Austrian poker pro Daniel Rezaei has put together the best summer of his career, scoring back-to-back seven-figure paydays on the live tournament scene. In early July, he finished third in the 2025 Wynn Summer Classic $10M GTD Main Event, banking nearly $1.2 million. Just six weeks later, he returned to the winner’s circle by taking down the $51,000 buy-in Onyx Club Super High Roller Series for $1,043,530.
With this latest win, Rezaei’s lifetime earnings now exceed $7.5 million, with over $2.6 million coming in 2025 alone from just ten cashes.
Star-Studded Field Runs Deep
The 100-player turnout guaranteed only the top four spots a payday, but plenty of big names went on strong runs. Bracelet winner Jessica Teusl (14th), two-time WSOP champion Ben Lamb (12th), three-time bracelet holder Artur Martirosian (11th), four-time Triton Poker champion Matthias Eibinger (10th), and popular French pro Johan “YohViral” Guilbert (7th) all made deep runs before falling short of the final stages.
Guilbert’s elimination came in a classic race when his pocket fours fell to David Nicholson’s A-10. Soon after, Aram Oganyan busted when his pocket kings were cracked by Armin Ghojehvand’s queens, leaving him sixth. Nicholson kept the momentum by knocking out Manuel Fritz (5th) after spiking a three on the river with 6♣3♣ against A♦Q♠.
Rezaei picked up his first knockout at the final table when his A♠K♥ held against Ghojehvand’s A♣Q♦, sending the UK-based pro out in fourth place for $445,000.
Wakil’s Breakthrough Summer
Jamil Wakil continued his breakout festival run, finishing third for $585,000. The Canadian had already scored a runner-up finish in the series opener for $650,000 and added another $670,000 for fifth in the $100K invitational. With nearly $2 million in cashes from this festival alone, Wakil has now pushed his career live earnings to $5.3 million.
The Final Duel
Heads-up play began with Nicholson holding a 31.7M-to-18.3M chip lead over Rezaei. The two agreed to an ICM deal that secured Nicholson $1,101,570 and left the title plus $55,000 to play for.
The battle saw several lead changes before the final hand sealed it. Nicholson shoved with Q♥8♠ for just under 10 big blinds, and Rezaei called with A♦3♥. The board ran out K♥9♠4♠3♠5♣, pairing Rezaei’s three and crowning him the champion.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Rezaei | $1,043,530 | 1,020 |
| 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 |
| 8 | Markkos Ladev | $140,000 | 85 |
