Artur Vyborov Claims Career-Best Score of $450,000 with Onyx PLO Opener Victory
The 2026 Onyx High Roller Series has its first four-card champion, with Russia's Artur Vyborov coming out on top of a 232-entry field in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Opener claiming the trophy and the $450,000 first-place prize from the $2,180,800 prize pool. “I feel great, actually,” Vyborov said afterward. “I’m very tired, but it’s the first win for me, so I’m very happy to be here.”
As the opening PLO event of the series, the tournament proved hugely popular, drawing a bigger field than the No-Limit Hold’em version a week ago. Vyborov stayed patient throughout Day 2 and spent much of the day near the bottom of the chip counts, but picked his spots well and eventually battled his way through a final table littered with proven PLO wizards and represented by nine different nations.
Among those falling short at the final table were Laszlo Bujtas and Tom Vogelsang, while Aren Bezhanyan and Quan Zhou joined Vyborov on the podium. Heads-up, Vyborov made swift work of Bezhanyan to deny the Armenian pro a second Onyx title.
$10,000 PLO Opener Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artur Vyborov | Russian Federation | $450,000 |
| 2 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | $312,000 |
| 3 | Quan Zhou | China | $225,000 |
| 4 | Jeremy Trojand | Germany | $160,000 |
| 5 | Laszlo Bujtas | Hungary | $115,000 |
| 6 | Thomas Eychenne | France | $85,000 |
| 7 | Belarmino De Souza | Brazil | $67,000 |
| 8 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | $57,000 |
| 9 | Tom Vogelsang | Netherlands | $48,800 |
Winner’s Reaction
Vyborov was a man of few words after the win, admitting the long day had taken its toll. “Today, I think there won’t be any celebration,” he said with a smile. “I’ll just go to sleep, and all the celebration will be tomorrow.”
He also took a moment to thank those closest to him. “My family and my friends,” Vyborov said, before joking, “and I want to thank me,” drawing a laugh from those watching on.
When asked about the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa venue, Vyborov was quick to praise the setting. “I’m always happy to play here,” he said. “I like everything that’s going on at Onyx and Merit. It’s the best conditions, so I’m always happy to come back and play poker here.”
Looking back on his journey to victory, Vyborov explained that it didn’t start smoothly. After busting his first attempt late on Day 1a, he reentered during the dinner break with just 20 big blinds. “The second one, I registered in the dinner break,” he said. “And it comes like that.”
Final Day Action
The final day began with 35 four-card enthusiasts all already in the money, each dreaming of making it to the Onyx Club final table and getting their hands on the trophy. Giorgiy Skhulukhiya, Ian Bradley, and Nicolas Chouity were among the early exits, all falling to three players who would go on to reach the final table in Jeremy Trojand, Bujtas, and Thomas Eychenne.
The field continued to thin quickly, with several PLO heavyweights hitting the rail before getting anywhere near the final table. Dennis Weiss bowed out after running into the two pair of Arie Ori Miller, while Eelis Parssinen lost a huge pot with aces against the flopped set of Daniel Rezaei. Not long after, Rezaei picked up aces himself and this time they held, sending Parssinen to the rail.
Richard Gryko was next to depart after losing most of his stack to Espen Sandvik, then being forced all in from the big blind the very next hand. With two tables remaining, Bezhanyan sat as number one in the chip counts, while Vyborov found himself stone bottom. That changed immediately, as Vyborov doubled right away with a set against Vogelsang’s combo draw, catapulting himself back into the middle of the pack.
After the eliminations of Nichan Khorchidian in 14th and Rezaei in 13th, both holding aces, it didn’t take long before the tournament reached the final table bubble. Vogelsang managed to crack Bezhanyan’s set of kings with a flush to survive, much to the frustration of the other short stacks. Unfortunately for Miller, his aces got outflopped by Bezhanyan’s kings, and Miller exited in tenth place.
The final table kicked off with Bezhanyan alone out in front, while Vyborov, Eychenne, and Vogelsang lined the bottom of the counts, separated by just a single big blind. After a cagey start, Vogelsang was the first to go in ninth before PLO legend Joni Jouhkimainen followed when his aces were cracked by Bezhanyan’s flopped two pair.
Bujtas then showed exactly why he’s regarded as one of the best PLO players for more than a decade, steadily climbing the counts using a wide mix of strategies. Throughout it all, Vyborov hovered around the middle, until he found a crucial double up with two pair against Bezhanyan’s flush and straight draw, propelling him into the top three for the first time.
Vyborov kept his momentum going, picking off a bluff from Zhou and creating some breathing room from the bottom of the pack. That didn’t last long, as Trojand drilled the perfect river while all-in against Vyborov, sending him tumbling back toward the bottom. Trojand then eliminated Brazil’s Belarmino De Souza in a flush-over-flush situation, and with six players left, Zhou held the chip lead while Vyborov sat in fifth.
Eychenne whittled down to just a few big blinds, then soon ran into Zhou’s bullets and departed in sixth. Bujtas then lost a big pot after being forced to fold kings in the face of a cold four-bet from Zhou, and he never really recovered, eventually exiting in fifth, likely to the relief of everyone else still at the table.
Vyborov and Trojand then tussled in a massive blind-versus-blind pot that would change everything. With similar stacks, all the chips went in on the turn, Trojand holding the higher two pair and Vyborov with one foot out the door. The river had other ideas, as it gave Vyborov a superior two pair, leaving Trojand on fumes before he exited in fourth.
Three-handed play began with Vyborov holding a slight lead, while Bezhanyan and Zhou sat neck and neck. A rivered royal flush saw Bezhanyan pull away from Zhou, before he began closing the gap on Vyborov at the top. Bezhanyan's climb stalled when Vyborov spiked a full house in a huge pot, opening up a 2:1 chip lead.
A failed bluff left Zhou very short, and Vyborov soon dragged in the rest of his stack when his pocket queens held against Zhou’s suited hand. Heads-up, Vyborov held more than a 4:1 lead, which quickly ballooned to 10:1 as he applied relentless pressure and punished Bezhanyan’s attempts to play limped pots.
In the final hand, Bezhanyan got all-in in great shape and dominated Vyborov. But as everyone knows, anything can happen in PLO. Both players flopped straight draws, before Vyborov picked up a backdoor diamond flush draw. The river brought the diamond, sealing the win for Vyborov and earning him the trophy, the $450,000 first-place prize, and the bragging rights of being an Onyx High Roller Series champion.
That wraps up our coverage of the $10,000 PLO Opener, but there’s plenty more four-card action still to come. PokerNews will be back on the floor for the final day of the $50,000 PLO Grand Slam starting on Monday, February 8, as well as full coverage from Day 1a of the PLO Main Event.