Category: Poker

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triton poker Chow Hing Yaung

Four Survive Day 1A of HKD 100,000 Short-Deck

Walking through the wings of the Maestral Resort & Casino in Montenegro, trying to keep pace with the leggy stride of Steve O’Dwyer, like a child chasing the hand of his father, I asked him why a man of his standing hadn’t competed in the Short-Deck Ante-Only events.

“The buy-in is a little too high for a game that I’ve never played.”

It was a valid point.

I can see how one could think to pay $32,000 in a re-entry tournament, where bullets fly with the frequency of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, is a tad extreme for a virgin.

How about $12,500?

The organisers at the Triton Poker Series reduced the buy-in to that price point for the warm-up event in Jeju, South Korea. A typhoon prevented more than 14 people from entering, quite apt when you consider the carnage that coated each table throughout nine levels of action.

Five people re-entered to bring the final total to 19, with late registration continuing into Day 1B.

Here’s the highlight reel.

HKD 100,000 buy-in Short-Deck, Ante-Only Highlight Reel

Only two people turned up on time.

Mikita Badziakouski and Ben Lamb earned gold stars. Badziakouski won the HKD 1,000,000 (USD 100,000) buy-in Triton Poker Main Event in Montenegro for HKD 19,618,000 (USD 2,499,185). Lamb didn’t compete on the Adriatic Coast.

So the pair spent the first level holding small talk as they waited for a third player to show up. As the clock ticked closer to the first break Kenneth Kee, Wai Leong Chan, Ivan Leow and Marcus Yi Lim joined, and we had a game on our hands.

Each player started with a 100,000 starting stack, and the potential to play three bullets of that ilk whenever they chose. After that, it was time to dip into your pocket and pay another HKD 100,000.

The Global Poker Index (GPI) #1, Stephen Chidwick, turned up in Level 3 for a Short-Deck Ante-Only baptism of fire. Chidwick skipped these games in Montenegro because of the high buy-in price coupled with his lack of experience but felt HKD 100,000 was a low enough price point to take a punt.

The British pro, who bubbled both No-Limit Hold’em events in Montenegro began well, turning Badziakouski’s first bullet into a blank when his AKs beat JTs all-in pre-flop.

By the time we had waded into Level 5, Chidwick was experiencing beginner’s luck, taking a decent chip lead when his KK beat the AK of Lamb, and 87s of Wai Kin Yong, all-in pre-flop.

Lamb then lost AQ>KQ, AQ>KK and JJ>AQ to bust, but re-entered. A lesser man would have rented the penthouse suite, opened the patio doors, and leapt from the balcony.

The two-time Triton Poker Champ, Wai Kin Yong, doubled through Badziakouski 99>AK, and then took the lead stealing everything in front of Gabe Patgorski and Wai Long Chan after his AA beat 97o and 98s.

Yong didn’t hold onto the lead for long.

It soon became the Chow Hing Yaung show.

Chow took the chip lead in a hand versus Marcus Yi Lim. We joined the action on the turn with the board showing Qs9d7sJd. Chow check-called a 90,000 bet. The Td turned up on the river, Chow checked, Lim moved all-in for 202,000 with Jc8s for the queen-high straight, and Chow showed KQs for the superior straight.

Lim recovered by eliminating Ivan Leow QJs>KTo.

Chow extended his lead eliminating Cheong Cheok Leng after his boat beat a straight, and he picked on Lim again when QTs beat AJo.

With the chip lead secure, Chow stood aside and allowed Alan Sass to feast on his leftovers. With the day drawing to a close, Sass eliminated Lamb QJs>KQo, Chidwick AK>AQ, and Badziakouski AJ>KJ, leaving only four people standing in a very barren looking poker room.

Chip Counts

1. Chow Hing Yaung – 1,953,000
2. Alan Sass – 1,879,000
3. Gabe Patgorski – 962,000
4. Jenneth Kee – 904,000

Day 1b begins at 4 pm.

You can expect to see everyone who competed today to re-enter, and anyone else who spent the day diving for Abalone or finding a way to this beautiful part of the world through a typhoon.

It’s worth noting that of our four survivors, both Sass and Patgorski made the final table of the HKD 250,000 Short-Deck, Ante-Only event in Montenegro finishing seventh and third respectively.

andre robl poker news

Andrew Robl on poker education, the ‘good’ game, and cash game v tourney regs

I’ve had a lot of luck milling outside toilets.

Eight years ago, I met my wife outside a Maltese bog. It was the only way I could get her attention. I know what you’re thinking. I’m a sick stalker. Yup. But it worked.

And here I am again.

Outside the gents, wearing a long overcoat waiting for Andrew Robl to finish his business.

I don’t plan on asking him to marry me, but I would like to spend a few moments of his time talking about his poker education. I figure I will get five minutes tops. A game is about to start, and you know a cash game player is more likely to miss the birth of their first child.

Robl takes a pew.

White ARIA tracky top zipped just below the chin.

Preened to perfection.

The start of a very long week.

