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Event #13: $25,000 PLO Main Event
Day 1bc Completed
2026 Onyx High Roller Series
Event #13: $25,000 PLO Main Event
Day: 1bc
Event Info
2026 Onyx High Roller Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1bc
Buy-in
$25,000
Prize Pool
$4,800,000
Total Entries
199
Level
28
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
145
Players Left
21
Players Left 1 / 199
Filter
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Day 1b of the $25,000 PLO Main Event at the 2026 Onyx High Roller Series played out inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, with 91 new entries added to the fiel. By the time the clock was stopped in the final minute of Level 14, just 14 players remained, each bagging a stack and securing their return for Day 2.
Coming through with the biggest stack of 5,155,000 is Italy’s Youness Barakat. Barakat somehow scraped through Day 1a with nothing more than a chip and a chair, then made the choice to forfeit that stack, lock up a min-cash, and take another shot at making it through to Day 2.
That decision looks pretty smart now. Barakat absolutely ran over the Day 1b field, bagging the overall chip lead with more than 20 starting stacks. China’s Quan Zhou (2,755,000) sits closest behind him, while Bassel Alanaz (2,100,000) ends the night third. Zhou and Alanaz were also the ones who burst the bubble on the very last hands of the night, ensuring everyone else made it through.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Youness Barakat | Italy | 5,155,000 | 172 |
| 2 | Quan Zhou | China | 2,755,000 | 92 |
| 3 | Bassel Alanaz | Lebanon | 2,100,000 | 70 |
| 4 | Espen Myrmo | Norway | 2,015,000 | 67 |
| 5 | Lautaro Guerra | Spain | 2,010,000 | 67 |
| 6 | Marcel Grubinger | Austria | 1,430,000 | 48 |
| 7 | Aku Joentausta | Finland | 1,370,000 | 46 |
| 8 | Mads Amot | Norway | 1,095,000 | 37 |
| 9 | Geoffrey Mooney | Australia | 1,030,000 | 34 |
| 10 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | 975,000 | 33 |
Day 1b Action
The day began at noon with 12 players in their seats, and the field steadily grew throughout the afternoon, reaching 91 entries when late registration closed. Jean-Robert Bellande was in early and wasted no time getting involved, flopping top set to send Eelis Parssinen to the rail on bullet number one.
Once registration closed, plenty of big names bowed out before the tournament got near the money. Patrik Antonius, Tom-Aksel Bedell, and Basem Abudavas all failed to make it through, with Abudavas seeing his aces cracked in a three way all in. Biao Ding and Parssinnen also exited, with Parssinnen’s kings running straight into the aces of his countryman Aku Joentausta.
As the field whittled down and the finish line came into view, play tightened up. This was where Barakat really started to pull away, first by picking off a river bluff from Espen Myrmo, then by getting paid on a big river value bet with a straight against Joentausta. Those two pots did most of the heavy lifting as Barakat surged clear at the top by the time bags came out.
Laszlo Bujtas had his moment just before the soft bubble, winning a huge blind-on-blind pot to eliminate Sergei Nesterenko when both players turned flushes. That pot marked the high point of Bujtas’ day, as his stack quickly headed in the opposite direction from there.
In the end, Bujtas shared the unwanted title of Day 1b bubble boy after calling off his stack on the river with top two pair, only to see Zhou turn over the nuts. Filip Aleksic hit the rail at the same time, meaning both players were eliminated on the final hand of the night. With that, no hand-for-hand was needed, and the remaining 14 players all locked up a cash and a seat in Wednesday’s Day 2.
With Day 1c Turbo having closed late registration and drawing 54 entries, the total field stands at 199 across the three opening flights. All surviving players will reconvene for Day 2 at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11, with the blinds rolled back to the earliest finishing level and 60-minute levels starting as the tournament plays down to the final table.
Remaining $25,000 PLO Main Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | February 11th | 2 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Day 3 Final Table | February 12th | 1 p.m. | Hands-per-level |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for continued live coverage of the $25,000 PLO Main Event, which resumes for Day 2 at the 2026 Onyx High Roller Series.
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
5,655,000
5,655,000
|
5,655,000 |
|
||
|
4,320,000 | |
|
1,320,000
1,320,000
|
1,320,000 |
|
1,095,000
1,095,000
|
1,095,000 |
|
||
|
495,000
495,000
|
495,000 |
|
325,000
325,000
|
325,000 |
|
|
||
|
175,000
175,000
|
175,000 |
|
105,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
5,155,000 | |
|
||
|
2,755,000 | |
|
2,100,000
750,000
|
750,000 |
|
2,015,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
2,010,000
950,000
|
950,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,430,000
370,000
|
370,000 |
|
1,370,000
430,000
|
430,000 |
|
1,095,000
595,000
|
595,000 |
|
1,030,000
630,000
|
630,000 |
|
975,000
225,000
|
225,000 |
|
|
||
|
855,000
195,000
|
195,000 |
|
815,000
385,000
|
385,000 |
|
665,000
360,000
|
360,000 |
|
595,000
225,000
|
225,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Play has stopped for Day 1b of the Main Event with one minute remaining on Level 14.
The surviving 14 players have bagged up their chips and will return for Day 2, where they will all be in the money.
Stay tuned for chip counts and a full recap of the day's action.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,155,000
855,000
|
855,000 |
|
|
||
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
With roughly 1,200,000 in the pot already on a completed board of A♣7♥Q♦K♠5♥, Laszlo Bujtas was deep in the tank.
Bujtas had checked and Quan Zhou had shoved, putting Bujtas all in for his last 500,000 or so. After a few minutes, Bujtas made the call
Zhou showed the nut straight with K♣J♣10♦8♥ to win the pot as Bujtas held A♠K♦Q♥9x for top two pair.
At the same time, Filip Aleksic hit the rail at a nearby table, which meant there was no hand-for-hand play, and the remaining 14 players bagged up their chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,755,000
965,000
|
965,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
On the turn, with the board showing 5♣9♦4♠8♣, Youness Barakat fired a bet of 375,000 from the big blind and Aku Joentausta came along with a call from the cutoff.
The J♥ arrived on the river and Barakat announced a bet of 925,000. Joentausta used up one time bank, took a swig of his beer, and flicked in the call.
Barakat tabled the second nut straight with 10♠7♠7♥6♠ and a large portion of Joentausta's stack was now in Barakat's possession.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,300,000
1,100,000
|
1,100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,800,000
1,100,000
|
1,100,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Youness Barakat limped the button and Gergo Nagy completed from the small blind. Aku Joentausta checked his option in the big blind and the dealer fanned out the A♣A♥Q♠ flop.
Everyone checked and the 3♥ came on the turn. After two checks, Barakat bet 40,000 and only Joentausta called.
Check, check followed the 9♠ river and Joentausta took down the pot with Q♣6♣6♦5♠ for a pair of queens.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,200,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,900,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
1,200,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
|
1,200,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
305,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Vincent Khoueiry raised to 100,000 from the cutoff and only Marcel Grubinger defended from the big blind.
Grubinger started with a check on the 3♣A♦K♠ flop, and Khoueiry gathered together a bet of 75,000. This was enough to earn him the pot, as Grubinger threw his cards away
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,800,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
1,350,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
|
|
1,050,000
420,000
|
420,000 |
|
|
820,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
|
|
500,000
230,000
|
230,000 |
|
|
390,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
Level: 15
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 30,000
