Colombian grinder Sebastián Fonseca has won the PLO5 BSOP Winter High Roller PKO, outlasting a 47 entry field at the Golden Hall inside the WTC Sheraton in São Paulo to claim the R$155,000 top prize. The R$15,000 buy in event, a one day 5 card Pot Limit Omaha progressive knockout, closed out on July 24, 2026, adding another high stakes PLO5 title to Fonseca’s resume.
Inside the PLO5 BSOP Winter High Roller PKO Field
The tournament drew 47 entries at a R$15,000 buy in, a healthy number for a specialty format like 5 card PLO. As a progressive knockout event, part of each buy in fed a bounty prize pool, meaning players collected cash for every opponent they eliminated on top of whatever they earned by making the money.
That structure rewards aggression early and often, since knocking out a well stacked opponent can be worth as much as a min cash. It also means the final prize pool breakdown does not always move in a perfectly descending line from first to last, a detail that mattered later on this particular final table.
Sebastián Fonseca’s Run to the Title
Fonseca navigated a compressed single day structure that tends to reward patience early and precision late, when stacks get shallow and pots get large in a 5 card format. By the time the tournament reached its final stages, he had accumulated the chips he needed to apply pressure on the rest of the table.
His path to the title ran through heads up play against Brazil’s Lucas Baliza, who ultimately settled for the runner up prize of R$80,000. According to PokerNews Brasil, the two traded pots before Fonseca closed out the win, capping a strong showing at the BSOP Winter series.
Final Table Payouts and a Notable Third Place Result
Behind the top two finishers, Igor “Federal” Trafane, also of Brazil, finished in third place. PokerNews Brasil reported his payout at R$110,000, a figure that is actually higher than Baliza’s runner up prize of R$80,000.
At first glance that looks like an inverted payout ladder, but it is worth remembering how PKO bounties work. In a progressive knockout event, a player’s final tally often blends a fixed min cash type prize with whatever bounty cash they accumulated from eliminations along the way, so a player finishing one or two spots lower can still walk away with more total money if they knocked out enough opponents. We are reporting the figures exactly as provided, without asserting a strict finishing order for the prize amounts.
PLO5 Continues to Build Momentum in Brazil
Five card Pot Limit Omaha has been steadily gaining traction on the Brazilian tournament circuit, and a 47 entry field for a R$15,000 high roller suggests the format has real staying power beyond casual cash game tables. PLO5 adds an extra card to standard Omaha, which widens the range of possible hands and tends to produce bigger, more volatile pots.
For players newer to the format, understanding starting hand selection and pot limit betting is essential before jumping into a high roller field like this one. Readers looking for a refresher on hand rankings, betting structures, and Omaha variants can check out this detailed guide on how to play poker, including Omaha rules before testing the format themselves.
Responsible Play at the Tables
Results like Fonseca’s win make for a great story, but they are also a reminder that tournament poker outcomes are shaped heavily by variance, not just skill. A 47 entry field means most participants did not cash at all, and even strong players routinely go deep in one event and bust early in the next.
Poker should be treated as a form of entertainment and a skill based competition, not a reliable way to generate income. Play should always be limited to funds you can afford to lose, and tournaments of this kind are intended for players aged 18 and over who choose to participate responsibly.
