Daniel Rezaei’s two largest live tournament scores have both been recorded this summer. In early July he finished third in the 2025 Wynn Summer Classic $10,000,000 guaranteed main event for nearly $1.2 million. Just over six weeks later, he took down a $51,000 buy-in at the Onyx Club Super High Roller Series for another $1,043,530.
The Austrian poker pro now has more than $7.5 million in career cashes, with more than $2.6 million of that coming from his 10 in-the-money finishes this year alone.
This latest triumph, which saw him defeat a field of 100 entries that turned out to the Merit Royal Hotel & Casino, came with 1,020 Card Player Player of the Year points. This was his second POY-qualified score of the year, having secured 1,800 for his podium finish at Wynn Las Vegas. He now sits within reach of the top 50 in the 2025 standings presented by CoinPoker.
Big Names Run Deep
The nice round turnout of 100 resulted in the top four earning a share of the $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. Several notables were among those that cashed, including bracelet winner Jessica Teusl (14th), two-time bracelet winner Ben Lamb (12th), three-time bracelet winner Artur Martirosian (11th), four-time Triton Poker champion Matthias Eibinger (10th), and Johan ‘YohViral’ Guilbert (7th).
A classic race spelled the end of Guilbert’s run, with his pocket fours unable to hold against the A-10 of David Nicholson. World Poker Tour champion Aram Oganyan soon followed Guilbert to the rail, with his pocket kings being outflopped by the pocket queens of Armin Ghojehvand. The chips went in after the turn with Oganyan needing a king or heart on the river for a flush. A brick rolled off instead, ending his tournament.
Nicholson also scored the next knockout, with his 6♣3♣ outrunning the A♦Q♠ of Manuel Fritz, with a three on the river cutting the field to four. Soon after that, Rezaei scored his first elimination at the final table. A♠K♥ held against the A♣Q♦ of Ghojehvand to send the UK resident packing in fourth place.
Three To One
Jamil Wakil bowed out in third when his J♣9♥ clashed with the K♦4♣ via a battle of the blinds. Wakil flopped an open-ended straight draw but found no further help and was eliminated in third place ($585,000). This was the third final-table finish of the festival for the Canadian, who placed second in the kickoff event for $650,000 and fifth in the $100,000 invitational for another $670,000. These were the three largest live scores of his career. He now boasts nearly $5.3 million in total cashes on the circuit.
Heads-up play began with Nicholson holding 31,700,000 to the 18,300,000 of Rezaei. The two hashed out a deal to redistribute the remaining prize money a bit, leaving $55,000 and the title to play for. Nicholson locked up $1,101,470 thanks to holding the lead at the time, and eventually walked away with that sum as the runner-up.
The two traded the chip advantage back and forth for a bit, but Rezaei was ahead when the final hand arose. Nicholson shoved the button for 15,600,000, or just shy of ten big blinds. His Q♥8♠ was facing A♦3♥ for Rezai, who called from the big blind. The board came down K♥9♠4♠3♠5♣ and Rezaei’s pair of threes earned him the pot and the title.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Daniel Rezaei | $1,043,530 | 1020 |
| 2 | David Nicholson | $1,101,570 | 850 |
| 3 | Jamil Wakil | $585,000 | 680 |
| 4 | Armin Ghojehvand | $445,000 | 510 |
| 5 | Manuel Fritz | $360,000 | 425 |
| 6 | Aram Oganyan | $290,000 | 340 |
| 7 | Johan Guilbert | $230,000 | 255 |
| 9 | Markkos Ladev | $140,000 | 85 |
Photo credits: Merit Poker.
