SPAIN CLAIMS ANOTHER PLO TITLE AS LAUTARO GUERRA RACES TO BOUNTY QUATTRO WIN

Champion Lautaro Guerra!

We have grown accustomed over recent years on the Triton Super High Roller Series to lauding Finnish players as the wizards of pot-limit Omaha. But their time is done. We are living in the Spanish era.

Less than 15 hours after Sergio Martinez stood on the main stage at Triton Jeju and collected the PLO Main Event title, his countryman Lautaro Guerra occupied the same spot and took down the $30,000 PLO Bounty Quattro event for $783,000.

When you add the fact that Tom Bedell, the first PLO winner of this trip, lives in Madrid, this is a fairly comprehensive takeover from the conquistadors.

Of Guerra’s total payout, $280,000 came in bounty payments, representing just how dominant his victory was in this event. He knocked out six opponents, including three in the final three hands of the tournament, taking us from four-handed to a winner in the blink of an eye.

The tournament was, by that point, remarkably shallow, but it’s still amazing to see three consecutive eliminations in as many hands. Guerra got to keep his own bounty too, as well as the top prize, and adds one more famous success to his resume.

Ali Nejad, left, congratulates Lautaro Guerra

“There are many other nationalities that are doing well,” Guerra said, when asked why the Spanish have become so good at PLO. “We are just one more.” But with a huge smile, he added, “We’re having a good time!” And as he got his hands on a massive cheque and another trophy, it was easy to see why.

Guerra won a $100K PLO event in the Bahamas in January, where he defeated many of the same players he met in this tournament here in Jeju. But he made short work of even superstars like Nacho Barbero, Stephen Chidwick, Danny Tang, Gavin Andreanoff, Alex Foxen and Sam Greenwood — holders of a combined 13 Triton titles — to claim his first.

It had been a marathon last night, when Martinez completed his victory at around 4am. It was only just 6pm by the time Guerra had locked up his.

A 6pm finish thanks to Lautaro Guerra’s incredible run

TOURNAMENT ACTION

The starting field of precisely 100 entries gave some neatly rounded calculations: the total prize pool was $3 million, of which $1 million was in the bounty pool and $2 million went into the main pool. Bounties kicked in when 25 players were left; the money bubble was at 17.

Nobody likes bubbling, but could you fold top full house to ensure getting into the money? Paul Phua can. With 18 left Phua was looking at a board of 6c6d2hKh6h and was facing a huge river bet from Andras Nemeth, which was more than what he had behind.

Phua said he had pocket kings, but tossed his hand away. Nemeth did the decent thing and showed that he had the case six, i.e. quads. What a great fold.

The unfortunate player who ended up bursting the bubble instead of the boss was China’s Lian Zhang. In a single raised pot, Lian flopped top pair, as well as a straight-flush draw, holding JdAh5hTd on a flop of 4h5d2h.

Lian Zhang bubbles after Paul Phua survived

His last chips went in against Lautaro Guerra, who also had a flush draw, straight draw and a lower pair. The Qs turn changed nothing but the 3d river filled Guerra’s straight.

That sent Lian home without cashing and brought the rest back the next day to play toward a final table.

Alex Foxen led the field overnight, and he duly converted that lead into a seat at the final. But there was a significant shake-up across the board, with some of the overnight shorties, including Gavin Andreanoff and Stephen Chidwick, also building stacks to join Foxen at the final, while others including Ike Haxton, Phil Ivey and Shi Ning Dan tumbled out.

Shi’s departure in eighth confirmed the final table line up, as follows:

Sam Greenwood — 4,795,000 (38 BBs)
Gavin Andreanoff — 3,805,000 (30 BBs)
Alex Foxen — 3,375,000 (27 BBs)
Lautaro Guerra — 3,110,000 (25 BBs)
Danny Tang — 2,480,000 (20 BBs)
Stephen Chidwick — 1,435,000 (11 BBs)
Nacho Barbero — 1,000,000 (8 BBs)

Event 17 final table players (clockwise from back left): Nacho Barbero, Sam Greenwood, Danny Tang, Lautaro Guerra, Alex Foxen, Stephen Chidwick, Gavin Andreanoff

At this point, Gavin Andreanoff had picked up the most bounties — four already, which would translate into at least $160,000 extra when he cashed out — but everyone will have been eyeing Nacho Barbero’s eight-blind stack, plus the $40,000 bounty he had.

