3-Bet: Robbie Toan, Deddi Orpaz & Beomhui Kang Win Major Live Titles!

The poker world just witnessed three players rise to the moment in three very different corners of the globe. In this 3-Bet rundown, we look at Robbie Toan’s fairytale run on home soil at the Irish Open Super High Roller, Deddi Orpaz’s statement win in São Paulo, and Beomhui Kang’s breakout performance at the record-breaking Okada Millions in Manila.

Over in Dublin, the 2025 Irish Open rolled out its first-ever €10,000 Super High Roller—bringing major heat to Europe’s oldest poker festival. The event drew a stacked lineup of 53 entries and built a €503,831 prize pool. Among the notables in the mix were Steve O’Dwyer, John Duthie, and Juha Helppi. But it wasn’t one of the high-stakes regulars who took the trophy. Instead, it was local amateur Robbie Toan (cover image – left) who turned heads. A longtime recreational player who usually only makes one big trip a year, Toan picked the perfect spot to take a shot. Two days of intense play later, he clinched his first live title and a personal-best €163,800. Romania’s Adrian Cazacu made a deep run of his own, turning a €1,100 satellite into a massive runner-up payout of €108,300.

Meanwhile, in São Paulo, the SiGMA Poker Tour made its long-awaited debut at the Monte Carlo Poker Club. Once the SiGMA conference wrapped, the focus shifted to the $770 Main Event, which featured a $250,000 guarantee and pulled in 293 entries across five starting flights. With a festive atmosphere and a serious prize pool on the line, Israel’s Deddi Orpaz (cover image – right top) navigated the field with poise. He closed it out with a dominant final table showing, collecting his second career live title and a career-best $58,700. Jacques Blit, who came up just short, earned a strong $41,000 for second place.

Over in the Philippines, PokerStars LIVE brought the heat to Okada Manila with the sixth edition of its popular Okada Millions series. The Main Event, held from April 10-13, featured a budget-friendly ₱8,000 (~$140) buy-in and drew a record-setting 1,638 entries across seven starting flights. The prize pool soared to ₱11,185,574 (~$196,300), paying out 196 players. In the end, it was South Korea’s Beomhui Kang (cover image – right bottom)—an amateur and businessman—who rose to the top. Kang bagged his first live trophy and a ₱1,305,000 (~$22,900) payday. The final three players struck an ICM deal, giving Anacleto Quijano the biggest payout at ₱1,441,000 (~$25,290), while former champ Hernan Villa rounded out the trio with ₱1,096,374 (~$19,245). Kang also took home a ₱180,000 APPT package to cap off a breakout performance.

Local Hero Robbie Toan Triumphs in Inaugural Irish Open €10K Super High Roller! (€163,800)

The 2025 Irish Open, long known as Europe’s oldest poker festival, introduced some serious high-stakes action this year with its first-ever €10,000 Super High Roller. This debut wasn’t quiet; it pulled in a tough field of 53 entries, creating a prize pool worth €503,831 and drawing poker sharks from all over to the Royal Dublin Society. Famous faces like Steve O’Dwyer, John Duthie, and Juha Helppi were part of the Day 1 crowd, signalling a challenging path for whoever wanted the title.

Among these seasoned pros, a relatively unknown Irish amateur, Robbie Toan, decided to jump into the mix. Having played poker for two decades but typically only managing one big poker trip annually, Toan took his chance in the big one right here on home soil. And what a chance it proved to be!

After two demanding days at the tables, Toan worked his way through the competition, ending with an emotional win. He got to hoist his very first live tournament trophy and took home a personal best of €163,800. “It’s a dream come true,” Toan shared later. “I’ve been playing poker for 20 years, and this is my first-ever trophy. To do it at the Irish Open — absolutely amazing.” This victory didn’t just bring the trophy; it quadrupled his lifetime live earnings instantly.

The €10K Irish Open Super High Roller – a New Tradition? Robbie Toan Might Like It to Be https://t.co/PpOgaq6iUb @PokerStarsUK @paddypowerpoker

— Irish Open (@Irish_PokerOpen) April 18, 2025

Toan, who likes to call himself the “Ultimate Fish” online (an inside joke about how some pros might see his “calling station” tendencies), showed everyone he belonged. He started Day 2 with a decent stack among the 25 players left and got busy right away, knocking out backgammon grandmaster Zdenek Zizka early.

A really crucial point in his journey came with 12 players left. Toan was in a tough situation against Adrian Cazacu on a board. Holding (just top pair), he faced an all-in river bet. After thinking it through, he made an incredible hero call and was right – Cazacu was bluffing with . Toan mentioned later he felt he’d nudged Cazacu towards bluffing based on an earlier chat and how the betting went down. That pot was huge for his chip stack and his belief.

