Sean Rafael Wins $1.15M in Super High Roller Bowl PLO

Jonathan Rodriguez

Written by: Jonathan Rodriguez

Published: Thu Oct 08, 2026, 7:00 am ET

Read Time: 3 minutes

Sean Rafael Wins $1.15M in Super High Roller Bowl PLO

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Sean Rafael has captured the 2026 Super High Roller Bowl PLO IV title for $1.15 million. He defeated a 32-entry field in the $100,000 buy-in event at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.

The victory delivered Rafael's first seven-figure tournament score. It also marked his second PGT title and awarded him 400 PGT points. The tournament generated a $3.2 million prize pool.

Rafael entered the second day with 804,000 chips, sitting fifth among the remaining players. However, a pivotal three-way pot against Jesse Lonis and Youness Barakat quickly changed his position.

Rafael held a set of tens during the massive all-in. The turn improved him to a full house, allowing him to eliminate Lonis and double through Barakat. He continued building his stack as the field approached the money.

The money bubble lasted for roughly five hours. Rafael eventually eliminated Barakat in seventh place, securing the remaining players a minimum $190,000 payout.

Rafael then carried his momentum into the final six. He bagged 4.905 million chips, more than half of the chips remaining in play. João Simão held 1.415 million, while Lautaro Guerra followed with 1.125 million.

Rafael Controls the Final Table

Rafael maintained his commanding position when final-table action resumed. He first eliminated Cesar Garcia in sixth place for $190,000.

Guerra followed in fifth for $255,000 before Rafael helped send Talal Shakerchi to the rail. Shakerchi collected $350,000 for his fourth-place finish.

Richard Gryko then reached the final stages alongside Rafael and Simão. Gryko ultimately finished third for $480,000, leaving Rafael heads-up against Simão.

The Final Hand

On the final hand, the chips got in on a 9♦4♦4♣6♣ board. Simão's A♦K♥5♥4♥ was ahead of Rafael's A♣7♣7♠6♦ with one card to come, but Rafael still had a 27.5% chance to close out the tournament.

The 9♣ completed Rafael's flush, and Simão was out in second place ($775,000).

The river card completed Rafael's dramatic comeback in the final pot. Simão therefore settled for the runner-up prize after mounting a challenge during heads-up play.

Super High Roller Bowl PLO IV Results

Place Player Prize
1st Sean Rafael $1,150,000
2nd João Simão $775,000
3rd Richard Gryko $480,000
4th Talal Shakerchi $350,000
5th Lautaro Guerra $255,000
6th Cesar Garcia $190,000

Rafael Calls for More US PLO Events

Beyond the financial reward, Rafael used his victory to highlight the limited live PLO schedule in the United States.

"We need more," Rafael said. "We definitely need more, especially in the U.S. Usually I have to travel pretty far to get my live tournament fix. We could do a lot better. I think [PLO] is a great tournament game, and I think there's a market for more mid-stakes PLO."

Rafael has spent recent years competing across the international PLO tournament circuit. His latest victory could strengthen his case for a broader live schedule.

The result also adds another major accomplishment to Rafael's growing tournament résumé. His career earnings now sit at roughly $7.9 million.

For players following the broader poker landscape, the result highlights the continued appeal of high-stakes Pot-Limit Omaha. It also comes as interest remains strong across live poker and US online poker sites.

Rafael's victory caps a dominant run through one of the year's biggest PLO events. He now leaves Las Vegas with the title, $1.15 million, and another major PGT accomplishment.

Jonathan Rodriguez
Jonathan Rodriguez

Jonathan is an avid basketball fan, and is often looking forward to the next upcoming NBA season when not checking players' stats during games. He also likes to keep his ears on the ground for the latest rumblings in the online casino industry.

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