Fabiano Kovalski has added a major online poker title to his growing list of achievements after winning the $10K GGMillion$ on GGPoker on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. The Brazilian collected $464,794 for first place, defeating Spain’s Jon Vallinas in a heads-up contest that ended with a dramatic river card.
The win was far from straightforward. Kovalski began the nine-player final table in fifth place, behind several established high-stakes competitors, and had to navigate multiple changes in the chip lead before securing his first GGMillion$ championship. His performance was another significant result in an already successful year.
A $2.3 Million Prize Pool Raises the Stakes
The latest GGMillion$ attracted 237 entries at a $10,300 buy-in, producing a $2,308,900 prize pool and comfortably clearing its $2 million guarantee. The top 25 finishers reached the money, while everyone who advanced to the final table had already secured at least $58,099.
Yet the difference between simply making the final nine and winning the tournament was substantial. The champion was set to receive $464,794, compared with $358,405 for the runner-up and $276,368 for third place. Those payout jumps made each decision increasingly consequential as the field narrowed.
Among the finalists were Hungarian high-stakes regular Laszlo Bujtas, Germany’s Hannes Jeschka and Ukrainian contender Andrii Derzhypilskyi. Brazil was also well represented, with Kovalski joined by Alisson Piekazewicz and Jesse Cesar. The presence of three Brazilians gave the country several opportunities to claim the title, but only one could survive the final table.
Kovalski Starts in the Middle of a Difficult Final Table
Bujtas entered the finale with approximately 112 big blinds, nearly twice as many as his closest rival. Jeschka began with around 62, Derzhypilskyi had 59, and Vallinas held 52. Kovalski’s stack of about 46 big blinds placed him fifth, with enough chips to compete but little room to coast.
The early stages appeared to favor the bigger stacks. France’s Émilien Pitavy exited in ninth place after his ace-nine ran into Derzhypilskyi’s ace-queen. Cesar then became the next casualty when his ace-eight failed to overtake the ace-queen of fellow Brazilian Piekazewicz.
Play slowed considerably with seven players remaining. That quieter stretch proved important for Kovalski, who built his stack while others struggled to convert their starting advantages into lasting control. Rather than relying on a single enormous all-in confrontation, he put himself in position to apply pressure as the pay jumps grew.
By the time the next player was eliminated, the complexion of the table had changed.
Brazilian Clash Leaves Kovalski Carrying the Flag
The next knockout came in a confrontation between two of Brazil’s remaining representatives. Kovalski held pocket sevens against Piekazewicz’s ace-deuce, and his pair survived the board to send his countryman out in seventh place for $97,711.
That left Kovalski as the sole Brazilian contender, but it also underscored how competitive the final table had become. Nationality offered no protection once stacks went into the middle, and each elimination brought the remaining players closer to six-figure payout increases.
Derzhypilskyi followed in sixth after losing a preflop clash against Vallinas, whose ace-queen had the better of king-queen. Dmitrii Kravchenko then finished fifth when Jeschka improved pocket eights to a set on the turn and won a major pot.
With four players left, the contest had shifted from a battle against Bujtas’s early chip advantage into a much more open fight. Kovalski, Vallinas and Jeschka had all found ways to challenge for control.
Pocket Aces Help End Bujtas’s Title Bid
One of the decisive moments arrived when Bujtas committed his remaining chips with ace-five. Unfortunately for the former chip leader, Kovalski was waiting with pocket aces. The premium pair held, eliminating the Hungarian in fourth place and giving the Brazilian additional ammunition for the closing stages.
The hand illustrated just how far the tournament had moved from its opening chip counts. Bujtas had begun in a commanding position, yet he was now on the rail while the player who started fifth was closing in on the title.
Jeschka was the next to fall. Holding king-queen, the German encountered Kovalski’s pocket sevens in a preflop confrontation and could not find the cards needed to stay alive. His third-place finish was worth $276,368.
The remaining two players were separated by relatively little when heads-up action started. Vallinas had already shown he could win major pots under pressure, and Kovalski still had work to do to finish the comeback.
River Flush Seals a Memorable Heads-Up Finish
The heads-up battle featured several important exchanges, including an aggressive semi-bluff by Kovalski that persuaded Vallinas to fold. As momentum shifted, the Brazilian established a roughly two-to-one chip advantage before the final hand.
Kovalski entered the pot holding five-four of diamonds, while Vallinas had king-eight. The flop came queen-eight-five with two diamonds, giving Kovalski a pair and a flush draw. Another eight on the turn improved Vallinas to three of a kind, but Kovalski continued.
The six of diamonds on the river completed Kovalski’s flush. Vallinas pushed his chips into the middle, and the Brazilian called to end the tournament. Vallinas received $358,405 as runner-up, while Kovalski celebrated the $464,794 first prize and his long-awaited GGMillion$ title.
The finish was spectacular, although the result reflected more than one fortunate card. Kovalski had recovered from a middle-of-the-pack starting position, survived a demanding field and created the chip advantage that allowed him to press for victory.
GGMillion$ Final Table Results
| Place | Country | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brazil | Fabiano Kovalski | $464,794 |
| 2 |  Spain | Jon Vallinas | $358,405 |
| 3 |  Germany | Hannes Jeska | $276,368 |
| 4 |  Hungary | Laszlo Bujtas | $213,109 |
| 5 |  Russia | Dmitry Kravchenko | $164,329 |
| 6 |  Ukraine | Andrii Derzhepilskyi | $126,715 |
| 7 | Brazil | Alisson Pecazevich | $97,711 |
| 8 | Brazil | Jesse Cesar | $75,345 |
| 9 |  France | Emilien Pitavy | $58,099 |
GGMillion$ Success Extends an Outstanding 2026
The online triumph adds another dimension to Kovalski’s remarkable 2026. At the European Poker Tour festival in Barcelona in August, he won the €3,250 Mystery Bounty for a total payout of €385,430 before capturing the €10,300 EPT High Roller for €727,280 only two days later.
There was also an interesting connection between those Barcelona results and this GGMillion$ finale: Vallinas finished 11th in the same EPT High Roller that Kovalski won. Two months later, both players were back in the spotlight, this time competing for one of online poker’s most recognizable weekly titles.
For Kovalski, the October 27 victory is a landmark online result alongside his major live tournament successes. For followers of Brazilian poker, it is another example of the country’s presence at the highest stakes.
And for the GGMillion$ field, it was a reminder that starting with the most chips does not guarantee finishing with the trophy. Kovalski began the final table in fifth place, but by the last river card, nobody was ahead of him.
