Phenom Poker’s first major tournament series has come out firing, with the opening nine events of the Phenom Series of Poker (PSOP) generating more than $185,000 in prize money and every tournament comfortably beating its guarantee.
Several events have attracted fields worth four or five times their advertised guarantees, while established mixed-game pros are battling recreational players for titles, leaderboard points and WSOP Paradise packages. It’s exactly the sort of start Phenom Poker would have hoped for when it decided to build a 92-event festival around more than just no-limit hold’em.
PSOP Results: Guarantees Smashed Across the Board
The PSOP kicked off on October 23 and runs until November 15, offering over $1 million in combined tournament guarantees, satellites and additional prizes.
As PokerType reported when the schedule was announced, the series gives mixed games a starring role, with everything from PLO and Stud to Badugi, Triple Draw and 8-Game on the menu.
The early numbers suggest there’s plenty of appetite for that approach.
Selected Phenom Series of Poker Results
| Event | Entries | Guarantee | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1: $50 PLO Kickoff | 274 | $2,500 | $12,741 |
| #3: $200 8-Game Mix | 134 | $7,500 | $25,326 |
| #6: $200 Big Bet Championship | 150 | $5,000 | $28,350 |
| #7: $500 2-7 Triple Draw Championship | 88 | $20,000 | $41,580 |
| #8: $100 PLO5 PKO | 162 | $4,000 | $15,309 |
| #17: $50 NLH 6-Max PKO | 218 | $2,000 | $10,137 |
| #18: $100 Stud 8 or Better | 129 | $3,500 | $12,191 |
| #20: $500 Omaha 8 or Better Championship | 84 | $10,000 | $39,690 |
Prize figures are reported in US-dollar equivalents of Phenom’s CHIP currency.
The $50 PLO Kickoff was particularly impressive, pulling in 274 entries and building a prize pool more than five times its $2,500 guarantee. Meanwhile, the $200 Big Bet Championship generated $28,350 against a $5,000 guarantee, and the $500 Omaha 8 or Better Championship nearly quadrupled its advertised prize pool.
These aren’t enormous buy-ins or fields by online poker standards, but they’re healthy numbers for a specialist room offering formats that rarely get this much attention.
Cal and Mikhail Yakovlev Lead the Early Winners
The series has already produced several double champions, with American player ‘Cal’ and mixed-game specialist Mikhail ‘FAL1st’ Yakovlev putting together particularly strong runs.
Among the early tournament winners:
- Cal: $200 Super Triple Draw Mix and $50 NLH 6-Max.
- Mikhail ‘FAL1st’ Yakovlev: $500 PLO Championship and $1,000 H.E.R.O.S. Masters.
Cal led the results-based PSOP leaderboard in the latest reported standings, with Yakovlev sitting second.
Poker Hall of Famer Brian Rast has also been getting involved, making several deep runs and finishing runner-up in the PLO Championship.
Rast isn’t the only familiar face at the tables. Phenom’s roster includes Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom, Huck Seed, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates and Phil Laak, giving players the opportunity to battle some of poker’s biggest names without needing a five-figure bankroll.
Andrew Yeh’s Mixed-Game Experiment Is Paying Off
Phenom tournament director Andrew Yeh, himself a WSOP H.O.R.S.E. bracelet winner, has been vocal about the site’s willingness to experiment with tournament formats.
Speaking earlier in 2026, Yeh explained his approach to tournament scheduling:
“If a tournament’s really popular, I up the guarantee on it.”
He also summed up Phenom’s willingness to try something different:
“Whatever we can experiment with, we’ll do it.”
That philosophy is showing results. Rather than trying to compete directly with established rooms on their biggest NLHE schedules, Phenom has built a home for players who enjoy splitting pots, drawing cards and switching games every orbit.
Two WSOP Paradise Packages Still Up for Grabs
There’s more to play for than individual tournament prizes. Phenom has created two separate competitions running alongside the PSOP.
| Competition | Top Prize | How to Win |
|---|---|---|
| PSOP Leaderboard | $16,000 WSOP Paradise package | Tournament results |
| PSOP Rally | $6,500 WSOP Paradise package | Participation and volume |
The $16,000 package includes a seat in the $10,000 WSOP Paradise 8-Game Mixed event, while the $6,500 package includes entry into the $2,750 Circuit Championship.
The Rally leaderboard was led by ‘king153246’ in the latest reported standings, with Huck Seed second and Yakovlev third.
Phenom is also distributing 250,000 PHNM tokens through its leaderboard and Rally promotions, separate from tournament prize pools. Those token awards carry a one-year lock-up.
Plenty of Poker Still to Come
With the festival continuing until November 15, players still have opportunities to get involved through scheduled tournaments, satellites and freerolls.
The series finishes with a 5,000 CHIP 9-Game Mix Masters High Roller, carrying a 50,000 CHIP guarantee. Instead of another conventional NLHE Main Event, Phenom will crown a champion who needs to know their way around several poker disciplines.
For a room that only launched in late 2024, attracting these fields to specialist formats is an encouraging result. The early guarantees have been beaten, recognised pros are turning up, and mixed-game grinders are getting tournaments worth playing.
Phenom Poker has dealt itself a strong opening hand. If the remaining events keep attracting this level of action, its first PSOP could become the foundation of a regular fixture on the online poker calendar.
