Onyx High Roller Series: Vaskaboinikau and Vaitekunas Steal the Festival Finale

The Winner Almost Missed the Tournament

The most expensive event of the series was the $50,500 Championship, won by a player who nearly didn’t play at all. Belarusian player Mikalai Vaskaboinikau had to sprint to make it in time for the final two minutes of late registration.

Although he started the final day on shaky ground and fell to a short stack after a failed bluff against Ponakovs, he managed to claw his way back and eventually overcame Alexey Borovkov in a heads-up showdown.

The tournament saw a total of 18 entries, creating a prizepool of $864,000. The unluckiest player of the day was Mikita Badziakouski, who went out on the money bubble after a series of unfortunate hands, while the remaining three players secured at least $164,000 each.

After his victory, Vaskaboinikau appreciated not just the trophy he added to his collection but also the venue's hospitality: “I appreciate the free food... you need to save a little in life,” he joked after pocketing $450,000.

Results of the $50,500 Onyx High Roller Championship:

Paulius Vaitekunas’ Lightning Triumph

For anyone looking for a definition of efficiency, Paulius Vaitekunas demonstrated it perfectly in the $10,200 Bounty tournament. The Lithuanian player entered in the fourth level and just three hours later was posing with the trophy. With a modest participation of 7 entries, the tournament’s prizepool was set at $32,200, played out on a winner-takes-all basis.

Thanks to his aggressive play, Vaitekunas eliminated three opponents, adding another $15,000 in bounty rewards to the main prize, walking away with a total of $52,200 including his own saved bounty.

“It was probably the fastest live tournament I’ve ever played,” admitted the winner, whose success was also aided by his experience in the online Spin & Go format. In the concluding heads-up, he dashed the hopes of Aleksandr Kirichenko, who unsuccessfully attempted a bluff in a crucial hand, while Vaitekunas hit two pairs.

Results of the $10,200 Onyx Bounty:

Sources: Flickr, YouTube