The PGT PLO Series draws a dedicated roster of pot-limit Omaha specialists who can typically only put in volume during a few select windows each year. James Chen took full advantage of the latest PLO opportunity during event no. 4, a $10,500 quattro bounty tournament, winning the lion’s share of the bounties, the trophy, and $239,000 in total prize money.
Chen earned his second career PGT title with this performance, adding to his 2024 PGT PLO Series II victory. Coincidentally, that win also came in event no. 4 on that festival’s schedule. That year, Chen also won a World Series of Poker bracelet event, in a $1,500 Omaha eight-or-better tournament.
The official first-place payout for Chen was $107,000, but he more than doubled that sum with $132,000 in bounty prizes. Chen claimed eight of the 14 bounties in play. Runner-up Richard Gryko ($68,400) had two bounties, for a total prize of $100,400, and third-place finisher Youness Barakat ($47,900) doubled his claim with three bounties, taking home a total of $95,900.
Chen’s win is worth 300 Card Player Player of the Year points, giving him his third qualifying cash of 2026. Of the players at the final table, Gryko (now 104th) and sixth-place finisher Lautaro Guerra (now 105th) are just outside the top 100. Barakat’s 200 POY points for third place puts him at 3,183 for the year, good for 65th place in the 2026 POY standings presented by CoinPoker.
Chen currently leads the PGT PLO Series points race, with this win and a fourth-place finish in the opening event. Cary Katz (73rd), Lautaro Guerra (178th), and Gryko (185th) each improved their standing on the season-long PGT leaderboard by making this final table. The top 40 players at the end of the season qualify for the $1 million PGT Championship.
Changing The Game: Bounties Appear Once Again At PGT PLO
After three straightforward PLO events to start the PGT PLO Series, event 4 changed the format. The $10,500 PLO quattro bounty event introduced $16,000 bounties into the mix, and no one benefited more than Chen. The tournament drew 57 entries by the close of registration, with $570,000 going to the main prize pool and $228,000 dedicated to bounty prizes.
The final 14 players carried bounties, but only nine would finish in the money. Chen picked up early bounties by knocking out both Sam Soverel and Dylan Weisman before the official money bubble popped. Chen then burst the bubble himself, picking up a pair of bounties while sending Cesar Garcia out on the bubble and eliminating Jonas Kronwitter in ninth place ($11,400).
Barakat sent Chino Rheem to the rail in eighth place ($14,300) and doubled through Jeremy Ausmus at the same time, courtesy of a flopped set of jacks. With the field combined to a single table of seven players, a wild four-way all-in pot drastically changed the chip distribution.
Ausmus: A♦K♠5♥3♦ Ben Lamb: A♠10♣7♦2♠ Barakat: K♣10♣9♣9♦ Guerra: A♥Q♦6♠4♠
The board ran out J♥8♠5♣6♣9♠, giving Lamb a triple up and a short-stacked Ausmus’ bounty. Ausmus was out in seventh place ($14,300). Barakat’s rivered set of nines was good for one of the side pots, eliminating Guerra in sixth place ($18,800).
A Dominant Showing From Chen
From that point in the tournament on, Chen didn’t relinquish the top spot. He eliminated Lamb in fifth place ($25,700) with a flopped set of fours, dodging a flush draw and straight draw with one card to come. Chen then picked off Katz with a turned full house, which had Katz’s straight and flush draws dead to rights. Katz went out in fourth place ($34,200), and day 1 action came to a close with three players left.
James Chen leads the final three players in Event #4 of the PGT PLO Series presented by @official_glp.
If Chen wins, he’ll move to the top of the series leaderboard.
Back today at 11:45a PT to close it out.
Updates: https://t.co/rtFjy1GIvc pic.twitter.com/3PAXbHNn51
— PGT (@PokerGOTour) September 29, 2026
Gryko pulled himself back into contention early on day 2, courtesy of eliminating Barakat in third place. The chips got in preflop with Barakat ahead, holding A♦K♦K♣4♥ against Gryko’s A♠10♠10♦7♦. But Gryko had it locked up by the turn with a nut spade flush, giving him the bounty and a stack that was within striking distance of Chen’s.
Chen opened a 2.5:1 lead early in heads-up play, but Gryko doubled with another turned spade flush to pull back into the match. Chen would not be denied on this day, though. On a board reading 10♦4♣2♦7♥, all of the chips went into the middle.
Chen showed Q♦9♣8♦6♠ for a massive wrap straight draw and diamond flush draw. Gryko tabled 5♦4♠3♠2♣ for two pair, and the low end of the straight draw. According to the Card Player PLO odds calculator, it was a literal coin flip down to two decimal places – a 50.00% chance for each player.
This coin landed in Chen’s favor, as the J♥ completed a jack-high straight, and secured him the victory. His total career earnings now stand at $1,992,701.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | Bounties | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | James Chen | $107,000 | $132,000 | 300 | 178 |
| 2 | Richard Gryko | $68,400 | $32,000 | 250 | 103 |
| 3 | Youness Barakat | $47,900 | $48,000 | 200 | 72 |
| 4 | Cary Katz | $34,200 | $0 | 150 | 51 |
| 5 | Ben Lamb | $25,700 | $16,000 | 125 | 39 |
| 6 | Lautaro Guerra | $18,800 | $0 | 100 | 28 |
| 7 | Jeremy Ausmus | $14,300 | $0 | 75 | 21 |
Photo credit: PGT / Antonio Abrego.
