Marathon Battle Ends w/ Daniel Rezaei Winning $51K Onyx SHRS Championship
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The $51,000 Onyx SHRS NLH Championship at the 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series, presented by Onyx Club, wrapped up in the early hours of the morning after a marathon battle that began at 2 p.m. and stretched until around 6:45 a.m.
Hosted inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, the tournament was originally scheduled as a two-day affair but was condensed into a single-day event following a player vote, with the $5,000,000 guarantee and buy-in remaining unchanged.
The event drew a field of 100 entries to generate a $4,850,000 prize pool, with the top 14 finishers earning a share of the money. The long day saw some of the game’s biggest names take their shot at one of the largest buy-ins of the series before the final table played deep into the night.
In the end, it was Daniel Rezaei who outlasted the field to claim the title and another seven-figure payday of $1,043,530 following a heads-up deal with David Nicholson. The pair agreed to lock up the majority of the prize pool and leave $55,000 to play for, concluding nearly 17 hours of play and 29 levels of action.
Jamil Wakil, the recent $10,400 GG Million$ runner-up, finished in third place for $585,000, while Armin Ghojehvand and Manuel Fritz rounded out the top five.
$51,000 SHRS NLH Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Rezaei | Austria | $1,043,530* |
| 2 | David Nicholson | United Kingdom | $1,101,570* |
| 3 | Jamil Wakil | Canada | $585,000 |
| 4 | Armin Ghojehvand | United Kingdom | $445,000 |
| 5 | Manuel Fritz | Austria | $360,000 |
| 6 | Aram Oganyan | United States | $290,000 |
| 7 | Johan Guilbert | France | $230,000 |
| 8 | ”Loopoo” | France | $180,000 |
| 9 | Markkos Ladev | Estonia | $140,000 |
*denotes heads-up deal.
Rezaei's Reaction
Speaking moments after his victory, Rezaei was quick to acknowledge the unusual format and the efforts made by Onyx to maintain the $5 million guarantee despite the change.
“It was supposed to be a two-day, but there were some registration issues and Rob [Yong] let us vote if it would be one day or two days. To keep the guarantee and put it on one day was a brave move, and I have to give him props,” Rezaei said.
The Austrian described the experience as a true test of endurance. “One day tournament, 29 levels, 15 hours of play. It was a marathon. By the time we got heads-up, we were both so tired that we agreed to a deal mainly for that reason. I even asked David if he really wanted to play for the full amount at six in the morning, and he was fine to make a fair deal. I appreciate that.”
Rezaei built his stack early thanks to a series of well-timed value hands and a hero call with ace-queen high for 150 big blinds, which set the tone for the day. “I started really well and got paid in the right spots. From there it was smooth up until the final table. Of course, when blinds go up the stacks get closer and you just have to navigate, but overall I felt comfortable most of the way.”
Despite the long grind, he praised the environment created by Onyx. “No stalling, no gimmicks, no sunglasses or scarves. It makes the game more enjoyable. They are creating a place where pros and businessmen alike can just play and enjoy poker.”
As for what’s next, Rezaei hinted at some time away from the tables before deciding on his next stop. “Right now I need at least a couple of days on the beach, maybe Barcelona for a bit. I might go to Jeju for Triton, but I haven’t decided yet. For now, I just need some sleep.”
The Marathon Session
Rezaei was in from the get-go and stormed up the counts after he eliminated Orhan Ates in the opening levels. Another elimination came not long after, this time it was Jean-Robert Bellande who was on the receiving end as his ten-nine couldn't improve when he flopped an open-ender and turned a pair against Rezaei's pocket queens.
As the field thinned, the players were looking to the top 14 spots to make the money, but one ultimately had to become the bubble boy. That title went to Sirzat Hissou when his trap with pocket jacks backfired as Ghojehvand made a flush with queen-four offsuit after shoving over Hissou's small blind limp.
Jessica Teusl, Ottomar Ladva, Ben Lamb, Artur Martirosian, and Matthias Eibinger all fell just short of making the final table.
With four players remaining, it looked to be a battle for second as Nicholson held around 75% of the chips in play and continued to apply relentless pressure to the shorter stacks. Eventually, it was Ghojehvand who fell as he found himself on the wrong end of a cooler with ace-queen against the ace-king of Rezaei.
Wakil quickly followed as his jack-nine didn't improve against the king-four of Rezaei, which set up the heads-up clash. Nicholson took a two-to-one chip advantage into the battle and they decided to cut a deal, which secured them both a lump sum and left $55,000 on the table to play for.
Amazingly, heads up spanned four levels as neither play could capitalize on their chances to close it up. Eventually, with just 31 big blinds in play, Rezaei called a shove with ace-three and held against the queen-eight of Nicholson to secure the trophy and the extra cash that was left on the table.
