‘Goofy’ Wins Onyx High Roller Premiere for $1M

Jonathan Rodriguez

Written by: Jonathan Rodriguez

Published: Thu Aug 13, 2026, 8:00 am ET

Read Time: 5 minutes

'Goofy' Wins Onyx High Roller Premiere for $1M

poker

An anonymous American player known as 'Goofy' has won the opening event of the 2026 Onyx Super High Roller Series. The $10,400 Premiere event was held in the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in North Cyprus.

'Goofy' defeated 506 other entries in the $10,400 Premiere event to secure the $1 million first prize. The tournament generated a $4,765,800 prize pool, with the top 76 finishers earning a share of that money. 

'Goofy' entered the final table among the leaders but faced a difficult path against several established professionals. He eventually overcame a huge heads-up deficit against Mikita Badziakouski.

The victory also marked a major breakthrough for a player whose identity remains undisclosed. His family arrived in Northern Cyprus shortly before the final, making the victory even more memorable.

Tough Final Table Sets the Gauntlet

Nine players returned for the final day, with Damir Gabdullin holding the chip lead. 'Goofy' started third in chips and immediately showed aggression, including a cold four-bet during the opening action.

His first major knockout came against his friend and roommate, Ravid Garbi. Garbi moved all-in with A♣10♣, but 'Goofy' held A♦J♦ and stayed ahead to send him out in ninth for $74,000.

Mikita Badziakouski then began building a commanding stack. The Belarusian star first won a huge pot against Gabdullin when his pocket kings defeated queens. He then improved to quad kings, creating a massive advantage at the table.

Artsiom Lasouski finished eighth after his J♥4♥ failed to beat Sergio Aido's A♦K♣. Italo Modena followed in seventh when his A♣6♣ ran into Oshri Lahmani's pocket aces.

Gabdullin then suffered another major cooler against Badziakouski. His pocket queens could not overcome Badziakouski's aces, ending his run in sixth for $140,000.

Aido became the next casualty after facing Badziakouski. The Spanish professional held Q♥10♥ against A♥10♠ and failed to improve after an A-high flop. He collected $190,000 for fifth place.

'Goofy' nearly saw his run end with four players remaining. He survived against Giorgiy Skhulukhiya after chopping one pot, then doubled with A-K against pocket sixes.

He later survived another dangerous confrontation with Badziakouski after hitting the river. Those escapes proved crucial as the tournament entered its final stages.

Badziakouski eventually eliminated Skhulukhiya in fourth before sending Lahmani out in third. The latter hand saw Badziakouski complete a backdoor straight against Lahmani's trip aces.

That left Badziakouski with 42.6 million chips for heads-up play. 'Goofy' had only 7.5 million, leaving him nearly four-to-one behind.

'Goofy' Completes a Huge Heads-Up Comeback

Despite the massive deficit, 'Goofy' quickly began cutting into Badziakouski's advantage. He doubled with A-9 against K-7 before winning another substantial pot after turning trip eights.

Badziakouski recovered some ground by cracking 'Goofy's' pocket jacks with K-3 suited. The comeback continued, though, as 'Goofy' regained the lead and eventually moved more than two-to-one ahead.

A crucial hero call with bottom pair against a triple-barrel bluff helped 'Goofy' extend his advantage. Badziakouski then fought back by doubling with K-3 against pocket jacks, bringing the stacks close together again.

The final hand arrived with 'Goofy' holding 9♦6♥ and Badziakouski holding 5♥4♥. 'Goofy' raised to 2 million, and Badziakouski called from the big blind.

The 9♠4♣2♦ flop gave both players a pair, but 'Goofy' held the stronger hand. After Badziakouski checked, 'Goofy' bet 2 million.

Badziakouski responded with a 12.6 million-chip check-shove. 'Goofy' called immediately with top pair and remained ahead.

The 7♥ turn and 2♠ river failed to change the outcome. 'Goofy' therefore secured the tournament and its $1 million first prize. Badziakouski finished second for $585,000.

The result gives poker fans another memorable tournament story to follow across live events and US online poker sites. It also adds an intriguing anonymous champion to the 2026 high-roller landscape.

Final Table Results

Place Player Payout POY Points
1 'Goofy' $1,000,000 N/A
2 Mikita Badziakouski $585,000 1,750
3 Oshri Lahmani $375,000 1,400
4 Giorgiy Skhulukhiya $260,000 1,050
5 Sergio Aido $190,000 875
6 Damir Gabdullin $140,000 700
7 Italo Modena $110,000 525
8 Artsiom Lasouski $89,800 350
9 Ravid Garbi $74,000 175

The final-table payouts and POY points are reported by CardPlayer.

'Goofy' Reflects on His Million-Dollar Victory

'Goofy' admitted that facing Badziakouski heads-up presented an enormous challenge. The Belarusian star entered the match with a commanding chip advantage and considerable tournament experience.

"It was really tough. He is one of the best, and I knew that there was not going to be any deal with him," 'Goofy' remarked. "He was like three-to-one in chips."

The anonymous champion also acknowledged how much he had prepared mentally for the battle.

"It's something I thought a lot about. I'm going to give him a big fight. It was really, really tough. Really. It was really tough heads-up, and I'm really happy that it's over."

His family had arrived only a day before the victory, adding another emotional layer to the result. 'Goofy' said the opportunity to celebrate with them and pose with the trophy made the achievement feel like a dream come true.

Badziakouski's runner-up finish still added another significant result to his impressive 2026 campaign. He earned 1,750 POY points and pushed his career live tournament earnings beyond $72.7 million.

For 'Goofy' though, the story belongs entirely to his remarkable comeback. He entered heads-up play facing a huge deficit and ultimately defeated one of poker's most accomplished tournament professionals.

The anonymous American now leaves the opening Onyx event with a title, a $1 million payday, and a memorable place in the series' history.

Jonathan Rodriguez
Jonathan Rodriguez

Jonathan is an avid basketball fan, and is often looking forward to the next upcoming NBA season when not checking players' stats during games. He also likes to keep his ears on the ground for the latest rumblings in the online casino industry.

This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.