Champion Matthias Eibinger

In case you didn't know this already, here is some news: it's time to take Matthias Eibinger very seriously as a PLO player.

The 33-year-old Austrian pro, a renowned NLH crusher of many years standing, started playing the four-card game when the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series went to the Bahamas last December. He won the first PLO event he played.

But on Tuesday in Jeju, South Korea, Eibinger landed an even bigger success: the $100K PLO Main Event, which brought a $1.787 million first prize.

Eibinger became the third player to win two Triton Poker Main Events in different disciplines, adding this PLO success to a previous NLH triumph. It takes career Triton earnings to just under $20 million and gives him his sixth title on the tour.

He also now has a second Jacob & Co Epic X Skeleton timepiece, offered only to winners of Main Events on the series. And there seems to be no end to what he can achieve.

"I can't believe it," a delighted Eibinger said in the moments immediately after his victory. "I'm so happy winning the PLO Main Event. So many great players are here."

He continued: "The main motivation for playing PLO is that I want to compete, I want more titles. It's just motivating me and it keeps me sharp. I started in December, first PLO tournament, first victory, and then two days ago I'm second, and now I win it again. It's just unreal what's happening."

Eibinger was at a loss to explain quite how he does it

As he said, Eibinger also came second in the $50K PLO Mystery Bounty here in Jeju, and finished fifth in the $30K PLO/NLH mix. He will be the first to admit that he needed some good fortune when this 65-entry tournament got heads-up and Eibinger was able to overhaul the chip lead of British pro Richard Gryko. But Eibinger had led the tournament for a long time before that, and the recovery from a short stack was all part of his learning curve.

"To be honest, at some point mentally I gave up on the victory in my mind," he said. "For four hours I was chip leader but then all-in, lost, all-in, lost, all-in, lost. I just had no hope left somehow. But someone on the stream said that Ben Tollerene is one of the most sharp people at staying in a positive mood and just evaluating how many big blinds he has. I tried that, and now I'm the lucky winner."

Watching Eibinger play hold'em offers a lesson in focus and discipline, honed through a decade at the top of the game. In PLO, he admits to adopting a different, more laid-back approach. And he's a winner whatever he does.

"When I played here [in PLO], I really felt no pressure at all," Eibinger said. "In hold'em — this is what I've done for 10 years — I try to be very serious, I would say I'm one of the more slow players. But in PLO I really want to do the opposite. I play fast, quick, talk a little bit, not be too serious, and let's just see what happens."

Eibinger, left, defeated Richard Gryko heads up

Gryko fell narrowly short of his second PLO title, taking $1.27 million for second. He can also tell at least one bad beat tales from the heads up phase of play, when Eibinger managed to find the precise card he needed to double up when on the brink of elimination.

But this, again, was Eibinger's day.

"How it works out this way, I have no words," the new champion said.

TOURNAMENT ACTION

Among Omaha players, Triton's PLO tournaments offer the rarest of treats: the game they love for buy-ins previously reserved only for hold'em or short deck players. They came out in force to support this one, with 65 entries from 34 unique players, putting $6.5 million in the prize pool.

Around the mid-point of Day 2, the cash was getting closer. When the tournament reached its final two tables, there were 12 players left and the bubble was now imminent. Tournament organisers made a random redraw, but something very weird happened: the top six players in the chip counts landed on one table, while the bottom six ended up on the other.

It was 100 percent random, but it ended up with everyone on one table below the average stack, while everyone on the other was above it. Nobody really knew what it would mean for bubble dynamics, but it turned out to be a drawn-out affair that stretched over the dinner break...and much longer.

BUBBLE TENSION SPREAD ACROSS TWO TABLES

Nobody wanted to bust. It stood to reason, with a $163,000 min-cash only one spot away. But four players slipped below 10 big blinds and were refusing to commit. Meanwhile Matthias Eibinger was at the top of the leaderboard making absolute hay from the impasse further down.

In the end, as can so often be the case, it was Artur Martirosian who did something about it. He always gets things done. But in this instance, it was at the cost of his tournament life.

Martirosian, less than a day after he won the $50K PLO event, had 21 blinds so was not one of the handful in critical condition. However, he played a huge pot against Eelis Parssinen that sent him to the rail in the big one.

Parssinen opened from the button holding AK75 and Martirosian three-bet the big blind with AQJ9. Parsinnen four-bet enough to cover Martirosian, and the Russian was in for the rest of it.

Martirosian's hand was double suited, but the monochrome flop of Q3K was the wrong colour. The 6 turn and the 8 river offered no further help and Parssinen's pair of kings were best. That was the end of the line for the newly-minted four-time champ.

