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Wang Qiang Leads Triton Super High Roller 2017 Montenegro Main Event After Day 1

The Triton Super High Roller 2017 Montenegro Main Event saw a total of 47 players (including re-entries) cough up the hefty HK$1,000,000 (~$128,140) buy-in with nine players opting for a second (or third in some cases) shot at fortune and glory when the cards failed to fall their way.

A total of 25 players successfully locked up their Day 2 seat after nine 60-minute levels with China’s Wang Qiang leading the charge, but with registration remaining open until the start of level 10 at 1pm CET on Wednesday 19 July this figure is likely to increase before the final numbers are in.

Fedor Holz, Liang Yu, and David Peters were just some of those who chose to re-enter with Dominik Nitsche and Paul Phua choosing to re-enter not twice, but thrice.

Phua re-entered for a third time just as play concluded a little after 11:15pm CET after losing a race with pocket tens against the ace-queen of Sam Trickett in one of the last three hands of the day and Phua will be returning with the 250,000 start stack when play resumes on Day 2.

However, it was 2016 Global Poker Index Player of the Year David Peters’ exit that was one of the more painful ones, at least for the US-pro, who got the last of his chips in on the turn with jack-six offsuit after defending his big blind against a Wang Qiang early position open midway through the last level.

Peter’s had flopped top and bottom pair but was trailing to Qiang’s flopped set of nines. However, one man’s poison is another man’s meat and that pot catapulted Qiang up to the giddy heights of the chip lead with the Chinese player the only man to break the seven-figure mark.

Qiang bagged up an impressive 1,040,000 in chips, snatching the lead from Belarusian Mikita Badziakouski who had been in pole position for a large portion of the day after eliminating China’sLiang Yu partway through level two to climb to double the average stack.

Badziakouski used this early lead to stick near the top of the leaderboard for the majority of the day and he finished play just behind Qiang with a stack of 843,000.

Another player who was able to capitalize on some early good fortune was Greece’s Antonios Paschalidis who won a monster pot from John Juanda midway through the day with the two getting all the chips in on an eight-high flop in a four-bet pot with pocket kings and pocket queens respectively. Paschalidis stacked up to 830,000 in chips after the hand, a stack he managed to maintain until play concluded, though Juanda was not so fortunate.

Defending champion Koray Aldemir (146,000) and former champion Wai Kin Yong (247,000) are amongst the hopefuls that will return for Day 2.

The action will resume at exactly 1pm CET with level 10 and blinds of 4,000-8,000 with a running ante of 1,000. All new entries will receive 250,000 in chips and the event is scheduled to play down to the official eight-handed final table on Day 2. A winner will then determined on Thursday 20 July, and the PokerNews live reporting team will be there to provide all the action.

Main Event Day 2 Seat Draw

1 7 David Peters USA

1 6 Dominik Bosnjak Austria

1 5 Antonios Paschalidis Greece

1 4 Wang Qiang China

1 3 Predrag Lekovic

1 2 Liang Yu China

2 7 Salman Behbehani Kuwait

2 5 Fedor Holz Germany

2 4 Dominik Nitsche UK

2 2 Chan Wai Leong Malaysia

2 1 Alexandros Kolonias Greece

3 7 Mikita Badziakouski Belarus

3 6 Steffen Sondheimer Austria

3 3 Lucas Greenwood Canada

3 1 Sam Trickett UK

4 7 Manig Loeser UK

4 5 Tony Cheng Hong Kong

4 4 Wai Kin Yong Malaysia

4 3 Peter Chan Hong Kong

4 1 Su Hao China

5 8 Koray Aldemir Austria

5 7 Richard Yong Malaysia

5 5 Daniel Cates USA

5 3 Steve O’Dwyer Ireland

5 1 Devan Tang Hong Kong

Fedor Holz Wins 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro

Fedor Holz emerged victorious in the 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro HK$250,000 6-Max High Roller after a heads-up battle against Su Hao that saw the chip lead change hands multiple times.

Down to his last 400,000 in chips at one point, Holz dug deep into his bag of tournament tricks and waited patiently for the perfect spot to double up, getting his last 445,000 in with top pair on a queen-high board holding queen-six offsuit against the ace-high gutshot straight draw of Hao to bring the stacks back to nearly even.