I wonder what he’ll look like by the end of it?

The last time I saw Robl was in Montenegro, where he spent the entire week competing in the type of cash games concealed by a long red drape.

“We are on the high stakes gambling tour all over the world,” he says as I remind him of our Montenegro meet-up.

I feel like a fraud here. It’s a palatial playground for the rich and famous (some more frivolous). I shouldn’t be here. I feel like the fly in the soup. But Robl belongs here. It’s in the way he kicks his heels on the way back from the toilet, like a fifth member of the Oz crew skipping merrily along the yellow brick road.

I ask him if he ever stops and looks gratefully at his surroundings?

“Sometimes. Probably not as often as I should, but I think it’s important to have gratitude,” says Robl.

I can certainly see how Robl and his kind can get so used to this way of life that everything else but the splendour seems odd.

“You can get used to anything,” says Robl. It’s nice. It’s fun. You travel all over the world; different food, cultures, surroundings, and the same gamblers wherever you go.”

The ice-breaking is over.

It’s time to get down to the business at hand.

Robl’s poker education.

I ask Robl what tools he has used to improve his game, and keep up with the Ivey’s of this world?

“The main tool that’s helped me is talking to other players and watching how they play; their strategy, their perspective and how they play hands in different situations,” says Robl. “Also, the game has changed so much over the years. You need adaptability. You can never be comfortable that your strategy is the best and you have everything figured out. The top players change every few years. Few people play at a high level for a long time.”

And yet Robl is still here.

Competing.

Crying.

Cackling.

Cryogenised beneath casino air cons.

Coughing through second-hand smoke.

So who are the people who taught Robl the more beautiful things about poker?

“I have played poker for 12-years, so there have been many,” says Robl. “When I started Tom Dwan, Phil Galfond and Peter Jetten helped a lot. Later, people like Brian Rast. More recently I have been studying on my own. I am not one of the top players anymore, so I’m not on the cutting edge, but Jason Koon has helped me a lot with the new strategies – the GTO way of playing.”

A smirk follows the letters.

G.
T.
O.

Is this because he’s more of a feel player?

“Nah, it’s the new cliched thing to say,” says a smiling Robl.

Just because you have the money to compete in an Andrew Robl cash game doesn’t make you a world class player. So, how do you spot a world class player when he or she sits down at your table?

“You can tell by how they play,” says Robl. “They are very hard to play against. It’s hard to put them on a hand, and you can’t pick up patterns as easily. They are hard to put on a narrow range of hands. They play a solid game and don’t splash around too much. The true world class players don’t give their money away; they don’t go on tilt or anything like that.”

I can feel that he’s itching to get away from me. It’s nothing personal. There is a game going on a few feet away from where we sit. The chips are burning circular shaped holes in his back. I can see Bobby Baldwin staring back at me through one of them.

It must be a good game.

But what does that even mean?

“A good game is full of gamblers, people who are there to have a good time, play a lot of hands, play fast, have a good game,” says Robl. “They are not there to maximise their hourly rate. When you play in a game where everyone is a poker robot, it’s no fun. You won’t find a lot of games like that at the highest stakes.”

We all have things that we’re improving.

Anger issues.

The Volkswagen Van in the garage.

Our GTO game.

I ask Robl to describe a weakness he’s struggled to overcome.

“Poker teaches you how to be humble,” says Robl. “If you go into the game with a big ego thinking you’re always right, you’re either going to have to adapt your mindset, or you are not going to last. You can do everything right, and things still don’t go your way. It’s a deep game. It doesn’t matter how long you play you are always learning something new. You’re never the fountain of all knowledge.”

Behind the Julius Caesar style, red drape sits the sort of people that constitute a good game. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars will exchange hands. And yet, a few feet to my right, and a different group of players have paid $12,500 to play in a tournament. Some of the cash game players will never sit in the tournament, and some of the tournament players will never venture beyond the red drape.

Why is that?

“There is a mode of entry to the highest cash games,” says Robl. “People will have to want to play with you. With a lot of the famous tournament players, maybe people are a little bit afraid of them. When I first got started, and maybe until three years ago, all the best players were cash game players. In my opinion, they were better, more sophisticated and had a deeper understanding of the game than tournament players. I think that’s changed. These high stakes tournament players, they have almost the perfect game.”

Interesting.

There was a time, not that long ago that a cash game reg would welcome a tournament reg like a Polar Bear embraces a fat juicy seal. Is Robl saying he would prefer the top tournament regs stayed away from his game?

“I always like a challenge,” says Robl. “I don’t mind playing with world-class tournament players. At the same time, I wouldn’t be particularly happy to have them at my table. I like to win, and I believe a lot of them are much better than me.”

And with that, the red drape opens, and the ‘good’ game sucks the humble Andrew Robl in.

responsive gambling

Responsible Gambling: A View From Someone With The T-Shirt

We lie on our backs, watching the tendrils of a capacious cloud reaching out to the next ship of white. They want to take over the world. Block out the sun. Kill all life.

My 21-month-year-old daughter shouted from her position inside my armpit.

