Mikalai Vaskaboinikau Wins $50K Onyx Championship for $450K

Jonathan Rodriguez

Written by: Jonathan Rodriguez

Published: Tue Aug 18, 2026, 10:00 am ET

Read Time: 4 minutes

Mikalai Vaskaboinikau Wins $50K Onyx Championship for $450K

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Mikalai Vaskaboinikau turned a last-minute tournament entry into a major victory at the Onyx High Roller Series.

The Belarusian won the $50,500 Onyx High Roller Championship for $450,000 at Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. He defeated an 18-entry field that created an $864,000 prize pool.

Vaskaboinikau nearly missed the tournament after arriving with only two minutes remaining for late registration. Despite that frantic start, he recovered from an early setback and reached the final stages.

The victory adds another prestigious trophy to an already impressive poker résumé. It also marked his first Onyx High Roller Championship title.

Additionally, readers following major tournament results through US online poker sites can now add Vaskaboinikau's latest Onyx victory to the list of notable high-stakes results. 

Vaskaboinikau Survives Tough Final Table

Vaskaboinikau faced several elite opponents while battling toward the final three. Aleksejs Ponakovs, Artur Martirosian, Mikita Badziakouski, and Rob Yong all stood between him and the championship.

His tournament initially took a difficult turn after he triple-barreled an underpair against Ponakovs. Ponakovs backdoored Broadway and took a significant portion of Vaskaboinikau's stack.

Vaskaboinikau then found a crucial double-up against Yong after flopping a flush. That hand restored his stack and kept his championship hopes alive.

He later eliminated Zorlu Er in fifth place after his ace-queen held through the board. The tournament then reached its critical four-handed money bubble.

Badziakouski had built a large stack by that stage, but his fortunes quickly changed. Vaskaboinikau called his king-high shove with ace-jack and left him severely short.

Yong subsequently eliminated Badziakouski on the money bubble, guaranteeing the remaining three players a minimum payout of $164,000.

Vaskaboinikau then helped eliminate Yong after getting ace-ten against king-nine. His ten paired to send the Onyx founder to the rail in third place for $164,000.

That elimination set up a heads-up battle between Vaskaboinikau and Alexey Borovkov.

Vaskaboinikau Finishes Borovkov Heads-Up

Vaskaboinikau entered heads-up play with roughly a 3:1 chip advantage. Borovkov briefly closed the gap after doubling, but Vaskaboinikau soon regained control.

The Belarusian continued applying pressure until Borovkov's stack fell into the danger zone. Eventually, Borovkov moved all-in with K♥6♦.

Vaskaboinikau quickly called with A♠8♣, giving him a commanding preflop advantage. An ace appeared on the flop, leaving Borovkov needing significant help.

The river delivered another ace, giving Vaskaboinikau trip aces and ending the tournament. He secured the $450,000 first prize and the Onyx Championship title.

Final Table Results

Place Player Payout POY Points
1 Mikalai Vaskaboinikau $450,000 204
2 Aleksey Borovkov $250,000 170
3 Rob Yong $164,000 136

The three finalists collected the entire $864,000 prize pool. Vaskaboinikau also earned 204 Card Player Player of the Year points.

Another Major Milestone for Vaskaboinikau

The Onyx championship represents another significant achievement in Vaskaboinikau's high-stakes career.

His latest $450,000 payday pushed his career earnings beyond $17 million. He remains second on Belarus' all-time money list behind Mikita Badziakouski.

The pair shared the Onyx felt during the championship. Vaskaboinikau ultimately helped send his fellow Belarusian to the rail before reaching heads-up play.

Vaskaboinikau has built his reputation through major results across the global high-stakes circuit. His résumé includes a $4.7 million Triton Super High Roller victory and several other seven-figure finishes.

He also won a $50,000 European Poker Tour high roller in Cyprus in October 2024. The latest victory therefore adds another major series trophy to his collection.

The champion explained that he rarely plays a full tournament schedule, which makes each victory particularly meaningful.

"For me actually, it's not a day in the office," Vaskaboinikau said afterward. "I don't play a lot, maybe four or five series per year. So that's why first place and a trophy for me is always an amazing achievement."

He also revealed that one particular trophy had remained missing from his collection.

"I have almost all the trophies of all poker series, but one I didn't achieve yet," he said. "So today is the time… Mission completed."

That mission became reality after an unlikely tournament journey. Vaskaboinikau nearly missed registration, struggled early, survived the money bubble, and defeated Borovkov heads-up.

Now, he leaves the Onyx High Roller Series with another championship trophy and a $450,000 payday.

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.

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