Things got lively as the final table came together. After Timo Kamphues bowed out just before the official final table, and Jamie Dwan was eliminated right before the paid places, it was Cazacu who burst the money bubble by taking out Gilles Simon (a past EPT Cyprus Main Event winner).

Play stayed seven-handed for about 90 minutes, with chips flying back and forth. Christopher Nguyen was the first player to collect prize money (7th), sent packing by Cazacu. Michel Molenaar went out next (6th), with Toan taking his chips.

Then, Cazacu hit a hot streak, knocking out Simon Wilson (5th), who also had a great story, turning a €1,100 satellite ticket into a big score, Severi Palmu (4th), and Klemens Roiter (3rd) – his third strong finish at this Irish Open after two earlier second-place results, one after the other.

This late charge gave Cazacu almost twice as many chips as Toan when their heads-up match began. The Romanian player pushed his advantage early, putting Toan in a tight spot and down to around 15 big blinds. But Toan fought back. He got a double-up with ten-eight suited to start his recovery. Not long after, he scored a clutch double-up with that made Broadway on the flop against Cazacu’s . That hand shifted the lead decisively to Toan.

The final hand wasn’t far behind. Toan held pocket tens, and they stayed good on an board against Cazacu’s . The local amateur had pulled it off against a field full of pros.

While Toan celebrated his first major title, runner-up Adrian Cazacu also walked away with a fantastic outcome. The Romanian player spun a €1,100 satellite entry into a huge €108,300 prize, easily the best return on investment seen in the event.

Toan’s win was more than just a personal triumph; it generated real excitement around the new Super High Roller, maybe cementing its place in future Irish Open schedules. For a self-styled “fish” who just loves playing, winning against such tough opponents on his home turf is the kind of poker tale that keeps players dreaming big.

Final Table Results (EURO)

1. Robbie Toan – €163,800
2. Adrian Cazacu – €108,300
3. Klemens Roiter – €73,100
4. Severi Palmu – €55,400
5. Simon Wilson – €42,800
6. Michel Molenaar – €34,000
7. Christopher Nguyen – €26,500

Family Double: Deddi Orpaz Captures First-Ever SiGMA Brazil Poker Title After Son’s BiS Award Win ($58,700)

São Paulo saw plenty of poker action recently when the SiGMA Poker Tour made its first-ever stop at the Monte Carlo Poker Club. Once the SiGMA gaming conference wrapped up, all the attention gravitated to the $770 Main Event. It had a $250,000 guarantee and pulled in 293 entries over five starting days. The organisers wanted a mix of serious poker and good times, and by all accounts, the atmosphere was great.

After five days of play, Israel’s Deddi Orpaz came out on top! He had a fantastic run, especially at the final table, winning his second career title and $58,700 for first place – his biggest score yet.

Turns out, Orpaz wasn’t just in Brazil for the poker tournament initially. “I actually came here for the SiGMA convention, and my son’s company got an award,” he mentioned after winning. His son, Tom Orpaz from FIRST Sportsbook, had just received the Rising Star of the Year award at the BiS Awards. Deddi added, “We took the first award as a small Israeli group, and my son told me ‘you have to take another award,’ and so that’s what I did.” Pretty cool family double!

Besides the win, Orpaz had great things to say about his time there. “I’m feeling great, not because of the title. Because of the people,” he said. “The people in Brazil, I find out that they’re always happy… You can name whatever casino you want in Europe; I was there. The United States from Atlantic City to Los Angeles, I never got service like here.”

Getting the win wasn’t all smooth sailing. Orpaz started the final table with the chip lead, but Argentina’s Jacques Blit came out firing, grabbing chips early and taking the lead himself after winning a massive pot – his pocket aces held up against Edson Onofre’s pocket kings.

The final table kept things interesting. Marcelo Lopes was the first casualty in ninth. Then Marcelo Costa hit the rail in eighth, followed by Joao Leao, who busted seventh when Orpaz’s ace-ten held against his king-queen.

Cristhian Rico, who began the final table as the short stack, battled back, getting a key double-up with pocket jacks against Wilson Paiva, which sent Paiva out in sixth. Rico also knocked out Samara Alexandre in fifth place, his ace-queen proving best.

Erik Marasco had a quieter final table after being a chip leader earlier in the tournament and finished in fourth when Jacques Blit made a flush against him. This left three players, but Orpaz made sure things didn’t drag out three-handed. He got into a big showdown holding queen-jack suited against Cristhian Rico‘s ace-jack. Though starting behind, Orpaz picked up drawing chances on the turn and hit a flush on the river. That sent Rico out in third – a really tough break for the Brazilian player.

Deddi Orpaz and Jacques Blit briefly entertained the idea of a deal, but with both players eyeing the full prize and the trophy, talks quickly fizzled out. With sizable stacks in play, it could’ve gone the distance—but Orpaz had other plans. In what turned out to be the final hand, Blit’s couldn’t hold against Orpaz’s , which completed a flush on the board to seal the win.