“Giraffe!”

“Good.”

I see a fish.

A pig’s face.

A hundred fathers, mothers and children run along the pathway by the side of us. Judy Garland is leaping out of my phone teaching my little girl about rainbows, lemon drops and bluebirds.

It’s a good job my wife is in bed.

She wouldn’t approve of the Bluetooth speaker wedged into my daughter’s ear, as she desperately tries to get to Oz.

“Fish!”

I think about the fathers and their daughters running down the path, hand-in-hand. I think about the warmth and love I have for my daughter as we search for animals in the clouds.

And.

Then.

Think.

Of.

My.

Dad.

Back in the 70s, fathers didn’t sit in fields staring at altocumulus. They didn’t have enough puff to run. The cigarettes stole all the air the lungs could muster.

My one abiding memory is of my father taking me to the bookies in 1986. Kids weren’t allowed inside, and the blackened windows sent you delirious with intrigue.

“What’s inside, Dad?”

“Nothing.”

He handed me a Mexico 1986 World Cup Planner, and I made my mind up from that point onwards – I wanted to be inside that secret room.

To Gamble or Not to Gamble That is The Question

In 2016, the UK Gambling Commission discovered that 48% of Brits had gambled in the four weeks before hammering the question into the center of their world, and that’s discounting the lottery, which every man and women in the UK try to deny is a form of gambling.

The world is very different, today.

People listen to Tricky, the sun murders the world ray-by-ray, we have a thousand songs in our pocket, the damned and destitute live inside red-regal phone boxes, kiss-chase is sexual harassment, cigarettes and alcohol kills over 11 million people per year, the Internet allows you to gamble while taking a dump, and the bookies windows embrace the sunlight.

68% of the 18-24 year-olds questioned in that 2016 survey said gambling ads and social media were the reasons that they decided to have a flutter.

17% of them gamble online.

43% use their mobile phones.

Back in 86, a mobile phone would have been the same price as a house, and the creation of the Internet was as likely as a Reality TV star becoming the President of the United States of America.

Ads alone find it challenging to pierce your heart, replacing valentine red with a bookie window like black squid ink. To be truly effective you need to add sight and sound into the mix. Those in the know call is ‘sensory branding.’

The first time my father allowed me to gamble was the Grand National.

The sight of the horses preparing to take off with steam bursting out of nostrils the size of geysers. The falls. The commentary. The image of my father, yellow slip in hand, head nodding, hands holding imaginary reins as if it was HE that was riding the winner.

That’s why I gambled.

That’s why I became addicted.

The Gambling Addict

In 2009, I was an Area Production Manager for a rail logistics company earning £45,000 per year, minus bonus.

I had a job for life, a company car, a Crackberry, and one of the best pensions in Britain.

I lived in one of the largest houses in my valley.

It cost me £65,000.

Outside, I parked my convertible.

Inside, lived my beautiful wife, and gorgeous little boy.

I had it all, and all that I had was a lie.

I was a zombie, going through the motions, a cog in a system called life. Sucking on hedgehogs tits, climbing through cat flaps to get into my kitchen so I could secretly crack open another bottle and vanish into another world.

The lion’s head was always knocking on my door, marking its territory by dragging its canines into the oak.

People came in.

The Bang & Olufsen on the wall burst into sound.

Oasis.

Depeche Mode.

“Enjoy The Silence.”

There was never any silence.

I became a materialist. I wanted a piano. The biggest television in the world. A Smeg fridge. A pool table. A state of the art vanishing trick.

I couldn’t keep up.

I took a deep breath, fell to the bottom of the ocean, and considered my options. Skull rings that cost the earth now anchored me to it.

I decided to gamble my way out of it.

The £65,000 mortgage became £75,000, then £85,000, and then £95,000 as my losses mounted.

As the lie gathered like litter in the street, I felt lost. Like Kevin Costner, there was no way out. My only plan was to retire at 55 and use my pension to pay off my debts. And then with my wife’s high heel heading out of the door for the final time, I decided to stop drinking and gambling.

I needed help.

I found it in the unlikeliest of places.

The Path of Least Resistance

The Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas is a playground for the rich. To get to the poker room, I had to walk through the casino. I felt like a child thrust into the maelstrom of Toys R Us for the first time.

My 17-year-old boy was by my side.

“Dad, how do you play Roulette?”

“What’s Craps?”

“Why are so many people playing slot machines?”

“Can you make money doing this?’

Too many questions.

“If you’re out for the night with the boys and end up in a casino, and you spend £50 having a laugh, then that’s what it’s all about. Gambling can be one of the most amazing experiences you can have.”

“There’s a but, coming, Dad.”

“But, if you want to buy a Gucci belt, and it costs £200, and you only have £100, and you decide to place that £100 on ‘Red’ then gambling can feel like you’re a pylon standing alone in the middle of a field with nothing but mute crows for company.

“You can double your money on red?”

And in that sentence comes the truth of gambling as my addiction. It seems like the easiest way to make money without having to work hard. As Robert Fritz would say, it’s the path of least resistance.

