Veselin Karakitukov did it the hard way. He arrived at the final table as chip leader, got dragged into the blender three‑handed by an on‑fire Joao Simao, fell behind nearly 3‑to‑1 heads‑up… and then ripped off a clean comeback for $348,300, 279 PGT points, and the trophy. Classic Pot Limit Omaha whiplash, handled like a pro.
Quick Recap
PGT PLO Series II — Event #7: $15,100 Pot-Limit Omaha
Entrants: 86 | Prize Pool: $1,290,000 | 1st: $348,300 | Places Paid: 13
Final Table Action
Chino Rheem Eliminated in 6th Place ($64,500)
Sean Rafael potted to 210,000 on the button. Chino Rheem, short in the small blind, called all‑in for 145,000. Matthew Wantman over‑called from the big blind.
Flop J♣ J♥ 6♦ — Wantman checked, Rafael bet 100,000, Wantman folded.
- Rheem: K♣ Q♦ 9♦ 5♠
- Rafael: A♣ 6♥ 2♥ 2♦
Turn: 2♠ (Rafael fills up) — River: J♦. Rheem is out in sixth for $64,500 and 52 PGT points.
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Matthew Wantman Eliminated in 5th Place ($90,300)
Wantman potted the button to 210,000 with 150,000 behind, and Joao Simao defended from the big blind.
Flop 4♦ 2♣ 2♠ — check from Simao; Wantman moved in, Simao snap‑called.
- Wantman: A♣ A♠ A♥ 8♥
- Simao: J♠ 9♣ 8♣ 2♦ (flopped trips)
“I thought I had the perfect flop,” Wantman sighed when he saw the deuce. Turn: 8♠ (Simao makes eights full), River: K♣. The back‑to‑back FT run ends in 5th for $90,300 and 72 PGT points. PLO can be rude like that.
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Sean Rafael Eliminated in 4th Place ($116,100)
Veselin Karakitukov opened 350,000 UTG. Sean Rafael defended the big blind with 425,000 back.
Flop Q♦ J♦ 7♠ — check, 400,000 from Karakitukov, call from Rafael.
Turn: 5♠ — check/call pot control.
River: A♦ — Rafael tabled K♥ 4♥ Jx (pair of jacks), but Karakitukov showed A♥ T♠ 9♠ 6♦ to pip him with aces.
Next hand, Joni Jouhkimainen limped the button. Rafael was all‑in for 25,000 from the small blind, Karakitukov checked big blind. Board ran A♥ Q♣ 8♥ T♦ 6♣, checked to the river; bet 150,000 from Jouhkimainen, fold from Karakitukov.
- Rafael: K♦ K♥ T♠ T♣
- Jouhkimainen: J♥ 9♠ 8♣ 7♣
Jouhkimainen turned the queen‑high straight and held to bust Rafael in 4th for $116,100 and 93 PGT points.
Joni Jouhkimainen Eliminated in 3rd Place ($161,300)
Simao raised the button to 250,000, Jouhkimainen potted to 850,000 from the small blind, Simao called.
Flop 8♥ 4♠ 7♣ — Jouhkimainen jammed ~1,200,000, Simao called.
- Jouhkimainen: K♠ K♥ 6♥ 2♥ (kings + backdoors)
- Simao: K♦ J♦ T♥ 9♣ (wrap potential)
Turn: T♦ — Simao turns the straight, leaving Joni dead. River: Q♠. The Finn exits 3rd for $161,300 and 129 PGT points, and Simao takes a nearly 3:1 heads‑up lead.
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Heads‑Up: Simao Surges, Veselin Snaps Back
It started with Simao bulldozing three‑handed and carrying the stack into HU. Then Veselin put his foot down and didn’t miss.
- Hand 1 (All‑in on the turn, quads on the river): With the board Q♣ 7♥ 6♠ 4♣, stacks went in. Simao tabled A♠ A♦ (side cards not shown). Karakitukov turned over A♥ 8♥ 4♥ 4♠ — a set of fours. River was the last four, and Veselin vaulted into the lead with quads.
- Hand 2 (Draw‑heavy flop, aces fade): Now shallow, Simao briefly edged back, only for Veselin to rip 3,625,000 effective on K♠ 7♠ 8♦ with A♣ A♦ (side cards not shown). Simao called with top pair + spade draw, but bricks on turn and river put Simao on the ropes.
- The closer: Veselin’s Q♦ T♥ 7♦ 5♥ coolered Simao’s K♥ 8♠ 6♣ 4♣ on Q♣ 2♣ 6♦ 5♠ Q♠ for a full house and the win. That’s how you land the plane.
Event #7: $15,100 Pot‑Limit Omaha — Final Table Payouts
| Place | Name | Country | PGT Points | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veselin Karakitukov | Russia | 279 | $348,300 |
| 2 | Joao Simao | Brazil | 181 | $225,800 |
| 3 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | 129 | $161,300 |
| 4 | Sean Rafael | United States | 93 | $116,100 |
| 5 | Matthew Wantman | United States | 72 | $90,300 |
| 6 | Chino Rheem | United States | 52 | $64,500 |
About Veselin Karakitukov
A high‑stakes PLO regular, Karakitukov has $3.8M+ in live tournament earnings with a best live cash of $868,220, per The Hendon Mob. His 2025 ledger already shows fresh PLO results on the European circuit (including EPT Malta), and he’s stacked a steady stream of four‑card scores over the past several seasons.
Karakitukov has also logged multiple WSOP cashes across mixed and Omaha formats, reinforcing the obvious: he’s not a “run hot for one week” guy — he’s a consistent four‑card problem who converts deep runs into podiums.
Takeaways
- Variance happens. Discipline wins. Heads‑up started ugly for Veselin; he stuck to clean, commit‑worthy spots and let the deck cooperate.
- Rundowns vs. pairs: Three‑handed, wraps + pressure beat lone pairs. Simao’s K♦ J♦ T♥ 9♣ turning the straight vs. K‑K‑x‑x is the PLO meta in one hand.
- Don’t overvalue bare aces in shallow, dynamic spots. If you can’t protect equity or deny redraws, aces can feel like a bluff‑catcher.
- Elite PLO isn’t a sideshow anymore. 86 entries at $15.1k says there’s a real ecosystem here, growing and sharpening every series.
As a PLO enthusiast with nearly 12 years of experience, I’m passionate about breaking down the complexities of Pot Limit Omaha, helping you sharpen your strategy and grow your bankroll – no matter your current level. I also share exclusive bonus and rakeback deals, along with discounts on poker courses and tools, so you can get an extra edge. When I’m not writing, you’ll usually find me online, playing PLO cash games and turbo MTTs.