“Thank you! First-place winner from Israel!” Orpaz happily announced as he celebrated.

The SiGMA Poker Tour’s Operations Manager, Ivonne Montealgre, was pleased with how the first Brazil stop went: “This SPT was a dream and a vision that came true… We are very proud of what we accomplished, mixing top-quality 5-star poker with a strong recreational aspect.”

After this successful event in Brazil, the SiGMA Poker Tour is now heading to Europe. A stop planned in Malta from September 3-7 will feature a €250,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Deddi Orpaz – $58,700
2. Victor Hugo Cardenas – $41,000
3. Bruno de Paula – $29,200
4. Caio Pimentel – $21,500
5. Daniel Estrela – $16,000
6. Guilherme Silva – $11,700
7. Lucas Faria – $8,000
8. Marcelo Costa – $5,800
9. Pedro Azevedo – $3,800

Businessman Beomhui Kang Wins Record-Breaking Okada Millions Main Event!

PokerStars LIVE hit Okada Manila recently for the sixth edition of their popular Okada Millions series (April 10-13, 2025), and the Main Event was one for the books! With a friendly ₱8,000 (~$140) buy-in, players from all over the region jumped in, creating a massive, record-setting field of 1,638 entries across seven starting flights. This turnout smashed the previous prize pool record, building a pot worth ₱11,185,574 (~$196,300), with 196 players getting paid.

After the dust settled, it was Beomhui Kang, a recreational player and businessman from South Korea, who came out on top. He navigated the huge field to grab his first-ever live tournament title, a trophy, and a nice payday of ₱1,305,000 (~$22,900). To make his maiden win even better, Kang also received an APPT Package valued at ₱180,000.

He was made for the MILLIONS 🤑💰

After a record-breaking game, Beomhui Kang 🇰🇷 rose above a total of 1,638 entries to become the Okada Manila Millions 2025 champion! Beomhui will take home a total of ₱1,305,000, a spadie and an additional APPT Package worth ₱125,000. pic.twitter.com/YCgfRz04EC

— PokerStars LIVE Manila (@PSLiveManila) April 13, 2025

Kang was clearly thrilled. “This was my first championship, and it’s like a dream! I am very happy I won this championship. I am only a businessman. Poker is just my hobby,” he said, quite emotional after the win.

The final day started with 189 players returning, including Hernan Villa, the very first champion of this event, who had a big stack coming into the day. However, it was Anacleto Quijano, the overall chip leader starting the final day, who controlled the action early on.

Once the final table of nine was set after Christian Cloutier busted in 10th for ₱129,000 (~$2,265), things moved quickly – the entire final table wrapped up in just 32 hands! Quijano continued his strong play with a dramatic double knockout early, sending Rodolfo Ramo (9th) and Joungwoo Park (8th) to the rail.

Kang made a significant move when the play was seven-handed. He got involved in a big pot against Fahad Alanazi (who finished 7th). Kang recalled the hand later: “My toughest opponent was Seat 5 [Alanazi]. He had top pair top kicker, and I had two pair.” Kang check-raised the flop and his two pair held, giving him a major chip boost.

Quijano kept busy, knocking out Dino Sabatini (5th) and later Vamerdino Magsakay (4th), battling Kang for the chip lead.

With just three players left – Kang, Quijano, and former champ Villa – they decided to look at the numbers and agreed on a deal based on chip counts (an ICM chop). This deal locked up the biggest cash payout for Quijano (₱1,441,000; ~$25,290), while Kang got the second-largest amount plus the APPT package, and Villa also locked in substantial payouts.

Even with the money sorted, they played on for the title. Kang stayed aggressive, first eliminating Hernan Villa in third place when his better hand held in a preflop all-in. That set up a heads-up match against Anacleto Quijano, which was incredibly short. On the very first hand of heads-up play (Hand #32 of the final table), Kang’s Q-9 won a preflop race against Quijano’s J-8, ending the tournament right there and giving Kang the championship.

Final Table Results (Philippine Peso/USD)

1. Beomhui Kang – ₱1,305,000* (~$22,900) (also won an APPT package)
2. Anacleto Quijano – ₱1,441,000* (~$25,290)
3. Hernan Villa – ₱1,096,374* (~$19,245)
4. Vamerdino Magsakay – ₱615,000 (~$10,795)
5. Dino Sabatini – ₱475,000 (~$8,335)
6. Yen Huang Ting – ₱365,000 (~$6,405)
7. Fahad Alanazi – ₱280,000 (~$4,915)
8. Park Joungwoo – ₱215,000 (~$3,775)
9. Rodolfo Ramo – ₱165,000 (~$2,895)

*denotes a three-way deal

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerNews, Irish Poker Open, SiGMA World & So Much Poker