In the days following Justin Bonomo’s incredible win in the $1m buy-in Big One for One Drop this summer, he waxed lyrical on winning the three biggest tournaments of 2018.
He may need to reach for the correction fluid.
The Triton Series Poker Series HKD 2,000,000 (USD 255,000) No-Limit Hold’em Main Event at the Landing Casino in Jeju is preparing to hand out the most significant first prize outside of the One Drop and World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
The event even played like the One Drop with players like Ivan Leow in for USD 1,000,000 because of the re-entry clause, in what was a crash, bang, wallop of a tournament.
All told, the cash tills popped open an astonishing 55 times to create an HKD 110,000,000 (USD 14,014,077) prize pool, and the winner will receive HKD 41,250,000 (USD 5,255,456), a quarter of a million dollars more than the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl.
Who is going to win it?
Let’s find out.
Level 9 – 3k/6k/6k
JC Alvarado, Steve O’Dwyer, Paul Phua and Richard Yong ran out of oxygen on Day 1 but returned on the dot to have another shot.
The first person to lose all of his chips was James Chen. Chen got it in on a flop of Jc5c2d holding KsJh against the AJss of John Juanda. Dominated. Neither the turn nor the river helped, and Chen ended up digging deep into the dirt at the bottom of his pocket.
Winfred Yu was next.
Leow opened the button for 13,000, Yu three-bet to 36,000 from the small blind, and Leow made the call. The dealer laid Jh8c7h onto the felt; Yu continued his aggression with a 55,000 bet; Leow called.
When competing amongst the best players in the world, you need a spot of luck, and JC Alvarado isn’t getting any. Check this out. The Mexican made it 14,000 to play from the cutoff holding 98dd, and O’Dwyer defended his big blind with Q2ss.
Flop: AsKs5s
O’Dwyer flopped the nut flush. Alvarado was wearing one of those crab-eating smocks, but O’Dwyer was about to eat him alive. O’Dwyer check-called a 13,000 flop bet by Alvarado.
Turn: 6d
Alvarado picked up a gutshot, and both players checked.
River: 7c
The worst possible hand for Alvarado as he hits his straight and O’Dwyer put the Mexican to the test overbetting the pot to the tune of 77,000. Alvarado used a timebank before making the call, and O’Dwyer dragged in a heavy pot.
Level 10 – 4k/8k/8k
Cary Katz doubled through Sam Greenwood 55>AK. JC Alvarado doubled through James Chen KK>QQ. And then we had one of the moments of the early stages of the contest.
Mikita Badziakouski and Bryn Kenney ended up staring at a flop of Kh9s2h with Badziakouski holding 94hh in the blinds, and Kenney in control holding ATss in position. Badziakouski checked, Kenney bet 12,000, Badziakouski check-raised to 45,000, and Kenney called.
The turn card was the 9c, and Badziakouski checked, Kenney bet 20,000, and the Belarusian moved all-in for 882,000. It was everything Kenney had in front of him, and he burned through several time bank chips before making the incorrect call with ace high.
Think about that.
Kenney, who had paid USD 255,000 to compete in this contest, called for his tournament life holding ace high, and then went to the cash desk to re-enter for another USD 255,000.
I know what you’re going to say.
The man is a pro.
The money shouldn’t matter.
I would argue it matters to some.
After taking all of Kenney’s chips, Badziakouski focused his attention on Gabe Patgorski. The former Triton Champ opened to 17,000 holding pocket nines, Patgorski three-bet to 56,000 holding J9o from the hijack, and Badziakouski called.
Flop: 8d7c6s
Both players nailed the same draw, but Badziakouski was ahead with the rolled up nines. He decided to lead for 40,000, Patgorski moved all-in for 347,000, and Badziakouski snap-called.
The turn and river produced a pair of kings, and Patgorski was out.
And the heads kept falling.
Stephen Chidwick got it in pre-flop with James Chen. It was KJo for the British pro, and KTss for Chen. Chidwick flopped a jack, Chen turned a ten, but the river bricked to give Chidwick all of Chen’s chips.
Xuan Tan and Richard Yong also lost a life in Level 10.
Level 11 – 5k/10k/10k
Nick Schulman wasn’t going to win Triton title #2. The HKD 100,000 Short-Deck winner moved all-in holding K7o on the button, and Sam Greenwood called with Ato in the big blind. A ten on the flop, and another on the turn for good measure sent Schulman to the cash game area.
And then a harsh bad beat forced John Juanda to re-enter.
Juanda opened to 25,000 with pocket kings, and Leow put him all-in holding A7o. Juanda made the easy call, but Leow got there nailing an ace on the turn to move up to 1.4m chips.
Next out was Jason Koon.
The Triton Poker Series Montenegro HKD 1,000,000 Short-Deck Champion got it in holding AQdd, but O’Dwyer woke up with AKcc, and that’s all she wrote. Koon bought back in for another USD 255,000.
There was a pattern forming.
East.
Versus.
West.
It was time for someone from the East to hit the rail.
Step forward, Wai Kin Yong.
The former Triton Poker Champ got it in holding A9ss, and Badziakouski called holding pocket eights, flopped a set, and sent Yong Junior packing.
Phil Ivey doubled not once, but twice, the first time through Sam Greenwood QQ>44, and the second time against Badziakouski AQ>A7, and those were essential because it was about this time that the cash tills closed.
Payouts
1. HKD 41,250,000 (USD 5,255,456)
2. HKD 25,520,000 (USD 3,251,376)
3. HKD 16,720,000 (USD 2,130,212)
4. HKD 11,550,000 (USD 1,471,528)
5. HKD 8,470,000 (USD 1,079,120)
6. HKD 6,490,000 (USD 826,858)
32 unique entries, 23 re-entries, 55 entrants.