The German’s patience paid off, and sensing that the tide had turned Holz then began to apply the pressure and got Hao to pay him off after flopping two pair with king-three suited to reduce the Chinese player down to just over seven big blinds.

Those chips ended up in the middle of the table shortly afterwards when Hao moved all in from the button with five-six offsuit and Holz woke up with pocket eights in the big blind. The Chinese player found himself drawing dead by the turn, standing up to shake Holz by the hand and congratulating his opponent on a game well played.

Holz earned an impressive HK$3,472,200 ($444,893) for his first-place finish, in addition to the title and trophy. Already sitting at number one on Germany’s all-time money list with over $22,900,000 in total live tournament earnings before the tournament began, Holz edges even closer to Phil Ivey on the hallowed all-time money list. The German wunderkind now boasts $23,354,884 in career tournament winnings, just $501,150 less than Ivey.

Hao will also not be disappointed with his performance however, and while it is tough to come so close to winning your first major title only to fall at the final hurdle there is no shame in losing to a player of Holz’ caliber.

The Chinese player took down his largest career score to date for his HK$ 2,218,000 ($284,192) runner-up finish, with his previous best coming in April’s PokerStars Championship Macau HK$40,000 Main Event where he finished 42nd for a HK$101,000 ($12,995) payday.

“Hao played pretty well” said Holz after posing for the winner’s photo. “Someone told me that he has not played much but I thought that he played very well and it took quite a long time to finish him off. I was positively surprised.”

A total of 25 players advanced to Day 2, and with the last minute entries of Paul Phua, David Peters and the re-entry of Jaimie Kaplan it increased to 28 when play began at 1 p.m. CET on Monday to bring the total number of entries up to 41 and bring the prize pool up to a mouth-watering HK$ 9,643,200 (~$1,235,820).

It took four hours and six levels to whittle the field down to the final 12, and then just a single 40-minute level to bring play to the bubble with Germany’s Manig Loeser, China’s Cheok Ieng Cheong, the United Kingdom’s Sam Trickett, and the USA’s Benjamin Wu all departing in a flurry of action.

Holz was one of the larger stacks by the time the bubble approached and play went hand for hand, and it was the German who set up the seven-handed final table after moving all-in from the small blind with the speculative ten-deuce suited and China’s Zuo Wang called all-in for his tournament life from the big blind with ace-queen offsuit. Unfortunately for Wang, Holz paired his deuce on the flop and Wang found no help on the turn or river and departed empty handed.

Holz went into the final table with a sizable lead, which he did not relinquish until play was three-handed. The first casualty of the final table wasXuan Tan who got the last of his chips in pre-flop from the small blind with pocket kings, only to run into the pocket aces of Montenegro’s Predrag Lekovic.

Richard Yong and Gabe Patgorski followed Tan to the rail in quick succession, falling at the hands of Holz and Hao respectively to take play four-handed though it was another 45 minutes before four became three, with Alan Sass losing a race with Ace-King against the pocket sevens of Predrag Lekovic.

Hao then won a huge pot from Holz, cracking the German’s pocket aces with a flopped two pair but it took a further two-and-a-half hours before Lekovic fell at the hands of Holz. The Montenegrin got the last of his chips in with king-jack suited over the top of a Holz button raise, only to run into the German’s ace-king offsuit to take play heads-up.

While that concludes the 6-Max Event, that does not end the action for the Series with the HK$ 1,000,000 ($128,150) Main Event starting at 1 p.m. CET on Tuesday, so join us then.

Final Result 6-Max Event

1 Fedor Holz Germany 3,472,200 444,893

2 Su Hao China 2,218,000 284,192

3 Predrag Lekovic Montenegro 1,398,000 179,160

4 Alan Sass USA 964,000 123,537

5 Gabe Patgorski USA 675,000 86,501

6 Richard Yong Malaysia 530,000 67,920

7 Xuan Tan China 386,000 49,466

Benjamin Wu Leads 2017 Triton Super High Roller Montenegro 6-Max

The Triton Super High Roller Series has a habit of attracting some of the international poker circuit’s best and brightest and the Triton SHR Montenegro 6-Max Event was no exception.

The 6-Max event saw 38 entries (including re-entries) pony up the HK$250,000 ($32,000) buy-in, each receiving 50,000 in chips with which to battle it out at the baize, with 25 eager entrants successfully circumnavigating the tournament minefield to return for Day 2 on Monday 17 July.

