Billy Tarango Survives Furious Heads-Up Comeback To Win PokerGO Tour Pot-Limit Omaha PKO

Billy Tarango secured his first main poker event title because the champion of the 2025 PokerGO Tour Pot-Restrict Omaha Sequence $5,000 progressive knockout occasion. The PLO common had a scare when his 17.5:1 chip benefit at first of heads-up play practically vanished, however he was ultimately capable of proper the ship and shut out the victory to earn $88,245 plus $85,000 in PKO bounty payouts.

This was the second-largest rating for tarango, who completed sixth in final yr’s World Sequence of Poker $25,000 PLO occasion for $383,191. He now has greater than $584,000 in profession earnings, with most of his largest paydays coming within the more and more well-liked four-card poker variant.

A complete of $795,000 in prize cash was paid out on this occasion, with the highest 23 finishers making the cash. Amongst people who cashed have been 2023 PGT PLO Sequence champion Lautaro Guerra (14th), three-time bracelet winner Jim Collopy (eleventh), bracelet winner Patrick Leonard (tenth), six-time bracelet winner Nick Schulman (ninth), two-time bracelet winner Joao Simao (eighth), and 2023 WSOP thriller hundreds of thousands champion Tyler Brown (seventh).

Two-time bracelet winner Jesse Lonis got here into the ultimate day main the remaining 5 contenders. He expanded his lead early on by eliminating bracelet winner James Chen in fifth place. Chen dedicated most of his stack preflop, four-betting with AOkQ7 over the three-bet of Lonis, who held AQ76. Lonis known as after which regarded up Chen’s shove after the flop introduced the ten44. The 6 flip gave Lonis the lead, and the 7 river confirmed his victory within the hand. Chen earned $28,620 for this deep run, which was his second of the collection after putting third within the kickoff occasion for $82,000 only a day earlier.

Arthur Morris bowed out in fourth place when his AA54 went up towards the OkQ102 of Stephen Hubbard after a flop of 1093. Morris was practically a 3:1 favourite when the chips went in, however the Ok flip and 4 river noticed Hubbard’s kings up win the pot. Morris, the champion of the 2022 WSOP Circuit Onerous Rock Tulsa essential occasion, earned $35,775 from the primary prize pool because the fourth-place finisher.

Lonis gained an enormous pot throughout three-handed with the second-nut flush when he regarded up a river increase from Hubbard, who had the nut-flush blocker in his hand. That decision propelled Lonis to an enormous lead, giving him practically two thirds of the overall chips in play to work with.

Tarango doubled up with nines and fours besting Lonis’ nines and threes to take an enormous chunk out of that lead, although. Quickly after that, the 2 high stacks clashed in one other key showdown. Tarango raised to 300,000 from the small blind with AJ86 and Lonis known as with J1075. The flop got here down J76 and Tarango wager 500,000. Lonis potted to 2,200,000 and Tarango shortly re-potted all-in for 7,800,000 whole. Lonis known as to arrange a showdown for nearly all the chips in play. The 6 on the flip noticed Tarango’s decrease two pair turn into sixes full, which left Lonis drawing slim. The 4 river despatched the 163-big-blind pot to Tarango, whereas Lonis fell to 22 huge blinds.

What simply occurred?!

Enormous pot breaks out of nowhere between @JesseLonis and Billy Tarango.

https://t.co/CZSLg6c8Yv pic.twitter.com/kjDtLfNLFy

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) March 27, 2025

Lonis’ final chips went in on a J75 board with his QJ109 trailing the ten755 of Tarango. The J made issues fascinating, however the Ok on the top despatched Lonis packing in third place ($47,700). He now has greater than $15 million in profession cashes to his identify.

With that, Tarango entered heads-up play with 18,800,000 to the 1,075,000 of Hubbard. Hubbard ripped off three straight double-ups to slim the hole to five:3. He got here even nearer to night issues up earlier than Tarango started to regain management of the match, along with his benefit sitting at higher than 4:1 by the point the ultimate hand of the event was dealt.

Hubbard raised to 450,000 from the button with AAOk3 and Tarango defended his huge blind with 10754. The flop got here down J94 and Tarango led out for 500,000 along with his backside pair and gutshot. Hubbard known as along with his overpair and the 6 on the flip gave Tarango a flush draw and an open-ended straight draw to go along with his pair and stay playing cards. Tarango check-raised all-in over Hubbard’s pot wager of two,050,000 and Hubbard known as off his remaining 750,000. The river was the Ok, giving Tarango a flush and the pot.

Hubbard walked away with $88,245 and $34,000 in bounty payouts because the runner-up. The 2023 PGT PLO Sequence $10,000 buy-in occasion winner now has practically $880,000 in lifetime earnings after this newest robust displaying in a PLO event.

Ultimate Desk Outcomes

Place
Participant
Earnings
POY Factors
PGT Factors

1
Billy Tarango
$88,245
576
182

2
Stephen Hubbard
$88,245
480
111

3
Jesse Lonis
$47,700
384
79

4
Arthur Morris
$35,775
288
59

5
James Chen
$28,620
240
48

Picture credit score: PokerGO.