The 2025 Aria Poker Classic closed out in unforgettable fashion as Nguyen Le overcame a one-chip nightmare to win the biggest $3,500 BetMGM Championship event in the series’ history for a stunning $777,777 first-place prize.
The tournament was a landmark moment for both Aria and BetMGM. Just four years ago, the two partners guaranteed a modest $1,000,000 prize pool for the debut of the Championship event. Fast forward to today, and the 2025 edition attracted a jaw-dropping 1,853 entries across just two starting flights, generating a record-setting $5,929,600 prize pool and awarding over $1,000,000 to the top two finishers.
An unlikely win
After a rollercoaster Day 3 that saw him drop all the way down to a single big blind with 11 players left, Le still seemed a little stunned by how it all played out.
“When I was back to one chip, I just thought, I’ve got to do what I need to do — try to ladder and survive,” Le said. “I didn’t think I could make it that far. But I just kept doubling. Kept binking rivers. Three hours ago I was barely alive, and now I feel great.”
Le stayed composed through the high-pressure spots and believed the final table setup actually worked in his favor.
“I felt very confident going into the final table,” he said. “The situation, the way things played out — I think it was beneficial to me.”
The road to the final table was anything but easy. A total of 595 players advanced to Day 2, and just 65 remained by the start of Day 3. That number was cut to seven by the end of the penultimate session, all earning a seat in the PokerGO Studio and locking up at least $153,280. But if you look towards the end of Day 3, the one who came in with perhaps the slimmest chance of survival was Nguyen Le.
With 11 players left, Le found himself in a bizarre spot. He had put all but one chip into the pot before a misunderstanding led to an accidental tabling of Hassan El Hakim’s hand. After the board ran out and El Hakim shoved the river, Le correctly folded but was left with a single big blind. From there, he mounted one of the most improbable comebacks of the summer.
He stole blinds, doubled through, and climbed back up to 25 big blinds. Then came a massive hand against Andrew Moreno, where Le check-jammed over a large river bet and forced a frustrated fold that brought his stack up to nearly 45 bigs. Moments later, he won another big pot off El Hakim after flopping a set and getting paid off on the river.
By the time play resumed at the final table inside the PokerGO Studio, Le had worked himself into the chip lead.
A studio deal
In a flash, the first three eliminations came within the opening 15 minutes. Lars Kamphues went out in seventh for $153,280, Michael Rossitto followed in sixth for $200,065, and Aleksandras Rusinovas exited in fifth for $248,510.
The pace slowed after that, with deep stacks leading to extended battles. Eventually, El Hakim fell in fourth place, taking home $320,198. That left the final three players, Asish Ghosh, Yaniv Peretz, and Le to pause the action and discuss a deal.
The trio agreed to an ICM chop that guaranteed payouts but also left $45,000 and the trophy on the table to play for, with levels reduced to 30 minutes.
Peretz was the next to go, bowing out in third place but still locking up a sizable score far above the original third-place payout. That set up a heads-up showdown between Ghosh and Le, with both players virtually even in chips.
After a steady back-and-forth battle, it all came down to a massive bluff. Ghosh attempted to make a move with just king-high, but Le held firm with top pair and found a clean river. That one decision sealed it, and Le was the 2025 BetMGM Championship winner, completing a comeback for the ages and walking away with the biggest victory of his career.
Mr. BetMGM?
Le now has two massive BetMGM runs under his belt, having chopped the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship just a few months ago for a cool $425,000, and credited both skill and timing with this breakthrough victory.
“Obviously, you’ve got to be lucky to get this far—especially from fields like this, with over 1,800 people. But it feels amazing.”
As for what comes next? Le didn’t rule out jumping into the $15K that was underway in the PokerGO studio just outside where he had his victory, but said a quiet celebration might be more his style.
“My friend is coming into town tomorrow for the Main, so maybe we’ll do a little dinner celebration,” he said with a grin. “Or maybe I’ll just rest and watch the fireworks.”
2025 BetMGM Championship final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nguyen Le | $777,777* |
| 2 | Asish Ghosh | $752,282* |
| 3 | Yaniv Peretz | $590,348* |
| 4 | Hassan El Hakim | $320,198 |
| 5 | Aleksandras Rusinovas | $248,510 |
| 6 | Michael Rossitto | $200,065 |
| 7 | Lars Kamphues | $153,280 |
| 8 | Nicholas Schuler | $123,098 |
| 9 | Joe Serock | $97,245 |
*denotes final-three deal