After nine 40-minute levels, it was the USA’s Benjamin Wu who emerged on top, bagging up an impressive 152,000 in chips. Wu seized the lead toward the close of play after winning two sizable pots from Belarusian Mikita Badziakouski during the last two levels of the day.

Xuan Tan is the man hot on Wu’s heels with a stack of 135,300, dominating much of the Day 1 action and holding the chip lead for the majority of the day before losing two last minute pots to Germany’s Fedor Holz at the close of play.

The man rounding out the top three is none other than high rolling big hitter Steve O’Dwyer who bagged up a very respectable 129,100 in chips after busting the unfortunate Tony Cheng midway through the last level of the day.

O’Dwyer is currently sitting in seventh place on the Global Poker Index with Germany’s Fedor Holz the only other player in the GPI top 100 (Holz is sitting in 21st) still remaining in the field, with the German player returning for Day 2 with 101,000 in chips after closing out the day with a last minute burst of aggression to win three out of the last five hands.

Other notables to make Day 2 included Germany’s Manig Loeser (114,400), Canada’s Lucas Greenwood, the United Kingdom’s Sam Trickett(45,000) the USA’s Daniel Cates (45,300) and Indonesia’s John Juanda (38,200), though Greenwood had to fire two bullets to make it.

Another man who fired twice was Marius Torbergsen, though unfortunately this was not enough to lock up a seat on Day 2 and the Norwegian failed to make the cut. The only other man to re-enter was China’s Zuo Wang who fired three bullets, eventually making it through to Day 2 with a stack of 78,200.

Day 2 Seat Draw:

1 1 Lucas Greewood Canada 64,600

1 2 Liang Yu China 61,500

1 4 Steve O’Dwyer Ireland 129,100

1 5 Su Hao China 53,900

1 6 Alan Sass United States 66,300

2 1 Daniel Cates United States 45,300

2 2 Predrag Lekovic Montenegro 122,800

2 3 Chi Ming Lee Hong Kong 92,000

2 4 Xi Luo China 35,200

2 6 Gabe Patgorski United States 68,500

3 1 Sam Trickett United Kingdom 45,000

3 2 John Juanda Indonesia 38,200

3 3 Devan Tang Hong Kong 59,700

3 5 Cheok Ieng Cheong China 80,600

3 6 Winfred Yu Hong Kong 48,600

4 1 Richard Yong Malaysia 45,700

4 3 Manig Loeser Germany 114,400

4 4 Keith Gipson United States 82,900

4 5 Salman Behbehani United States 84,000

4 6 Fedor Holz Germany 101,000

5 1 Mikita Badziakouski Belarus 43,500

5 2 Xuan Tan China 135,300

5 3 Zuo Wang China 78,200

5 5 Alexandros Kolonias Greece 63,000

5 6 Benjamin Wu United States

Triton Poker Kicks-Off Second Stop of SHR Series 2017 in Montenegro

June 1, 2017 (Budva, MNE) – Triton Poker and Poker King Club are both pleased to confirm the second stop of the Super High Roller Series 2017, to be held at the idyllic Maestral Resort & Casino in Budva, Montenegro, from July 16th to 20th, 2017.

The five-day event is set to have two tournaments:

• HK $250,000 Triton 6-Max Side Event

• HK $1 Million Triton Series Montenegro 2017 Main Event

Maestral Resort & Casino is a brand-new property, set to debut its newly constructed Casino on July 14th to 15th, 2017, a day before the kick-off of the latest Triton tournament. Facing the blue seas of the Adriatic, the resort would be a big change of pace for the high-rollers joining the event.

Triton SHR Series Montenegro 2017 will be the second event in a planned three-stop series for 2017. The first event was held at the Solaire Resort and Casino Manila from February 17th to 21st, 2017. USA pro-player, Daniel Colman, won the HK $250,000 buyin 6-Max event, raking in a total prize of HK $3,641,600, while German player, Koray Aldemir, dominated the field at the Main Event, taking the total prize money of HK $13,717,400 and the trophy.

The series is set to wrap up its 2017 run in Macau later this year.

For any enquiries, please contact info@tritonpokerseries.com.

For the tournament schedule and structures, please click HERE

About Triton Poker

“A Big Game for a Good Cause” is the cornerstone of what Triton Poker is, and continues to strive towards. Triton Poker is a premium poker brand that brings high-quality poker services to its exclusive clientele, all while pushing forward its philanthropic mission to help the world we live in. As of 2016, Triton Poker has contributed proceeds from its events to different charities, including the women’s cancer support group, Project Pink, and the disaster relief organization, Red Cross.

