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The spotlight may have been on a Poker Hall of Famer and one of the game’s true legends at the final table of the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event at the Onyx High Roller Series, but it was a rising star from the Baltic region who ultimately stole the show.
Estonia’s Ottomar Ladva delivered a commanding performance, storming past Patrik Antonius and the rest of the final table to capture the trophy and the $1,150,000 first-place prize — the largest score of his rapidly ascending poker career. Ladva closed out the event by defeating Geoffrey Mooney in a brief heads-up battle inside the Onyx Club at Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Spa.
“I just ran incredibly well today,” Ladva said afterward. “I don’t remember ever running this good at a final table. Everything felt smooth — good hands, good spots, and good results.”
$25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event – Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottomar Ladva | Estonia | $1,150,000 |
| 2 | Geoffrey Mooney | Australia | $717,000 |
| 3 | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau | Belarus | $490,000 |
| 4 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russian Federation | $355,000 |
| 5 | Patrik Antonius | Finland | $270,000 |
| 6 | Matthias Lipp | Austria | $200,000 |
| 7 | Boris Kolev | Bulgaria | $160,000 |
| 8 | Daniil Kiselev | Russian Federation | $124,000 |
| 9 | Jessica Teusl | Austria | $100,000 |
A Rising Force on the Global Stage
This victory adds to a growing list of major results for Ladva. In recent seasons, he has claimed two €25,000 EPT titles, a Main Event victory in Estonia, and a Super High Roller title in Brazil, alongside runner-up finishes at EPT Prague. Even before this triumph, Ladva had recorded eight six-figure scores within the past 12 months.
The win pushes Ladva’s live tournament earnings beyond $5 million, placing him second on Estonia’s all-time money list. Despite the milestone, Ladva remains grounded.
“Online, I’ve had a good reputation for a few years already,” he explained. “One tournament doesn’t change much. What matters is how you play and how other strong players see your game.”
From Chess Prodigy to Poker Champion
Poker was not Ladva’s first competitive arena. A former chess prodigy, he won the Estonian national championship at just 15 years old, claimed the title four times, competed in four Chess Olympiads, and earned the Grandmaster title before turning 20. He has even faced Magnus Carlsen across the board.
“A lot of chess players play poker,” Ladva said. “The discipline and study aspects are very similar. That transition felt natural to me.”
Final Table Breakdown
Nine players returned to the final table at 1:00 p.m. inside the Onyx Club, with Patrik Antonius starting as the overwhelming chip leader. Ladva entered the day near the bottom of the counts but wasted little time making his move.
Early momentum came when Ladva won a major pot against Kirill Shcherbakov, followed by the elimination of Jessica Teusl. Antonius initially extended his lead, climbing past 20,000,000 chips, but Ladva steadily applied pressure, winning key pots and narrowing the gap.
The pivotal moment came in a dramatic confrontation between Ladva and Antonius, where Ladva rivered a straight to crack Antonius’ aces, triggering a sharp shift in the leaderboard. From there, Ladva never looked back, eventually sending Antonius to the rail in fifth place after a preflop showdown with queens against ace-five.
With momentum firmly on his side, Ladva built an overwhelming chip lead four-handed, eliminating Kirill Shcherbakov in fourth and Mikalai Vaskaboinikau in third. He entered heads-up play against Mooney holding nearly four times the chips in play.
The final duel was short-lived. Mooney moved all in holding ace-five, and Ladva snap-called with ace-queen. The board offered no help, and moments later Ottomar Ladva was crowned champion.
A Breakthrough Victory
With the trophy secured and his first seven-figure cash added to his résumé, Ladva confirmed that he would likely return home rather than continue into the PLO portion of the schedule.
It proved to be a defining trip — one where a former chess prodigy outplayed a legendary field and announced himself, unmistakably, as one of poker’s brightest modern stars.
