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Jonathan Jaffe made a hero call that, for all intents and purposes, cost him a Triton Poker title in Montenegro on Sunday.
But here’s the good news for the American poker star — he still finished second in the $150,000 10th Anniversary Special for $2,103,000. The beneficiary of the hero-call-gone-wrong during heads-up play, Aleks Ponakovs, took home a hard-earned $3,027,000 and a shiny trophy.
Heads-Up Battle
There were no spots to pick on at the final table, not with nine accomplished pros experienced in high-stakes tournament play. This was a tournament the winner had to grind out and earn, and that’s exactly what Ponakovs did. But before he finished off a tough heads-up match against Jaffe, the Latvian high roller had to outlast a field of 76 entrants to collect the largest share of the $11,400,000 prize pool.
The final table saw Igor Yaroshevskyy go out in ninth place ($310,000), Mikalai Vaskaboinikau bust in eighth place ($422,000), and Kiat Lee go home in seventh place ($541,000). Jason Koon (sixth place for $684,000) and Punnat Punsri (fifth place for $878,000), two of the best tournament players in the world, were next out the door. They were closely followed by two other greats — Matthias Eibinger (fourth place for $1,088,000) and Jean-Noel Thorel (third place for $1,390,000).
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleks Ponakovs | $3,027,000 |
| 2 | Jonathan Jaffe | $2,103,000 |
| 3 | Jean-Noel Thorel | $1,390,000 |
| 4 | Matthias Eibinger | $1,088,000 |
| 5 | Punnat Punsri | $878,000 |
| 6 | Jason Koon | $684,000 |
| 7 | Kiat Lee | $541,000 |
| 8 | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau | $422,000 |
| 9 | Igor Yaroshevskyy | $319,000 |
After Thorel busted, heads-up play began, and both players were close in chips. Not only that, the competitors each had over 50 big blinds, so viewers on the Triton livestream figured it would be a lengthy back-and-forth battle, and it appeared to be headed that way until one monster pot.
Ponakovs, who began the hand with around 6,000,000 chips, raised from the button preflop to 475,000 with Q♥8♦. Jaffe called with A♦2♠ in the big blind. The flop came out 8♥5♠2♣, both hitting a pair.
Action checked to the button, who made a continuation bet of 750,000 with top pair. Jaffe, sitting on bottom pair, called to see the K♠ on the turn, no help to either player. Jaffe checked again, but Ponakovs, not concerned with the king, went for value, betting 1,600,000. His opponent still wasn’t a believer, and called.
The river was the Q♦, giving Ponakovs two pair. Following a check, he’d go for maximum value by moving all in for 3,100,000. Jaffe tanked for a short bit, but couldn’t find the fold. He made the call and found himself down nearly 4:1 in chips.
Ponakovs, on the next hand, would win a 60/40 to finish off the tournament. He now has over $41 million in The Hendon Mob recorded live tournament cashes, about $38 million more than anyone else in Latvia’s history. Jaffe had to settle for the seven-figure consolation prize, but cracked $22 million mark for his poker career.
