Jean-Robert Bellande Wins Biggest Tournament of His Career in Onyx High Roller

In a stellar poker career spent mainly at the cash tables, American player Jean-Robert Bellande finally won a six-figure sum in tournament poker. Seeing off Rob Yong heads-up, ‘JRB’ as he is commonly known is no longer ‘Broke Living’ as he often precedes his name by way of introduction. Winning $1.5m in the $100,000-entry Onyx Series High Roller Championship, Bellande made himself a tournament hero as well as a cash game king.

The Call of Duty

“I’m putting in a fish. I’m putting JRB in to represent me in there.”

Some of the biggest names in the game of poker descended on Kyrenia in the Turkish province of Northern Cyprus this week as the Onyx High Roller Series put on a schedule of massive events. Not for the feint-hearted or light of wallet, the buy-ins attracted sharks and whales only in the deep waters of the elite high roller poker scene and one hero swam hardest among them. In many respects, it was the last name many expected to be lifting the trophy on Sunday night.

After his epic win, JRB spoke with PokerNews and revaled the surprising way his presence in the tournament came about.

“I wasn’t going to play. Zero chance I’m playing any high rollers, these guys are all superstars. But Rob (Yong)’s plane got delayed and he felt bad. So, he told the guys, ‘I’m putting in a fish. I’m putting JRB in to represent me in there.’ I got the phone call. I’m chilling in my room watching Netflix, and he said, ‘Hey, you want to play? I’m like, great, when’s the tournament? ‘It’s right now.’ I’m like, what? Okay, let me get over there.”

With 50 players taking part, the $5 million guarantee was reached exactly, and the two-day event was still short of the money bubble when the second and final day began. With 11 surviving to that point but late registration adding a few names, three players still needed to bust for the bubble to burst.

Stars such as French Game of Gold star Johan ‘YoH ViraL’ Guilbert, Austrian Pokercode co-founder Matthias Eibinger and Belarussian GGMillion$ champion Mikita Badziakouski all departed as Bellande took the chip lead with two tables remaining. The situation got even better for the American soon after when his pocket aces took care of Jessica Teusl’s ace-king.

Daniel Rezaei busted soon after in 11^th place when his pocket kings were usurped by Emilien Pitavy’s pocket tens, while Adrian Mateos made his way from the tournament room in 10^th, his pocket nines unable to hold in a coinflip against the Belgian player Pieter Aerts who hit with ace-king.

The Bubble Bursts and Eychenne is Eliminated

As the feature table turned into a nine-handed final table, Bellande had the lead and almost double the stack of his nearest challenger Aerts. That change when the latter won a massive pot with a full house against trips, sending Bellande back down the counts as the Belgian took the lead.

The first player to leave the final was the last to bust without making money, as Russian GGPoker legend Artur Martirosian fell in ninth place. All-in with ace-queen, the Russian was way behind Rob Yong’s pocket aces and couldn’t catch miraculous cards to escape his predicament. The money bubble had burst, and Yong had held the pin, having managed to get into the event despite running late in the first instance. Even at this stage, with all eight players now in the money, convincing JRB to play was looking like Yong’s only misstep.

The eliminations now counted for cold, hard cash and the last remaining Russian in the field was the first to head to the cash desk. Gha Iakobishvili won $200,000 when his king-six was no match for Thomas Eychenne’s pocket nines, and the Chinese player Biao Ding, so often a stalwart of high rollers, slipped out in seventh for $230,000 when his straight draw failed to hit against Rob Yong’s set.

Two French players featured in the final six, but both were about to leave. Emilien Pitavy cashed for $280,000 and ace-queen was again the problem hand, the Frenchman losing with aces and queens against Peter Aerts’ trip aces. Thomas Eychenne soon followed his countryman from the felt, winning $375,000 when he ran into Markkos Ladev’s pocket aces and the final four was confirmed.

JRB Gets the Gold

“A bracelet and $500,000, or this event and $1.5 million?”

With four players left, everyone was guaranteed half a million dollars, and it was the ever-dangerous Aerts who took fourth place for $515,000. The Belgian made a flush, but Bellande’s pocket kings held an out to a higher flush on the river and it came in to reduce the field to three podium places.

Markkos Ladev was next to leave, taking the metaphorical bronze medal when he ran into Bellande’s pocket aces and cashed for $700,000 after no help from the board. That set up the final duel between Yong and the man he helped enter the event, Bellande. Yong had a 2:1 chip lead but an early bluff was ill-timed and saw his lead evaporate when Bellande called holding pocket kings.

A board of J-9-3-A-5 fell soon after, and Yong pushed all-in on the river, this time holding four-five of diamonds, two of the same suit having fallen pre-flop. Bellande was a non-believer and called quickly with king-jack, getting the good news instantly that he was a seven-figure major tournament winner for the first time, taking home $1.5m to Yong’s runner-up score of $1m.

While JRB will always be a cash game pro, the tournament result vaults him 350 places on The Hendon Mob and was clearly an achievement that gave him great pride, although he had to admit that the WSOP bracelet win back in 2018 counted for more emotionally.

“Even though this is a bigger cash win, for me, winning that bracelet was more of the granddaddy event. I mean, this is exciting and fun. It sounds insane. A bracelet and $500,000, or this event and $1.5 million. So, wow, this is my biggest by double.”

Watch Jean-Robert Bellande win the biggest tournament prize of his poker career in Northern Cyprus here: