Who knew playing friendly poker at the pub could lead to a six-figure payday?
That’s just what it meant to Edward Holt from the Eastern Poker Tour, the latest winner of the Bar Poker Open Championship. Holt took home the $100k first-place prize after besting the field of 1,053 players.
“It feels great, surreal,” he told Joey Ingram in a post-win interview. “I have no words. I don’t know what to say, I’m almost about to cry.”
Bar Poker Open Championship final table results
| Place | Player | 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 |
What is the Bar Poker Open Championship?
If you’re jealous of Holt’s huge score, you might wonder how you can get in on the Bar Poker fun. We spoke with Glenn, who’s with the Bar Poker Open, to get the details.
“We’re a championship for all bar poker leagues in the country,” said Glenn. “We’re hoping to expand worldwide. You can go to any one of our bars, finish top three, and win a token. You can redeem that token on our online site where first place wins a full Vegas package. Flight…airfare…hotel, and a seat into our world championship event.”
With leagues across the country, the Bar Poker scene is booming. You can play for free at your local league nights and turn those nights into big cash and Vegas trips. They advertise giving away $1.8 million in annual prizes.
Hosted at the Golden Nugget this year, they have multiple events running beside the championship, including the popular “Pro-Am” event. Events are not open to the public, but only to those who qualify throughout the year at local leagues.
To find out more, and find a league near you, head to the Bar Poker Open website.
Congratulations to Edward Holt for turning his bar poker playing into $100,000!
Feature photo credit: Bar Poker Open official Twitter account