Poker Saved my Life

After stopping drinking in 2009, and taking a vow to never again gamble, I began playing poker.

Poker is a game where gambling is a necessity, but it shares a see-saw with a much heavier friend called skill. I found that I could still retain the buzz of gambling, knowing that I could create an edge by studying and learning more about the game.

There was no place for alcohol at the table.

Alcohol = losses.

And when the see-saw did lean more towards gambling, the same outcome transpired.

Gambling = losses.

A few years into my decision to invest more time in poker, and to limit my time in the bookies and on the tables to nothingness, I found a young man called Philipp Gruissem.

I met Gruissem at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. I held a Dictaphone in front of his face and fired questions at him like a Gatling gun. The next 15-minutes changed my life.

Philipp Gruissem: The Effective Altruist

Gruissem had earned millions of dollars playing poker, but the zero-sum feel to it had left him with the emptiness of a coal mine containing nothing but the carcasses of canaries.

The German star was ready to leave the game, travel to a third-world country, and spend his time helping people in need. Gruissem was tackling the question that permeates the cells of those that escape the system.

What.

Is.

My.

Meaning.

And.

Purpose.

Then by chance, Gruissem met a group of people coming out of Switzerland who called themselves Effective Altruists. The purpose of the group was to do as much good as they could in the world. Gruissem felt an affinity with them, and a thirst to learn more.

Gruissem realised that rather than feeling like he was clocking in and out of the poker table like a zombie-like office worker only interested in stealing reams of paper, he could use the money he earned to help reduce pain and suffering in the world.

Raising for Effective Giving (REG) emerged from Gruissem’s vernix-stained mind. Igor Kurganov joined. Liv Boeree joined. Over the years, the likes of Erik Seidel and Justin Bonomo also pledged a percentage of their donations to effective charities.

In 2014, Martin Jacobson won the WSOP Main Event and donated $250,000 to effective charities. In 2017, the high stakes pro Dan Smith raised $1.7m for the same causes.

And it’s not only the world of Effective Altruism that has turned to a form of gambling to help change the world. In 2012, the Cirque Du Soleil founder, Guy Laliberte, joined forces with the WSOP to create the $1m buy-in Big One For One Drop, and together they have raised more than $20m for the One Drop Foundation.

Put plainly; there is no other sport or game in the world that raises more money for charity than poker.

The Influence of High Stakes Poker Players

The One Drop is a tournament that combines the wealthiest amateur poker players in the world with the best professionals. Over time, something magical has happened.

A vast swathe of these wealthy businessmen and women are deeply involved in philanthropy. Talal Shakerchi, the founder of the hedge fund Meditor Capital Management, has dedicated his life to donating millions of dollars to reduce suffering in the world.

In 2012, Hedge Fund Manager and Philanthropist, David Einhorn, finished third in the inaugural One Drop tournament and donated the entirety of his $4.35m prize to charity.

You are the total of the five people you spend your time with. I used to hang around with my Dad and became a gambling addict. Imagine what happens when professional poker players hang out with the most active philanthropists in the world.

You won’t find too many high stakes poker players who have not gambled at one point or another. 69% of Brits studied by the UK Gambling Commission felt that gambling is dangerous for family life. But if you can learn to gamble responsibly, poker shows that it can be used to do tremendous good in the world.

To become a high stakes poker player, you need to learn the art of balance in all areas of life. One area is money management. Another is risk management. There are times to take controlled shots at higher stakes. It’s this structure and discipline that separates the very best in the game from the punters like me who’ve spent to much time waiting outside blacked out bookies windows like a dog chained to a post.

How to Gamble Responsibly

I don’t have all of the answers.

I could Google them for you, and create a list article, but instead, I will share what worked for me.

You need to learn to identify when you have a problem. For me, this is when the fear of losing became more consuming than the joy of winning. If you’re worried that you may lose money when gambling, then you’re investing too heavily.

Gambling is a joyful experience.

If you’re not experiencing joy, but are still gambling, then it’s a sure sign that you have a problem.

Don’t keep quiet.

Find someone you trust and share your feelings. The burden of secrecy weighed on me like a fridge full of food. In turning mute came an urgent desire to find a solution, and the only place where answers seemed to hang was in gambling.

By finding someone to talk to the burden lifts, and together you can find a different solution.

Make it as difficult as it is to gamble. Remove all forms of gambling stimuli from your senses as best you can. If you feel that poker will be a trigger for you, then don’t play. Turn down the invite to the casino, and explain openly to your friends why you need to take a raincheck from the racetrack.

Self-exclude yourself from all online bookmakers.

Back to that UK Gambling Commission study, and 6% of people took this route. And with good reason. 78% of people believed there are too many opportunities to gamble.

But most importantly, you need to wake the fuck up.

If life seems a breeze, then you are a part of the system.

Be the person who refuses to work five days a week, screws up the airline by asking for a vegan meal, and gives more then he takes.

Don’t be a cog in the system.

Question everything.

