Jonas Kronwitter Wins PGT PLO Series After Near Miss

Jonas Kronwitter finally turns a deep run into a title

Less than a week after falling just short of his first PokerGO Tour trophy, Jonas Kronwitter came back to the PGT PLO Series with unfinished business. The Austrian player entered Event No. 5 determined to convert another deep run into a win, and this time he did exactly that. Kronwitter outlasted a 63-entry field packed with elite Pot-Limit Omaha regulars to claim his first PGT title and the $201,600 top prize.

That kind of breakout matters in a high-stakes environment. In PLO, where equity swings are massive and the best players constantly battle through thin edges, winning a title is often as much about resilience as it is about cards. Kronwitter had already shown that he could navigate the pressure; now he has the trophy to match it.

Across four cashes at this stop, Kronwitter added nearly $308,000, pushing his career earnings to almost $4.3 million. For a player building a larger reputation on the live circuit, this is the type of result that changes how the field views him.

Why Event No. 5 stood out in the PGT PLO Series

The fifth event in the series featured $630,000 in prize money and delivered the kind of action PLO fans expect: big draws, big pots, and constant pressure on every street. It took nearly 15 levels to reach the money bubble, and once the field got close to the payouts, the pace only intensified.

Pot-Limit Omaha is a format where hand values can look deceptively strong and then collapse a street later. That makes tournament management especially important. Players need to balance aggression with survival, because one misread can cost an entire stack when blockers, redraws, and wrap potential are all in play.

The final table path included a number of notable names, and Kronwitter’s stack management allowed him to stay in control while others were forced into uncomfortable spots.

Players who fell before the final showdown

• Nino Pansier — 9th, $18,900
• Joao Simao — 8th, $25,200
• Chino Rheem — 7th, $25,200
• Dylan Linde — 6th, $34,650

That level of competition is exactly why PGT PLO Series events carry so much weight. When world-class tournament pros and PLO specialists collide, every decision is magnified.

Richard Gryko’s back-to-back runner-up finishes

If Kronwitter’s win was the headline, Richard Gryko’s run was the storyline that kept the final day tense. The WSOP bracelet winner and multiple Triton Super High Roller champion finished runner-up again, adding $126,000 to the $100,400 he earned a day earlier in the $10,000 quattro bounty event.

Back-to-back second-place finishes are frustrating, but they also underline just how well Gryko is playing. He was repeatedly in the mix, repeatedly making deep runs, and repeatedly putting himself in position to win. His lifetime tournament earnings now sit above $10.6 million.

For tournament players, this is a reminder that results can be brutally short-term in PLO. A strong strategy does not always show up as a trophy, especially when the format’s variance is so high.

The key hands that shaped the final day

Kronwitter entered the final day with momentum, and the eliminations came quickly once the field was down to the business end. Jeremy Druckman was among the first major casualties, as Kronwitter’s set of eights held up against Druckman’s top two pair, jacks and nines, good for a fourth-place payout of $63,000.

Moments later, Kronwitter also got the better of Jiyang Gan in a hand that showcased exactly why PLO is so volatile. On an A♠ Q♣ 6♣ board, Kronwitter held A♣ 9♠ 9♥ 4♣ for top pair and the nut flush draw. Gan’s J♠ 10♣ 9♦ 3♣ had real equity, but he needed precise runouts to survive.

The K♥ turn gave Gan a breath of hope, but the 8♣ river completed Kronwitter’s flush and sent Gan out in third place for $88,200.

That left one final obstacle: Gryko.

How the heads-up battle was decided

The last major pot began with a pot-sized raise from Gryko and a call from Kronwitter. On the J♦ 8♥ 5♥ flop, Kronwitter checked, Gryko bet 275,000, and Kronwitter responded with a pot-sized raise. Gryko moved all-in, and Kronwitter quickly called.

Gryko tabled A♠ J♠ 8♣ 4♣, while Kronwitter showed K♥ J♥ 8♠ 7♣. At that point the hands were essentially tied with the same two pair, but Kronwitter had the crucial heart flush draw. The A♥ turn delivered it immediately, flipping the hand in his favor and leaving Gryko needing a narrow set of redraws. The 2♦ river changed nothing, and Kronwitter closed out the championship.

This was a classic PLO finish: same-made hands, huge redraw equity, and a final card that decided everything. It is exactly the kind of drama that keeps fans glued to poker rooms and to high-stakes Omaha coverage.

Expert analysis: what Kronwitter’s win says about modern PLO

Kronwitter’s victory is important beyond the trophy itself. It highlights the core truth of modern Pot-Limit Omaha: players who combine technical accuracy with emotional control tend to survive the longest in elite fields.

• Stack depth matters enormously in PLO, because postflop leverage creates more ways to pressure opponents.
• Nut draws are king. Strong made hands can disappear quickly if they are vulnerable to better redraws.
• Variance is unavoidable, which means bankroll discipline and mental stability are essential.
• Players studying through poker school content can learn a lot from how the final day rewarded patience, aggression, and runout awareness.

From an industry perspective, the result also reinforces why PLO continues to grow in prestige. It attracts the most technically capable players, creates dramatic swings for viewers, and rewards those who can make high-level decisions under pressure. For anyone grinding high-stakes tournaments, this event is a useful case study in how quickly a PLO final table can turn.

Series implications and what comes next

With the win, Kronwitter moved to the top of the 2026 PGT PLO Series player-of-the-series standings, while Gryko sits in second. The eventual player of the series will receive a $10,000 PGT passport toward future high-stakes tour events, adding another layer of value to every deep run.

In the broader 2026 POY race, Kronwitter now has 1,808 points and sits just outside the top 250, while Gryko’s runner-up finish puts him 82nd. Youness Barakat moved to 55th after his fifth-place result, and Chino Rheem climbed to 33rd.

For players watching these events closely, the takeaway is simple: PGT PLO Series success comes from more than one hot runout. It takes structure, discipline, and the ability to keep making correct decisions while the chips swing wildly. Kronwitter checked all of those boxes, and the title was the deserved reward.

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