Montenegrin Aleksa Pavicevic claimed a spectacular victory in the $200,000 Triton Invitational at the Maestral Resort & Casino, outlasting a record field of 133 players and pocketing $6.18 million for first place. This event, part of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series, attracted an elite mix of professionals and amateurs with a unique format pairing each pro with an invited amateur player.
The tournament began with the field split between pros and amateurs on Day 1. By Day 2, the $311,000 bubble burst, notably sending five-time Triton champion and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey home empty-handed in 24th place after his A-K could not overcome the pocket jacks of Maher Nouira. Other notable deep runs included Christoph Vogelsang (19th), Triton co-founder Paul Phua (18th), Linus Loeliger (16th), Artur Martirosian (14th), and Sergio Aido (12th).
On the third day, 11 players returned to battle it out for the title. Javid Ismayilov entered the final table as chip leader, with Pavicevic close behind in second. The final table was stacked with five Invitees and four pros, and eliminations came swiftly. Nouira scored the first knockout by out-running Thomas Santerne’s A-Q with pocket jacks to claim ninth place, while Santerne earned $617,000 in his fifth final table appearance that month.
Shortly after, bracelet winner Joni Jouhkimainen bowed out when his A-Q ran into Ismayilov’s A-K, securing $774,000 for his efforts. Ramin Hajiyev, fresh off a $4.1 million invitational win at Triton Cyprus, added another seven-figure score finishing seventh after running A-Q into Eric Wasserson’s full house. Wasserson collected $2.29 million with this strong fourth-place showing.
Maher Nouira’s tournament ended when his short stack shove with A-5 was called and bested by Seth Davies’ pocket sevens. Davies, a two-time Super High Roller Bowl champion, kept momentum, and World Poker Tour winner Taylor Von Kriegenbergh’s exit came shortly after when his pocket fours fell to an ace-high runout against Ismayilov, awarding him a career-best $1.83 million for fifth place.
Pavicevic then gained a crucial chip advantage after winning a blind battle against Wasserson, knocking the American out in fourth place. The next hand saw a brutal preflop cooler as Pavicevic’s pocket kings ran into Ismayilov’s pocket aces in a massive pot. Ismayilov was eliminated third, taking home $2.79 million and moving up the Azerbaijani all-time money list just behind Hajiyev.
With that elimination, Pavicevic began heads-up play holding more than an 11:1 chip lead over Seth Davies. Despite Davies doubling up three times early on to close the gap, Pavicevic maintained control.
The tournament concluded with a memorable final hand on a board of K♦ 7♥ 3♠ A♥ 10♥. Pavicevic limped in with 5♥ 2♥, while Davies checked with K♥ 3♦. After checking through the flop and turn, Pavicevic bet to build the pot on the flush draw turn, prompting Davies to check-raise. Pavicevic called, and when the 10♥ completed his flush on the river, Davies bet again. Pavicevic responded by moving all-in, and after careful consideration, Davies called, sealing the match.
Davies earned $4.19 million for second place, his largest payday to date, and now boasts over $39.4 million in lifetime tournament earnings.
Pavicevic’s victory not only marked Montenegro’s first Triton Poker title but also coincided with Montenegro’s Independence Day, making the achievement even more historic.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Payout (USD) |
| 1 | Aleksa Pavicevic | Montenegro | $6,180,000 |
| 2 | Seth Davies | United States | $4,190,000 |
| 3 | Javid Ismayilov | Azerbaijan | $2,793,000 |
| 4 | Eric Wasserson | United States | $2,287,000 |
| 5 | Taylor Von Kriegenbergh | United States | $1,835,000 |
| 6 | Maher Nouira | Tunisia | $1,423,000 |
| 7 | Ramin Hajiyev | Azerbaijan | $1,053,000 |
| 8 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | $774,000 |
| 9 | Thomas Santerne | France | $617,000 |
Artur Papazyan Captures WSOP Circuit Commerce Main Event Title, Takes Home $341,830
Artur Papazyan, a two-time WPT champion from Los Angeles, captured his first WSOP Circuit gold ring after taking down the $1,700 Main Event at Commerce Casino on May 20. Outlasting a massive field of 1,554 entries, Papazyan pocketed $341,830 for the win, pushing his career tournament earnings to nearly $1.8 million.
Papazyan entered the final table as chip leader and steadily expanded his advantage, scoring key knockouts along the way. He eliminated high-profile players such as Paul Hizer (9th), Phil Laak (6th in a set-over-set cooler), and fellow Southern California grinder Adam Swan (3rd), before facing Luis Concha heads-up.
The final hand saw Papazyan come from behind, spiking a four on the turn with pocket fours to crack Concha’s pocket tens and close out the win with a full house. Concha earned $232,038 for his runner-up finish, pushing his total live cashes close to the half-million mark.
The $1,700 no-limit hold’em event crushed its $2 million guarantee with a $2.35 million prize pool. A total of 187 players cashed, including familiar names like Zak VanKueren, Royce Cohen, and Anastasia Knapp.
This title marks Papazyan’s third-largest career score, trailing only his two WPT victories in 2017.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Artur Papazyan | $341,830 | 1080 |
| 2 | Luis Concha | $232,038 | 900 |
| 3 | Adam Swan | $167,412 | 720 |
| 4 | Nick Shkolnik | $122,215 | 540 |
| 5 | Noel Rodriguez | $90,290 | 450 |
| 6 | Phil Laak | $67,514 | 360 |
| 7 | David Avina | $51,103 | 270 |
| 8 | Yen Dang | $39,612 | 180 |
| 9 | Paul Hizer | $30,389 | 90 |
Stephen Song Dominates TLPT Jeju with Second Title in Three Days
American poker star Stephen Song continues his dominant run at the TLPT Jeju 2025 series, capturing his second title in just three days. After winning the prestigious Main Event earlier this week, Song added the $20K High Roller title to his growing list of accolades.
The $20K event drew 32 entries, building a total prize pool of $640,000. Song came into the final day as the chip leader and remained a relentless force at the table. Although Calvin Lee briefly took the lead during heads-up play, Song regained control and never looked back.
Prior to the duel, both players agreed to an ICM deal, locking up the lion’s share of the prize pool. However, $10,000 and the trophy remained up for grabs, and Song was determined to walk away with both.
The heads-up lasted just 13 minutes, with Song quickly asserting dominance. In the final hand, Song held T♥ 4♣ and flopped two pair on a board of J♣ T♠ 4♥, while Lee had J♠ 7♦ for top pair. All the chips went in, and Song’s two pair held, handing him the title and pushing his total winnings in Jeju to nearly $1 million for the series.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Stephen Song | USA | $204,000 |
| 2 | Calvin Lee | USA | $200,000 |
| 3 | Taylor Black | USA | $101,000 |
| 4 | James Mendoza | Philippines | $75,000 |
| 5 | Lei Yu | China | $60,000 |
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Sources: Triton Poker, WSOP, Poker.Org & SoMuchPoker