It broke out onto the scene in 2016 with the US $200,000 Triton SHR Series event at the Solaire Resort, Manila, in January 2016, where Fedor Holz came out on top to win a total prize of US $3,072,748.

Triton Poker plans to continue this mission, which brings together high-stakes poker, some of the most noteworthy poker names in the world, and charity work, into 2017.

The First Triton Event of 2017 Wraps Up in Manila

F ebruary 28th, 2017 (Manila, PH) – The Triton Super High Roller Series Manila 2017, Triton Poker’s first event of 2017, wrapped up at the stunning Solaire Resort and Casino on February 21st, 2017. After five days of intense gameplay, two champions have emerged:

Daniel Colman from the USA wins the HK $250,000 6-Max Event, taking a total prize of HK $3,641,600, and,

Koray Aldemir from Germany wins the HK $1,000,000 Main Event, taking a total prize of HK $13,717,400.

The HK $250,000 6-Max Event pooled in a total of 43 entries, four more than last year’s event, despite the higher buy-in. The HK $1,000,000 Main Event amassed a total of 39 entries. The two events attracted a level field of both international pros, including Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Daniel Cates, Sergio Aido, two-time Triton SHR Series Champion, Wai Kin Yong, and 2016 Big One for One Drop Champion, Elton Tsang, as well as Asian businessmen such as Malaysian magnate, Paul Phua, Liang Yu, Rui Cao, and Peter Chan.

The event was held at Solaire Resort and Casino Manila, with Swiss luxury watch brand, Hublot, named as the Official Timekeeper for the high-stakes spectacle.

A welcoming ceremony was conducted on the 17th of February, starting with a rousing speech by Poker King Club President, Mr. Winfred Yu. During his speech, Winfred announced two upcoming Triton events, including the next stop in Macau later this year, and a third event in Montenegro. After that, a speech was made by Ms. Sylvia Yau, Brand Director at Hublot for Hong Kong, Macau, and Philippines, in which she expressed Hublot’s excitement to be named Official Timekeeper for the event, as well as the brand’s ongoing endeavors with Triton Poker, which extends to future events.

The ceremony concluded with a toasting between Mr. Winfred Yu, Ms. Sylvia Yau, owner and event organizer for Triton Poker, Mr. Richard Yong, and Senior Vice-president of VIP Marketing and Services at Solaire Resort, Mr. Laurence Upton.

During the awarding ceremony for the two Champions, both conducted on February 21st, 2017, the ceremony was attended by Director of Table Games at Solaire Resort, Mr. Tony Boglic, Mr. Winfred Yu, Mr. Richard Yong, and Head of Marketing of Luxury Brands at Lucerne, Ms. Maria Riza Riego de Dios-Torres, who handed out the trophies to the winners.

The Triton Super High Roller Series will return later this year in Macau, Asia’s Las Vegas. It will surely be an event like no other, with bigger stakes and even more grandeur than its already impressive predecessors.

About Triton Poker

Triton Poker is a premium poker brand that aims to bring high-quality leisure and entertainment services to its distinguished guests. It broke out onto the scene in a big way in 2016, with the first-ever US $200,000 Triton SHR Series buy-in event at the Solaire Resort, Manila in January 2016 where Fedor Holz came out on top to win a total prize of US $3,072,748.

Triton Poker will continue to organize more premium poker tournaments in different world-class venues, and maintain its high-quality tournament experience for its guests.

About Hublot

“Hublot – A different way to progress” says those who know this unique Swiss luxury watch company, where each and every moment moves forward to create the future at breathtaking speed, a dream initiated and developed by Hublot’s Chairman Jean Claude Biver with CEO Ricardo Guadalupe when they took control of the brand in 2004. These two men are responsible for turning the Hublot brand into a genuine success story in which the Big Bang, Classic Fusion, and Grandes Complications Collection represent the symbols of a constantly evolving tradition.

From in-house watch complications, including award-winning minute repeaters and tourbillons, to revolutionary materials such as patented and scratch resistant Magic Gold, colored Texalium carbon fiber, and transparent sapphire cases to world class collaborations such as Ferrari, FIFA™ World Cup, and Italia Independent, Hublot characterizes itself through the “Art of Fusion” philosophy, bringing tradition into the future.