ARTUR MARTIROSIAN FOLLOWED UP A WIN WITH A BUBBLE

The next target was the end of the day, which would also mean the final table. The attrition continued, with David Wang, Punnat Punsri, Ben Lamb and Isaac Haxton falling in 11th through eighth. They all picked up a six-figure payday, but Wang missed his chance for a second PLO final of the trip, Punsri couldn't quite make it to the finals of both NLH and PLO Main Events, and Haxton surrendered his chance to retain the PLO Main Event title he won here in September.

DAVID WANG, WHO MADE THE MYSTERY BOUNTY FINAL, FELL SHORT THIS TIME

These were just some of the many subplots running through the event. Chip leader Matthias Eibinger had the opportunity to add a PLO Main Event to his hold'em Main Event win; Eelis Parssinen, previously a PLO Main Event winner in Monte Carlo, could similarly add another; Patrik Antonius was eyeing a return to the top of the podium for the first time since his Invitational success in 2024, while Dan Dvoress could add a second win of this trip.

In their way stood PLO coach, and former Triton winner, Richard Gryko, as well as two players seeking a first crown, Nino Pansier and Klemens Roiter.

That was the magnificent seven who found bags to fill with the following chip stacks:

Matthias Eibinger - 4,905,000 (82 BBs)

Patrik Antonius - 2,440,000 (41 BBs)

Richard Gryko - 2,345,000 (39 BBs)

Eelis Parssinen - 1,980,000 (33 BBs)

Nino Pansier - 1,960,000 (33 BBs)

Dan Dvoress - 1,665,000 (28 BBs)

Klemens Roiter - 955,000 (16 BBs)

PLO Main Event final table (clockwise from back left): Richard Gryko, Matthias Eibinger, Nino Pansier, Klemens Roiter, Patrik Antonius, Eelis Parssinen, Dan Dvoress.

After introductions, photos and walk-ons, players settled down to see this one out. The Jacob & Co Skeleton X watch sat on its podium alongside the big Triton trophy, the bonus prizes reserved only for the champion. Unfortunately for the least familiar face among the final table, it quickly became apparent that this wouldn't be his day.

Nino Pansier has only recently risen to real prominence in the high stakes tournament poker world, and this trip to Jeju for the highest buy-in PLO events was the first time he'd played on the Triton Poker Series. Making the final table in only your second event represents immediate success, but two pots on the last day put him out of contention for the title.

In the first, Pansier went to the flop with Matthias Eibinger and Richard Gryko, but got raised off the pot after the first three cards were down. He then had 13 blinds left when he found A7K9 and opened from the hijack. Dan Dvoress, in the small blind, found aces with one suit -- AAQ3 -- and three-bet. Pansier called, leaving only one blind behind. They saw a flop of 2310.

Dvoress bet and Pansier had no option but to call. The 4 turn and 7 river didn't help and Dvoress's aces held. Pansier was out in seventh, a first Triton cash of $312,000 going next to his name.

REMEMBER THE NAME, NINO PANSIER HAS ENJOYED HIS TRITON DEBUT

The pot moved Dvoress into second place, albeit still with only half the chips of Eibinger. There was still a big cluster of similarly-stacked players beneath them, however, where things were a tiny bit more fraught with peril.

It was in this environment that the first truly explosive hand of the final table took place, with the dealer ultimately deciding the fate of two of PLO's standout stars.

Richard Gryko and Eelis Parssinen surely know one another's games intimately, having played thousands of hands against one another online even before they started butting heads on the Triton Poker Series. And they've probably experienced hands like the following as well, but it's rarely so cruel as when there's so much money at stake.

Parssinen had 17 blinds and Gryko 20 when this happened: Parssinen picked up AA72 under the gun and put in the expected raise. Gryko, in the small blind, had AK106 and his double-suited hand brought a three-bet. Parssinen jammed and Gryko called, and it was over to the dealer.

And this is what came from the deck: 72KKK. Parssinen flopped bottom two pair to go with the aces he already had, and ended up with kings full of aces. However Gryko's case king gave him quads, and the cooler ended with the Finn on the rail.

His quest for a second PLO Main Event came to an end in sixth. He won $396,000.

Eibinger still sat imperious at the top of the counts, even managing to pick up chips from Dvoress to push his erstwhile closest challenger downward. But the new scrap for survival was between Patrik Antonius and Klemens Roiter, who were now both clinging on.

When the pair went head-to-head in the next major pot, it was existential. And it sent Antonius heading to the payout desk, with Roiter finding a life-raft.

Roiter raised with AK53 and Antonius called in the big blind with J1087. The flop fell 763. Antonius pushed for his last eight blinds with top pair, a gutshot, over- cards and a backdoor flush draw. Roiter had a pair, a different gutshot and bigger over-cards. And after the Q turn, the K river proved decisive.

Antonius packed his things and left, taking $507,000 for fifth. The two Finns were finished.