Don’t blindly accept anything.

Turn into a philosopher. Be two again and develop the ability to ask:

WHY?

And in those answers, not only will you find self-respect, love, meaning, purpose, but you will no longer feel the urge to lose yourself in the bells and whistles of the casino.

“Don’t put your last £100 on Red, son.”

“Find someone who needs it more than you. Give them half, and then have some fun with the rest.”

Triton Super High Series 2018 Jeju – Details

Triton Poker are elated to confirm the second Super High Roller Series 2018 event, this time to be held at the five-star Landing Casino on Jeju island, South Korea from July 23rd to August 1st, 2018.

DOWNLOAD BOOKLET

There will be no less than 5 tournaments during the 10-day event:

● HK $100,000 Triton No Limit Hold’em Short-Deck Ante Only

● HK $500,000 Triton No Limit Hold’em Short-Deck Ante Only

● HK $500,000 Triton No Limit Hold’em 6-Max Side Event

● HK $1,000,000 Triton No Limit Hold’em Short-Deck Ante Only

● HK $2,000,000 Triton No Limit Hold’em Main Event

After an incredibly successful tournament in Montenegro this past May, the Triton High Roller Series continues on the beautiful beaches of Jeju island at Jeju Shinhwa World’s Landing Casino in South Korea.

Any players looking to participate in the HK $2,000,000 Triton No Limit Hold’em Main Event and One Side Event are entitled to 10 FREE NIGHTS at the Jeju Shinhwa World Marriott Resort.

In Jeju Shinhwa World there are a variety of other accommodations for you to choose:

● Jeju Shinhwa World Marriott
● Landing Resort Hotel
● Somerset Jeju Shinhwa World

All accommodations are a very short walk from the Landing Casino.

For further information on the Jeju event, registration procedure or sponsorship inquiries head to www.triton-series.com or contact info@triton-series.com

Triton Poker – Jeju Welcomes High Stakes Short-Deck, Ante Only Poker

June 2018 (Jeju, SKR) – What is it about Triton? What lies behind those six letters? When we close our eyes and spew forth ideas onto untouched sheaves, one phrase stands out like the red bottom of a Christian Louboutin high heel.

‘World-Class.’

If you want to see world-class poker players competing in world-class games, on world class streams, in world-class venues, then we are your brand. First, there was Montenegro – the return of Phil Ivey to the winner’s circle, and the largest No-Limit Hold’em cash game pots ever played.

Next up, Jeju.

From Monday, July 23, 2018 through to Wednesday, August 1, 2018, Triton Poker will thrill the fans once again with the most exciting high stakes poker games on the planet.

The elegant and endearing five-star Landing Casino will act as host providing players with the exclusive service that they have come to expect with the Triton Poker brand.

Check out the event details here:

Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju 2018 Event Schedule

 

But you won’t even notice it.

Triton Poker is about luxury, service and world-class treatment, but most importantly it’s about fun. If you’re here, then you will be doing nothing but playing poker because we have the best games in the world.

Montenegro Short-Deck champions, Jason Koon and Phil Ivey return as the tour becomes more prominent than ever.

“I have been good buddies with Paul {Phua} and Richard {Yong} for quite some time and love what they’re doing,” said partypoker ambassador Jason Koon. “These guys don’t play around. They put on big events; big tournaments and they treat players well. I am excited to go to Jeju. Bianca and I intend to get over there, do some leisure things, and win a couple of tournaments.”

The action begins with a two-starting flight No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck, Ante Only event with an HKD 100,000 buy-in (USD 13,000). Day 1a takes place Mon 23 July (4 pm start), Day 1b Tue 24 July (4 pm start), with the final day on Wed July 25 (2 pm start).

The tempo quickens with a two-day HKD 500,000 (USD 64,000) buy-in NLHE Short-Deck, Ante Only event. Day 1 takes place at 4 pm on Wed Jul 25, with the final day beginning at 2 pm on Thu Jul 26.

If you like your poker at a more sedentary pace, then we have your back. You can jump out of the rocket ship and into the Cadillac to compete in the HKD 500,000 (USD 64,000) buy-in NLHE 6-Max event. Day 1 begins at 4 pm on the Jul 26 with the final day starting at 2 pm on Fri Jul 27.

Then we reach the crescendo of our Jeju performance.

On Sat Jul 28 at 4 pm, Triton introduces a two-day HKD 1,000,000 buy-in (USD 127,000) NLHE Short-Deck, Ante Only event. Day 1 begins at 4 pm, with Day 2 concluding at 2 pm on Sun Jul 29.

And then the pièce de résistance.

On Mon Jul 30 at 2 pm, the best players in the world come together to compete in the HKD 2,000,000 buy-in (USD 255,000) NLHE Main Event. Day 2 takes place at 2 pm on Tue Jul 31, with the final day bringing all of the fun to a climactic end at 2 pm, Wed Aug 1.

