Poker Writer
The last poker weekend before the start of the 2025 WSOP was a busy one with a lot of notable results. But the player who stole the show was Jesse Lonis.
The current #1 ranked GPI player in the world added two titles to his resume at Triton Montenegro, the first being a win in a 7-handed Mystery Bounty event for $619,000 plus an extra $800,000 in bounty prizes.
However, the one that captured everyone’s attention was the $3.4 million grand prize win in the Triton Montenegro Main Event. All told, Lonis won over $5.6 million in Montenegro.
These significant results in the Balkans follow closely on the heels of other recent successes for Lonis in Europe, as he won his first career EPT title in Monte Carlo at the start of May.
The 29-year-old from New York has experienced a meteoric rise in tournament poker over the last few years. He notably claims that he does not use GTO or study, instead relying on his instincts and personal strategy. He was once considered a rising star in the poker world, but is now established as a proven, formidable force at the very top of the game.
Triton Montenegro Main Event
The Main Event of the Triton series in Montenegro had 79 entries with a $100,000 buy-in. The top 31 players got paid, and eight different countries were represented at the final table.
Some of poker’s biggest names and best players made up the final table, where the likes of Fedor Holz and Stephen Chidwick would bow out in eighth and sixth, respectively.
The heads-up battle was between Lonis and Belarusian Mikalai Vaskaboinikau, who was going for back-to-back Triton titles. Lonis held a significant chip lead after eliminating Wai Kiat Lee in third place. The Belarusian was able to double up only once before Lonis closed him out to take the title.
| Place | Player | Prize Money | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Lonis | $3,426,298* | United States |
| 2 | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau | $2,927,702* | Belarus |
| 3 | Kiat Lee | $1,807,000 | Malaysia |
| 4 | Christoph Vogelsang | $1,463,000 | Germany |
| 5 | Ramin Hajiyev | $1,159,000 | Azerbaijan |
| 6 | Stephen Chidwick | $879,000 | United Kingdom |
| 7 | Santhosh Suvarna | $643,000 | India |
| 8 | Fedor Holz | $470,000 | Germany |
| 9 | Artur Martirosian | $389,000 | Russia |
Other Triton Montenegro Results
Outside of the Main Event, the Triton event in Montenegro had several significant results. One of which was hometown hero Aleksa Pavicevic winning $6.2 million in the $200K invitational.
- Jason Koon won his record 11th Triton title as he furthers his lead as the player with the most all-time Triton titles, with more than double the number of players tied in second with five titles. He defeated his friend Ben Tollerene heads-up to win the $150K 8-Handed NLH for $3.39 million.
- Thai player Punnat Punsri won a $25K PLO event for $550,000 to wrap up the series. Punsri is the most successful player from Thailand, which will soon host its first-ever poker tournament, WPT Thailand, later in 2025.
End of 2024-25 WSOPC Season
The 2024-2025 WSOP Circuit season ended with its final stop of the calendar in Southern Indiana. Ulises Roman won the Main Event at that stop for $84,399 to cap off the list of Main Event winners.
All poker attention now shifts toward the 2025 WSOP, where the world will converge for seven weeks of poker action. A total of 100 bracelets will be handed out at the festival, which is the equivalent of poker’s Super Bowl.
The first bracelet of the season was captured by Calgary’s Kevin Li, who took down the 2025 WSOP Tournament of Champions. He emerged victorious from a field of 485 players, winning the $1 million freeroll and capturing $200,000. He qualified by winning a Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha event at WSOPC Calgary in August 2024.