On a commercial level, the network of stores currently stands at more than 70 exclusive boutiques around the world (Geneva, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Paris, London, Berlin, Moscow, New York, Miami, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur, Ginza, Frankfurt, Zermatt, et al). For more information, visit The Official Hublot Site.

Koray Aldemir Wins the 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila

The 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila has determined its Main Event champion and it was Koray Aldemir who emerged victorious in the 39-entry strong field. A total of 29 unique players ponied up the buy-in of HK$1,000,000 (approx. $128,800) with ten players entering a second time.

Within two days, the event was reduced to the final six hopefuls and the money was reached. Such big names as Phil Ivey, 6-Max champion Daniel Colman and 2016 Big One For One Drop Extravaganza champion Elton Tsang fell short at the end of Day 2. Only six hopefuls returned to the final table at the stunning Solaire Resort and Casino in the capital of the Philippines, and ultimately it was Aldemir who defeated start-of-the-day chip leader Sergio Aido heads-up to claim the trophy.

It is the first major title for the 26-year-old German, who calls Vienna home these days. Aldemir had a golden summer of 2016 when he first finished second in the $ 1,500 No Limit Hold’em Summer Solstice (Event #33) in Las Vegas and then entered the $ 111,111 No Limit Hold’em High Roller for One Drop, banking another $2,154,265 for coming third. On top of that, Aldemir came tenth in the 2017 Aussie Millions Main Event this year and has now added a score of HK$10,032,869 ($1,292,653) to his poker resume after cutting a three-way deal with Aido and 2016 Triton Super High Roller Series Suncity Cup champion Daniel Cates.

At the start of the six-handed final table, Aido and Aldemir were separated by just two big blinds while Bryn Kenney, who finished second to Wai Kin Yong in this very tournament in November 2016, was at the bottom of the counts with just 20 big blinds.

However, it was defending champion Wai Kin Yong who’d become the first casualty of the day. Yong was the most active player at the table early on and saw his stack fluctuate a lot, while Aldemir and Aido were pulling away from the rest of the finalists. Kenney won a big pot off Devan Tang before doubling through Yong with pocket kings versus ace-jack. Yong was left with just four antes and bowed out one hand later with nine-seven against Aido’s queen-deuce and Kenney’s queen-seven suited on an ace-high board.

Devan Tang would follow soon after. The third-place finisher of the very first Triton Super High Roller Event here in Manila in January 2016, was left with just three big blinds. He first doubled through Aldemir with ace-jack suited versus eight-six suited. One hand later, Tang moved all in again, this time from the cutoff with ace-jack off suit. Aldemir called from the small blind with king-queen suited and bested the flopped two pair of his opponent by making broadway with a ten on the turn.

Half an hour later, Bryn Kenney was sent to the rail in 4th place. After falling below a million in chips, Kenney open-shoved the small blind for fewer than 15 big blinds with king-six off suit. Dan Cates found ace-king in the big blind and called. The board ran out king-high and the kicker played in favor of Cates.

Down to the last three players, the stacks very similar and deal discussions started. Cates ultimately couldn’t agree and soon after lost half of his stack in a big pot with ace-queen against the turned set of tens of Aido. The trio sat down for deal talks again and agreed on ICM numbers, with HK$400,000 and the trophy left aside to the eventual winner.

Dan “jungleman” Cates bowed out in third place when he three-bet jammed out of the small blind with king-jack off suit. Initial raiser Aido called with king-queen suited and the kicker played to eliminate Cates.

While Sergio Aido had a solid lead at the start of the heads-up, Aldemir soon closed the gap and ran well to build his lead further and further. The first all in and call of the duo saw both players turn over ace-jack suited and there would come no sweat on the board. Aido was reduced to all but 14 big blinds when he limp-called a shove by Aldemir with king-ten off suit. Koray Aldemir had ace-deuce suited and faded the two live cards, gutshot and turned flush draw of Aido to claim the title in Manila.

After all the hard work was done, the winner pictures were taken and Aldemir was presented with the trophy by Founder of Triton Poker Richard Yong, Tony Boglic representing Solaire Resort and Casino, and Maria Riza Riego de Dios-Torres representing Hublot as official timekeeper of the high-stakes festival in Manila.

