All eyes were fixed on a Poker Hall of Famer when the final table of the Onyx High Roller Series $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event began. By the end of the night, however, it was a rising force from Estonia who owned the stage.
Ottomar Ladva capped off a stunning performance by outlasting Patrik Antonius and the rest of a stacked final table, seizing the trophy and a $1,150,000 first-place prize—the biggest score of his fast-accelerating career. Antonius’ run ended abruptly after a mistimed five-bet with a marginal ace, a turning point that opened the door for Ladva to take full control.
“I just ran unbelievably well today,” Ladva said after wrapping up a brief heads-up battle with Geoffrey Mooney. “I don’t remember ever running this good at a final table. Everything just clicked—good hands, good spots, and it all went very smoothly.”
Final Table Results – Onyx $25,000 Main Event
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Ottomar Ladva (Estonia) – $1,150,000
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Geoffrey Mooney (Australia) – $717,000
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Mikalai Vaskaboinikau (Belarus) – $490,000
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Kirill Shcherbakov (Russia) – $355,000
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Patrik Antonius (Finland) – $270,000
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Matthias Lipp (Austria) – $200,000
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Boris Kolev (Bulgaria) – $160,000
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Daniil Kiselev (Russia) – $124,000
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Jessica Teusl (Austria) – $100,000
A Career on a Steep Upward Curve
This victory is only the latest milestone in what has become an impressive run for Ladva. Over the past few years, he’s collected two EPT €25,000 titles, won a main event on home soil in Estonia, and captured a Super High Roller title at the BSOP in Brazil late last year. He also came painfully close to more silverware with two runner-up finishes at EPT Prague in December.
Even before this win, Ladva had posted eight six-figure scores in the last 12 months alone. The $1.15 million payday pushes his live tournament earnings beyond $5 million, placing him second on Estonia’s all-time money list, trailing only Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin.
Despite the accolades, Ladva remains grounded.
“Online, I’ve had a strong reputation for a few years already,” he said. “One tournament doesn’t really change that much—it’s mostly variance. What matters more is how you play over time and how other good players see you. That’s the important part.”
From Chess Prodigy to Poker Powerhouse
Poker wasn’t Ladva’s first competitive obsession. As a child, he was a chess prodigy, winning the Estonian national championship at just 15 years old and eventually claiming the title four times. He represented his country at four Chess Olympiads, earned the Grandmaster title before turning 20, and even faced off across the board from Magnus Carlsen.
It was at chess tournaments that Ladva first encountered poker.
“A lot of chess players also play poker,” he explained. “I started playing during tournaments because everyone else was. I knew players who were close to professional level, and that motivated me. The discipline and study side of both games are pretty similar.”
How the Final Table Unfolded
Nine players returned to the Onyx Club at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Spa with Antonius leading the way, holding 9,660,000 in chips. Ladva began the day near the bottom in seventh with 4,265,000.
Momentum swung early when Ladva cracked Kirill Shcherbakov after flopping aces and queens against Shcherbakov’s aces and jacks. Shortly after, short-stacked Jessica Teusl shoved with king-jack but couldn’t outrun Antonius’ pocket fours, becoming the first elimination.
Antonius extended his lead past 13 million after correctly sniffing out a river bluff from Boris Kolev. Daniil Kiselev soon followed Teusl to the rail in eighth when Antonius rivered two pair, kings and tens.
At seven-handed play, Antonius surged past 20 million—more than double his nearest rival. But Ladva’s comeback was just beginning. He survived a classic cooler against Kolev, doubling up when his king-jack improved on the river, then eliminated Kolev moments later by shoving the river with a turned flush.
Ladva continued applying pressure, including winning a key pot by hitting a straight on the river against Antonius, who visibly showed frustration—an uncharacteristic moment for the normally stoic Finn.
Although Antonius briefly caught a lifeline by eliminating Matthias Lipp in sixth place, his tournament came to a halt soon after. Facing a four-bet from Ladva, Antonius shoved with ace-five and was snap-called by Ladva’s pocket queens. The board offered no rescue, sending Antonius out in fifth.
“It’s incredible to play against a legend like Patrik,” Ladva said afterward. “He’s really tough, and I just ran well against him. I made hands and got paid.”
Ladva Takes Over
From there, it was all Ladva. He eliminated Kirill Shcherbakov in fourth after rivering two pair, then crushed Mikalai Vaskaboinikau’s hopes by waking up with aces yet again—this time flopping top set—to knock him out in third.
Heads-up play began with Ladva holding a commanding 40,750,000 to Mooney’s 11,000,000. It didn’t last long. Ladva steadily chipped away before ending it when Mooney shoved with ace-five into Ladva’s ace-queen. A missed flush draw sealed Mooney’s fate, earning him $717,000 for second place.
A Perfect Ending
With the trophy secured and his first seven-figure tournament score locked up, Ladva said he plans to skip the Pot-Limit Omaha portion of the series and head straight home.
It was a trip to North Cyprus that couldn’t have gone much better. Ladva not only shared the stage with one of poker’s greatest icons—he outplayed him, ran red-hot, and announced himself even louder as one of the game’s most dangerous young stars.
