Chasing a Dream_ Michael Nia Ends 15-Year Wait for LA Poker Classic Success
Chasing a Dream: Michael Nia Ends 15-Year Wait for LA Poker Classic Success
The LA Poker Classic has a long and storied history in the poker world, and few players would know that history better than Michael Nia. The Southern California native has been playing this event for more than 15 years, and earned a special piece of hardware at The Commerce Casino & Hotel.
After four days of dramatic action, the 71-year-old Nia reached a heads-up deal with Elvyn Bello, earning the victory in the $10,000 LAPC Main Event. “I am seriously honored to have been able to take this one down because it’s LAPC,” Nia told PokerNews. “It was a dream since 2010 for me to actually take this down and take the trophy home.”
The prestigious tournament attracted 145 entries over two starting flights and an hour of late registration on Day 2, creating a total prize pool of $1,348,500, split among the top 19 finishers. Nia takes home the largest share, earning $308,270 for the largest tournament score of his career.
The LAPC Main Event field was full of notable names, including start-of-day chip leader Faraz Jaka. Nia was quick to erase that deficit and claim the chip advantage on the opening level of the day, staying at the top of the counts throughout the rest of the final table.
Nia explained his strategy, “When I lose a hand, I don’t lose it, I don’t lose my energy, and when I win, I don’t show any celebration or anything, because that’s just the process and it’s a long process.”
That process served him well, watching his competitors head to the payout desk one by one throughout the day, including WSOP bracelet winners Jonathan Pastore and Frank Brannan, plus high-stakes veteran Anthony Hu. Others to earn a spot at the final table were Cecile Ticherfatine, Gevork Kasabyan and Adam Weinraub.
Jaka survived to three-handed play, but his exit in third place saw Nia and Bello call for the floor to discuss a deal. Once they had an agreement in place, Bello celebrated with his rail as the result and $300,000 runner-up prize represented the biggest score of his young career.
“I been getting prepared for this kind of moment,” Bello told PokerNews. “It means a lot because a lot of people don’t believe that I’m capable of being here competing with really good players, but this is just the beginning.”
As for the champion, Nia reflected on his accomplishment and success at The Commerce. “It means a lot, because you come to the casino and grind all day long, spend so much time and so much money, so much effort for one goal, and that it to achieve first place in a tournament.”
