3-Bet: Shawn Daniels, Dawid Smolka & Omar Lakhdari Win Major Live Titles!

The live poker scene has been firing on all cylinders, with three major tournaments delivering non-stop action, dramatic finishes, and life-changing scores. This 3-Bet Report brings you the inside scoop from the WPT Rolling Thunder, the Merit Poker Carmen Series High Roller, and the WPT Prime Cyprus Championship – three events that saw players push their limits, conquer massive fields, and etch their names into poker history.

First up, we’ve got Shawn Daniels (cover image – left), the embodiment of “anything is possible.” Daniels wasn’t even planning on playing the WPT Rolling Thunder at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, but some friends convinced him to make the trip from Nevada. That friendly nudge turned into a $257,600 payday, a WPT title, and a seat in the season-ending WPT World Championship! He defeated Harvey Castro in a three-hour-plus heads-up marathon that saw the chip lead swing back and forth like a pendulum. This was a hometown victory for Daniels, made even sweeter by having his mother witness him play live for the very first time.

Next, we head to the luxurious Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in Northern Cyprus, where Dawid Smolka (cover image – right top) crushed the record-breaking Merit Poker Carmen Series High Roller. This $5,300 buy-in event attracted a colossal 270 entries, generating a prize pool that more than doubled the guarantee, landing at a whopping $1,242,000. Smolka, a Polish pro with over $1 Million in live earnings, navigated this shark-infested field, eventually defeating Norwegian poker pro Johnny Lodden heads-up to claim the $260,000 top prize.

Finally, we jet off to the sunny shores of Cyprus again, this time for the WPT Prime Cyprus Championship at the Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino. Omar Lakhdari (cover image – right bottom) added another WPT title to his collection. The $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em event brought in another monster field, with 1,391 entries creating a prize pool of $1,349,270, smashing the $1 Million guarantee. Lakhdari, an Algerian-Moroccan pro, outlasted them all, taking home $190,430 (his third-biggest career score) and pushing his lifetime earnings over $2.10 million. Atilla Saracoglu put up a great fight, finishing as the runner-up for $125,000. This was Lakhdari’s second WPT title and got him a seat at the season-ending WPT World Championship.

Shawn Daniels’ Hometown Heroics: From “Not Even Playing” to WPT Rolling Thunder Champion ($257,600)

Shawn Daniels just penned a new chapter in the “anything can happen” playbook by taking down the World Poker Tour (WPT) Rolling Thunder title at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort. He defeated Harvey Castro in a heads-up match that stretched on for over three hours, a contest that was as unpredictable as it was entertaining. Daniels pocketed $257,600 for the win and, more importantly, earned his place in the WPT Champions Club and a coveted seat in the season-ending WPT World Championship, crossing $3 Million in live tournament earnings.

🏆SHAWN DANIELS CLOSES OUT!

After battling through a field of 404 players and over three hours of heads-up @TVPokerRoom, Daniels came out on top to take home the title and $229,000 including a seat to the @WPT World Championship!

Welcome to the Champions Club, Shawn Daniels!👏 pic.twitter.com/RwKzhATZlA

— World Poker Tour (@WPT) March 20, 2025

Beyond the money, beyond the title, this win was made even sweeter because it happened close to his hometown of Placerville, with friends and family, including his mother (who was seeing him play live for the very first time), in attendance. He’d almost sat this one out, only deciding to join after some friendly pressure.

“I actually had some friends talk me into coming to hang out and visit,” Daniels revealed. “I wasn’t even planning on coming to play. So definitely a big thank you to them, for sure.”

“Winning it at Thunder Valley makes it 10 times more special,” he shared. “My mom came down to watch today. It’s the first time she’s ever gotten to see me play poker. She wasn’t able to make it to Vegas when I won my [WSOP] bracelet. To win in the hometown casino, in front of friends and family, definitely makes it way more special.”

He was also quick to credit his opponent: “Harvey’s a really good player. I happened to just hold over him a little bit at the beginning to make a comeback, and then we really just had a battle at the end. He played really well. He made it tough. I got lucky to cooler him a few times, and that was it.”