The Triton Super High Roller Series promised to be even bigger than the last edition by doubling its Main Event buy-in, and provided all the high-stakes players with an excellent location and exclusive service. The next edition of the festival is already being planned and will be held later this year in Macau.

Final Result 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila

  1. 1st Place: Koray Aldemir (Germany) – HK $13,717,400
  2. 2nd Place: Sergio Aido (Spain) – HK $8,898,000
  3. 3rd Place: Daniel Cates (USA) – HK $5,561,000
  4. 4th Place: Bryn Kenney (USA) – HK $3,893,000
  5. 5th Place: Devan Tang (HK) – HK $2,780,000
  6. 6th Place: Wai Kin Yong (Malaysia) – HK $2,224,000

Sergio Aido Leads Final Six in 2017 Triton Super High Roller Manila

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

  1. Seat 1 Sergio Aido (ES) – 2,490,000
  2. Seat 2 Bryn Kenney (US) – 615,000
  3. Seat 3 Devan Tang (CN) – 1,045,000
  4. Seat 4 Daniel Cates (US) – 1,475,000
  5. Seat 5 Koray Aldemir (DE) – 2,420,000
  6. Seat 6 Wai Kin Yong (MY) – 1,705,000

Elton Tsang Leads 2017 Triton Manila Main Event

The 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila HK$ 1,000,000 Main Event saw a total of 29 unique players partake in the extraordinary Solaire Resort and Casino, and nine participants fired a second bullet to create a 38-entry strong field. These are not the final numbers yet, as registration remains open until the cards are back in the air for Day 2 on Monday, Feb 20 at 1 p.m. local time.

After nine levels of 60 minutes each, the field was reduced to the last 23 and 2016 Big One For One Drop Extravaganza champion Elton Tsang claimed the lead. Born in Canada, Tsang now calls Hong Kong his home and turned 250,000 into 1,004,000 to be the only player above one million in chips thus far.

Second in chips is Macau high-stakes poker player Paul Phua with 796,000, closely followed by another expert for the big buy-in tournaments. Former One Drop champion Daniel Colman, who won the HK$ 250,000 6-Max Event yesterday for HK$ 3,641,600 (approximately $473,408) after defeating Erik Seidel, could add another big score to his poker resume in the current year and bagged up 769,000.

Other notables that made it through with above-average stacks include Peter Chan (685,000), former Triton Suncity Cup winner Dan Cates (609,000), Pratyush Buddiga (560,000), Sergio Aido (520,000) and Jack Salter with bullet number two (470,000). Among those to also fire twice and advance to Day 2 were Mustapha Kanit (343,000), Founder of Triton Richard Yong (340,000), John Juanda (240,000), Phil Ivey (231,000) and 6-Max third-place finisher Rainer Kempe (186,000).

Dario Sammartino busted on his second bullet as well, while David Peters, Winfred Yu and Timofey Kuznetsov were among those to play once and run out of chips. Peters flopped top pair and top kicker with ace-queen only to find himself up against the pocket kings of Tsang for an overpair in the last level of the night. Yu failed to get there with king-queen suited against the ace-queen of Bryn Kenney and Kuznetsov got it in with ace-jack for top pair only to see Aido turn over the top set with pocket jacks just before bagging and tagging.

Salter started pretty hot and flopped a set of threes to bust Phua before the latter re-entered and became the chip leader a set of jacks against Sammartino’s ace-king for top pair. Salter then lost all of his chips in several hands to Buddiga and found himself back at the registration desk. The Brit was riding a roller coaster in the last two levels of the night and eventually flopped a set of fives to double through Ivey when the clock had already been stopped.

Among the hopefuls that will return for Day 2 is also defending champion Wai Kin Yong, who claimed just under starting stack with 244,000 after running hot early on and cooling off towards the end. In November 2016, Yong emerged victorious in a 62-entry strong field to score a payday of just under $2.1 million. The Main Event buy-in has since been doubled and the total prize pool of 2016 has already been eclipsed.

The action will resume at exactly 1 p.m. local time with level 10 and blinds of 4,000-8,000 with a running ante of 1,000. All new entries will receive 250,000 in chips and the event is scheduled to play down to the official eight-handed final table on Day 2. A winner will then determined on Tuesday.