In May, the Belarusian star Mikita Badziouski defeated 63 entrants to win the HKD 19,618,400 (USD 2,499,185) first prize in the HKD 1,000,000 Main Event in Montenegro, beating the high stakes cash game star Rui Can, heads-up. Jason Koon defeated 103 entrants to take down the HKD 28,102,000 (USD 3,579,836) first prize in the HKD 1,000,000 buy-in NLHE Short-Deck, Ante-Only event. Phil Ivey and Triton founder Richard Yong took down the side events.

The Montenegro live stream was a phenomenal success with the poker community going crazy over the likes of Kane Kalas, Jason Koon and Elton Tsang clashing in USD 2,000,000 cash game pots, and the return of some of the legends of the felt.

You can expect it to be even better in Jeju.

Randy Lew will once again take the mic for the English stream this time joined by Twitch sensation Lex Veldhuis. The Chinese stream is in the capable hands of Chen An Lin.

Each stream features two feature tables, and of course, we will stream every final table live, and who knows, we may have a few surprises up our sleeves.

English Stream (Kane Kalas & Lex Veldhuis) –  triton poker/tritonpoker

Chinese Commentator (Chen An Lin)

Previous winners of Triton Poker events include Manig Loeser, Fedor Holz, Daniel ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Koray Aldemir, Stefan Schillhabel, John Juanda, Dan Colman, Phil Ivey, Jason Koon, Richard Yong and Mikita Badziakouski.

 

About Triton Poker

Triton Poker was founded in 2015 by the Malaysian businessman, philanthropist and poker lover, Richard Yong, who felt there was a gap in the market for an exclusive tournament series for affluent businesspeople and high-end professional poker players set in some of the most luxurious locations in the world all in the name of charity. Funds from Triton Poker events have helped charitable organisations such as Project Pink and the Red Cross.

 

About Jeju Landing Casino & Jeju Shinhwa World

Jeju Landing Casino is one of five resort complexes surrounded by Jeju’s incredible Gotjawl Forest. Together these hotels are home to more than 2,000 rooms, the very best fitness centres, spas and top restaurants in Korea.

When you have finished playing poker, it’s time to check out Jeju Shinwa World; a 5-star premium resort complex with world-class service and amenities such as Shinwa Theme Park, Water Park and YG Republique K-pop themed entertainment complex.

For further information on the Jeju event, registration procedure or sponsorship enquiries head to www.triton-series.com or contact info@triton-series.com

Triton Poker Introduces Short Deck Ante-Only High Rollers Montenegro, May 2018


April 2018 (Budva, MNE) – Triton Poker returns for its third series of scintillating high stakes poker action, and the magnificent Maestral Resort & Casino in Budva, Montenegro acts as host of the opening event.

Tried and tested.

Bold and brass.

Innovative and interesting.

Triton Poker has it all.

For six days, the Triton brand and the Maestral Resort & Casino pulls the high roller echelon into its bosom for four outstanding events.
The action begins at 1 pm (local time) on the 13 May with an HKD 240,000+10,000 6-Max No-Limit Hold’em Event (multiple re-entries)
spread over two days. From there we move to the centrepiece of the week, the HKD 960,000+40,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event (15-16 May, 1 pm local time). This two-day event allows for multiple re-entries, and a shot clock is in force.

And then for something extraordinary.

For the first time in a media covered live event, Triton Poker hosts not one but two Short Deck Ante-Only events:

– The HKD 240,000+10,000 (multiple re-entry event) takes place 12-13 May at 1 pm (local time).

– Finally, on the 17 May, a HKD 960,000+40,000 Short Deck Ante-Only event begins 17 May at 4 pm (local time), with the final day beginning at 1 pm on the 18 May.

Short Deck poker has taken the Asian poker scene by storm with its frenetic pace and gambling action. As the name implies, the game has a smaller 36-card deck with the 2s, 3s, 4s & 5s removed, and the ace doubles as a five.

Last year, Manig Loeser won his first-ever High Roller title when he defeated 52 entrants to win the HKD 16,877,600 (USD 2,162,644) first prize in the HKD 960,000+10,000 Montenegro Main Event. Fellow countryman, Fedor Holz outlasted 41 entrants in the HKD 240,000+10,000 6-Max Event winning HKD 3,472,200 (USD 444,893).

Situated on the Adriatic Coast, the Maestral Resort & Casino is the perfect setting for Triton Poker players. The Resort boasts 205 contemporary rooms and 22 luxurious suites.

If you can’t make it to Montenegro then shame on you. But don’t worry. We have you covered. We will stream every single hand of Triton Poker Montenegro action to viewers in English, Russian and Chinese.

English Stream (Kane Kalas & Randy Lew) – twitch.tv/tritonpoker

Russian Stream (Mikhail Semin & Ilya Gorodetsky) – twitch.tv/tritonpoker_ru

Chinese Stream – Douyu TV, Panda TV, LongZhu TV, DZPK and 最强牌⼿.

About Triton Poker

Triton Poker was founded in 2015 by the Malaysian businessman, philanthropist and poker lover, Richard Yong, who felt there was a gap in
the market for an exclusive tournament series for affluent businesspeople and high-end professional poker players set in some of the most luxurious locations in the world all in the name of charity. Funds from Triton Poker events have helped charitable organisations such as Project Pink and the Red Cross.

