Sean Rafael

Sean Rafael grew up in the United States with a natural drive for competition and eventually settled in Las Vegas, Nevada, the poker capital of the world. His first recorded live tournament cash came in 2013, when he finished in the money in the WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Millionaire Maker for $64,736. While his early results were in No-Limit Hold'em, Rafael soon gravitated toward Pot-Limit Omaha, the four-card game that would define his career. Around 2014, he began appearing more regularly in live tournament results, but his career truly accelerated in the early 2020s when he decided to focus almost exclusively on PLO.

Rafael is part of a new breed of young professionals who combine deep study with high-level strategy. Rather than spreading himself across every discipline, he chose to specialize in Pot-Limit Omaha, a game where his aggressive style and willingness to embrace massive swings gave him a clear edge against world-class fields. This dedication turned him into one of the most feared Omaha specialists in the game today.

The 2025 season was a defining one for Sean Rafael, marked by title wins on three major circuits and several deep runs in the toughest high roller events on the planet. His biggest single score came in May 2025 at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Montenegro, where he finished sixth in the $100,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event for $549,000.

Rafael also became a champion on the European stage that same year, taking down the €25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event at EPT Monte Carlo for $430,664. This was his first major European title and confirmed his ability to beat the best players in high-stakes mixed fields. Later in 2025, he added a PokerGO Tour title to his résumé, winning the $25,000 PLO High Roller at NAPT Las Vegas for $171,700. That victory represented his first official PGT title and helped secure his position near the top of the 2025 PGT standings.

Beyond the wins, Rafael's consistency in 2025 was remarkable. He made final tables in some of the most demanding Omaha tournaments ever held, including a fourth-place finish in the $10,000 WSOP Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $462,451 and a seventh-place finish in the $100,000 WSOP High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha for $419,563. His 2025 earnings exceeded $1.7 million, cementing his status as one of the most dangerous Omaha players on the global circuit.

Rafael has amassed 16 World Series of Poker cashes totaling more than $1.46 million as of mid-2026. His first WSOP cash came in 2013 in the Millionaire Maker event, and he has recorded at least one cash every year since 2024. His peak WSOP season was 2025, when he posted seven cashes and more than $1.17 million in winnings.

The highlight of his WSOP career remains the 2025 $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, where he finished fourth for $462,451. He also made a strong run in the $100,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha event, finishing seventh for $419,563. At the 2025 WSOP Paradise series in the Bahamas, Rafael added more final-table appearances in the $10,000 Super PLOSSUS PLO and the $75,000 Triton PLO events, further demonstrating his versatility in both traditional WSOP events and the newer high-stakes side series.

At the 2026 WSOP in Las Vegas, Rafael continued to appear in the biggest PLO events. He entered the $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller on June 19, 2026, finishing 16th out of 110 entries for $102,800. His consistent presence in these events has made him a regular name on WSOP PLO leaderboards.

Rafael's willingness to travel the globe in search of the highest stakes is a central part of his career. He has played in Montenegro, South Korea, and the Bahamas, as well as throughout Europe and North America, often skipping No-Limit Hold'em events entirely to focus on the games where he holds the biggest edge. This travel-driven approach has allowed him to compete regularly on the Triton Poker Series, the PokerGO Tour, and the EPT.

His 2026 schedule has continued that pattern. In May 2026, he played the Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro Season 5, including the $100,000 PLO Main Event that ran from May 25 to May 27. He also appeared in the $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller at the 2026 WSOP in Las Vegas. According to the SMP Poker Index, Rafael entered five events in the Asia-Pacific region and cashed in all five, with a biggest win of $360,000 and total Asia-Pacific net earnings of $949,000. His overall SPI ranking placed him at 3,862 with a score of 697.

These numbers reflect not only his results in traditional Western high roller circuits but also his success in Asia-Pacific poker markets, where PLO has become increasingly popular. Rafael's ability to adapt to different venues and player pools has made him a truly global competitor.

Rafael is known for an aggressive, high-risk style that is ideally suited to Pot-Limit Omaha. He is comfortable playing for enormous pots and frequently puts opponents to the test with big bluffs and thin value bets. His strategy relies on constant pressure, forcing other players to make difficult decisions for their entire stacks. This attacking approach is paired with a calm, focused demeanor that helps him navigate the wild swings of Omaha without losing composure.

Peers describe Rafael as relentless at the table and professional and hard-working away from it. He emphasizes post-flop creativity and hand reading, using the full range of his four-card hand to outplay opponents in deep-stacked high roller events. While he avoids the spotlight, his results have earned him respect from some of the toughest fields in the game.

At just over a decade into his live tournament career, Sean Rafael has already established himself as a premier Pot-Limit Omaha player. With titles on the EPT, Triton, and PokerGO Tour circuits, plus a string of deep finishes in the highest-buy-in events, he has built a résumé that places him among the most dangerous Omaha specialists of his generation.

His 2025 season alone produced more than $1.7 million in earnings, and his continued presence at 2026 high roller events suggests the upward trajectory is far from over. With a near-lock on a seat in the 2025 PGT $1,000,000 Championship and a growing collection of trophies, Rafael's future in the upper echelon of Pot-Limit Omaha appears exceptionally bright.