(Recap by Pokernews)

Day 2 Seat Draw

  1. Table 1-Seat 1 Mustapha Kanit (IT) – 343,000
  2. Table 1-Seat 2 Rui Cao (UK) – 176,000
  3. Table 1-Seat 3 Yu Liang (CN) – 352,000
  4. Table 1-Seat 4 Devan Tang (HK) – 441,000
  5. Table 1-Seat 5 Benjamin Wu (US) – 159,100
  6. Table 1-Seat 7 Wai Kin Yong (MY) – 244,000
  8. Table 2-Seat 2 Daniel Colman (US) – 769,000
  9. Table 2-Seat 4 Mikita Badziakouski (BY) – 170,000
  10. Table 2-Seat 5 Richard Yong (MY) – 340,000
  11. Table 2-Seat 6 Zuo Wang (CN) – 412,000
  12. Table 2-Seat 7 Sergio Aido (ES) – 520,000
  13. Table 2-Seat 8 Elton Tsang (HK) – 1,004,000
  15. Table 3-Seat 1 Pratyush Buddiga (US) – 560,000
  16. Table 3-Seat 2 John Juanda (SG) – 240,000
  17. Table 3-Seat 4 Erik Seidel (US) – 316,000
  18. Table 3-Seat 6 Phil Ivey (US) – 231,000
  19. Table 3-Seat 7 Peter Chan (CN) – 685,000
  20. Table 3-Seat 8 Bryn Kenney (US) – 331,000
  22. Table 4-Seat 2 Dan Cates (US) – 609,000
  23. Table 4-Seat 4 Paul Phua (MY) – 796,000
  24. Table 4-Seat 5 Jack Salter (UK) – 470,000
  25. Table 4-Seat 6 Koray Aldemir (DE) – 204,000
  26. Table 4-Seat 7 Rainer Kempe (DE) – 186,000

Daniel Colman Wins Triton 6-Max Title in Manila (HK$ 3,641,600)

After just over 12 hours of play on Day 2 of the 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila HK$ 250,000 6-Max Event (approximately $32,200), a winner has been crowned in the stunning Solaire Resort and Casino. Ultimately, it was 2014 The Big One for One Drop champion Daniel Colman, who is also 4th on the all-time money list, who emerged victorious after a short but intense heads-up battle with Erik Seidel.

Seidel is 2nd on the all-time money list and added another big score to his impressive resume, he also finished 4th here in Manila one year ago in the HK$ 200,000 Suncity Cup as well. Colman started into 2017 with two final table appearances and a cash in the inaugural PokerStars Championship Bahamas Main Event for more than $1,100,000, and added another HK$ 3,641,600 – approximately $473,408 – to his scores for the current year.

Before the start of level 10, another two players opted to fire a second bullet after busting the previous night, as Bryn Kenney and Mustapha Kanit came in with a fresh stack of 50,000. This created a total field of 43 entries, including eight re-entries, and the prize pool of HK$ 10,113,600 was awarded to the top seven spots. While Kenney missed out on the money, Kanit made the unofficial seven-handed final table with just over four big blinds.

Timofey “Trueteller” Kuznetsov led the survivors into Day 2 and kept his dominating pace early on to further build the stack. Early casualties included John Juanda, Dan Cates, Jack Salter and Paul Phua. Salter flopped a set of sixes against Kuznetsov and got his stack in after the turn of a king-high board. Kuznetsov held seven-five suited for the straight and flush draw, and got there with a three on the river. Phua was among two players in a row that sent their stacks over to Rainer Kempe, and the German, now based in Brighton, established himself in the second spot.

2016 Triton Super High Roller Main Event winner Wai Kin Yong never showed up for Day 2 and was blinded out without playing a single hand. President of Poker King Club Winfred Yu also missed out on the money and he was followed to the rail by Dario Sammartino, Stanley Choi, David Peters, and Pratyush Buddiga. Choi first lost most of his stack with pocket nines against the king-nine suited of Marius Torbergsen and bowed out one hand later. Koray Aldemir’s tournament came to an end on the last two tables as well, when Kempe snap-called his three-bet shove with ace-king and the German only had ace-nine.

Torbergsen was next to follow before Yu Liang bowed out in 9th place. In a hand that lasted several minutes into a scheduled break, Kempe bet an eight-high turn and check-raised the river when a king appeared. Liang eventually called all in and mucked when Kempe showed pocket eights for a set.