Previous winners of Triton Poker events include Manig Loeser, Fedor Holz, Daniel ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Koray Aldemir, Stefan Schillhabel, John Juanda and Dan Colman.

Partnering with Triton Poker Montenegro are Solaire VIP, RWS Dream Cruise, Maestral Resort and Casino. Online gambling giant partypoker sponsors the Russian Live stream.

For further information on the Montenegro event head to www.triton-series.com or contact info@triton-series.com

Short Deck Ante-Only Poker- The Game That Makes No-Limit Hold’em Feel Like a Horse and Cart

Short Deck Ante-Only Poker: The Game That Makes No-Limit Hold’em Feel Like a Horse and Cart

While the Beatles were putting down their guitars, and jumbo jets took to the skies for the first time, a young man called Doyle Brunson spoke fondly of a new poker variant called Texas No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE).
“It’s the Cadillac of Poker,” said Brunson referring to the heightened pace of the game introduced by the ‘all-in’ move.

It was revolutionary.

It created an itch, and people couldn’t stop scratching.

If NLHE is the Cadillac of Poker; Short-Deck Ante Only is the Koenigsegg Agera RS. I imagine you don’t know that the big long Swedish name in the above sentence is the fastest car in the world; that IKEA beds are responsible for 10% of pregnancies, or what the hell Short-Deck Ante Only is?

Let me help you out.

Anyone who has played in a local home game where cash trumps tournaments will have experienced the mind-numbing, spirit-crushing feeling when playing in a game where people fold more often than the 1969 Origami Champion of the World.

It not only happens when you’re sitting at the kitchen table ready to take your grannies last plastic bag worth of coppers. It occurs in the biggest cash games in the world.

Poker had a problem.
Short-Decked Ante Only Poker is the answer.

Short-Deck Ante Only Poker – The Rules

It’s widely believed that the Asian High Stakes community shot Short-Deck Ante Only poker out of the birth canal. Sometimes referred to as Six Plus Hold’em, the game uses a deck of 36-cards.

What’s missing?

Deuces.

Treys.

Fours.

Fives.

Soul destroyers buried in the garden beneath the rose bushes.

The ace still plays as both low and high meaning that it acts like a five when making a straight or straight flush. The game is essentially No-Limit Hold’em on crack. It’s harder to hit flushes as you only have five outs and not nine as in traditional NLHE. JT and AK is essentially a pre-flop coin flip and a set is a small favourite against a straight on the flop.

Triton Poker is the first live tournament operator to host high stakes Short Deck Ante-Only tournaments.

Let’s check out the rules.

The pre-flop betting is different to NLHE.

There is no small or big blind.

Instead, every player posts an ante in line with the tournament structure sheet, with the player on the button posting a double ante. The pre-flop action always begins with the player left of the dealer button who can fold, call the button ante or raise. The player on the button still acts last and has the option to check, call or raise dependant on the flow of the action. Post-flop action plays the same with the dealer left to the button having the opportunity to check or bet (including moving all-in as per NLHE).

Hand Rankings (From High to Low)

Royal flush
Straight flush
Four of a kind
Flush
Full house
Straight
Three of a kind
Two pair
One pair
High card

*It’s important to note that a flush beats a full house.

The equities run pretty close meaning the game has more swings than 12-rounds with Floyd Mayweather, but the most skilful player is still likely to beat you on points if you go the distance. There is still an edge, but more steak knife than a samurai sword.

It’s for this reason that the game is so popular with both amateurs and professionals loving the highs and performing harakiri after the lows. Poker fans watching the action at home will adore the game.

Pocket aces come along 1 in 105 hands, not 1 in 220.

You are 48% likely to make your straight draw on the flop than 31%.

You are 18% more likely to flop a set, not 12%.

Mayhem.

Madness.

Are you ready to jump in and see what this baby is capable of?

Big Pots for big game players.

Short Deck Ante-Only poker.

*WARNING – There is a myriad of variations of this game, so always make sure you check your local rules before playing.

Triton Super High Roller Series 2018

Triton Poker and AACES Management Ltd. are both pleased to confirm the first Super High Roller Series 2018, to be held at the idyllic Maestral Resort & Casino in Budva, Montenegro, from May 12th to 18th, 2018.

The seven-day event is set to have four tournaments:

• HK $250,000 Triton Shortdeck Ante Only Side Event

• HK $1 Million Triton Shortdeck Ante-only Side Event

• HK $1 Million Triton Series Montenegro 2018 Main Event

• HK $250,000 Triton 6-Max Side Event

From our successful Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro 2017 last year, we would like to kick-off the first Triton tournament for 2018 facing the blue seas of the Adriatic at Maestral Resort & Casino. The resort would be a big change of pace for the high-rollers joining the event.

Triton SHR Series Montenegro 2018 will be the first event in a planned series for 2018. The tournament will be broadcast live for the first time.

