The High Roller scene was on full display in Tirana, Albania, as the 2025 PLO Grand Slam—part of the prestigious Diamond Poker Series—lit up the Arena Casino Tirana from January 23 to 31. With a jaw-dropping €5 million in guaranteed prize money, this elite festival attracted the world’s top Pot-Limit Omaha pros and featured two headline events, each offering seven-figure prize potential.
The action kicked off with a €5,000 High Roller Opener, boasting a €1 million guarantee. Dutch pro Tom Vogelsang took down the event, but the real spotlight was reserved for the €10,000 Championship High Roller, featuring a massive €2 million guarantee.
Despite drawing 191 entries, the Championship event narrowly missed its guarantee. After accounting for tournament fees, $1,957,456 was paid out to the top 23 finishers. In a thrilling conclusion, Norway’s Tom-Aksel Bedell emerged victorious, taking home the $455,520 top prize—his largest live cash to date. The win propelled Bedell’s career earnings past $4 million, and he earned his seat through a unique promotion in the €5K event, awarded to the player who fired the most bullets.
This marked the second edition of the PLO Grand Slam, following a successful 2023 debut with €3 million in guarantees. The Arena Casino Tirana is quickly becoming a premier destination for High Roller events in Eastern Europe.
The Championship event featured a star-studded field. Notables making deep runs included bracelet winners Joni Jouhkimainen (22nd), Max Kruse (20th), Elie Nakache (18th), Dario Alioto (15th), and Ismael Bojang (14th).
French pro Daniel Tordjman made waves late in the tournament, knocking out two-time bracelet winner Oleksii Kovalchuk (5th – $134,680) and Vogelsang (4th – $167,960) to hold 72% of the chips entering three-handed play. But the High Roller battlefield proved unforgiving. Bedell surged after winning a massive pot with kings full of sevens against Tordjman, eventually eliminating him in 3rd place ($205,400) with queens full.
That set the stage for a heads-up clash with 2024 WSOP Paradise $100K PLO champion Lautaro Guerra. Despite an early double-up, Guerra couldn’t overcome the chip deficit. He moved all-in with Q♥J♦9♥5♦ against Bedell’s A♣Q♠Q♣3♣. The board—A♦8♠4♥5♣7♦—secured the win for Bedell. Guerra earned $307,840 for his runner-up finish, pushing his career total to nearly $5.3 million.
