The PGT 2024 Super High Roller Series is currently underway at Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Spa in North Cyprus and has already crowned two winners. It was Roman Hrabec who secured victory in Event #1: $25,750 No-Limit Hold’em (8-Max) to claim his first PGT title and third victory of 2024. His two other victories this year include winning the Triton Jeju $100k Main Event for $4,330,000 and the 2024 WSOP $333 No-Limit Hold’em Triple Treys online event for $100,228 and his first bracelet.
A former professional hockey player, Roman Hrabec overcame a star-studded field of 39 entries in the $25,750 buy-in kick off event, earning an impressive $316,000 and taking his live earnings to more than $8,674,000. Now he trails only Martin Kabrhel on the Czech Republic All-Time Money List.
Finishing runner-up to Hrabec in this event was none other than India’s high-roller sensation Santhosh Suvarna who walked away with $220,000, bolstering his career earnings to more than $13.9 million.
Currently ranked on 1st on India’s All Time Money list, Suvarna is no stranger to big scores. He had a historic run at the recent WSOP. He not only won the first Super High Roller title for India but also ended up the series as the second highest earner with $6,055,453 in prize money. The largest chunk of his earnings came from the Super High Roller where he bested Ben Tollerene in heads-up to earn a whopping $5.415 million – the biggest score achieved by an Indian in live poker tournament history.
Super High Roller Series Event #1: $25,750 No-Limit Hold’em Quick Recap
This kickoff event of the 2024 Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) Series at Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in Cyprus generated a $955,500 prize pool, with only the top six finishers making the money.
Only eight players returned to the final day with Norway’s Kayhan Mokri in the lead. Dejan Kaladjurdjevic became the first player to exit on the final day, setting the stage for intense bubble play. Despite being the shortest stack on the money bubble, Hrabec managed to navigate his way through, doubling up with pocket eights against Mokri’s king-queen before Brian Kim exited as the bubble boy when his pocket nines ran into Suvarna’s pocket tens. After that hand, Suvarna moved into the chip lead, which did not last long as Leonard Maue quickly seized control, picking off Mokri’s king-high bluff with just a third pair.
Bracelet winner Sam Greenwood scored the first elimination by knocking out Maksim Vaskresenski (6th – $62,000. Despite scoring the elimination, Sam Greenwood was the next player to fall as his jack-ten couldn’t overcome Mokri’s ace-jack, ending his tournament life in fifth place ($83,000).
Germany’s Leonard Maue was the next player to fall after losing a race with Q-J against the pocket fives of two-time bracelet winner Santhosh Suvarna. Maue earned $116,500 for his fourth-place finish.
Suvarna continued his momentum and eliminated Kayhan Mokri in third place ($158,000) to enter the heads-up against the eventual champion Roman Hrabec.
Heads-up play began with Hrabec holding more than a 2:1 lead over Suvarna. After a back-and-forth battle, it all ended, when on the final hand, Suvarna pitted A-2 against the pocket kings of Hrabec. Suvarna flopped a deuce but improved no further. He earned $220,000 as the runner up.
You can watch the complete replay of the final day action on PokerGo’s YouTube channel.
Super High Roller Series Event #1: $25,750 No-Limit Hold’em Payouts (USD)
1-Roman Hrabec – $316,000
2-Santhosh Suvarna – $220,000
3-Kayhan Mokri – $158,000
4-Leonard Maue – $116,500
5-Sam Greenwood – $83,000
6-Maksim Vaskresenski – $62,000
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Image Credit: PokerGo/PGT