ANOTHER FINN DOWN: PATRIK ANTONIUS BIDS FAREWELL

By contrast, Roiter was now just getting started. He doubled through Eibinger, with KK96 beating Eibinger's 9875. They got most of it in pre-flop, and the rest on a six-high flop. And on the very next hand, the pair played another huge one, this time Roiter's AKJ2 made a straight and downed Eibinger's A754. Roiter's second successive double put him into the lead, with Eibinger slipping out of supremacy for the first time.

Dvoress was on a slump and was down to eight blinds. But just after he doubled that up through Roiter (Q986 beating K10103), he lost it all back on another hand against the same player.

It was another case of cracked aces as Dvoress picked up AAQ9 but ended up second best to Roiter's KQQ8. The pot began with Gryko limping his button and Dvoress raising his pretty hand from the small blind. Roiter then three-bet his double-suited queens and Gryko got out the way.

The pot was big enough for Dvoress to get the last of his 16 blinds in and Roiter called. And the board of 233Q5 had a very attractive turn card for Roiter. Not so much Dvoress, whose Main Event ended with a fourth-place and $640,000.

A SEVENTH CASH OF THE SHRS THIS TIME ENDED IN FOURTH FOR DAN DVORESS

Roiter's surge had turned the leaderboard on its head, with his 56-blind stack leading the way and Eibinger's 23 blinds now the smallest. Gryko, with 29 blinds, was the meat in the Austrian sandwich.

However, the Brit quickly moved out of that uncomfortable position, winning a massive pot against Roiter to jump over him into the lead.

Gryko called with AKQ6 from the small blind and Roiter, holding K542 raised from the big. Gryko called taking them to the QAK flop. Gryko, with three pairs (only two of which can play, of course), checked. Roiter took the bait and bet. Gryko called.

The 3 turn brought the same check/bet/call sequence, and the 8 fell on the river. Roiter still only had a pair of kings but, after a third check, went for it. He moved in, covering Gryko. But Gryko, if he'd been setting the trap, sprung it closed and scored a massive double.

The Main Event trophy and the Jacob & Co Epic X Skeleton timepiece awaited the winner

With the average stage now dipping below 30 blinds again, the three players became bunched. Gryko remained with a narrow lead, but Roiter was again at the foot of the leaderboard, meaning it was him under threat when he and Eibinger next got it all in.

Most of the money went in with the pair looking at a flop of 10QJ. (Roiter had raised his button pre-flop and Eibinger had called.) And the reason for the excitement was that both players had straights. However Eibinger's A987 was the bottom end of it, while Roiter's was a pip higher. He held AJ98.

The fundamentals didn't change after the K turn and 7 river and Roiter doubled.

Eibinger now had only 10 blinds, but he doubled back through Roiter. And now the two Austrians had 25 and 20 blinds, respectively, with Gryko's 37 in the lead. But the doubles continued, with Roiter slipping to seven blinds and doubling through Gryko. The average was now only slightly more than 20 blinds.

Roiter, however, lost another big one, doubling up Eibinger in the process. Roiter's AK104 went down to Eibinger's AQQ2 and that left Roiter with only three blinds. He tripled back on the next hand, however, and with Eibinger taking down that three-way pot, he nudged ahead of Gryko once more.

It was a topsy-turvy battle in which all three players had been in the lead.

But for Roiter, he finally ran out of road. He had 10 blinds going into what turned out to be his last hand, and saw Gryko raise from the small blind. Roiter held 10887 and called from the big blind.

The flop of 3KK brought him a flush draw and, after Gryko bet, Roiter shipped the rest of it in. But Gryko had K822 for trips, which improved to a full house after the A turn and 2 river.

Roiter turned in another exceptional performance, but is still without a title. He left this one with $833,000 for third.

Klemens Roiter's time will surely come soon

Both players left had now locked up more than $1 million. Gryko had a lead of 39 to 16 when heads-up play began, and Eibinger had only eight blinds by the time they got it all in for the first time. Eibinger survived this one with AQ99 beating A433.

When he doubled again on the very next hand, he might have felt this was his once again. This was unlucky for Gryko. Eibinger's A953 rivered a straight on the 4210Q6 runout, defeating Gryko's AAKJ. It was game on with all but equal stacks.

Next all-in, same story. Eibinger's 9653 beat Gryko's 8654. This time they got to the flop for the minimum, but all the money went in when the Q95 was on the table and both players ended with two pair following the 2 turn and 6 river.

Eibinger's was the bigger two pair, and he took a lead of 29 blinds to 12.

It was a swingy heads-up

When all the money went in once more soon after, Eibinger again came out on top, and this time the tournament was done. Eibinger called with Q844 and Gryko checked his 7652.

The flop of 487 gave Gryko a straight and Eibinger bottom set, but both players checked, perhaps laying a trap for each other. The 3 turn didn't alter a whole lot and Gryko now led out. Eibinger called.

The 3 river gave Eibinger the full house, and after Gryko bet, Eibinger shoved. Gryko called off for the last of it. They turned over their cards, and this one was done.

Richard Gryko had to settle for second