Event Highlights

The $3,500 buy-in event drew 404 entries, all chasing a piece of that sweet $1,292,800 prize pool. The top 51 finishers earned a payday, each walking with at least $6,400.

As the final six gathered for the live-streamed showdown, the initial narrative centred around Eric Afriat. The three-time WPT champion was on the cusp of history, one win away from tying Darren Elias‘s record of four titles.

But poker, like life, rarely follows a script. Afriat’s bid for a fourth title ended in third place, earning him a hefty $122,000 and bringing his career earnings near the $6 Million range.

3rd place | Eric Afriat | $122,000 pic.twitter.com/tdD1XS3ieU

— World Poker Tour (@WPT) March 19, 2025

Benjamin Primus (6th for $53,000), David Ha (5th for $69,000), and Paul Richardson (4th for $91,000) also saw their championship hopes fade earlier than they’d hoped.

That left Daniels and 23-year-old Harvey Castro to duke it out for the title, with Castro holding a mighty 2:1 chip lead. The smart money, at that point, might have been on the young gun to close it out.

But Shawn Daniels doesn’t fold easily. He’s been there, done that, and, as he put it himself, winning major titles like a WSOP bracelet and a WPT championship are “kind of pipe dreams” for most players. “It’s what we all watched when we first got into it,” he reflected. “So being able to capitalize on those opportunities is just really special. The feeling’s indescribable.”

He started chipping away at Castro’s lead. And then came the hand. With a board showing plenty of possibilities, Daniels check-raised a monster full house on the river. A perfectly laid trap. Castro, holding just king-high, fell for it, betting a huge chunk of his stack. Daniels, naturally, called immediately, showing the winning hand to get into a commanding 5:1 lead.

It seemed like the final chapter was written. Daniels had overcome the odds, weathered the storm, and was on the verge of victory. Except… this is poker. And in poker, sometimes the script gets ripped up and tossed out the window.

Castro, displaying a level of composure that belied his years, refused to surrender. He doubled up. Then he doubled up again. He clawed his way back from the precipice, first to even the stacks, and then, unbelievably, he took the lead. Daniels, at one low point, was staring down at just seven big blinds.

The advantage swung back and forth. It was a real battle, a match that was as draining to watch as it was impressive. It felt as if the heads-up would never finish.

Finally, after a marathon session that tested the endurance of everyone involved, Daniels regained control. The decisive hand saw Castro shove with , a desperate move with a dwindling stack. Daniels, holding , made the call. The board ran out . Trip sixes for Daniels, and the epic battle was finally over.

Despite the loss, Castro earned a respectable $165,000 and went over $1 Million in live tournament earnings.

You can watch the replay of the entire final table livestream on WPT`s YouTube channel below.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Shawn Daniels – $229,000*
2. Harvey Castro – $193,600
3. Eric Afriat – $122,000
4. Paul Richardson – $91,000
5. David Ha – $69,000
6. Benjamin Primus – $53,000

*includes a $10,400 entry into the season-ending WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas

Dawid Smolka Dominates Record-Breaking Merit Poker Carmen Series High Roller ($260K)!

The 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series High Roller at the swanky Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in Northern Cyprus was a record-smashing spectacle, a poker party that blew the roof off. The man holding the trophy, the last one standing after a performance of sheer poker dominance, was Poland’s Dawid Smolka. He outlasted a massive field of 270 entries – the biggest High Roller turnout Merit Poker has ever seen in a $5,300 buy-in event, bagging the title and a career-best $260,000 payday, the lion`s share of the prize pool that ballooned to a jaw-dropping $1,242,000, more than twice the guarantee.

This wasn’t some small-time gathering, either. This was a field overflowing with talent. Sharks, pros, up-and-comers, all with dollar signs in their eyes, all vying for the crown. Smolka, already a heavy hitter with over $1 Million in live earnings, confessed this win hit differently.

The final day kicked off with 39 players already in the money (a minimum $7,600 score) but focused like lasers on that final table. The early action was a blur, a rapid-fire elimination spree that claimed well-known grinders like Ran Ilani, Samuel Ju, and Fahredin Mustafov.

