Who’s Winning at Triton? Latest Champs Include Foxen, Barbero, and Gambledore Returns!
Since Xuan Liu's groundbreaking victory in the $25,000 WPT Global Slam, which opened the Triton Montenegro Super High Roller Series, the action hasn’t let up.
Five more champions have emerged, including a few familiar faces reclaiming glory and one long-time crusher finally scratching their name off the “best without a Triton title” list.
Images courtesy of Triton Poker
Davies Ends the Drought with $1.5M Payday
Event #6: $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em
- 143 entries
- $7,150,000 prize pool
- 23 paid
Before Sunday, Seth Davies had never even reached heads-up in a Triton event—despite four third-place finishes, including an $815,000 score at the 2023 Triton Cyprus $75K.
When play reached three-handed in the series’ first $50K event, it looked like déjà vu, with Jules Dickerson and Danilo Velasevic favored to battle for the title.
But momentum shifted after Velasevic made a gutsy ace-high hero call against Dickerson. Velasevic opened the button with A♥10♥, and Dickerson defended his big blind with K♦J♥. On the 9♣9♠8♦ flop, both players checked. Dickerson led small on the 5♠ turn and then ripped a 2x pot-sized shove on the 4♥ river. Velasevic didn’t blink, calling with just ace-high to leave Dickerson on fumes.
Davies then doubled through the new chip leader, seized control, and eliminated both opponents to finally end his Triton drought. The triumph came with a $1,490,741 payday (after a heads-up deal), the biggest prize awarded at Triton Montenegro thus far.
Poker fans were also thrilled to see the return of Vladimir "Gambledore" Korzinin to the Triton felt. The Estonian quickly became a fan favorite after besting the pros in November, when he took down a Triton $150K event and finished runner-up in the $200K Invitational, earning an astonishing $7.82 million for the two scores. This time, Korzinin bowed out in 18th place for $90,000.
$50,000 NLHE Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seth Davies | $1,490,741* |
| 2 | Danilo Velasevic | $1,298,259* |
| 3 | Jules Dickerson | $751,000 |
| 4 | Joao Simao | $615,000 |
| 5 | Mikita Badziakouski | $493,000 |
| 6 | Fedor Holz | $382,000 |
| 7 | Matthew Belcher | $283,000 |
| 8 | Poseidon Ho | $208,000 |
*denotes heads-up deal
Foxen and Barbero Complete Triton Hat-tricks
Event #2: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em
- Entries: 130
- Prize pool: $3,250,000
- 23 paid
Alex Foxen was the first to return to the winner’s spotlight at Triton Montenegro, securing his third Triton title with a victory in the $25K No Limit Hold’em event. All of Foxen’s Triton wins have come in NLHE, and this one came after outlasting Artur Martirosian heads-up at a final table that also included his wife, Kristen Foxen.
Earlier this month, Foxen was named GPI’s Player of the Month for April after posting five cashes, five top-10 finishes, two wins, and $943,485 in earnings. With plenty of events left in Montenegro, he’s well-positioned to make a run at back-to-back Player of the Month honors if his hot streak continues.
Event #3: $30,000 No-Limit Hold'em
- Entries: 147
- Prize pool: $4,410,000
- 23 paid
It’s been an unusual few months for Nacho Barbero. The Argentinian bracelet winner faced real-time assistance (RTA) cheating allegations in January after being seen with a GTO Wizard chart open while playing on ACR Poker. He was later cleared by an internal investigation and further vindicated by Patrick Leonard, who conducted his own deep dive into the controversy.
But in April, Barbero was dropped from the ACR ambassador team after stating on a livestream that he believed the site wasn’t trying to combat poker cheaters.
Despite the off-the-live-felt drama, Barbero has been on a tear, amassing $3,465,602 in live tournament earnings this year, including a seven-figure score from his most recent Triton victory. He followed his third-place finish in the event that Foxen won with a triumph in the $30K, topping the 147-entry field to bag his third Triton trophy and shoot his live earnings past the $25 million milestone.
