The poker pro from Funchal, Portugal, emerged victorious in the $150,000 buy-in high roller at the 2025 Triton Poker Jeju festival, overcoming a field of 128 entries to claim the coveted trident trophy and the top prize of $4,610,000. This victory set a new career-high payday for the three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, surpassing the $2.6 million he earned as the runner-up in the $100,000 Triton main event at last year’s WSOP Paradise.
“When I left home, my dad told me, ‘There’s only one place to improve’,” Vieira shared with Triton reporters after securing the win. “So I just listened to what he said and tried to go for the victory.”
With this latest triumph, Vieira’s recorded tournament earnings now exceed $19.8 million, further cementing his position as Portugal’s all-time leading money winner. His closest competitor, Pedro Marques, has accumulated $5.9 million in total earnings.
This marked Vieira’s first title and final-table finish of 2025. The 1,320 Card Player Player of the Year (POY) points he earned propelled him up the POY leaderboard to 42nd place.
The tournament’s prize pool swelled to $19,200,000, with the top 20 finishers sharing in the massive payout. All six final-table participants secured seven-figure prizes, with multi-million-dollar payouts awarded to the top three.
Several high-profile players made deep runs, including Poker Hall of Famer Patrik Antonius (17th), two-time Super High Roller Bowl champion Isaac Haxton (15th), two-time Triton titleholder Daniel Dvoress (14th), five-time Triton winner Danny Tang (11th), and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey (10th). Both Tang and Ivey now boast five victories on the Triton circuit.
Vieira entered the final table as the chip leader. Four-time Triton champion Fedor Holz was the first to fall, finishing in eighth place ($595,000) after his pocket eights lost a preflop race to A-Q. With this result, the German’s career earnings soared past $51.1 million.
Ding Biao followed in seventh place, earning $807,000 when his pocket tens ran into the pocket queens of two-time bracelet winner Aleksejs Ponakovs. Ding’s career cashes now exceed $13.1 million.
Alex Foxen, who defeated Vieira heads-up in the Triton main event at WSOP Paradise just months ago, exited in sixth place ($1,076,000). His A-K fell to Ponakovs’ pocket tens, which improved to a full house. This latest cash pushed Foxen’s lifetime earnings past $46 million.
Kiat Lee’s run ended in fifth place ($1,372,000), his A-K failing to overcome Ponakovs’ pocket sevens. This marked a career-best score for the Malaysian.
Dan Smith’s fourth-place finish earned him $1,708,000, bringing his lifetime tournament cashes past $62 million. He was eliminated when his A♥4♥ led against Wang Ye’s 4♦3♦, but Wang spiked a straight on the turn to seal Smith’s fate.
Wang was the next to fall. He called an all-in shove from Ponakovs with A-J suited but lost to Ponakovs’ Q-10 when the board delivered a pair. Wang took home a career-best $2,047,000.
The heads-up match was decided in the first hand. Ponakovs raised with A♠Q♠, then four-bet shoved over Vieira’s three-bet. Vieira called with A♦J♦ and hit jacks full on a A♥J♠6♣7♣J♥ board, seizing a commanding lead.
In the final hand, Ponakovs moved all-in after a K♦7♣5♦2♥ board with J♠7♠, only to be called by Vieira’s 9♥9♣. The river brought the 10♦, securing the title for Vieira. Ponakovs earned $3,139,000, marking a career-best finish and bringing his total earnings to over $28.5 million.
2025 Triton Poker Jeju – $150,000 High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize | Career Earnings (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | João Vieira | Portugal | $4,610,000 | $19.8M+ |
| 2nd | Aleksejs Ponakovs | Latvia | $3,139,000 | $28.5M+ |
| 3rd | Wang Ye | China | $2,047,000 | Career-best |
| 4th | Dan Smith | USA | $1,708,000 | $62M+ |
| 5th | Kiat Lee | Malaysia | $1,372,000 | Career-best |
| 6th | Alex Foxen | USA | $1,076,000 | $46M+ |
| 7th | Ding Biao | China | $807,000 | $13.1M+ |
| 8th | Fedor Holz | Germany | $595,000 | $51.1M+ |
The tournament featured 128 entries and a total prize pool of $19,200,000, with the top 20 players cashing. Let me know if you need additional details!
