Jesse Lonis Topples Phil Ivey En Route to $1,745,625 Payday
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The $102,000 Onyx SHRS NLH Invitational at the 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series, presented by Onyx Club, has crowned its champion as Jesse Lonis delivered a final table masterclass. He outlasted a field of 88 entries at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, and stormed through the final day to secure the title and the $1,745,625 first-place prize, the biggest payout of the series so far.
Lonis' aggression was unstoppable on the final table, eliminating seven of his eight opponents on the path to victory. His run included dispatching Poker Hall of Famer and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey in third place before sealing the deal against Maher Nouira in a short-lived heads-up match.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesse Lonis | United States | $1,745,625* |
| 2 | Maher Nouira | Tunisia | $1,704,375* |
| 3 | Phil Ivey | United States | $1,080,000 |
| 4 | Rob Yong | United Kingdom | $856,000 |
| 5 | Jamil Wakil | Canada | $670,000 |
| 6 | Matt Moss | United Kingdom | $520,000 |
| 7 | Dejan Kaladjurdjevic | Montenegro | $400,000 |
| 8 | Rahul Byrraju | India | $310,000 |
| 9 | Markkos Ladev | Estonia | $250,000 |
*denotes heads-up deal
Winner's Reaction
Lonis couldn’t hide his excitement after taking down the Invitational, calling his experience at Merit and Onyx “world class.”
“The experience here at Onyx, or at Merit has been world class, and I’m not just saying this because I’m here,” he said. “It’s honestly just everything from the service, the property, the way the tournaments are run. It was amazing and I hope this, I know this place will definitely grow in the future and I will promote it for sure. And every year that you guys have something, I’ll definitely be back.”
“So yeah, I came in kind of at the bottom of the pack. I told myself I was just going to go out there, give it my all. I wanted to try to get some chips early. If I knew if I could, then I could put a lot of pressure on these guys and yeah, the plan ended up working out. Obviously, we got lucky at the beginning and then I took that and kind of steamrolled for a majority of it.”
“You know, I was definitely doing some things out of the box and I lost a few hands along the way, but obviously at the end we came out on top, so I know I ran really well.”
The victory also carried a deeply personal side for the American. “Yeah, so it’s a different time zone back home, but my wife, every time she wakes up, she’s checking updates, calling me asking how I’m doing. She’s always there supporting me. I know my daughters are definitely watching the stream right now. They like, you know, even though they don’t know what’s going on, they like to see that on TV.”
Lonis made sure to thank everyone following his career. “Just my family. I got a lot of fans out there that have been supporting me my whole career since I started, so just everybody back home in the States and all over the world now and just, you know, happy that I could get it done.”
Lonis’ Path to Victory
When cards went in the air on Day 3, Lonis sat just above average in the counts, though he had slipped by the time the final table began, virtually tied for eighth. Runner-up Nouira was even shorter, starting at the bottom of the pack and the most likely to depart first.
Lonis wasted no time showing he was there to win. In one of the opening hands, he four-bet shoved ace-deuce into Markkos Ladev’s pocket kings and looked destined to head for an early shower. Instead, a miracle river gave him a Broadway straight, vaulting him into second place and scoring the first knockout of the final table. Moments later, his seemingly reckless first few hands paid off, as Rahul Byrraju check-called three streets with second pair, only to lose to Lonis’ flopped two pair.
Dejan Kaladjurdjevic was the next to fall to Lonis after he lost a race with king-ten to Lonis’ pair of nines, which improved to a full house on the turn. Matt Moss quickly followed in sixth when his jam with jack-ten suited was called by Lonis with king-jack. A clean runout rewarded Lonis for the call, and now he held a commanding chip lead with just five left.
Ivey, who had hardly played a hand at the final table, tried his luck going after Lonis. But Ivey’s three-bet bluff attempt was ill-timed, as Lonis had the goods to jam over the top, leaving the poker legend as the table’s short stack. Not long after, Ivey turned two pair against Lonis’ top pair to earn a full double-up and bring Lonis back down to almost level with the field.
Canada’s Jamil Wakil has been on a tear this series, fresh off a runner-up finish in the GG Million$ just a week ago. But another title slipped away as he bowed out in fifth place. Wakil limped the small blind with Big Slick and looked to trap, but Lonis refused to bite. The Canadian check-called his way through the hand, only to be forced into a river call with top pair. Lonis revealed a backdoor flush to end Wakil’s run and continue his route toward the title.
Four-handed, chips swung back and forth before Rob Yong lost a massive pot to Nouira, then shoved queen-high into Lonis’ ace-jack to exit in fourth. Ivey was the next to feel the wrath of Lonis. From the small blind, Lonis shoved ace-nine and held against Ivey's ace-six, sending the poker legend out in third with another seven-figure score to add to his resume.
Heads-up play began nearly even, and the two quickly agreed to a deal, leaving the trophy still to play for. In the final hand, both players flopped top pair, but Lonis turned two pair to leave Nouira drawing slim. The river changed nothing, and Lonis secured the biggest prize of the series so far along with the title, after a relentless final table display that saw him eliminate seven of his eight opponents.
