Cesar Garcia won the Onyx High Roller Series $50,000 PLO Grand Slam with dominant play, earning $1,200,000 at Onyx Club in Cyprus. The Cesar Garcia Onyx High Roller victory marks his biggest career score and showcases his aggressive tournament strategy.
Cesar Garcia Dominates Onyx High Roller Final Table
Garcia entered the Onyx High Roller final table as massive chip leader and immediately applied relentless pressure. The Spanish WSOP bracelet winner opened approximately 80% of hands during the first several levels, bullying middle and short stacks into submission.
Fellow finalist Danielle Noja described Garcia as a “Spanish matador” and “bull in a China shop.” At one point with five players remaining, Garcia controlled over 60% of chips in play, threatening to run away with the tournament.
“My strategy, of course, because there were some short stacks, so I have to put a lot of pressure on the middle stacks,” Garcia explained.
“I know that the first three, four hours I was opening like 80 percent. I think that it works. I try to put a lot of pressure and it works, so I’m very happy.”
$50K PLO Grand Slam Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Cesar Garcia | Spain | $1,200,000 |
| 2nd | Gruffudd Pugh-Jones | Wales | $840,000 |
| 3rd | Filip Aleksic | Austria | $555,000 |
| 4th | Sean Rafael | United States | $430,000 |
| 5th | Nino Pansier | Netherlands | $340,000 |
| 6th | Danielle Noja | Australia | $265,000 |
| 7th | Espen Myrmo | Norway | $210,000 |
From Hold’em to PLO Mastery
This victory represents the pinnacle of a remarkable transition to PLO tournament poker. Garcia’s career began over a decade ago with his 2016 WSOP bracelet in a $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em event, but this $1.2 million score marks his biggest payday yet.
Most of his early tournament success came in hold’em, including two EPT final tables and an eighth-place finish in Barcelona last August. However, Garcia began focusing seriously on PLO tournaments only 18 months ago—and the results speak for themselves.
Recent PLO tournament highlights include:
- €10,000 PLO victory at EPT Monte Carlo
- Final table at $50,000 Triton PLO in Jeju, South Korea
- Fifth place in €10,000 Diamond Poker Series Championship Prague
This $1.2 million score pushes Garcia’s career earnings close to $3.5 million and positions him near the top-10 all-time money list among Spanish players.
The Growing PLO Tournament Scene
Garcia believes PLO tournaments are experiencing explosive growth and expects the trend to continue.
“Right now, PLO tournaments are growing a lot. Since one year and a half or something, I start playing like a lot of tournaments. I really like it. I like the competition, the emotions that you live in a tournament,” Garcia said.
“I think that it’s a good moment to start playing PLO tournaments because it’s growing and growing. And hopefully it will be like this a lot of time.”
The $50,000 buy-in represents the premium tier of PLO tournament poker, attracting the world’s best mixed-game specialists. With events like the Triton Series, EPT High Rollers, and now the Onyx High Roller Series featuring big-money PLO tournaments, the format has established itself beyond cash game-only status.
Heads-Up Battle and the Final Hand
Garcia defeated Gruffudd Pugh-Jones in the heads-up match, with the Welshman earning $840,000 for second place. The tournament concluded when Garcia rivered a straight on the final hand to clinch the title.
“It means a lot. Right now it feels super tired, because it being a long journey. I came as chip leader to the final table. I ran very well in the tournament,” Garcia said after his victory.
“So it’s like a dream. It’s my biggest score, and right now I’m super happy.”
Onyx Club Cyprus Experience
Garcia praised the Onyx High Roller Series organization and venue.
“I really love Merit. The hotel is amazing. The organization is amazing. The tournament, too. Even the structure. It was a super good structure. We were super deep at the final table, which is, for me, great. Everything was perfect.”
The deep-stacked structure allowed for maximum play at the final table, rewarding skill over short-stack variance. Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in North Cyprus has become a premier destination for high roller events in recent years.
Immediately Back in Action
Garcia’s festival wasn’t finished. Immediately after his Onyx High Roller victory, he headed downstairs—trophy in hand—to register for Day 1c of the $25,000 PLO Main Event. Coming off his dominant performance in the $50,000, Garcia immediately became one of the favorites to watch in the Main Event.
His relentless aggression and chip accumulation strategy proved devastatingly effective in the Grand Slam. Opponents will need to adjust quickly if they hope to slow down the Spanish matador in his next PLO battle.
