Aleksejs Ponakovs

Aleksejs Ponakovs was born in 1991 and hails from Riga, Latvia. Before turning to poker, he reportedly played Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) at a professional level, a background that may have sharpened his competitive instincts and strategic thinking. He is a private individual who rarely gives interviews, preferring to let his results speak for themselves.

Ponakovs started playing online poker at age 18, primarily on PokerStars under the screen name "APonakov." He accumulated over $1.8 million in cashes there, including victories in the $1,050 Thursday Thrill PKO ($43,153) and the Big $215 ($24,855). He later moved to GGPoker, where he played under his real name and won more than $4.5 million, profitably grinding the Super MILLION$ tournament to the tune of $1.8 million. His online success established him as a world-class MTT specialist, and he briefly reached the #1 spot in global online rankings.

Ponakovs' first documented live cash came in May 2011, but he remained relatively quiet on the live scene for nearly a decade. His best early result was a 48th-place finish in the 2016 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague Main Event for €17,200. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he focused online and nearly won a WSOP bracelet in August 2021, finishing second to Arthur Conan in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up Online Championship for $279,700. Later in that series, he won his first bracelet in the $7,777 No-Limit Hold'em Lucky 7s High Roller online at GGPoker for $432,491.

Ponakovs exploded onto the live high-roller circuit in 2022. In May, he placed 4th in the €100,000 Triton Poker Series Madrid event for €888,000, his first six-figure live score. A month later, he won his second WSOP bracelet in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller 8-Handed at the 2022 WSOP, defeating Phil Ivey heads-up to deny Ivey his 11th bracelet and earn $1,897,363. Upon returning to Europe, he made two final tables at EPT Barcelona in €25,000 and €50,000 high rollers, collecting a combined €830,340. He added another seven-figure result with a 6th-place finish in a $200,000 buy-in event at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Cyprus for $1,350,000.

His incredible form continued through 2023, with another 13 cashes worth over $100,000. The highlight was a 4th-place finish in a $262,500 buy-in event at Triton London, earning a career-best $2,540,000 at the time. In February 2024, he finished 3rd in the PokerStars EPT Paris Main Event for €574,850. He also cashed in multiple WSOP events in 2024, including a 5th-place finish in the $100,000 High Roller ($681,796) and a 22nd in the $50,000 High Roller ($101,724).

Ponakovs' biggest win came in December 2025 at WSOP Paradise, where he won the $25,000 GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship for $4,750,000, defeating a field of 237 entries. In the same series, he also cashed in the $100,000 Triton NLH Main Event (27th for $51,671) and the $25K Super Main Event (35th for $55,500). In May 2026, he won the $150,000 Triton Series Montenegro 10th Anniversary Special for $3,027,000, crossing the $42 million career earnings milestone. Other 2026 highlights include a 2nd-place finish in a $20,000 buy-in Triton Jeju 8-Handed event for $658,000, and a 14th-place in the $50,000 WSOP High Roller 8-Handed ($105,000).

Ponakovs is recognized for a hyper-aggressive and innovative play style that frequently puts opponents in difficult situations. His strategy is deeply rooted in modern solver-based theory, but he is uniquely gifted at finding creative, non-standard lines that deviate from standard GTO approaches. Known for his composure and relentless pressure, he excels in high-stakes, deep-stack environments, leveraging position and hand ranges. He rarely bluffs but strikes aggressively when the situation calls for it. His versatility extends to No-Limit Hold'em and Short Deck formats.

With over $42 million in live tournament earnings (as of mid-2026), Ponakovs is Latvia's all-time money leader and a three-time WSOP bracelet winner. He is a fixture at the most exclusive final tables globally and is widely considered one of the most dangerous tournament players on the planet, equally dominant online and live. Despite his fame, he remains a private figure, maintaining a minimal social media presence and letting his results speak for themselves.

Ponakovs is a regular on the PokerGO Tour (PGT), with career PGT earnings of $26,775,696 as of mid-2026. He has accumulated significant PGT points, including 450 points for his 2022 WSOP $100k High Roller win and 266 points for his Triton Madrid fourth-place finish. His consistent results place him among the top PGT leaders, reflecting his dominance in high-stakes live events.

Beyond his major wins, Ponakovs continued to post strong results across multiple series. In 2024, he cashed in WSOP events including a 5th in the $100,000 High Roller ($681,796) and 22nd in the $50,000 High Roller ($101,724). At the 2026 Triton Jeju series, he finished 2nd in a $20,000 8-Handed event for $658,000 and 14th in the Main Event for $263,000. These results underscore his sustained excellence.

Despite his massive tournament earnings, Ponakovs maintains a low public profile. His estimated net worth is over $15 million, derived primarily from tournament winnings and online success. He rarely uses social media, with an Instagram account that sees few posts and no Twitter or YouTube presence. This privacy extends to his personal life, about which little is publicly known.