European pros have dominated the inaugural Poker Masters Online Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) Series ahead of the $50,000 main event.
The all-PLO series has attracted some of the game’s finest over the past 10 days. With international pros joining their European counterparts on Partypoker, it’s been a veritable battle of nations since June 21.
Early on, it was England’s Gavin Cochrane leading the Player of the Series race. However, with Finland’s finest either winning or going close in multiple events, it’ Eelis Pärssinen who finished on top.
Pärssinen Puts in Masterful PLO Performance
The Finnish pro notched six cashes in 14 events to win a Poker Masters Purple Jacket. Pärssinen’s $735,359 earnings also netted him a free seat in the $50,000 Poker Masters Online PLO Series main event.
Heading into the $10 million guaranteed series, Pärssinen was a proverbial dark horse. Despite being known online, his lack of live results means he’s not as recognizable as Isaac Haxton, Viktor Blom, or Jens Kyllönen.
But, even with those pros and others fighting for PLO supremacy, the Finn put in the best overall performance. Buoyed by a win in the recent Poker Masters Online Series, Pärssinen made his mark in Event #5.
After finishing fifth in Event #3, he fought back from the short-stack position to win the $25,500 showdown. That victory was worth $440,000 but, more importantly, it was a win over Cochrane.
Event #5 – $25,500 Poker Masters Online PLO Series Result
- Eelis Pärssinen – $440,000
- Gavin Cochrane – $281,540
- Andrew Pantling – $143,000
- Aku Joentausta – $99,000
- Jacob Carl Schindler – $77,000
- James Greenwood – $59,460
With a lead on his Player of the Series rival, Pärssinen went on to take second place in Event #7 behind countryman Kyllönen. It was at this point the Finnish duo began to dominate.
Along with fellow Finns Aku Joentausta and Sami Kelopuro, Pärssinen and Kyllönen were surging after the halfway point in the series. By the time Event #14 finished, Kyllönen had picked up three Poker Masters Online PLO Series titles.
That put him on par with Hungary’s Andras Nemeth. While Kyllönen and Nemeth were fighting for second and third place on the overall leaderboard, Pärssinen snuck in to clinch the Purple Jacket.
Thanks to six cashes in the series’ biggest events, he finished on 625 points, one more than Nemeth. Kyllönen ended the Poker Masters Online PLO Series as the third-best performer, while Cochrane and Joentausta completed the top five.
Europeans Dominate Poker Masters Online PLO Series
PLO has always been more popular in Europe than in North America, so the final standings are hardly surprising. The volatile nature of the game seems to suit the aggressive brand of poker Scandinavians are known for (see video below for a case in point).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsndsuiO8K4
Pärssinen et al. certainly proved that in this latest series on Partypoker. Although the PLO festival hasn’t been quite as popular as the inaugural Poker Masters Online Series, more than 50% of the guarantees have been broken.
What’s more, the quality of play in the events has been high. With buy-ins ranging from $5,200 to $50,100, and PLO a tricky game to master, this hasn’t been a series for amateurs.
Pärssinen proved that by putting in a solid performance to win the Poker Masters Online PLO Series Purple Jacket.
