A Chip and a Chair...
The 2025 BetMGM Poker Championship at ARIA Resort & Casino made history this summer—drawing a massive field of 1,853 entries and smashing its $3 million guarantee with a $5.9 million prize pool. But it was Nguyen Le who stole the headlines with a Cinderella-story comeback that ended with him hoisting the trophy — and a $777,777 payday.
Le’s run was one for the ages. With just a single chip and 11 players remaining, he stared elimination in the face and proceeded to go on an electrifying tear through the final table, ultimately defeating Ashish Ghosh in heads-up play after a three-way deal.
“It’s wonderful. Obviously, you’ve got to be lucky to get this far from a field like this. It feels amazing,”
— Nguyen Le, 2025 BetMGM Poker Championship Winner
Le's victory wasn’t just about the money — though the $777,777 certainly doesn’t hurt. It also marked the largest live cash of his career, surpassing his previous total live earnings of $658,088. Earlier this year, Le chopped heads-up at the 2025 Borgata Winter Poker Open Powered by BetMGM, taking home $425,000.
“Congratulations to Nguyen Le on possibly the most epic poker comeback of the summer that captured the wild swings and emotions of poker,”
— David Mileaf, BetMGM Senior Manager of Poker Operations
“Thank you to the players and to our partner, MGM Resorts International, for making this year’s event a record-breaking success.”
Final Table Results – 2025 BetMGM Poker Championship
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nguyen Le | $777,777* |
| 2nd | Ashish Ghosh | $752,282* |
| 3rd | Yaniv Peretz | $590,348* |
| 4th | Hassan El Hakim | $320,198 |
| 5th | Aleksandras Rusinovas | $248,510 |
| 6th | Michael Rossitto | $200,065 |
| 7th | Lars Kamphues | $153,280 |
| 8th | Nicholas Schuler | $123,098 |
| 9th | Joe Serock | $97,245 |
*Prize adjusted due to final-table deal.
This year's turnout nearly doubled the 2024 total and dwarfed the inaugural 2022 event, which saw just 343 entries and a $1.1 million prize pool.
“When our collaboration with BetMGM began in 2022, we were excited to offer a $1 million guaranteed prize pool,”
— Ryan Kirk, ARIA Director of Poker Operations
“Due to the partnership’s tremendous growth over the last three years, we were able to award nearly $1 million to the event champion while offering close to a $6 million prize pool. We couldn’t be more proud and look forward to what the future holds.”
BetMGM continues to integrate online and live poker experiences, sending over 110 online qualifiers from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ontario. These players received full championship packages, including entry, a five-night ARIA stay, travel credit, and custom swag.
Recently the squad at the NerdthusiastPoker.com podcast discussed the eventwith Darren Elias.
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