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Ron Fienberg Earns Title of 2025 Bar Poker Open Vegas World Champion ($100,000)

June 12, 2025 @ 08:14 PM

Ron Fienberg

After three days of action on the felt here at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas, the 2025 Bar Poker Open Vegas World Championship has come to a close with Ron Fienberg claiming victory, taking home a six-figure payday of $100,000 and title of BPO Champion. The final day saw only eight players return from a field that started with 1,223 competitors, all gunning for a piece of the $335,375 prize pool.

Fienberg came into the final table as the overwhelming chip leader and never slowed down, eliminating four out of his seven opponents. He finished the job by defeating Bryan Keefer in a short heads-up match to capture the biggest score of his life. Representing his home league - KOntenders Poker USA, the North Carolina resident shared his excitement following the big win.

"Its amazing, it's just everything I dreamed of. Every bar poker open player wants to get here and I cant believe I'm the one here today. I'm stunned and amazed but very, very happy."

Final Table Results

PlacePlayerLeaguePrize (USD)
1Ron FienbergKOntenders Poker USA$100,000
2Bryan KeeferBarPokerOpen.com$65,000
3Bill AcerraEastern Poker Tour$34,500
4Dwight JohnsonKowboy Kings Poker$22,500
5Wieslaw SkibaEastern Poker Tour$17,000
6Ronald KaepernikNo Limit Pub Poker Tour$11,725
7Andrea ChaitEastern Poker Tour$8,500
8Patricia JackominRiverchasers$5,000
Ron Fienberg
Ron Fienberg

From Local Bar to Bright Lights of Vegas

Playing poker in The Entertainment Capital of the World brings a whole new dynamic and level of excitement compared to a hometown pub. Fienberg was asked what it's like playing on such a large stage with the stakes significantly raised.

"It's kind of like a fun vacation out here, where you get to do what you love to do and you get to be with all the people that you play with at the pubs. Also, I play online so I get to meet a lot of the online players that I've played against in other parts of the country."

In terms of what significance it holds to win such an exclusive event, he continued "It means the culmination of a dream, and just a big relief off off my shoulders."

Bar Poker Open Trophy
Bar Poker Open Trophy

Poker Journey and Future Plans

Fienberg mentioned he got into poker during the early years of the poker boom and has been consistently playing to get better ever since.

"Like most people I was hooked on it when I saw it in 2003, the Chris Moneymaker thing. I got a little bit caught up in that, just watching to begin with and then I tried my skills myself. Went to Vegas, went to different casinos, and never read a poker book in my life, but got better and better just from playing. Then I started going to the Bar Poker Open Championships. This is I think my third trip out and got better and better at that."

When asked about his plans with the money, Fienberg jokingly replied "I got to give some of it to my Uncle Sam from the IRS." As for the rest of it, he said he intends to "put it away for now for (his) retirement".

With regard to playing any additional events out here in Vegas now that he's $100,000 richer, Fienberg talked about having to catch a flight at midnight to get back home to his wife and four children.

That wraps up coverage of the 2025 BPO Vegas World Championship. Be sure to follow PokerNews for updates of the BPO $1,000 Pro-Am that is currently in progress.

Bryan Keefer Eliminated in 2nd Place ($65,000)

June 12, 2025 @ 07:15 PM

Bryan Keefer

Ron Fienberg raised to 2,900,000 on the button and Bryan Keefer moved all in for 7,200,000 in the big blind. Fienberg thought for a brief moment before making the call looking to end it.

Bryan Keefer:
Ron Fienberg:

"A little help dealer, a little bit of that luck we were talking about," said Keefer as stood up out of his seat.

The flop came with Fienberg extending his lead to two pair. The landed on the turn with Keefer still having outs to the straight with a ten.

The river brought the and Keefer's impressive tournament run came to an end.

Ron Fienberg31,000,0008,000,000
Bryan Keefer0-8,000,000
Fienberg Chipping Away at Keefer

June 12, 2025 @ 07:07 PM

After winning a couple small pots, Ron Fienberg now sits with almost a 3:1 chip lead over Bryan Keefer.

Ron Fienberg23,000,0004,600,000
Bryan Keefer8,000,000-4,600,000
Fienberg Extends His Lead

June 12, 2025 @ 07:02 PM

Bryan Keefer raised to 2,400,000 on the button and Ron Fienberg announced "I'm all in."

Bryan Keefer stood up to count the chips on the table and said "It's about even," before giving up his hand.

Ron Fienberg18,400,0002,400,000
Bryan Keefer12,600,000-400,000
Fienberg Applies the Pressure

June 12, 2025 @ 06:53 PM

Bryan Keefer limped on the button with and Ron Fienberg made it 4,800,000 to go in the big blind holding .

"It's one of those borderline hands," said Keefer before tossing his cards into the muck.

Ron Fienberg16,000,000400,000
Bryan Keefer13,000,000-2,400,000
Keefer Doubles to Stay Alive

June 12, 2025 @ 06:47 PM

Bryan Keefer

Ron Fienberg limped on the button and Bryan Keefer moved all in for 7,300,000 in the big blind to put himself at risk. Fienberg quickly called.

