The €5,200 PLO Grand Slam Prague drew 182 entries and a full €1,000,000 prize pool, but the story of the final day belonged to a player who entered the event with zero live Pot Limit Omaha cashes on his record.
Aleksei Vandyshev, best known for his 2021 WSOP Online Main Event title and a WPT final table run, arrived in Prague as a Hold’em specialist testing himself against elite four-card players. He ended the night holding the Diamond Poker Series trophy and €218,550 after one of the wildest momentum swings of the series.
Final Day: From Aggressor to Short Stack and Back Again
Just 11 players returned for the final day. Early eliminations included Dario Alioto, a three-time Diamond Poker Series champion, followed by Kan Ying, whose pocket aces were cracked when Vandyshev turned a set of kings to burst the final table bubble.
That pot pushed Vandyshev into the lead — and he immediately put it to work. He pushed the table relentlessly, winning a steady stream of pots without showdown and becoming the first player to cross an eight-figure stack. His biggest early breakthrough came when he rivered Broadway against Omar Eljach, who paid off a pot-sized bet and was left short before laddering once more.
But the turning point came five-handed.
The Hand That Nearly Ended Vandyshev’s Run
Aku Joentausta, sitting second in chips, picked up double-suited aces and decided not to three-bet, letting Vandyshev continue his hyper-aggressive line. It was a perfect trap.
The board ran clean for Joentausta, the aces held, and the entire tournament flipped upside down. Vandyshev went from runaway leader to short stack, while Joentausta suddenly held over half the chips in play.
“That was a huge tragedy,” Vandyshev said afterward. “Aku found very good aces and just called preflop… I lost and became short. A huge punch for me.”
Yet he stayed composed.
“It was tough, but I was already happy for being on the final table. I was pretty calm.”
Joentausta Takes Over — Until He Doesn’t
Once in command, Joentausta closed quickly. He knocked out Cesar Garcia in fourth and dispatched Juha Helppi in third, entering heads-up with a massive 6:1 chip lead.
With Vandyshev extremely short, it looked like a formality.
But PLO rarely follows scripts.
Vandyshev doubled after hitting an open-ended straight draw on the river, then clawed back further by picking off a bluff from Joentausta. Every time Joentausta threatened to regain momentum, Vandyshev accelerated again, leaning back into the fearless aggression that defined his early run.
The stacks eventually flipped — and the comeback was complete.
The Final Hand: Broadway for the Win
Final Hand Breakdown (from PokerNews):
- Joentausta limped the button
- Vandyshev raised to 750,000 from the big blind
- Joentausta called
Flop: Q♠ 6♦ K♥
Vandyshev bet 1,000,000, Joentausta called.
Turn: 4♣
Vandyshev fired 3,750,000.
Joentausta potted to 11,225,000.
Vandyshev shoved, covering.
Joentausta called for his tournament life.
Hands Revealed:
• Aku Joentausta: Q♥ 7♥ 6♥ 2♣ — two pair
• Aleksei Vandyshev: J♠ 10♦ 8♥ 7♠ — straight draw and gutshot
River: A♦
The Broadway straight arrived, sealing the title and completing one of the most unlikely turnarounds of the series.
Winner’s Reaction
Moments later, Vandyshev jumped straight into the €10,300 Championship event but paused long enough to reflect:
“I have not many words. There was a little bit of stress heads-up. I was a very tiny stack. But I came back, and won. I am an amateur in PLO. There’s more fun in this game… Today I got lucky, and that proves everybody can win.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksei Vandyshev | Russian Federation | € 218,550 |
| 2 | Aku Joentausta | Finland | € 148,500 |
| 3 | Juha Helppi | Finland | € 98,700 |
| 4 | Cesar Garcia | Spain | € 80,840 |
| 5 | Sampo Ryynanen | Finland | € 64,680 |
| 6 | Sebestyen Balint | Hungary | € 50,290 |
| 7 | Omar Eljach | Sweden | € 37,220 |
| 8 | Carlo van Ravenswoud | Netherlands | € 27,350 |
| 9 | Veselin Karakitukov | Bulgaria | € 21,810 |
A New Omaha Contender?
For a player who openly calls himself an “amateur in PLO,” Vandyshev outplayed a field full of specialists and decorated champions. His comeback against one of Finland’s toughest PLO competitors underscores the blend of instinct, courage, and variance that defines high-level four-card poker.
Whether he becomes a true fixture on the PLO circuit remains to be seen, but his first Omaha cash is now a six-figure trophy win.
And in the PLO world, that’s one hell of a debut.
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.
