Aleksa Pavicevic Wins Triton $200K For $6.2M

The 2025 Triton Poker Montenegro $200,000 no-limit hold’em invitational attracted a record turnout of 133 entries, building a staggering $26.6 million prize pool. The largest share of that money was ultimately awarded to Aleksa Pavicevic. The 29-year-old Montenegrin real estate and hospitality professional outlasted the elite field of poker’s top professionals and experienced high-rolling amateurs to capture the title and the top payout of $6,180,000.

This was Pavicevic’s first live tournament title and his largest poker payday by leaps and bounds. Prior to this massive triumph, his top recorded cash was a $17,000 score for an 871st-place showing in the 2019 World Series of Poker main event. Now, he is a Triton champion with millions of dollars in earnings.

“It’s been a surreal experience. I kind of just decided a week ago that I was going to play this thing. I didn’t expect much, just to come, have a good time, see some friends. I love this resort, I love the people here, so I came for kind of a vacation,” Pavicevic told Triton reporters. “I decided I’d just take a try. Honestly, I expected to bust maybe four levels in, and if not, then run up a stack and maybe try to win the whole thing. So, it worked out.”

This event featured an interesting format that required each pro to be invited by a corresponding amateur player, with the field initially split in two along that dividing line for day 1. Day 2 saw the $311,000 bubble burst, with five-time Triton winner and 11-time bracelet holder Phil Ivey knocked out in 24th place. The Hall of Famer’s A-K was unable to outrace the pocket jacks of Maher Nouira, making him the final player sent to the rail empty-handed for the tournament.

Plenty of notables made deep runs, including Christoph Vogelsang (19th), Triton co-founder Paul Phua (18th), Linus Loeliger (16th), Artur Martirosian (14th), and Sergio Aido (12th).

The third and final day of this tournament saw 11 players return to the Maestral Resort & Casino. By the time the official final table was set, Javid Ismayilov had claimed the lead, with Pavicevic sitting in second chip position.

Final table set for Event #8 $200K NLH Triton Invitational, a record-breaking edition with the most pairings and unique entries in series history.

Nine players remain in the hunt for the $6,180,000 top prize: Javid Ismayilov, Aleksa Pavicevic, Eric Wasserson, Maher Nouira, Ramin… pic.twitter.com/UqfPowNYl1

— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) May 21, 2025

As he had on the bubble, Nouira found pocket jacks to score the first knockout of the final table. He again won a race, this time against the A-Q of Thomas Santerne, who was at his fifth final table of the month. Santerne settled for $617,000 as the ninth-place finisher after flopping top pair, as Nouira caught running cards to make a king-high straight to eliminate the very pro he had invited to this event.

Bracelet winner Joni Jouhkimainen was the next to fall, with his A-Q running into the A-K of Ismayilov. The Finnish pot-limit Omaha crusher earned $774,000 for his performance in this two-card event.

Ramin Hajiyev, who won the invitational event at the 2023 Triton Cyprus stop for $4.1 million, added another seven-figure score to his tally with a seventh-place showing in this event. The Azerbaijani’s run concluded, as had all of the players’ before him at this final table, with A-Q. Bracelet winner Eric Wasserson picked up A-K and made kings full to send Hajiyev home with $1,053,000.

A battle of the blinds resulted in the next elimination. Nouira jammed his last 12 big blinds with A♥5♠ from the small blind and was called by recent $50,000 event winner Seth Davies, who held 7♥7♦ in the big blind. The pocket pair held up, and Nouira was sent packing with $1,423,000 for his efforts.

World Poker Tour champion Taylor Von Kriegenbergh’s last seven or so big blinds went in with pocket fours leading the A-2 suited of Ismayilov. An ace-high runout narrowed the field to four, with Von Kriegenbergh securing a new career-best score of $1,835,000 for his fifth-place performance.

Event #8 – $200K NLH Triton Invitational:
Taylor von Kriegenbergh’s run ends in 5th.
Brought energy and unpredictability—this one just slipped through his fingers.

Watch the live at: https://t.co/3q7Fwqe1Lf#TritonPoker #TritonInvitational #TritonLive pic.twitter.com/yfg5czpIFk

— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) May 21, 2025

Pavicevic won a battle of the blinds, with Q♦5♥ overcoming the A♠5♦ of Wasserson thanks to a queen on the flop after the chips went in preflop. Wasserson was unable to retake the lead from there and was knocked out in fourth place. The American secured $2,287,000 with this strong showing, bringing his career earnings to more than $5.3 million in the process.

The very next deal saw a brutal preflop cooler, with Pavicevic running K♦K♣ into the A♥ A♦ of Ismayilov. The action began with Ismayilov raising from the cutoff. Pavicevic three-bet from 750,000 to 1,750,000 on the button, and Davies got out of the way. Ismayilov four-bet jammed and Pavicevic called to create a 36,150,000 pot. The board came down J♥ 4♠ 4♣ K♥ 3♦ and Ismayilov was eliminated in third place ($2,793,000). This was the first recorded live score for the Azerbaijan resident, who nonetheless now sits in second place on the country’s all-time money list behind only Hajiyev, who now has more than $11.7 million in cashes.

With that, Pavicevic entered heads-up play with more than an 11:1 chip advantage over Davies. Three early double-ups for the two-time Super High Roller Bowl champion from America narrowed the gap considerably, but Pavicevic was still out in front when the decisive hand of the match was dealt.

Pavicevic limped from the button with 5♥2♥ and Davies checked his option with K♥3♦. The flop came down K♦7♥3♠ and Davies checked his kings up. Pavicevic checked behind and the A♥ turn gave him a flush draw. Davies checked again and Pavicevic bet 800,000 into the pot of 1,200,000. Davies check-raised to 3,600,000 and Pavicevic called. The river was the 10♥ and Davies bet 2,400,000. Pavicevic moved all-in for 18,000,000 with his flush and after some consideration, Davies made the call.

Davies earned $4,190,000 as the runner-up, his biggest payday yet on the circuit. The WPT champion now boasts more than $39.4 million in career earnings after this huge runner-up finish in Montenegro.

Photo credit: Triton Poker.