Fedor Holz Wins Triton Montenegro Mystery Bounty for Fifth Triton Title — A Decade Later, He's Back on Top
Germany's Fedor Holz captured Event #5 of the Triton Super High Roller Series (SHRS) Montenegro on May 17, claiming the fifth Triton title of his career in the $40,000 NLH 7-Handed Mystery Bounty. Held at the Maestral Resort & Casino in Budva, the event drew 111 entries (including 38 re-entries) and built a prize pool of $4,440,000. Holz reached heads-up against Aleks Ponakovs, struck an ICM deal, and banked $528,811 for the title alongside 11 bounty pulls worth at least $440,000 more.
The First Triton Champion Returns to the Top, Ten Years Later
This win carries weight beyond simply adding a fifth trophy. Holz won the very first event in Triton Series history back in 2016 in the Philippines. Ten years later, with the tour celebrating its 10th anniversary, the same player lifted a trophy at one of the season's marquee stops in Montenegro. Speaking after the win, Holz reflected on how far Triton has come and acknowledged that it remains the series he commits to playing once or twice a year. The 32-year-old effectively stepped back from full-time tournament poker in 2020, and in March of this year he wrapped up a six-year run as a GGPoker ambassador to focus on family and a new investment fund. Yet whenever he returns to the Triton stage, he tends to find his way back near the top — and this win is another reminder of why.
Final Table: One by One, Holz Took Them Down
The seven-handed final table began with Leonard Maue as chip leader at 144 big blinds, Holz second at 104, and Ponakovs third at 76. Russia's Mikhail Soltanov, a Triton festival debutant, exited in seventh ($99,000) when his K-Q flush draw failed to come in during a three-way all-in with Mike Watson and Ponakovs. France's Jean-Noel Thorel followed in sixth ($129,000), then Canada's Mike Watson in fifth ($164,000 plus two bounties), Maue in fourth ($203,000 plus three bounties), and Nick Petrangelo in third ($245,000 plus three bounties). Petrangelo's pocket tens were dominated by Holz's pocket threes, and the flop bringing a third trey sealed his exit in classic Triton-final-table fashion.
Heads-Up: Ponakovs' 13-Hand Streak, Then Holz Closed It Out
Heads-up began with Holz holding a commanding 145 BB to Ponakovs' 32 BB. The pair quickly agreed to an ICM deal locking in $528,811 for the winner and $407,189 for the runner-up, leaving only $20,000 and the trophy to play for. The match itself, however, was anything but predictable. Ponakovs went on an unbelievable run, winning each of the first 13 heads-up hands — showing down a full house and flopping trips along the way — and briefly snatching the chip lead from Holz. Holz settled things with a decisive hand, calling Ponakovs' pre-flop with 5-3 offsuit and turning a runner-runner straight against A-7 to push Ponakovs down to two big blinds. Ponakovs survived three consecutive double-ups, but the final hand came on a 9-K-Q-5-K board, where Holz's Q-10 outpaired Ponakovs' 10-? to seal the title.
Ivan Leow POY Race: Another New Contender
The win immediately shifts the picture in the 10th-anniversary Ivan Leow Player of the Year race. Early-season leader Ike Haxton has already been chased down by Dan Dvoress (Event #1 winner) and Mario Mosböck (Event #3 winner), and now five-time Triton champion Fedor Holz joins that chasing group. With a $200,000 bonus and top-10 payouts on the line for the season winner, the landscape changes after almost every event. Triton Montenegro 2026 continues through May 28 with 18 events on the slate, with the $200K Invitational (starting May 19), the $100K NLH Main Event (May 21), and the $100K PLO Main Event (May 24) still ahead as the festival's marquee back-end events.
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