Day 2 of the 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila HK$ 1,000,000 Main Event (approx. $128,800) saw 23 players return to the tables of the exclusive Solaire Resort and Casino, and David Peters was the only player to re-enter before the cards got underway. This created a 39-entry strong field and prize pool of HK$ 37,073,400, which equals approximately $4,776,484. The top six spots will earn at least HK$ 2,224,000 ($289,120) while the winner walks home with a payday of HK$ 13,717,400 ($1,783,262).
It took just over seven hours to reduce the 39-entry strong field to the final six and reach the money, setting up the final showdown for tomorrow’s final table. Start-of-the-day chip leader and 2016 Big One For One Drop Extravaganza champion Elton Tsang bubbled, while poker superstar Phil Ivey was eliminated two off the money. Daniel Colman‘s bid of winning back-to-back events within a few days here in Manila was halted close to the money as well, as the former One Drop champion fell in ninth place.
Ultimately, it was high-roller regular and Asia expert Sergio Aido, who claimed 2,490,000 and narrowly edged out Koray Aldemir (2,420,000). The other finalists include defending Triton Super High Roller Manila Main Event champion Wai Kin Yong (1,705,000), 2016 Triton Suncity Cup winner Dan Cates (1,475,000), Devan Tang (1,045,000) and Bryn Kenney (615,000).
Kenney finished runner-up to Yong here at the Solaire Resort and Casino in November 2016, while Aido won the HK$100,000 Single Day High Roller of the Macau Poker Cup just one week ago for a payday of HK$2,074,000 (~USD $268,000). Aido also finished 4th in the 6-Max Event here in Manila a few days ago, while coming 3rd in the Suncity Cup and the Main Event in 2016 for a combined score of almost $1 million.
Founder of Triton Richard Yong was among the early casualties after running with ace-king into the pocket aces of Aido, and he was joined on the rail by Mikita Badziakouski, Rainer Kempe and Mustapha Kanit, amongst others. Several players then got short in chips and the final two tables were set with the elimination of Erik Seidel, who first lost most of his chips against John Juanda before running with jack-ten and flopped top pair into the limped pocket aces of Jack Salter.
Peter Chan and Yu Liang followed next before Peters suffered an unfortunate bad beat. Aido four-bet shoved with pocket jacks and found a runner-runner four-card straight to better the pocket kings of the American Highroller regular. Paul Phua fell to the Spaniard right after with ace-ten versus ace-queen suited and Aido held a deadlock on the top spot of the leader board on the last two tables.
Yong doubled through Colman and sent Juanda to the rail next while Aldemir scored a big double against Tang with five-four suited and the flopped nut straight over on the other table. After Salter and Pratyush Buddiga fell in quick succession, the unofficial nine-handed final table was set with Aido in the lead. It would take long for the next casualty to happen. Colman first had to fold against Kenney and then got his remaining ten big blinds in with ace-nine, only to find himself dominated by the ace-king suited of Cates in the big blind.
What followed was the biggest pot of the tournament thus far, when Yong three-bet against Aldemir and fired three barrels on a board containing three fours on the flop. Aldemir check-called all three streets with ace-king high and Yong only had ace-deuce suited for the inferior kicker.
Yong, Tsang and Ivey were the three shortest stacks two off the money and Ivey would be the one to exit in 8th place. Yong shoved from under the gun with ace-ten suited and Ivey called for ten big blinds with pocket eights, an ace appeared on the turn.
Down to the last nine, Tsang wanted to bet on himself becoming the bubble boy, but nobody took him up on the offer. The prediction of the Canada-born and Hong Kong based start-of-the-day leader would become reality when he open-shoved for around 20 big blinds out of the small blind with pocket eights. Yong sweated his cards, found the ace-ten again and called to spike a ten on the flop and let the bubble burst.
The remaining six finalists will return tomorrow at 1 p.m. local time to play down to a winner and action resumes with 26:33 minutes left in level 16 at blinds of 15,000-30,000 and a running ante of 5,000. Once the last river card is dealt, representatives of Triton, the Solaire Resort and Casino as well as Hublot, the official timekeeper of the 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila, will present the trophies to the 6-Max and Main Event champion.
Recap by Pokernews
Final Table Seat Assignments
- Seat 1 Sergio Aido (ES) – 2,490,000
- Seat 2 Bryn Kenney (US) – 615,000
- Seat 3 Devan Tang (CN) – 1,045,000
- Seat 4 Daniel Cates (US) – 1,475,000
- Seat 5 Koray Aldemir (DE) – 2,420,000
- Seat 6 Wai Kin Yong (MY) – 1,705,000