Soraya Estrada, the last female player holding strong, saw her deep run cut short in 22nd place, losing a crucial flip to Kyosuke Nagami. Meanwhile, Smolka was gaining momentum, stacking chips like they were going out of style. There was a minor hiccup, a tiny dip below his starting stack after Maxime Chilaud sniffed out a three-barrel bluff. But that was it. That was the sole moment all day that Smolka looked anything less than unstoppable. He recovered, shifted gears, and resumed his march forward.

Tobias Peters, a player with a resume as long as his arm, couldn’t get anything going and exited before the final two tables. Kirill Shcherbakov, on the flip side, was on a serious roll, building a chip fortress through sheer aggression. And then there was Simas Karaliunas, who ran his pocket queens smack-dab into Johnny Lodden’s pocket aces, ending his night in 12th place.

The final table bubble was pure drama. It was Smolka, naturally, delivering the knockout punch, sending Charbel Salloum packing after turning the nuts against top pair. Nine players remained. Shcherbakov held the lead, but Smolka was right there, lurking.

The final table was a slugfest. Smolka wasted no time, immediately snatching back the chip lead after Shcherbakov’s bluff got picked off by Merijn van Rooij. Then, Smolka went into beast mode. He took out the dangerous Andrey Pateychuk, whose pocket fives were no match for Smolka’s pocket sevens.

With seven players left, Smolka was a one-man wrecking crew, commanding nearly 40% of the chips. He was relentless, applying pressure and forcing tough calls. He check-raised Van Rooij, then fired on both the turn and river, compelling a reluctant fold. Atanas Malinov, fresh off a runner-up finish earlier in the series, saw his hopes dashed in seventh place, falling to Shcherbakov.

As the field thinned, Peteris Enders and Van Rooij also found the exit, leaving just four. Smolka and Lodden were the big stacks, with Smolka holding the edge. He extended that advantage even further after a perfectly timed river check-shove forced Lodden into a painful fold.

Then, in a flash, Lodden took out Oleg Svintsov and Kirill Shcherbakov in back-to-back hands, setting up a heads-up battle for the ages.

The heads-up duel was straight-up war. Smolka started in the lead (17.80 Million chips to Lodden’s 10 Million), but Lodden, a seasoned warrior, wasn’t about to roll over. He fought back, even grabbing the chip lead after calling Smolka’s bluff – with a straight flush, no less.

But as he’d demonstrated all day, Smolka had ice in his veins. He retaliated, winning a monster pot with pocket kings against Lodden’s ace-king, a classic cooler. Lodden had a flush draw on the flop, but it missed. Smolka was back in the driver’s seat.

Lodden, though, wasn’t finished. He battled back, miraculously evening the stacks. It was a back-and-forth brawl, a fight for every single chip.

And then, it all came down to one final, fateful hand. Lodden four-bet jammed on the flop in a single-raised pot with an open-ended straight draw. Smolka, clutching top pair and top kicker, made the call. The turn gave Lodden even more outs with a flush draw, but the river was a brick. It was game over, with Smolka emerging as the champion.

Reflecting on the wild ride, Smolka admitted, “I think heads-up was the toughest challenge. It was pretty straightforward getting there, but once we were heads-up, it went back and forth. I pretty much won a preflop cooler and then stacked off when I was ahead.”

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Dawid Smolka – $260,000
2. Johnny Lodden – $182,700
3. Kirill Shcherbakov – $131,900
4. Oleg Svintsov – $91,400
5. Merijn van Rooij – $67,040
6. Peteris Enders – $53,700
7. Atanas Malinov – $44,700
8. Cedric Schwaederle – $35,735
9. Andrey Pateychuk – $26,800

Omar Lakhdari Conquers WPT Prime Cyprus ($190,430)

The 2025 World Poker Tour Prime Cyprus Championship was a scorcher. The $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em event blew past its $1 Million guarantee, as a staggering field of 1,391 entries swelled the prize pool to a juicy $1,349,270. Five starting flights, two gruelling days of high-stakes poker at the swanky Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino, and when the dust settled, it was Omar Lakhdari standing tall, a WPT champion once again.

Lakhdari, a poker pro hailing from Algeria and now living in Morocco, pocketed a cool $190,430 for the win. This is the third-biggest live tournament cash of his career, pushing his total live earnings north of $2.10 Million. Atilla Saracoglu, a worthy opponent, finished in second place, taking home $125,000.

