Aleksejs Ponakovs won the $150,000 no-limit hold'em 10th Anniversary Special at the 2026 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro, defeating 76 entries to earn $3,027,000 and a second trident trophy. He credited the deep structure and strong opponents for showcasing skill, noting multiple main event watches at the table. Ponakovs has $44.8 million in career cashes, including $29.8 million from Triton events. His first Triton win came in December 2025 at the World Series of Poker Paradise, earning $4,750,000 and a gold bracelet. In 2026, he has $7.7 million in earnings across 12 in-the-money finishes, eight final tables, and a €25,000 EPT Monte Carlo high roller win, placing him second in POY standings with 4,640 points.
""This is definitely one of the best final tables I've played in because we were playing kind of deep and if you want to show your skill level, it's definitely in a deep structure," Ponakovs told Triton staff. "I've been facing so many good opponents. We've been battling for so many years. We had four [main event] watches at the table, which is pretty sick. I was happy to participate in this final table.""
"Ponakovs now has more than $44.8 million in career cashes to his name, with over $29.8 million of that coming from Triton events. The 34-year-old professional player from Riga only secured his first win on this tour back in December of 2025, when he took down the Triton-branded $100,000 no-limit hold'em event at the World Series of Poker Paradise stop for a career-best score of $4,750,000. That triumph also came with his third career gold bracelet."
"Ponakovs has kept up the momentum after that massive win, cashing for over $7.7 million so far across 12 in-the-money finishes so far in 2026. He has made eight final tables along the way, including this win and a victory in a €25,000 high roller at the European Poker Tour Monte Carlo stop. The 840 Card Player Player of the Year points that came with his win in Montenegro brought his total to 4,640. As a result, he now sits in second place in the POY standings heading into the busy summer months."
"Aleksejs Ponakovs has finally entered the elite ranks of multi-time Triton champions. The Latvian all-time poker tournament earnings leader defeated a field of 76 entries in the $150,000 no-limit hold'em 10th Anniversary Special event at the 2026 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro festival presented by CoinPoker to earn $3,027,000 and his second trident trophy."
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