He is the number 1 poker player in Latvia and now joins the list of the 20 highest earners in the history of mind sports. Aleks Ponakovs overcame a final table full of big names and won the title of the US$ 150K Anniversary Special at Triton Montenegro. As a result, the professional secured a prize of US$ 3,027,000.
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However, this was not the first time Ponakovs won a reward above US$ 3 million. In just over a year, the Latvian reached this prize level for the third time. At Triton Jeju, he received a similar prize by finishing 2nd in an equivalent tournament, in addition to winning the US$ 100K Main Event in the Bahamas.
To win the title, the Latvian had to overcome a field of 76 players and a final table filled with Triton champions. Among the nine finalists, 32 titles from the series were distributed, while four players in the final – including Ponakovs – had already won at least one Main Event of the prestigious High Roller series.
Thus, Ponakovs started the final table with the second largest chip stack. The top five players in the chip count had more than 50 blinds, a scenario that made the decision extremely technical. Additionally, names like Jason Koon and Jonathan Jaffe were present at the grand final.
About the opponents in the final, Ponakovs gave praise. “Certainly, this was one of the best final tables I have ever played at”, said the champion without directly naming the main opponents. “I faced many good opponents. We have been battling for many years. Incredible. I was happy to participate in this final table”, he added.
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Check out the final table payouts:
| Position | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Aleks Ponakovs | Latvia | US$ 3,027,000 |
| 2nd | Jonathan Jaffe | United States | US$ 2,103,000 |
| 3rd | Jean-Noel Thorel | France | US$ 1,390,000 |
| 4th | Matthias Eibinger | Austria | US$ 1,088,000 |
| 5th | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | US$ 878,000 |
| 6th | Jason Koon | United States | US$ 684,000 |
| 7th | Kiat Lee | Malaysia | US$ 541,000 |
| 8th | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau | Belarus | US$ 422,000 |
| 9th | Igor Yaroshevskyy | Ukraine | US$ 319,000 |
Ponakovs’ career earnings
Adding up all the earnings won at this stage of Triton, Ponakovs reached US$ 42 million in live tournament winnings. Thus, the Latvian will join the list of the 20 highest earning poker players in history. “I would never have imagined being here playing high-level tournaments in 2017, when I was practically broke”, he said.
However, to secure the title, Ponakovs faced a balanced 3-handed against Jean-Noel Thorel and Jonathan Jaffe. The three players had very similar stacks until the Frenchman was eliminated by Jaffe. In the decisive hand, Thorel called with TJs and saw his opponent show AJo, a combination that remained ahead.
Finally, the heads-up started with Jonathan Jaffe slightly ahead in chips. However, Ponakovs quickly regained control of the match. The tournament ended when the Latvian received A4o and beat the opponent’s K6s in the final hand. After winning the title, the champion concluded: “I am very happy to be here, playing with the smartest people in the world”.
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