Mikalai Vaskaboinikau almost missed the $50,500 Onyx High Roller Championship entirely. Minutes later he was in the field, and two days later he had another $450,000 and a trophy.
Mikalai Vaskaboinikau left his decision about entering the $50,500 Onyx High Roller Championship about as late as possible.
The Belarusian discovered there were reportedly around two minutes remaining before registration closed at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Cyprus. He rushed to enter, became the 18th and final player in the field, and ultimately won the tournament.
Vaskaboinikau defeated Aleksey Borovkov heads-up to collect $450,000, taking his recorded live tournament earnings beyond $17 million in the process.
Vaskaboinikau Was the Final Player to Enter
There was little indication when Vaskaboinikau took his seat that he was about to add another high roller title to his résumé.
His late entry brought the field to 18 and helped create an $864,000 prize pool. Only nine players survived to Day 2, with an unforgiving payout structure that saw just three players make the money.
The field was small but packed with high-stakes experience. Mikita Badziakouski, Artur Martirosian and Aleksejs Ponakovs were among the players competing for the title.
Vaskaboinikau survived to reach the final three alongside Borovkov and Onyx founder Rob Yong.
Rob Yong Falls Short of Winning His Own High Roller
Yong had the opportunity to produce an unusual ending to the Onyx High Roller Series by winning the championship at the series he founded.
Instead, his run ended in third place for $164,000.
That left Vaskaboinikau and Borovkov heads-up for the title. Vaskaboinikau completed his unlikely journey from last-minute entrant to champion, while Borovkov collected $250,000 as runner-up.
$50,500 Onyx High Roller Championship Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau | $450,000 |
| 2nd | Aleksey Borovkov | $250,000 |
| 3rd | Rob Yong | $164,000 |
Another Major Title for Vaskaboinikau
The $450,000 payday is nowhere near the biggest result of Vaskaboinikau’s career, but it adds another title to an increasingly impressive high roller record.
His breakthrough result at the very highest level came at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Montenegro in 2024. Vaskaboinikau defeated a 171-entry field in the $125,000 Main Event to win $4.737 million.
Later that year, he won a $50,000 high roller at EPT Cyprus, while further seven-figure Triton results have helped push his career tournament winnings beyond $17 million.
Unlike some of the regulars on the high roller circuit, Vaskaboinikau does not maintain a relentless tournament schedule. He said after his Onyx victory that he plays only around four or five series each year, making another first-place finish particularly meaningful.
That selective schedule has not prevented the Belarusian from becoming a regular threat when he does take a seat.
And in Cyprus, taking that seat with only minutes to spare proved to be worth $450,000.
