Veselin Karakitukov might not be a household name for tournament poker fans, but the Bulgarian pot-limit Omaha crusher is a highly-accomplished player. He has more than $3.8 million in recorded earnings, including two massive cashes in World Series of Poker PLO high rollers that collectively account for more than $1.3 million of his career haul.
Karakitukov’s latest big score was his third-largest yet. On Oct. 22, he emerged victorious in event no. 7 of the 2025 PGT PLO Series II, besting 86 entries in the $15,000 tournament to earn $348,300.
His top 17 cashes have all come in the increasingly popular four-card poker variant.
This win came with 279 PokerGO Tour points. This was his Karakitukov’s first cash of the series, but this win alone was sufficient to catapult him into third place in the overall series standings.
Several Big Names Bust Early On Day 2
The prize pool swelled to $1,290,000 in this event, with the top 13 finishers collecting a share. Notables who cashed and then hit the rail during day 1 action included Alex Foxen (12th), Bruno Furth (10th), Jim Collopy (9th), Sam Soverel (8th), and Ben Tollerene (7th).
Day 2 began with six players remaining and Karakitukov in the lead. Three-time World Poker Tour main event champion Chino Rheem (6th – $64,500) was the first to fall, with Sean Rafael making deuces full to claim the last of his extremely short stack.
WPT champion and bracelet winner Matthew Wantman soon joined Rheem on the rail. He got the last of his stack in with pocket aces facing flopped trips for two-time bracelet winner Joao Simao. The Brazilian improved to deuces full of eights on the turn and held from there to send Wantman home with $90,300. This was Wantman’s second final table of the festival, having placed second just a day earlier in event no. 6 for $154,000. He now ranks sixth in the series points race.
Despite scoring the first knockout of the day, Rafael was the next to head to the payout desk. The PLO grinder was left on fumes after losing a big clash with Karakitukov, and then got the last of his stack in with K♥K♦10♠10♣ facing two opponents. Joni Jouhkimainen led out into the side pot on the river after a A♥Q♣8♥10♦6♣ runout, forcing a fold from Karakitukov. Jouhkimainen showed down J♥9♠8♣7♣ for a queen-high straight to win the pot and eliminate Rafael in fourth place ($116,100).
Karakitukov Comes Back To Win
Simao overtook the chip lead early in three-handed action. He then extended his lead when he won a big clash against Jouhkimainen. The chips went in on the flop of 8♥7♣4♠ with Simao holding K♦J♦10♥9♣ for a wrap. Jouhkimainen had K♠K♥6♥2♥ for an overpair to the board. The 10♦ gave Simao a jack-high straight. The Q♠ then improved him to a queen high straight to earn him the massive pot. Jouhkimainen earned $161,300 as the third-place finisher. The bracelet winner from Finland now has more than $12.7 million in career earnings, with more than $6.9 million in PLO cashes. That puts him just outside the top five on the game’s all-time money list, which is led by Spain’s Lautaro Guerra ($9.7 million).
Heads-up play began with roughly a 3:1 lead for Simao over Karakitukov. That gap was all but erased when Karakitukov got all-in with a set of fours and gutshot straight draw facing the pocket aces, nut flush draw, and lower straight draw of Simao. The river brought the 4♥ to improve Karakitukov to quads, giving him the double up to nearly even the stacks.
Karakitukov soon won another massive all-in. This time the chips got in after a K♠8♦7♠ flop. Karakitukov led out and then shoved for 3,625,000 over Simao’s raise of the pot. Simao called with K♦Q♠Q♥6♠ and had plenty of outs against Karakitukov’s A♦A♣J♣7♣. The 5♣ turn and 3♥ river changed nothing and Karakitukov’s pocket aces earned him the massive pot and a sizable chip lead.
Simao was soon all-in and at risk on a flop of Q♣6♦2♣ with K♥8♠6♣4♣. Karakitukov had Q♦10♥7♦5♥. The 5♠ turn gave Karakitukov queens up, but Simao added a straight draw to go with his outs for a flush and trips. The Q♠ river improved Karakitukov to a full house, though, bringing the tournament to an end. Simao settled for $225,800 as the runner-up. This boosted his overall earnings to nearly $10.6 million.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Veselin Karakitukov | $348,300 | 576 | 279 |
| 2 | Joao Simao | $225,800 | 480 | 181 |
| 3 | Joni Jouhkimainen | $161,300 | 384 | 129 |
| 4 | Sean Rafael | $116,100 | 288 | 93 |
| 5 | Matthew Wantman | $90,300 | 240 | 72 |
| 6 | Chino Rheem | $64,500 | 192 | 52 |
| 7 | Benjamin Tollerene | $51,600 | 144 | 41 |
PGT PLO Series II Standings
| Rank | Player | Points | Titles | Final Tables | Earnings |
| 1 | Sean Winter | 416 | 1 | 3 | $285,100 |
| 2 | Ben Lamb | 293 | 1 | 1 | $292,500 |
| 3 | Veselin Karakitukov | 279 | 1 | 1 | $348,300 |
| 4 | Jesse Lonis | 264 | 1 | 2 | $228,700 |
| 5 | Bryce Yockey | 255 | 1 | 1 | $247,600 |
| 6 | Matthew Wantman | 226 | 0 | 2 | $244,300 |
| 7 | Sam Soverel | 216 | 0 | 1 | $195,400 |
| 8 | Joao Simao | 216 | 0 | 1 | $261,000 |
| 9 | Alex Foxen | 214 | 1 | 1 | $163,850 |
| 10 | Frederic Normand | 201 | 0 | 2 | $186,600 |
Photo credit: PokerGO Tour / Antonio Abrego.