It was on the very first hand of final-table play when its destination was decided: Nacho opened Kh9h9s3s and called all-in after Foxen three-bet AcKcQh6h. There wasn’t much exciting on the board, but a queen and a six were enough to lock it up for Foxen.

Barbero won $89,000 for seventh, and didn’t have any bounties.

Nacho Barbero bust on the first hand from the final

Chidwick had had the next shortest stack heading to the final, but doubled through Foxen to move into the middle of the pack. However, this was a short-lived boost because Chidwick then got involved in another confrontation with Foxen that ended with him on the rail.

Chidwick had JhJcTdTh and raise/called Foxen’s three-bet pre-flop. Chidwick’s hand was pretty, but Foxen had double suited aces — AhAs9h5s — which meant he was still ahead after the KcQc5d flop.

Foxen bet and Chidwick called all in with his straight draw. But he missed after the Ks8c turn and river. He earned $116,000 for sixth and added another $40K for one bounty.

Stephen Chidwick deposits his last chips in the middle

This was already shaping up to be another very shallow final table, with the average stack between five players sitting at 13 big blinds. Foxen had the most, with 24, but it was another of those situations where any significant pot likely changed the chip lead.

At the other end of the counts, both Danny Tang and Gavin Andreanoff were sitting with five blinds apiece — and they knew they needed to get them moving. Tang was the first to find himself under threat. And Tang was the next to bust. His chips went in with AdQh8s5d and Guerra put him at risk with KsQs9c6s.

A king on the flop left Tang bellowing for an ace. But it never came and the five-time champion Tang departed in fifth, winning $147,000, plus $40,000 for his single bounty.

The tournament went on a break and when they returned Guerra had 31 blinds but his three opponents had only 19 combined. But even so, what happened next was incredible.

Andreanoff only had two blinds, and they were in immediately. They never came back. Andreanoff’s AhQhTc4h lost to Guerra’s Ad7d6s4d when Guerra made a straight.

Andreanoff won $303,000, including $120,000 for his three bounties.

Gavin Andreanoff departs after another deep run

Foxen lasted only one hand longer. He had red aces on his last hand, but this time Guerra’s KcJsTs6h flopped a flush. (They bet on all streets, with Foxen also hitting his set of aces. But it wasn’t good enough.)

Foxen won $341,000 including $120,000 for three bounties.

Alex Foxen having fun despite the carnage

They reset the stage for heads up, but with Guerra sitting with 45 blinds and Greenwood only 5, this might not last too long. In fact, it lasted only one more hand, completing this startling three-from-three run.

Greenwood’s Td9d6c5c lost to Guerra’s KsKcTc4h. And just like that — bang, bang, bang — this tournament was done.

Sam Greenwood couldn’t stop the Spanish momentum heads-up

After a 4am finish to the Main Event yesterday, this tournament finished just after 6pm. There were four players left four hands before, but then there was only one.

RESULTS

Event #17 – $30,000 PLO Bounty Quattro
Dates: March 12-13, 2025
Entries: 100 (inc. 55 re-entries)
Prize pool: $3,000,000 (inc. $1 million in bounties)

1 – Lautaro Guerra, Spain – $783,000 (inc. $280,000 in bounties)
2 – Sam Greenwood, Canada – $380,000 (inc. $40,000 in bounties)
3 – Alex Foxen, USA – $381,000 (inc. $160,000 in bounties)
4 – Gavin Andreanoff, UK – $343,000 (inc. $160,000 in bounties)
5 – Danny Tang, Hong Kong – $187,000 (inc. $40,000 in bounties)
6 – Stephen Chidwick, UK – $156,000 (inc. $40,000 in bounties)
7 – Nacho Barbero, Argentina – $89,000
8 – Shi Ning Dan, China – $67,000
9 – Daniel Geeng, USA – $90,000 (inc. $40,000 in bounties)
10 – Phil Ivey, USA – $41,000
=11 – Andras Nemeth, Hungary – $78,500 (inc. $40,000 in bounties)
=11 – Eelis Parssinen, Finland – $58,500 (inc. $20,000 in bounties)
13 – Wai Kin Yong, Malaysia – $76,000 (inc. $40,000 in bounties)
14 – Chance Kornuth, USA – $153,000 (inc. $120,000 in bounties)
15 – Paul Phua, Malaysia – $33,000
16 – Isaac Haxton, USA – $32,000
17 – Artur Martirosian, Russia – $52,000 (inc. $20,000 in bounties)