Pot Limit Omaha events made up 20% of the 2024 World Series of Poker Europe schedule, and the third and final four-card fiesta has wrapped up inside King's Resort, Rozvadov.
Dennis Weiss claimed the third and final PLO bracelet in Event #6: €5,000 Pot Limit Omaha, and followed in the footsteps of Volodymyr Kokoulin and Vivian Saliba, who triumphed in the €500 and €2,000 buy-in editions.
Germany's Weiss bested a star-studded field of 141 Omaha enthusiasts for his first WSOP bracelet alongside the €159,897 first-place prize from the €629,565 prize pool after defeating his copatriot Amir Mozaffarian in heads-up play. The victory marked Weiss's biggest career score by tenfold and boosts the PLO specialist's lifetime tournament earnings to over $200,000.
Second-place finisher Mozaffarian would have to settle for €103,092 to line his pockets, while Nikola Minkov of Bulgaria, who added €68,791 to his bankroll, took the final podium position.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dennis Weiss | Germany | €159,897 |
| 2 | Amir Mozaffarian | Germany | €103,092 |
| 3 | Nikola Minkov | Bulgaria | €68,791 |
| 4 | Victor Dota | Romania | €47,566 |
| 5 | Jonas Kronwitter | Germany | €34,126 |
| 6 | Krzysztof Magott | Poland | €25,440 |
| 7 | Vazha Kometiani | Georgia | €19,736 |
| 8 | Vakhtang Javakhishvili | Georgia | €15,960 |
Weiss said he hadn't quite processed the fact that he had won a bracelet and achieved a goal he had been hoping for.
"I just haven't processed it yet I think. Of course I'm good, I'm great, I'm happy. It was a goal I really wanted to achieve and I am looking forward the next one."
The German said he mostly plays PLO or 5-card Omaha but does try to jump into mixed games when he gets the chance.
"I mostly play PLO, mostly 5-card. I like mixed games, so if I get a chance to play some other mixed games, I always like it at the WSOP, for example. However, I've never been really successful, so it's nice to finally get something."
Weiss spoke about his plans for the rest of his time here at the WSOP Europe. He said, "I don't think there's much more going on. I don't play hold'em like at all, two cards just aren't enough."
When the 38 survivors from Day 1 returned to the felt this afternoon, they were all within striking distance of the €10,506 min-cash. It took only 90 minutes of play for the field to whittle down to hand-for-hand, with the likes of two-time bracelet winner Maximilian Klostermeier, Gabi Livshitz, Dario Alioto, and Tomas Ribeiro making their way to the rail empty-handed.
Of the 23 players remaining, one more would leave with nothing. Hand-for-hand lasted for 24 hands before the defending champion Wing Po Liu, would ultimately be the one to bust. Liu got it in good with top set, but a heart on the river gave Weiss the nut flush. While it was heartbreak for Liu, it was a relief for the rest of the field, who had officially made it into the money.
With everyone having earned some euros for their hard work, the field quickly began to thin. WSOPE Main Event champion Omar Eljach and notables like Lars Brodin, Markus Lehner, Hokyiu Lee were among the first to vacate the tournament area post-bubble alongside tournament PLO first-timer Sebastian Mortensen.
Andreas Krause had already made a final table this series, but it wasn’t meant to be this time. The German, who had been grinding a short stack all day, fell just one place short of his second final table, finishing in tenth at the hands of Kronwitter.
The final table began with Weiss as the chip leader, though Jonas Kronwitter was close behind. Weiss extended his lead even further after flopping a straight and extracting three streets of value from Kronwitter.
Within the first orbit of play, Bulgaria’s Fahredin Mustafov was the first to exit in ninth, running his kings into the aces of Weiss. Not long after, Vakhtang Javakhishvili of Georgia followed in eighth place, unable to crack Minkov’s aces when he went all-in preflop.
The other Georgian remaining in the field, Vazha Kometiani busted next when he got his short stack into the middle preflop with kings, but an unfavorable runout saw Mozaffarian send him home in seventh. Poland’sKrzysztof Magott managed to ladder up a few pay jumps but ultimately had to settle for sixth.
Despite entering the final table second in chips with a healthy stack, Kronwitter was the next to head to the cashier's desk, finishing in fifth. His unfortunate seat position against Weiss kept him handcuffed from the start of the final table. Ultimately, the cards didn’t favor Kronwitter either, as his final hand saw him run into the aces of Mozaffarian.
Finishing just shy of a podium finishing was Romania's Victor Dota at the hands of Mozaffarian. Minkov took the bronze after he got it in good with aces, only for Weiss to turn trips and send him out the door in third which meant the start of heads-up play.
When heads-up play began, Weiss held a 2:1 chip lead over his countryman and quickly extended it to 8:1 thanks to his relentless aggression. After just twenty minutes, Weiss got his chance to clinch the title as Mozaffarian put the last of his chips into the middle on the flop behind. A clean turn and river for Weiss ensured there would be no miracle comeback for Mozaffarian, and Weiss became the well-deserved owner of a WSOP bracelet.
