Joao Vieira’s first triumph in a Triton Poker occasion was a giant one.
The poker professional from Funchal, Portugal defeated a discipline of 128 entries within the $150,000 buy-in excessive curler on the 2025 Triton Poker Jeju competition to safe the trident trophy and the highest prize of $4,610,000. That was a brand new prime rating for the three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, topping the $2.6 million he earned because the runner-up within the $100,000 Triton foremost occasion ultimately 12 months’s WSOP Paradise.
“When I left home, my dad told me, ‘There’s only one place to improve’,” Vieira instructed Triton reporters after popping out on prime. “So I just listened to what he said and I tried to go for the win.”
Vieira now has greater than $19.8 million in recorded scores to his title, extending his already sizable lead as his dwelling nation’s prime match earner. Pedro Marques’ $5.9 million is the next-largest complete for a Portuguese participant.
This was the primary title and final-table end of 2025 for Vieira. The 1,320 Card Player Player of the Year factors he was awarded because the champion catapulted him up the POY leaderboard and into forty second place.
The prize pool for this occasion swelled to $19,200,000, with the highest 20 finishers incomes a share of that large complete. Those who made it to the ultimate six all earned seven-figure paydays, with multi-million-dollar payouts for the rostrum finishers.
Among people who cashed had been Poker Hall of Famer Patrik Antonius (seventeenth), two-time Super High Roller Bowl champion Isaac Haxton (fifteenth), two-time Triton winner Daniel Dvoress (14th), five-time Triton winner Danny Tang (eleventh), and 11-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey (tenth), who like Tang, has 5 wins on this tour.
Final desk set for Event #9 $150K NLH!
At Triton Poker SHRS Jeju 2025, a dramatic double elimination by João Vieira, knocking out Phil Ivey and Benjamin Tollerene, has locked within the ultimate eight.
With $4,610,000 up prime and a few of poker’s finest nonetheless within the hunt, the… pic.twitter.com/WHMzq15bbS
— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) March 7, 2025
Vieira held the chip lead by the point the ultimate desk was set. Four-time Triton champion Fedor Holz misplaced a preflop race with pocket eights in opposition to A-Q to fall in eighth place ($595,000). The German surpassed $51.1 million in profession earnings due to this newest deep run in a high-stakes occasion.
Ding Biao was the following to hit the rail, along with his pocket tens operating into the pocket queens of two-time bracelet winner Aleksejs Ponakovs. Ding earned $807,000 because the seventh-place finisher, rising his profession haul to greater than $13.1 million.
Alex Foxen, who defeated Vieira heads-up within the Triton foremost occasion on the WSOP Paradise just some months in the past, was the following to be eradicated. The three-time bracelet winner received all-in with A-Okay going through the pocket tens of Ponakovs, which improved to a full home to finish Foxen’s run in sixth place ($1,076,000). This elevated Foxen’s profession earnings to greater than $46 million.
The same showdown spelled the tip of Kiat Lee’s match, along with his A-Okay unable to beat pocket sevens for a surging Ponakovs. Lee earned $1,372,000 for his fifth-place displaying, a brand new excessive rating for the Malaysian.
Dan Smith Surpassed $62 million in lifetime cashes due to the $1,708,000 he earned because the fourth-place finisher on this occasion. The American received the final of his quick stack in with A4
main the 4
3
of Wang Ye, however his opponent made a straight on the flip to finish Smith’s newest deep run.
Wang ended up being the following to get knocked out. Ponakovs shoved from the small blind with Q-10 and spiked a pair to finest the A-J suited of Wang, who known as from the large blind. Wang was unable to regain the benefit on the flip or river and was despatched packing with a career-high $2,047,000 payday.
The first hand of heads-up play roughly determined the match. Ponakovs raised with AQ
from the button then four-bet jammed over Vieira’s three-bet. Vieira known as with A
J
and the board got here down A
J
6
7
J
to provide Vieira jacks full and the chip lead.
In the ultimate hand, Ponakovs received all-in after a Okay7
5
2
flop and switch holding J
7
and Vieira known as with 9
9
. The river introduced the ten
and Ponakovs was eradicated in second place. The $3,139,000 he secured for his efforts was a brand new prime rating for the Latvian, who now has greater than $28.5 million in profession cashes.
After many shut calls, this could possibly be the second @Naza114_oficial turns into a Triton Poker Series champion! pic.twitter.com/xkHh6GV9X0
— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) March 7, 2025
Final Table Results
Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
1 | Joao Vieira | $4,610,000 | 1320 |
2 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | $3,139,000 | 1100 |
3 | Wang Ye | $2,074,000 | 880 |
4 | Dan Smith | $1,708,000 | 660 |
5 | Kiat Lee | $1,372,000 | 550 |
6 | Alex Foxen | $1,076,000 | 440 |
7 | Biao Ding | $807,000 | 330 |
8 | Fedor Holz | $595,000 | 220 |
Photo credit: Triton Poker.