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Paulius Vaitekunas has claimed the latest Onyx High Roller Series trophy after winning the $10,200 Bounty event at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus. The tournament, which attracted just seven entries, was completed in a little over three hours.
The full $32,200 prize pool went to the eventual winner, while each elimination carried a $5,000 bounty. Vaitekunas knocked out three of his six opponents, adding $15,000 to his total, and also collected his own $5,000 bounty, bringing his overall haul to $52,200.
Notably, Vaitekunas was one of only two players who entered the tournament late, joining at Level 4 rather than from the start. He noted that this made the win especially quick, calling it the fastest live tournament he has ever played.
The event began with five players before two more, including Vaitekunas, joined to complete the seven-player field. He wasted no time making an impact, eliminating Manig Loeser in seventh place to recoup half his buy-in early on.
As the bounties continued to fall, Aleksandr Kirichenko also picked up two eliminations before facing Vaitekunas in a short heads-up battle. Vaitekunas built a commanding chip lead after eliminating Vladas Tamasauskas in third place with a rivered three-outer, then finished off Kirichenko soon after to secure the title.
Reflecting on his win, Vaitekunas credited his background in fast-paced formats like Spin & Gos for helping him adapt to the short-handed dynamics, while also praising the Onyx Series venue and atmosphere.
