan hit the rail in fourth place ($84,320).
Jaka began out because the brief stack heading into three-handed play, however managed to battle his means into the lead at one level. He quickly misplaced an enormous all-in with jacks up in opposition to the broadway straight of Bello to fall again into third chip place. His final showdown was a button shove with Ok4. Nia known as from the small blind with 75 and the board got here down A
9867 to offer Nia a profitable straight. Jake walked away with $138,900 for his efforts. He shot up the POY leaderboard and into twenty second place due to this deep run and his win in Colorado a month earlier.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Michael Nia | $308,270 | 720 |
| 2 | Elvyn Bello Santos | $300,000 | 600 |
| 3 | Faraz Jaka | $138,900 | 480 |
| 4 | Frank Brannan | $84,320 | 360 |
| 5 | Adam Weinraub | $65,400 | 300 |
| 6 | Gevork Kasabyan | $54,010 | 240 |
| 7 | Cecile Ticherfatine | $47,200 | 180 |
| 8 | Anthony Hu | $42,140 | 120 |
| 9 | Jonathan Pastore | $37,230 | 60 |
Photo credit score: Commerce Casino X account and poker weblog / Danny Maxwell.
