button in SafariAleksejs Ponakovs Leads the Final 20 in the $25K NLHE 8-Handed Event
Only 20 of the 119 high rollers that began the $25,000 NLH 8-Handed event at the 2026 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro festival remain in contention for the title, and it is Latvia's Aleksejs Ponakovs who leads them back into battle at 1:00 p.m. local time.
Ponakovs finished Day 1 with 2,545,000 chips, the equivalent of 42 big blinds, enough to put his name at the top of the overnight chip counts.
The Latvian all-time money leader — he has $38,364,398 in earnings — had to wait until his 32nd Triton cash to bag his first title. It was worth the wait because Ponakovs triumphed in the $100,000 Triton NLHE Main Event at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise in December 2025 for a career-best $4,750,000. Ponakovs now finds himself in pole position for his second Triton trophy.
$25,000 NLHE 8-Handed Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | Latvia | 2,545,000 | 42 |
| 2 | Alejandro Lococo | Argentina | 2,095,000 | 35 |
| 3 | Mikita Badziakouski | Belarus | 2,055,000 | 34 |
| 4 | Curtis Knight | Canada | 1,750,000 | 29 |
| 5 | Maher Nouira | Tunisia | 1,720,000 | 29 |
| 6 | Ethan Yau | United States | 1,640,000 | 27 |
| 7 | Jason Koon | United States | 1,565,000 | 26 |
| 8 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | 1,320,000 | 22 |
| 9 | Aleksandr Zubov | Russia | 1,115,000 | 19 |
| 10 | Anatoly Zlotnikov | Russia | 1,045,000 | 17 |
Ponakovs leads an all-star cast when play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time on May 15. The popular Alejandro Lococo (2,095,000) and Triton legend Mikita Badziakouski (2,055,000) make up the podium place, while such luminaries as Ethan "Rampage" Yau (1,640,000), Jason Koon (1,565,000), and Stephen Chidwick (1,320,000) return with top 10 stacks.
Lower down the counts, and with a little more work to do if they are to emerge victorious, are Alex Kulev (715,000), Linus Loeliger (715,000), Punnat Punsri (700,000), Mario Mosboeck (600,000), and Triton ambassador Danny Tang (500,000); the latter brings up the rear.