Bryan Keefer:
Ron Fienberg:

The flop came with Keefer pairing his ace to pull ahead in the hand. The runout of , earned Keefer the much needed double up to even out the match.

Ron Fienberg15,600,000-7,300,000
Bryan Keefer15,400,0007,300,000
Fienberg and Keefer Chop It

June 12, 2025 @ 06:38 PM

Bryan Keefer limped on the button and Ron Fienberg checked in the big blind.

The flop came and Fienberg fired out a bet of 4,000,000. Keefer moved all in for 6,900,000 total and Fienberg called looking to end the tournament.

Bryan Keefer:
Ron Fienberg:

The turn landed the and the river brought the , resulting in a split pot.

Ron Fienberg22,900,000-800,000
Bryan Keefer8,100,000800,000
Bill Acerra Eliminated in 3rd Place ($34,500)

June 12, 2025 @ 06:30 PM

Bill Acerra

Bill Acerra moved all in for 5,200,000 in the small blind to put himself at risk and Ron Fienberg made the call in the big blind.

Bill Acerra:
Ron Fienberg:

The flop came with Acerra still out in the lead. However, Fienberg picked up additional outs with an open-ended straight draw.

The turn landed the with Acerra just needing to dodge one more card to double up. The river brought the , completing Broadway for Fienberg, and Acerra's impressive tournament run came to an end.

Ron Fienberg23,700,0005,200,000
Bryan Keefer7,300,0000
Bill Acerra0-5,200,000
Level 32 started

June 12, 2025 @ 06:29 PM

Level: 32 Blinds: 400,000/800,000 Ante: 800,000
Updated Chip Counts

June 12, 2025 @ 06:23 PM

Ron Fienberg18,500,0003,200,000
Bryan Keefer7,300,000-2,400,000
Bill Acerra5,200,000-800,000

2025 Photo Gallery

Payouts

1: Ron Fienberg

$100,000 USD

2: Bryan Keefer

$65,000 USD

3: Bill Acerra

$34,500 USD

4: Dwight Johnson

$22,500 USD

5: Wieslaw Skiba

$17,000 USD

6: Ronald Kaepernik

$11,725 USD

7: Andrea Chait

$8,500 USD

8: Patricia Jackomin

$5,000 USD

9: Barry Fagan

$3,500 USD

10: Rob Gallo

$3,000 USD

Show More

11: Vincent Loria

$2,600 USD

12: Dustin Mills

$2,600 USD

13: Angelo Gambrelis

$2,300 USD

14: Jerry Hill

$2,300 USD

15: Kevin Cronin

$2,000 USD

16: Nathaniel McNamara

$2,000 USD

17: Kevin Gray

$1,700 USD

18: Dennis Coleman

$1,700 USD

19: Glenn Zimet

$1,700 USD

20: Rich Meza

$1,700 USD

21: Brian Coffey

$1,500 USD

22: Robbin Glover

$1,500 USD

23: Jose Cardenas

$1,500 USD

24: Charles Glover

$1,500 USD

25: Ru Zhao

$1,300 USD

26: John Paoloca

$1,300 USD

27: JP Terrasi

$1,300 USD

28: Daniel Scotto

$1,300 USD

29: Sandro Boos

$1,300 USD

30: Hayden Starley

$1,300 USD

31: John Dennehy

$1,300 USD

32: Nancy Wilburn

$1,300 USD

33: Louis Stephenson

$1,100 USD

34: William Fullwood

$1,100 USD

35: Lane Brewer

$1,100 USD

36: Vipul Tiwari

$1,100 USD

37: John Kelly (MA)

$1,100 USD

38: Johnny Hernandez

$1,100 USD

39: Rich Ellis

$1,100 USD

40: Bill Schuch

$1,100 USD

41: Michael Frey

$900 USD

42: Gerald McKinney Jr.

$900 USD

43: Kayson Mitchell

$900 USD

44: Alex Vanderweele Ortman

$900 USD

45: John Carr

$900 USD

46: Erick Carrasco

$900 USD

47: Adam Talanca

$900 USD

48: Jan Scotto

$900 USD

49: Brian Dalba

$800 USD

50: Jennifer Myers

$800 USD

51: Casey Worth

$800 USD

52: David Luerssen

$800 USD

53: Edward Bungener

$800 USD

54: Ian Huntsberger

$800 USD

55: Tom Miller

$725 USD

56: Debbie Murphy

$725 USD

57: Garth Moran

$650 USD

58: Chris Bricker

$650 USD

59: Rick Mosman

$650 USD

60: Patrick Long

$650 USD

61: Lee Clark

$650 USD

62: Percy Abraham

$650 USD

Top Chip Counts

1: Ron Fienberg

31,000,000 Chips

2: Bryan Keefer

Busted

3: Bill Acerra

Busted

4: Dwight Johnson

Busted

5: Wieslaw Skiba

Busted

6: Ronald Kaepernik

Busted

7: Andrea Chait

Busted

8: Patricia Jackomin

Busted

9: Barry Fagan

Busted

10: Rob Gallo

Busted