The second of back-to-back short deck events got under way at Triton Madrid today, with 68 entries of €25,000 apiece. That’s sedate by the standards of this series, even if the winner is set to receive €497,000 from a €1.7 million prize pool.
That winner’s identity will be discovered tomorrow.
Many of the usual suspects turned up to play, and many of them went deep as the field was cut to 13 heading into Day 2. However, it’s one of the lesser known names who takes the chip lead tonight, edging ahead at the death to steal the thunder from one of the most recognisable talents in the world.
Hong Kong’s Ryan Yum has the biggest stack in the room at present, only a few antes more than the Triton Ambassador Tom Dwan. Those two traded the lead often throughout the later stages of the opening day in this one, and when play drew to a close, Yum had 4.405 million to Dwan’s 3.395 million.
Yum is not a total rookie. He played three tournaments at Triton London in 2019, but did not cash in any of them. He’s back for more here in Madrid and so far this tournament has been perfectly smooth for him. While all eyes were undoubtedly on Dwan, Yum just went about his business to occupy the top spot overnight.
As for Dwan, what more can one say about him?
Dwan arrived to Madrid a couple of days ago and hopped into the first short deck event on the schedule. He duly made it through Day 1 of that, then headed into a cash game, which reportedly only finished at 7am. After that, he played Day 2 of Event #3 and made the final table, finishing seventh, and then hopped into this one.
Flash forward another few hours, and Dwan was near the summit of the field. Form is temporary; sickness is permanent. Perhaps he’ll never sleep again.
The rest of the field is littered with short-deck maestros from across the world, including Dwan’s fellow Triton Ambassador Jason Koon, and Chris Brewer, who earlier won Event #3. The father and son Malaysian pair of Richard and Wai Kin Yong are also both still involved.
The bubble has not yet burst (nine players will be paid) so there’s plenty of time for drama.
Here’s how they stack up tonight, and a reminder of the payouts is below:
Ryan Yum, Hong Kong – 4,405,000
Tom Dwan, USA – 3,395,000
Kenneth Kee, Singapore – 2,085,000
Richard Yong, Malaysia – 2,085,000
Jason Koon, USA – 1,705,000
Rui Cao, France – 1,360,000
Choon Tong Siow, Malaysia – 1,025,000
Wai Kin Yong, Malaysia – 945,000
Michael Soyza, Malaysia – 945,000
Santi Jiang, Spain – 850,000
Chris Brewer, USA – 635,000
Isaac Haxton, USA – 565,000
Ivan Leow, Malaysia – 425,000
Triton Madrid – Event 5
€25,000 Short Deck Ante-Only
Dates: May 16-17, 2022
Entries: 68 (inc. 32 re-entries)
Prize pool: €1,700,000
1 – €497,000
2 – €357,000
3 – €232,000
4 – €175,100
5 – €136,000
6 – €105,400
7 – €83,500
8 – €64,600
9 – €49,400
Photography by Joe Giron/PokerPhotoArchive