For any enquiries, please contact info@triton-series.com

View Tournament Details Here

John Juanda Defeats Fedor Holz for Triton Super High Roller Macau Title

The largest-ever Triton Super High Roller Series Main Event prize was awarded Friday evening to Poker Hall of Fame member John Juanda after he captured the HK $1,000,000 Macau Main Event for HK $22,410,400 (US $2,872,299). Juanda defeated Fedor Holz heads-up after a four-and-a-half-hour battle inside the Galaxy Macau Hotel in Taipa, Macau.

“Playing against Fedor was really tough,” Juanda said after winning the title. “He’s a really awesome player and obviously, he’s the guy winning all the super high rollers. I’m really fortunate to play heads up and come out on top. I think we have a different style of playing. It was a good long match and I’m pretty sure he enjoyed it too.”

When asked how he was feeling after securing the largest cash of his career, Juanda responded with,

“Well, obviously it feels great anytime you win a tournament of this magnitude. First, you have to play pretty well and you also have to get lucky. Especially nowadays with the tough fields we have. For example, the final table, I mean, looks like everybody is an amazing player.”

Juanda went on to express his appreciation for the Triton Poker events. “There are so many things I like about the Triton tournaments because they always treat the players nicely and of course I’m good friends with all the organizers. I feel very comfortable every time I come here. Manila, Montenegro, and here [Macau], it’s like being around friends. The field is always really good. The registration desk … there’s never any line. The buffet is probably the best from all the poker tournaments.”

Juanda began the heads-up battle with an almost two-to-one chip advantage and quickly pulled ahead to increase the margin to nearly five to one. Holz closed the gap to almost even before Juanda cut Holz in half again. Two straight doubles by Holz flipped the script and Holz took the chip lead. Juanda wasn’t fazed, however, and in a matter of three hands, had retaken a sizeable lead. Eventually, Juanda was able to pierce the German’s armor, getting Holz all-in in a dominating position and holding.

With the win, Juanda climbs to the seventh place on the all-time money list sitting just behind Phil Ivey. Juanda’s career live recorded tournament earnings climb to just over US $23.5 million.

Final Table Results

The HK $1,000,000 buy-in Main Event played out over the course of three days, setting a Triton Poker record in the process. With 57 unique entries and 26 re-entries totaling 83, an HK $78,086,400 (approx. US $10,008,703) prize pool was created, the largest in Triton Poker history.

As expected, a star-studded field filled the Galaxy poker room. Triton Co-Founder Richard Yong and Kings Consulting President Winfred Yu were in attendance along with elite pros Steve O’Dwyer, Ben Lamb, Steffen Sontheimer, Erik Seidel, Mike Watson, and the HK $250,000 6-Max Champion Stefan Schillhabel. Former Triton champions Koray Aldemir, Manig Loeser, and Wai Kin Yongwere also in the mix, but only the top 12 players left with a prize.

Before the final table was set and the finalists moved on to Day 3, five players bowed out of the tournament with some consolation. Furkat Rakhimov was eliminated on the direct money bubble, falling in 13th place. Once the bubble popped, Manig Loeser, the last remaining former champion, fell in 12th place for HK $2,108,000 (US $270,157). JC Alvarado busted in 11th place collecting HK $2,186,000 (US $280,154). Mike Watson added HK $2,265,000 (US $290,263) for 10th place to go along with his runner-up finish in the 6-Max, and James Chen was the final elimination on Day 2 receiving ninth place money worth HK $2,343,000 (US $300,278).

Final Table Lineup

Isaac Haxton was the first casualty of the final table, slipping to around 10 big blinds and shoving with ace-three. Unfortunately for him, Dietrich Fast woke up with a premium hand and knocked Haxton out with a dominating ace-jack. Next to go was Timothy Adams. A sick cooler spelled the end for the Canadian when he ran queens into Kahle Burns’ pocket kings and found no love to bust in seventh place.

A massive pot against Fedor Holz sent Stephen Chidwick to the rail in sixth place. Chidwick bluff-shoved the river and after Holz tanked for four and a half minutes, Juanda called the clock and Holz eventually called with just top pair and proved good. Soon after, a short-stacked Fast dropped when he three-bet jammed on Burns with ace-king and Burns’ pocket nines prevailed in the race.

A couple levels went by before the start-of-day chip leader Adrian Mateos found himself with fewer than 10 big blinds and all-in against Juanda. Mateos was behind and Juanda held to eliminate the young Spanish phenom.

Once Mateos left, Burns became the shortest stack and was able to climb over Holz before running into Juanda. Burns three-bet shoved on a Juanda open and the Indonesian native put Burns at risk. Juanda was ahead with ace-ten against Burns’ king-queen and held to set a heads-up battle with Holz. With the cash, Burns almost doubled his career live-recorded tournament earnings and topped his previous best cash by more than three times.

That wraps up the PokerNews coverage of the Triton SHR Series in Macau. For a more in-depth look at the final table, visit our live reporting page.

Recap by Pokernews.