Huge.
Level 12 – 6k/12k/12k
The first player to have the HKD 1m door permanently slammed in his face was Paul Phua who got it in holding pocket sevens in a blind battle with Kenney holding A8, and the river produced a second snowman to melt Phua’s heart.
Sam Greenwood bust Phil Ivey, and this time pocket sevens turned out to be the winning hand. Greenwood held them, and Ivey put his tournament life on the line with AThh. The board was devoid of aces, tens, only contained one heart, and to rub it in Greenwood rivered a third seven.
Dominik Nitsche followed Ivey out of the tournament area.
Chan Wai Leong opened to 40,000 from the small blind, and Nitsche defended the large. The dealer fanned the 8c5h2h on the flop, Chan bet 52,000, Nitsche moved all-in for 195,000, and Chan made the call.
Chan: QQ
Nitsche: K8
Nitsche was in a world of hurt, needing to see kings and eights, but they remained in the deck, and the young man was out.
Two tables remained.
Mikita Badziakouski (1,850,000), Chan Wei Long (1,752,000), and Sam Greenwood (1,636,000) were the three musketeer millionaires.
Level 13 – 8k/16k/16k
Sam Greenwood wasn’t the only Greenwood having fun. Luc was also milling around in the deep end of the pool, drowning Andrew Robl ATdd>A5ss.
Level 14 – 10k/20k/20k
It’s unusual not to see a high roller final table with the name of Stephen Chidwick on the chalkboard, but it’s going to happen here in Jeju. We caught the action on the turn with the board showing Qs4h3c8s with Jason Koon holding Qc6s for top pair, and Chidwick holding KJss for the flush draw. Koon checked, Chidwick bet 55,000, and Koon check-raised to 185,000; Chidwick called. The river was the 2c, Koon checked again, Chidwick bet 440,000, leaving 5,000 behind, and Koon tank-called to move up to 1.7m. Chidwick exited in the very next hand.
Level 15 – 10k/25k/25k
The next elimination was a case of old school versus new school as Patrik Antonius exited at the cards of Sergio Aido. The Finn moved all-in for 300,000 on the button with 43ss, and Aido made the call with pocket queens, and Antonius busted in 14th place.
The heroes kept falling.
Jason Koon opened to 55,000 in the first position holding AdQc, Sam Greenwood called in the next pew with the same hand, and Steve O’Dwyer moved all-in for 375,000 in the cutoff holding pocket eights. Koon called, Greenwood folded, and Koon got there after flopping an ace on the river. O’Dwyer was out.
Peter Jetten moved up the chip counts after eliminating the ‘Lone Wolf’ Bryn Kenney. Jetten open-shoved for 410,000 holding pocket sevens and Kenney made the call for 380,000 and A9o. The sevens held and Kenney was sent back to his hotel room to get reacquainted with his expensive bathrobe.
David Peters wouldn’t win his second Triton Poker title. Sergio Aido made sure of that. Peters made his final stand with deuces, and Aido eliminated him with tens.
And to prove there is no subconscious soft-play going on between the Greenwood twins, Sam eliminated his brother Luc.
Luc opened to 50,000 on the button holding QdTh, and Sam defended the big blind with 74cc. The flop was Jc7h5h, Sam checked, Luc bet 75,000, and Sam called. The Kc smacked the felt on the turn, Sam checked, Luc moved all-in for 455,000, with his open-ender, and Sam called with his pair. It was good as the Tc hit the river to turn Sam’s hand into a flush to give us a final table.
Final Table
1. Mikita Badziakouski – 2,500,000
2. Sergio Aido – 2,435,000
3. Sam Greenwood – 2,235,000
4. Jason Koon – 1,955,000
5. Chan Wai Leong – 1,655,000
6. Ivan Leow – 990,000
7. Richard Yong – 900,000
8. Peter Jetten – 765,000
9. Cary Katz – 315,000
It didn’t take long to file the final table down to eight players. Badziakouski opened to 50,000 from early position holding AQo, and Katz moved all-in in the next pew for 315,000 with pocket queens. Sergio Aido called with pocket jacks, Badziakouski squeezed him out with a four-bet to 725,000, and went on to win the hand when he flopped trip aces. Katz was out.
Level 16 – 15k/30k/30k
It’s incredible to think that two more people were going to miss out on a USD 867,000 min-cash, and one of them was Peter Jetten.
Jetten opened to 60,000 in early position, Richard Yong three-bet to 185,000, Jetten four-bet jammed to 1,045,000 and Yong snap-called. Jetten showed AKss, and Yong had the aces. Jetten did flop a king, but one was not enough, and he left the competition in eighth place.
We were on the stone cold bubble.
The next person would leave with nothing.
And that would be the man who paid USD 1,000,000 to play in the event.
Ivan Leow bought in an incredible four times. If anyone needed that USD 867,000, it was him, but it wasn’t to be.
Koon opened to 75,000 from early position holding AQss, and Leow made the call in position with A3dd. The flop was AsKh5s, Koon bet 150,000; Leow called. The turn was the 6c, Koon bet 325,000, and Leow moved all-in for 455,000, and Koon called. The Ks on the river changed diddly-squat, and just like that, Leow was out.
Final Chip Counts
1. Mikita Badziakouski – 3,065,000
2. Sergio Aido – 3,000,000
3. Jason Koon – 2,500,000
4. Richard Yong – 2,415,000
5. Sam Greenwood – 1,715,000
6. Chan Wai Leong – 1,055,000
The final table recommences at 2 pm (local time) where we will crown a winner. Three of the last six are former Triton Champions, with Jason Koon, Mikita Badziakouski and Richard Yong all winning titles in Montenegro, with Badziakouski on the verge of winning back-to-back Triton Main Events.