James Chen Captures PGT PLO Quattro Bounty Title With $239,000 Total Score

Viktor Walter · Sep 30, 2026

James Chen Captures PGT PLO Quattro Bounty Title With $239,000 Total Score

James Chen celebrating a poker tournament win in Las Vegas during the 2026 PGT PLO Series

James Chen emerged as the champion of Event #4 in the 2026 PGT PLO Series after defeating a field in the $10,500 PLO Quattro Bounty tournament held in Las Vegas, and he secured eight of the fourteen available bounties during the event.

The victory delivered $132,000 in bounty prizes along with the $107,000 first-place payout, which brought his overall earnings from the event to $239,000 while moving him to the top of the series standings with 178 PGT points, according to reports from the tournament organizers.

Event Details and Format

The $10,500 PLO Quattro Bounty event featured a Pot Limit Omaha structure where players carried four separate bounties on their heads, and this format encouraged aggressive play because eliminating an opponent triggered multiple payouts at once. Chen collected eight of those bounties throughout the tournament, which accounted for the majority of his supplemental prize money beyond the standard payout structure.

Richard Gryko finished in second place and received a total of $100,400, which included his own bounty collections and the runner-up prize money. The final table concluded with Chen holding the chip lead at several key stages, allowing him to navigate through the later rounds while maintaining pressure on remaining opponents.

Series Standings Impact

With 178 PGT points earned from this victory, Chen assumed the series lead as the 2026 PGT PLO Series progressed through its scheduled stops in Las Vegas during September 2026. The points system awards significant value for deep runs in high buy-in PLO events, and his performance in Event #4 positioned him ahead of other contenders at that stage of the schedule.

Those tracking the series noted that Chen's bounty accumulation played a central role in separating him from the pack, since the Quattro format multiplies the value of each elimination compared with standard bounty structures. The event drew participants from across the professional poker community, and the final results reflected the high level of competition typical in these PGT stops.

Poker players competing at a Pot Limit Omaha table during a high-stakes bounty event

Prize Breakdown and Performance

Chen's total of $239,000 came from combining the $107,000 winner's share with $132,000 in bounties, which represented a substantial return on the $10,500 buy-in. The remaining six bounties went to other players throughout the tournament, yet Chen's ability to claim more than half of them demonstrated consistent success in the elimination phases.

Gryko's $100,400 payout placed him immediately behind the champion and highlighted the strong showing by the UK player in a field that rewarded precise decision-making under the PLO rules. Tournament officials confirmed the payouts shortly after the final hand, and the results updated the official PGT leaderboard in real time.

Context Within the 2026 Schedule

The 2026 PGT PLO Series continued its run in Las Vegas with multiple events planned throughout September, and Event #4 marked an early highlight because of the large bounty component attached to the Quattro format. Series organizers structured the schedule to include both bounty and non-bounty PLO tournaments, which created varied strategic demands across the different stops.

Chen's win added to his career earnings in PLO variants while also boosting his position in the overall PGT rankings for the year. Data from the series showed that players who accumulated multiple bounties in earlier events often carried momentum into subsequent tournaments, and this pattern appeared again in the latest results.

Conclusion

James Chen's victory in the $10,500 PLO Quattro Bounty event stands as the defining result from Event #4 of the 2026 PGT PLO Series, with his $239,000 total and 178 points establishing him as the current series leader. Richard Gryko's runner-up finish for $100,400 completed the top two payouts, and the distribution of the fourteen bounties shaped the final outcome. The event reinforced the competitive landscape of the ongoing series in Las Vegas as participants moved forward with updated standings and points totals.