Amateur Beats Mixed-Game Giants: Vongxaiburana Claims Big O Crown

From Hobby Player to Big O Champion

The final table of this $10K Championship was anything but soft. Viktor Blom, Christopher Demaci, Shawn Rice, and other mixed-game regulars stood between Vongxaiburana and WSOP history. But the 51-year-old, who’s been grinding PLO and Big O casually for years, kept his composure and made the most of his momentum.

Coming into Day 4 with five players left, Vongxaiburana was third in chips behind Johnson and Blom. That changed quickly. Early on, he took down several pots and looked poised to take control — until Blom hit back with back-to-back full houses. Despite the setbacks, Vongxaiburana stayed in rhythm and kept the pressure on.

A key hand saw him go to war with Johnson and take three-quarters of a massive pot after rivering a straight and scooping the low. Blom and Rice were eliminated in the same hand soon after—both falling to Phil Hui, who scooped a huge three-way pot with aces and a nut low.

Vongxaiburana, however, was far from done. He knocked out Johnson in third with top two pair and a low, giving him a slight chip edge over Hui heading into heads-up play.

Photo Credit: Trevor Scott

Holding His Own Against Hui

If anyone had experience on their side, it was Hui. Already a four-time bracelet winner and 2019 PPC champion, Hui had seen every variation of every mixed game the WSOP has to offer. But Vongxaiburana didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned into his steady aggression, preferring smaller pots and staying away from big bluffs.

The heads-up match was methodical. Hui briefly reclaimed the lead with a nut flush scoop, but the tide turned again when Vongxaiburana made a full house and later snapped off a big river bluff with a ten-high straight and nut low, leaving Hui on fumes.

Though Hui doubled once with a rivered wheel, the final hand saw him all-in with a pair and straight draw against Vongxaiburana’s own draw. The river sealed it for the amateur, giving him a made straight and his first WSOP title.

Final Table Results – Event #44: $10,000 Big O Championship

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Veerachai Vongxaiburana		$784,353
2	Phil Hui		$522,878
3	Marco Johnson		$360,711
4	Shawn Rice		$253,276
5	Viktor Blom		$181,069

🏆 Who Is Veerachai Vongxaiburana?

While this may have been Vongxaiburana’s breakout performance, he’s no stranger to the game. A longtime resident of Las Vegas, he’s been playing PLO and Big O casually for over a decade. Before this event, his best live score was just under $40,000, and he’d never reached a WSOP final table. That all changed in one unforgettable week.

No bracelet hunt. No parade. Just a man who likes Big O, happened to run well, and beat one of the toughest fields of the series.

Photo Credit: Eloy Cabacas