Veerachai Vongxaiburana

Veerachai Vongxaiburana is a Thai-born poker player who currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. By profession, he works as a day trader, and he plays poker recreationally, albeit with a serious and dedicated mindset. His first notable five-figure tournament score came in June 2017, when he won a $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event in Las Vegas for $30,954. This early success helped establish his presence in the live tournament scene and set the stage for his later achievements.

Vongxaiburana's breakout performance on the biggest stage came at the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP), where he finished 13th in the $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed event for $20,209. This result demonstrated his skill in mixed and Omaha variants, which would later prove pivotal to his career.

His crowning achievement arrived on June 14, 2025, at the WSOP in Las Vegas. Vongxaiburana won Event #44: $10,000 Big O Championship, capturing his first career WSOP bracelet and a prize of $784,353. He defeated Phil Hui heads-up to claim the title, with the final hand seeing Vongxaiburana river the nuts to eliminate Hui in second place. The event was the 14th PGT-qualifying tournament of the series, and with this victory, Vongxaiburana moved to 15th place on the PokerGO Tour (PGT) leaderboard.

The tournament featured a tough final table that included notable players such as Marco Johnson, Viktor Blom, and Shawn Rice. During the final table, Phil Hui's aces held against the flopped straight draws of Blom and Rice, making Hui the chip leader at one point. However, Vongxaiburana surged ahead, and Johnson was eliminated in third place when his top-and-bottom pair ran into Vongxaiburana's top two pair.

Vongxaiburana's total live tournament earnings exceed $1.2 million, with his best live cash being the $784,353 from his 2025 WSOP bracelet win. He has crossed the $1,000,000 milestone in career earnings and is ranked approximately 2,768th on the All Time Money List. His PokerGO Tour statistics also reflect a strong record, with total live earnings of $346,066 and a best live cash of $39,419 from PGT-qualifying events, placing him around 9,347th on that list. He holds a GPI rank of 9,419 and has accumulated 65 recorded tournament results.

Vongxaiburana is particularly adept at Pot-Limit Omaha and mixed games such as Big O (Five-Card Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo). His success in these formats highlights his deep understanding of complex hand values and his ability to navigate multi-way pots. As a day trader, he brings a disciplined, analytical mindset to the poker table, often displaying patience and calculated aggression. His victory over a field of professionals in the 2025 Big O Championship underscores his capability to compete against and defeat full-time poker pros despite his part-time status.

Vongxaiburana's 2025 WSOP victory was widely covered by poker media, with headlines noting that a 'hobby' player beat the pros to win the $10k Big O bracelet. He is recognized as one of the notable Thai-born players on the international poker scene, representing Thailand in major tournaments while residing in the United States. His achievement serves as an inspiration to recreational players, demonstrating that a serious commitment to the game, combined with a strong grasp of niche variants, can lead to success at the highest levels of poker.