The 2023 Bar Poker Open Championship has reached the final table and a Bar Poker stalwart has navigated his stack to be top of the pile when the eight remaining players return. Brian Lerner came back to Day 2 with 445,000 and successfully ran his stack into the chip lead for Day 3, where the remaining players will return with eyes on the mouth-watering $100,000 first prize.

Hot on Lerner's heels are Ryan Surdi, representing No Limit New York, and Edward Holt, who qualified for this event by winning a package in the King of the Felt tournament only four weeks prior.

Final Table Seat Draw

Day 2 Action

There were 54 players who returned to their seats from the combined Day 1 flights, from a total of 1,053 entrants, which generated a total prize pool of $315,900 with a guaranteed first-place prize of $100,000, a staggering amount considering the lion's share of the players that entered did so by qualifying through their respective local leagues.

The field shrank quickly as players looked to spin their stacks and the tournament was quickly down to its final 27 players, at which time a live stream table was introduced so that club members, not at the Golden Nugget, could rail their teammates from the comfort of their own homes.

It wasn't too long before those 27 became 9 and the unofficial final table began, and it was Jan Kirk who ran her pair of kings into the two pair of Edward Holt, that was the unfortunate bubble, taking home $4,542 for her efforts.

The remaining eight players have locked up $5,788 but it's the first-place prize of $100,000 that is everyone's mind.

Final Table Results and Payouts

The final eight players will return to the felt at the Golden Nugget feature table, where the action will be live-streamed on the Bar Poker Open YouTube channel. The cards will go in the air at 2 p.m local time where the stream will be on a 30-minute delay. There are 27 minutes remaining in Level 25 with the blinds at 60,000/120,000 with a 120,000 big blind ante. The levels will continue to be 45 minutes in length and play will continue until a champion is crowned.

The PokerNews team will be here, every step of the way, to bring you live updates in time with the live stream, to avoid spoilers, so be sure to tune in.

Jan Kirk limped for 120,000 from middle position and faced a raise to 375,000 from Edward Holt. With the action back on Kirk, she elected to call and see a flop.

The flop came and Kirk was first to act. She took a moment before committing the rest of her stack by shoving all in for a total of 675,000. Holt snap called and the players showed their hands.

Jan Kirk:
Edward Holt:

Kirk saw the bad news as Holt had flopped two pair and Kirk needed to find a queen, or running cards, to survive.

The board ran out and Edward's full house eliminated Kirk.

The remaining eight players have bagged their chips and a recap will follow shortly.

Brian Lerner	6,310,000	810,000
Ryan Surdi	5,925,000	25,000
Edward Holt	4,755,000	1,435,000
Dawna Blyleven	3,965,000	-20,000
Anthony Lundy	2,820,000	-20,000
Jeffrey Bowden	1,875,000	0
Saverio Biancardi	1,585,000	0
John Carr	470,000	0
Jan Kirk	0	-1,000,000

Players are racking up their chips and moving to the live-stream table shortly.

PokerNews will keep you up to date with the action but will be posting on a delay to protect the integrity of the game.

Keep your eyes peeled for the seat draw and chip stacks coming shortly.

On the outer table, Steven Moutrey and Jeffrey Bowden tangled as Moutrey shoved all in preflop for 1,100,000 and Bowden called.

Steven Moutrey:
Jeffrey Bowden:

Moutrey was at risk and behind, needing some help on the runout. The players sweated the board as it ran out and Bowden's sevens held, eliminating Moutrey in 10th place, leaving the remaining nine players on the unofficial final table.

Jeffrey Bowden	4,100,000	2,700,000
Steven Moutrey	0	-1,700,000

The remaining players are on a 15-minute break and when they return will now play down to the final eight players.

Action folded to John Carr, who went all in from middle position for 560,000 and picked up a call from Jeffrey Bowden in the big blind putting Carr at risk.

John Carr:
Jeffrey Bowden:

Carr looked set for a double up but the board ran out meaning both players made a straight and the pot was chopped.

Jeffrey Bowden	1,400,000	100,000
John Carr	590,000	250,000

Playing five handed on the feature table, Justin Jones committed his remaining 975,000 chips from the hijack and got called by Brian Lerner, in the cutoff, before the blinds folded.

Justin Jones:
Brian Lerner:

Jones couldn't catch up as the board came and Lerner knocked out another player on the feature table.

Brian Lerner	5,600,000	-30,400,000
Justin Jones	0	-1,200,000

John Carr opened jammed his 260,000 stack and he got a table of folds. Two hands later, the action folded around to Carr and he elected to wager all of his chips once again and the whole table folded.

Steven Moutrey	1,700,000	-600,000
Jan Kirk	1,300,000	-1,100,000
Jeffrey Bowden	1,300,000	-100,000
John Carr	340,000	-460,000