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June 8, 2026 @ 11:02 AM
More than 440 players have taken their seats for the opening flight, and cards are in the air!
June 8, 2026 @ 09:50 AM

The Golden Nugget Las Vegas is once again filled with anticipation, as the 2026 Bar Poker Open Vegas World Championship gets underway with two opening flights on the schedule.
Bar Poker Open online and league seat winners from the past year have already earned an entry into the opening day flight of their choice, and will be joined by Super League invitation winners who are eligible to buy in for $400.
The tournament will once again feature an anticipated prize pool of $400,000, with a guaranteed $100,000 first-place prize up for grabs this week.
Last summer, Ron Fienberg of KOntenders Poker USA claimed victory out of a field of 1,223 entries. Fienberg defeated Bryan Keefer in a short heads-up match to capture the biggest score of his life.
| Place | Player | League | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron Fienberg | KOntenders Poker USA | $100,000 |
| 2 | Bryan Keefer | BarPokerOpen.com | $65,000 |
| 3 | Bill Acerra | Eastern Poker Tour | $34,500 |
| 4 | Dwight Johnson | Kowboy Kings Poker | $22,500 |
| 5 | Wieslaw Skiba | Eastern Poker Tour | $17,000 |
| 6 | Ronald Kaepernik | No Limit Pub Poker Tour | $11,725 |
| 7 | Andrea Chait | Eastern Poker Tour | $8,500 |
| 8 | Patricia Jackomin | Riverchasers | $5,000 |
Action begins with Day 1a1 at 11:00 a.m. local time, as the opening day has once again been separated into two flights to accommodate the expected large crowd. The second flight of the day begins at 4:00 p.m. and will see a new group of qualifiers take their seats, as players cannot compete in both flights.
Once registered, players can take advantage of a single reentry, and those taking part will also be eligible for the second chance Day 1b on Tuesday, June 9. The tournament features a $1,500 bonus for players that advance to Day 2 more than once, with only their largest stack carrying forward into the money.
Participants will begin with starting stacks of 25,000 chips, looking to navigate 30-minute levels until reaching the money once the top 10% of the field remains for a minimum cash of at least $700. From there, the top 5% will bag up to return on Wednesday, June 10 to battle for a spot at the final table. The opening flights will play ten-handed, before the tournament adjust to 40-minute levels and eight-handed play for the remainder of the event.
Players will receive 15-minute breaks after every two hours of action, and late registration remains open until the end of Level 10 in each opening flight.
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| June 8 | Day 1a1 | 11:00 a.m. |
| June 8 | Day 1a2 | 4:00 p.m. |
| June 9 | Day 1b | 11:00 a.m. |
| June 10 | Day 2 | 12:00 p.m. |
| June 11 | Day 3 | 12:00 p.m. |
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Don't miss a moment of the Bar Poker Open Vegas World Championship, as the PokerNews live reporting team will be on location all week long to provide full coverage of this exciting event.
1: Germain Mingo
$100,000 USD
2: Gorav Sangal
$65,000 USD
3: Robert Carswell
$32,000 USD
4: Ian Auvil
$21,000 USD
5: Frank Johnson
$15,000 USD
6: Henry Hearns
$11,000 USD
7: Peter Cote
$8,000 USD
8: Maria Piaseczny
$4,500 USD
9: Roxanne LoGrande
$3,200 USD
10: Nicole Marder
$2,800 USD
Show More
11: Clint Dunn
$2,500 USD
12: Joseph Tymorek
$2,500 USD
13: Michael Wyatt
$2,200 USD
14: Hung Quach
$2,200 USD
15: Jason Bergman
$1,800 USD
16: Len Villani
$1,800 USD
17: John Wolfson
$1,600 USD
18: David Garrity
$1,600 USD
19: Brian Cooney
$1,600 USD
20: Lakishia Jefferson
$1,600 USD
21: Michael Cintolo
$1,400 USD
22: Elizabeth Rice
$1,400 USD
23: Anthony Garilli
$1,400 USD
24: Paul Russo
$1,400 USD
25: Steven Romanelli
$1,200 USD
26: Jaimie Trayler
$1,200 USD
27: Les Mildenberg
$1,200 USD
28: Jeremy Ellingson
$1,200 USD
29: Jeff Fisher
$1,200 USD
30: Shannon Bryant
$1,200 USD
31: Stephen Thorn
$1,200 USD
32: Bill Moyes
$1,200 USD
33: Mehrdad Zomorrodi
$1,000 USD
34: David Shepherd
$1,000 USD
35: Chris Haer
$1,000 USD
36: Carl Edwards
$1,000 USD
37: Allen Conner
$1,000 USD
38: Natalinna Lima
$1,000 USD
39: Christopher Bricker
$1,000 USD
40: Jaime Hidalgo
$1,000 USD
41: Keith Forward
$800 USD
42: Diana Goodes
$800 USD
43: Rochelle Shore
$800 USD
44: Anthony Close
$800 USD
45: Jesse Perry
$800 USD
46: Armando Then
$800 USD
47: Robbin Glover
$800 USD
48: Wayne Laferte
$800 USD
49: Anton Saich
$700 USD
50: Scott Lafayette
$700 USD
51: Marshall Stevens
$700 USD
52: Bryan Ducharme
$700 USD
53: William Fierro
$700 USD
54: Chontel Crenshaw
$700 USD
1: Germain Mingo
25,800,000 Chips
2: Gorav Sangal
Busted
3: Robert Carswell
Busted
4: Ian Auvil
Busted
5: Frank Johnson
Busted
6: Henry Hearns
Busted
7: Peter Cote
Busted
8: Maria Piaseczny
Busted
9: Roxanne LoGrande
Busted
10: Nicole Marder
Busted
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