Cesar Garcia has etched his name into high-stakes PLO history, topping a stacked field of 98 entries to claim the massive $1,200,000 top prize in the Onyx High Roller Series $50,000 PLO Grand Slam.
The 2026 Onyx Series at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Spa has been nothing short of a Pot Limit Omaha paradise. We have already seen Mads Amot crush the $10K Turbo Event and Artur Vyborov take down the $10K Opener, but Event #10 was the crown jewel everyone wanted. With a prize pool swelling to $4,800,000, the final table was a shark tank featuring some of the best PLO specialists in the world.
While Cesar Garcia started the final table as the clear favorite, his path to the trophy wasn’t smooth. It required navigating brutal coolers, surviving aggressive swings, and ultimately winning one of the most dramatic “Straight-over-Straight” hands we have seento close out a tournament.
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Final Table Action: The Road to Heads-Up
The final table was a rapid-fire affair, with chips flying as the blinds escalated.
Nino Pansier was the first major casualty of the short-handed play, falling in 5th place for $340,000. In a classic blind-vs-blind cooler, Cesar Garcia raised the small blind, and Nino Pansier committed his stack from the big blind holding A♣ Q♠ 6♣ 3♠. Garcia woke up with A♠ K♣ 5♦ 2♣. While the 9♠ 6♥ 2♦ flop gave Nino Pansier the lead with a pair of sixes, the turn 7♣ brought a sweat, and the river K♥ delivered Garcia a higher pair of Kings to send the Dutchman to the rail.
Next to go was Sean Rafael in 4th place ($430,000), suffering a brutal beat at the hands of Filip Aleksic. On a flop of 9♠ 8♥ 2♠, Aleksic bet out, and Sean Rafael moved all-in for nearly 2 million chips with A♦ Q♥ 9♦ 4♠ (Top Pair + Nut Flush Draw blockers). Filip Aleksic called with A♠ 8♣ 5♦ 3♥ (Middle Pair). It looked good for Sean Rafael, but the 3♣ on the turn gave Aleksic two pair, and the river J♥ changed nothing.
The three-handed battle didn’t last long. Filip Aleksic, who had been active all day, finally met his end in a blind battle against Gruffudd Pugh-Jones. After Pugh-Jones limped the button, Filip Aleksic shoved his short stack from the small blind with A♦ 9♣ 7♣ 6♣. Both opponents called. The board ran out J♦ J♣ 4♠, and Pugh-Jones bet the turn 7♥ to isolate. He revealed J♠ 9♥ 6♦ 5♠ for flopped trips, leaving Filip Aleksic drawing dead before the river. Aleksic took home $555,000 for his 3rd place run.
The Heads-Up Duel: Garcia vs. Pugh-Jones
The stage was set. Cesar Garcia entered heads-up play as the favorite, but Gruffudd Pugh-Jones was not going down without a fight. The British pro battled hard, eyeing the $840,000 runner-up prize but clearly hungry for the title.
However, the match would end in a hand that will be talked about for the rest of the series.
The Final Hand: A Brutal River Cooler
It started innocently enough. Gruffudd Pugh-Jones limped the button, and Cesar Garcia exercised his option to raise to 1,200,000. Pugh-Jones called, and the dealer spread a flop of: Q♣ 10♠ 5♦
Cesar Garcia fired a continuation bet of 2,800,000. Pugh-Jones made the call. The turn brought the 4♠.
This card ignited the fireworks. Cesar Garcia, holding a massive double straight draw with K♣ J♠ 7♥ 6♣, moved all-in, applying maximum pressure. Gruffudd Pugh-Jones looked down at A♦ J♦ 5♣ 2♠, a pair of fives with a Wheel Draw and a gutshot. With his tournament life on the line, he made the call for his remaining 4,825,000 chips.
The players stood up. The rail held its breath. The river card was the: 3♣
It was the ultimate cooler. The 3♣ completed Gruffudd Pugh-Jones’s Wheel Straight (A-2-3-4-5). He had hit his card.
But in a cruel twist of PLO fate, the same 3♣ also completed Cesar Garcia’s higher 7-high straight (3-4-5-6-7). Both players made a straight on the river, but Garcia’s was one notch higher. Gruffudd Pugh-Jones was eliminated in 2nd place, and Cesar Garcia was crowned the champion.
Onyx High Roller Series $50,000 PLO Grand Slam Payouts:
| Place | Player | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cesar Garcia | $1,200,000 |
| 2 | Gruffudd Pugh-Jones | $840,000 |
| 3 | Filip Aleksic | $555,000 |
| 4 | Sean Rafael | $430,000 |
| 5 | Nino Pansier | $340,000 |
| 6 | Danielle Noja | $265,000 |
| 7 | Espen Myrmo | $210,000 |
| 8 | Laszlo Bujtas | $160,000 |
| 9 | Rob Yong | $160,000 |
| 10 | Carlo van Ravenswoud | $120,000 |
| 11 | Lautaro Guerra | $120,000 |
| 12 | Gergo Nagy | $100,000 |
| 13 | Imad Derwiche | $100,000 |
| 14 | Sergei Nesterenko | $100,000 |
| 15 | Biao Ding | $100,000 |
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With over 12 years of Omaha Poker experience, Lebi is the Head of Content at PLO365. A dedicated PLO specialist, he bridges the gap between complex GTO theory and practical street poker. He leads our review team, stress-testing PLO solvers, HUDs, and training courses to ensure they meet the demands of the modern grinder. When he isn’t auditing poker room RNGs or writing strategy guides, you can find him grinding mid-stakes PLO cash games and Turbo MTTs.
