After making his way through a mammoth field, PLO tournament expert Ka Kwan Lau took down the biggest Pot Limit Omaha event in WSOP history as he won the $25K PLO High Roller event. This $25,000 buy-in tournament received 449 entries, nearly 200 more than the previous year, creating a prize pool of over $10.5 million - making it the largest PLO event ever at the World Series.
Redemption For Lau
Many people in the poker world believed that it was only a matter of time before Ka Kwan Lau took down one of these high roller PLO tournaments, after coming so close in previous years. In 2021 Lau finished runner-up in this event, eventually losing out to Shaun Deeb heads-up. Two years before that, Lau final-tabled this event, but ultimately finished in 8th place.
This victory is the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication, something that was clear by Lau’s reaction to his victory. After hitting the Js on the river to crack Sergio Gonzalez’ aces, he immediately ran over to his rail to celebrate. When speaking on how he felt after the win, Lau said, “I feel great. It feels like I have been missing something and now it is complete ... I am very happy with that. I came here two years ago to win the bracelet. I can't really say yet how happy I am not”
Lau had to work hard for his win, and at one point battled back from a 3:1 chip deficit to beat Sergio heads-up. The two started out relatively even in chips after Sergio eliminated Andjelko in 3rd place, but Lau would go on a bad run early on to find himself in trouble. However, after doubling up with an eight-high straight against a seven-high straight, Ka Kwan Lau put his foot on the gas, and once he got a substantial chip lead, he was able to close it out for the win.
Priorities
Given how popular the PLO events have been this year, Lau is likely going to be facing even stiffer competition in upcoming events. However, he has said that he will be missing the remainder of the WSOP as he is flying home to Andorra to be with his wife during the birth of their second daughter.
When asked about his plans, Lau did hint that he could be back to defend his title next year, saying “It is okay for this year, I will just relax and see how my daughter grows, but next year it is very probable that I will come here again with them.”
Anyone who’s thinking of entering any PLO tournaments in the 2024 WSOP better hope that Ka Kwan Lau isn’t at their table!
Event #57 $25,000 PLO High Roller Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ka Kwan Lau | Hong Kong | $2,294,756 |
| 2nd | Sergio Martinez Gonzalez | Spain | $1,418,270 |
| 3rd | Andjelko Andrejevic | Serbia | $989,464 |
| 4th | Roger Teska | United States | $701,522 |
| 5th | Mads Amot | Norway | $505,588 |
| 6th | Quan Zhou | China | $370,498 |
| 7th | Firas Kashat | United States | $276,141 |
| 8th | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | $209,392 |
With Ka Kwan Lau missing the rest of the WSOP, who is the favourite to win the $50K PLO Super High Roller? Will we see a record number of entrants in the $50K PLO event? Stay tuned for all the latest WSOP news and events.
Image Source: @WSOP Twitter
