Eelis Parssinen Wins WSOP $25K PLO Bracelet

Eelis Parssinen wins the WSOP $25,000 PLO bracelet and strengthens his elite status

Eelis Parssinen has officially added another major line to an already impressive poker résumé. The Finnish high-stakes specialist conquered the 2026 World Series of Poker $25,000 pot-limit Omaha eight-max event, outlasting a 451-entry field to claim $2,161,056 and his second career WSOP bracelet.

That kind of result matters far beyond the trophy photo. In a game like PLO, where equities run close, stack sizes swing fast, and one street can completely reshape the hand, winning a marquee event at this buy-in level is a statement about both skill and endurance. For players following the biggest live series, it is also a reminder that the top of the Omaha food chain is still fiercely competitive.

Parssinen’s latest score is the kind of performance that resonates across the poker ecosystem. Whether you study big-field events in poker rooms, grind live circuits through poker clubs, or build your game through poker school, this is the sort of result that shows what deep specialization in one format can produce.

A second WSOP bracelet and another massive PLO payday

This was not Parssinen’s first major breakthrough in the game. His first WSOP bracelet came in 2021 in a $5,000 mixed no-limit hold’em/PLO event, and his resume already included a career-best PLO score from 2024, when he won the Triton Monte Carlo $100,000 buy-in PLO event for $2,270,000.

The new victory became his second multi-million-dollar result in PLO and the second-largest payday of his career. More importantly, it pushed his lifetime earnings to nearly $22.6 million, with more than $12 million earned in PLO alone. That is a meaningful split: it shows a player whose edge is not generic, but deeply tied to one of poker’s most technical formats.

The win also vaulted Parssinen to the top of the all-time PLO money list, passing Lautaro Guerra’s $10.9 million mark. In practical terms, that means the WSOP title changed not only his season, but the historical leaderboard for the discipline itself.

For players trying to improve, especially those coming up through promotions & bonuses or working with a poker agent, Parssinen’s path is a useful case study. In PLO, raw aggression is not enough. You need board texture awareness, blocker logic, and the ability to navigate high-variance spots without losing strategic discipline.

The heads-up swing that decided the title

The heads-up battle did not begin with Parssinen in control. In fact, he was trailing early, which makes the comeback even more impressive. The match turned on a brutal cooler that is almost a textbook example of why PLO is so volatile at the highest level.

Levon Khachatryan opened to three big blinds from the button holding K♥K♦10♣5♦, and Parssinen defended the big blind with K♠Q♣9♠9♥. The flop came K♣9♣9♦, creating one of the most explosive boards imaginable. Parssinen checked his quads, while Khachatryan bet 1,200,000 into 4,200,000 with kings full.

Parssinen called, then checked again on the 4♥ turn. Khachatryan checked back, and the J♦ completed the board. Parssinen led for 3,600,000, Khachatryan raised to 12,000,000, and Parssinen shoved for 13,900,000 total. The call came quickly. Just like that, the momentum and the chip lead flipped.

In PLO, a hand like this is more than a cooler. It is also a reminder that even when the nuts are not changing dramatically, betting lines and blocker effects still shape how often a value hand can survive under pressure. Once Parssinen seized the lead, he never really let it go.

Major final-table pots at the WSOP $25,000 PLO event

The final table featured several more heavyweight clashes, and Parssinen was at the center of nearly all of them. The field was packed with elite Omaha regulars and high-stakes all-rounders, which made every all-in feel like a potential title decider.

One of the biggest pots came against Richard Gryko, a bracelet winner who had recently captured the Triton Montenegro $75,000 PLO six-max title. Gryko moved in preflop with K♠K♣9♥8♥, while Parssinen called with Q♦Q♣10♦4♣. The board ran Q♠5♥4♥A♠A♦, giving Parssinen queens full of aces and sending Gryko out in eighth place for $203,027.

Parssinen then found himself in another massive preflop showdown, this time against Alex Foxen, who had just won the $10,000 no-limit hold’em super turbo bounty event. Parssinen held A♠A♦7♥7♦ against Foxen’s A♣A♥Q♦2♣. The 7♣5♦3♦ flop gave Parssinen top set and the nut flush draw, and the 6♦ turn effectively sealed the pot. The 4♥ river was a formality, and the chips went Parssinen’s way.

Foxen was left with fewer than two big blinds after the blow. He briefly doubled when he flopped top set to crack Sergio Martinez Gonzalez’s pocket aces, but he could not complete the comeback. His Q♣10♣9♣6♣ eventually ran into A♠Q♠8♠4♣ and his run ended short of the final stages.

Why this WSOP PLO win matters for players and the game

From an industry perspective, this result says a lot about where modern high-stakes Omaha sits right now.

• Parssinen now leads the all-time PLO money list.
• He earned 2,520 Card Player Player of the Year points and moved into fourth place in the 2026 POY race.
• He also banked 800 PokerGO Tour points, which lifted him to 12th in the season-long PGT standings.

Those rankings matter because they show how a single marquee score can influence both prestige and year-long race dynamics. In fields this strong, every final-table finish has outsized value, and the best players are often the ones who can convert one major edge spot into a title.

There is also a broader lesson for anyone studying the game seriously. PLO rewards players who understand variance instead of fearing it. The best Omaha specialists are not simply running hot; they are making high-quality decisions in the kinds of spots where one pair is rarely enough, and where redraws, blockers, and stack depth change everything.

For players building a long-term path, the message is simple: study deeply, pick the right format, and keep improving your postflop game. That is how elite professionals turn difficult structures into career-defining results.

Final thoughts on Parssinen’s WSOP triumph

Eelis Parssinen’s $25,000 PLO victory at the 2026 WSOP is more than another headline win. It is a confirmation of his status as one of the most accomplished Omaha tournament players in the world.

He captured his second bracelet, added more than $2.1 million to his bankroll, moved to the top of the all-time PLO earnings chart, and strengthened his position in both the POY and PGT races. Just as important, he did it in a format that punishes mistakes and rewards precision.

For poker fans and players alike, this is a reminder that the biggest edges in PLO come from preparation, patience, and the ability to stay composed when the deck produces dramatic swings. Parssinen did exactly that, and the result was a title that will stand out for a long time.

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