Ray Qartomy tabled in three of four events, picking up two titles along the way
The PokerGO Tour Texas Poker Open recently wrapped up at Champions Club Texas in Houston, and one name stood out across the entire series: Ray Qartomy. The Houston-based player dominated the $5,000 high-roller events, finishing at the final table in three of the four tournaments and walking away with two titles. His consistent performance netted him $101,400 in winnings from those high rollers alone.
Qartomy kicked things off by taking down the opening high roller, outlasting a small but tough field of 15 players. That win brought him $40,500 and a symbolic Texas Poker Open belt buckle trophy. In the second event, he added another solid finish with a third-place result worth $19,200. David Chen won that particular tournament, earning $54,000 and his second PokerGO Tour title.
After a break in momentum during the third high roller — which saw Elliot Smith clinch the win after a deal with Terry Morales — Qartomy came back strong. He sealed his second victory of the series by winning the final $5,000 event. That tournament saw 25 entries, and Qartomy took home $41,700 after a heads-up agreement with Brian Green. Smith placed third in that event, while Chen returned for a fourth-place finish.
Qartomy didn’t stop at the high rollers. He also cashed in the $3,300 main event, finishing 72nd for an additional $5,500. That bumped his total series earnings to nearly $107,000 and pushed his career total to over $5.3 million.
While several big names, including Jonathan Tamayo and Jeremy Becker, made appearances and deep runs, it was Qartomy’s consistent performance that turned heads in Houston. His showing proves that local players can still steal the spotlight on poker’s biggest stages.