OMAR LAKHDARI WINS @WPT PRIME CYPRUS!🇨🇾🏆

Lakhdari takes home the title, the trophy and just over $200k including a seat to the $10,400 @WPT World Championship!

Congratulations Omar! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Hv67W4Pbbr

— World Poker Tour (@WPT) March 17, 2025

This win is another notch on Lakhdari’s belt. He’s been on a heater, having also made a strong showing earlier this year in a WSOP International Circuit event in Morocco, finishing third in a $620 buy-in tournament for $23,811 and 280 points. With 1,240 total points, Lakhdari is currently in 66th place in the 2025 POY standings, presented by Global Poker.

“I am very happy to win. This is the second time I’ve won a WPT tournament, and it’s my favourite tournament,” Lakhdari shared after his victory. “I am very happy, this is amazing.” And to add some serious icing on the cake, Lakhdari also scored a $10,400 seat to the season-ending 2025 WPT World Championship.

Event Highlights

The top 177 players got a piece of the pie, with the top 19 grabbing five-figure payouts. The final day started with just nine players remaining, and the drama was broadcast live for the world to see.

Among the poker world’s familiar faces to grab some cash were the 2022 WPTDeepStacks runner-up David Hu (16th for $11,500), 2025 WPT Cambodia Championship final tablist Daniel Charlton (79th for $3,500), 2023 WPT Prime Cambodia champion Reiji Kono (108th for $2,140), and 2024 WPT Prime Cyprus champion Tudor Purice (136th for $1,940).

Turkey’s Atilla Saracoglu came into the final day with the chip lead, Lakhdari sitting in third. It took a while for the first player to fall, but it happened in spectacular fashion. Ilan Verdnikov was all-in with against Saracoglu’s on the flop . The on the turn kept Verdnikov in the lead, but a brutal on the river gave Saracoglu a full house, sending a stunned Verdnikov home in ninth place for $18,800.

Saracoglu was on fire, eliminating Baris Topuz (8th for $24,000), Sencer Ozturk (7th for $31,000), and Andras Balogh (6th for $40,000), extending his dominance.

Edgars Hauks (5th for $53,000) had his hopes dashed in a cooler when his ace-king was crushed by Haddad’s pocket aces. The board was no help, and Hauks was out while Haddad gained ground.

The turning point for Lakhdari came during four-handed play. His ace-king dominated Saracoglu’s ace-queen to win a massive pot, sending Lakhdari soaring to the top of the leaderboard. Riding this wave of good fortune, he took out Fabian Rolli (4th for $70,000), his queen-ten getting there against Rolli’s king-jack. Shortly after, Lakhdari’s held strong against Joseph Haddad’s on a [d19] board, eliminating Haddad in third place for $93,000.

Heads-up play began with Lakhdari enjoying an over 2:1 lead: 38.325 Million chips to Atilla Saracoglu’s 17.20 Million. Lakhdari increased the pressure, extending his lead even further before delivering the final blow.

In that last hand, Lakhdari, holding , min-raised to 1 Million on the button. Saracoglu, with , made the call. The flop revealed , providing a treasure chest of draws. Lakhdari had the nut flush draw, plus a gutshot straight draw. Saracoglu, though, had an open-ended straight draw. Saracoglu decided to go for the jugular and shoved all-in over Lakhdari’s 5 Million bet. Lakhdari, sensing opportunity, called. The turn and the river were blanks. Lakhdari’s hand was good, the championship was his, and Saracoglu finished as the runner-up.

You can watch the replay of the entire final table livestream on WPT`s YouTube channel below.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Omar Lakhdari – $190,430*
2. Atilla Saracoglu – $125,000
3. Joseph Haddad – $93,000
4. Fabian Rolli – $70,000
5. Edgars Hauks – $53,000
6. Andras Balogh – $40,000
7. Sencer Ozturk -$31,000
8. Baris Topuz – $24,000
9. Ilan Verdnikov – $18,800

*includes a $10,400 entry into the season-ending WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas

Content & Images Courtesy: World Poker Tour & PokerNews