$25K & $30K NLHE Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize | Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Foxen | $755,000 | 1 | Nacho Barbero | $1,025,000 |
| 2 | Artur Martirosian | $512,000 | 2 | Adrian Mateos | $694,000 |
| 3 | Nacho Barbero | $341,000 | 3 | Stephen Chidwick | $463,000 |
| 4 | Jesse Lonis | $280,000 | 4 | Linus Loeliger | $379,000 |
| 5 | Barak Wisbrod | $224,000 | 5 | Kristen Foxen | $304,000 |
| 6 | Michael Soyza | $174,000 | 6 | Tobias Schwecht | $235,000 |
| 7 | Raul Manzanares | $129,000 | 7 | Barak Wisbrod | $175,000 |
| 8 | Webster Lim | $94,000 | 8 | Thomas Santerne | $128,000 |
Double Delight for Lonis and Kiat Lee
Event #5: $40,000 No-Limit Hold'em Mystery Bounty
- Entries: 129
- Prize pool: $5,160,000 (inc. $2,580,000 in bounties)
- 22 paid
Jesse Lonis captured his second Triton title, taking down the $40K Mystery Bounty for a massive $1,419,000 payday, thanks in large part to an $800K haul in bounties.
The American pro outlasted a 129-entry field, toppling Barak Wisbrod heads-up to seal the win.
$30,000 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo
- 71 entries
- $2,130,000 prize pool
- 11 paid
Wai Kiat Lee denied DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang and the rest of the 71-entry field to claim his second consecutive Turbo title, this time in the $30K No-Limit Hold’em Turbo in Montenegro. After winning a Short Deck Turbo event in Jeju this March, Lee’s back-to-back turbo victories ended his status as Triton's proverbial bridesmaid after being on the losing side of several heads-up matches.
$40K Mystery Bounty & $30K Turbo NLHE Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Bounties | Payout | Total Prize | Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Lonis | $800,000 | $619,000 | $1,419,000 | 1 | Wai Kiat Lee | $586,000 |
| 2 | Barak Wisbrod | $330,000 | $422,000 | $752,000 | 2 | Stanley Tang | $416,000 |
| 3 | Nick Petrangelo | $200,000 | $278,000 | $478,000 | 3 | Punnat Punsri | $272,000 |
| 4 | Danny Tang | $280,000 | $229,000 | $509,000 | 4 | Thomas Santerne | $210,000 |
| 5 | Dominykas Mikolaitis | $140,000 | $184,000 | $324,000 | 5 | Aleksandr Zubov | $166,000 |
| 6 | Daniel Dvoress | $120,000 | $145,000 | $265,000 | 6 | Michael Soyza | $130,000 |
| 7 | Jamil Wakil | $40,000 | $108,000 | $148,000 | 7 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | $103,000 |
| 8 | Maksim Shornikau | $80,000 |
What's Up Next? Remaining Schedule
The Triton Montenegro action is far from over. Underway now is the $200,000 Triton Invitational. It's the biggest buy-in event of the series and sees a blend of VIPs paired with elite pros battling for massive payouts.
From there, the series continues with a $50K, a $100K, and the $150K No-Limit Hold’em event. And for fans of four-card action, a quartet of Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments, including a six-figure buy-in, close out the festival.
Triton Montenegro Results
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 WPT Global Slam | 155 | $3,875,000 | Xuan Liu | $860,000 |
| $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 130 | $3,250,000 | Alex Foxen | $755,000 |
| $30,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 147 | $4,410,000 | Nacho Barbero | $1,025,000 |
| $40,000 No-Limit Hold'em Mystery Bounty | 129 | $5,160,000 | Jesse Lonis | $1,419,000* |
| $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 143 | $7,150,000 | Seth Davies | $1,663,000 |
| $30,000 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo | 71 | $2,130,000 | Wai Kiat Lee | $586,000 |
*Denotes bounty prizes