That reduced the field to eight and it was Triton Founder Richard Yong who would become the bubble boy. While Kanit folded with very few chips behind to a shove by eventual-champion Colman over on the other table, Yong three-bet shoved for 15 big blinds with ace-mine and Sergio Aido called with ace-jack suited. By the river, there were three spades on the flop, giving Aido the nut flush and the bubble was burst.

The remaining seven players combined to one table and Kempe was in the lead with twice as many chips as Aido in second place:

  1. 1 Timofey Kuznetsov (Russia) – 286,000 chips – Big Blind 47
  2. 2 Mikita Badziakouski (Belarus) – 161,000 chips – Big Blind 26
  3. 3 Erik Seidel (USA) – 319,000 chips – Big Blind 53
  4. 4 Rainer Kempe (UK) – 700,000 chips – Big Blind 116
  5. 5 Mustapha Kanit (Italy) – 26,000 chips – Big Blind 4
  6. 6 Sergio Aido (Spain) – 351,000 chips – Big Blind 58
  7. 7 Dan Colman (USA) – 307,000 chips – Big Blind 51

After Kanit immediately tripled up his stack, it was Mikita Badziakouski who was the first casualty in the money. Badziakouski raised to 50,000, for more than half of his remaining short stack, and then called the shove of Seidel from one seat over with ace-ten. Seidel had the ace-king and flopped a king to leave Badziakouski drawing dead on the turn.

Kanit then bowed out in 6th place, getting his last nine big blinds in from the small blind. Aido called in the big blind with queen-eight and trailed Kanit’s ace-king, but a queen hit on the river to eliminate the always-smiling, talkative Italian.

Kuznetsov eventually had to settle for 5th place. He lost most of his stack against a set of threes of Seidel and shoved the very next hand with king-deuce suited. Kempe found pocket eights in the big blind and there was no king, straight or diamonds on the board to help “Trueteller”.

Down to the last four, Aido became the shortest stack and remained there despite doubling up once. The Spaniard eventually shoved out of the small blind with seven-six off suit and Colman looked him up from the big blind with king-seven suited. The board ran out queen-high and Colman made a king-straight.

The last three players experienced a roller coaster of emotions and former runaway chip leader Kempe ultimately ended up with the bronze medal. Down to three big blinds he first doubled and his comeback was then halted when pocket queens failed to hold up against Colman’s ace-six suited. A six on the flop and the turn gave Colman trips and Kempe was gone.

Colman had an almost 2-1 lead over Seidel when heads up began and both showed their master class in an intense battle over the next half an hour. Seidel called a three-barrel shove by Colman with ten-eight for second pair on the flop and fourth pair on the river, which was good as Colman was caught bluffing with jack-high. A big call by Colman changed the lead again and right after it was all over. Seidel got his stack in with ace-six off suit and Colman had ace-jack suited. Two jacks on the flop and an ace on the turn gave Colman a full house and that brought the tournament to an end.

While the 6-Max champion has been crowned, the highlight of the high-stakes festival in Manila awaits tomorrow. Day 1 of the elusive 2017 Triton Super High Roller HK$ 1,000,000 (approximately $128,800) Main Event gets underway at 1 p.m. local time and will feature nine levels of 60-minutes each. Unlimited rebuys are available for the duration of Day 1 and the registration then closes at the start of Day 2.

Recap by Pokernews

Final Result 6-Max Event

  1. 1 Daniel Colman (USA) – HK $3,641,600 ($473,408)
  2. 2 Erik Seidel (USA) – HK $2,326,000 ($302,380)
  3. 3 Rainer Kempe (UK) – HK $1,466,000 ($190,580)
  4. 4 Sergio Aido (Spain) – HK $1,011,000 ($131,430)
  5. 5 Timofey Kuznetsov (Russia) – HK $708,000 ($92,040)
  6. 6 Mustapha Kanit (Italy) – HK $556,000 ($72,280)
  7. 7 Mikita Badziakouski (Belarus) – HK $405,000 ($52,650)

Triton Super High Roller Series Manila 2017 – Day 1 Highlights

The Triton Super High Roller Series has become a fixture on the international poker circuit since its foundation in 2016 and once again some of the biggest names of the international poker circuit made the trip to Manila and joined the action in the exclusive Solaire Resort and Casino. The first-class venue provided first-class service to its players including a free buffet and 35 unique players participated in the HK$ 250,000 6-Max Event (approximately $32,200) thus far.

After nine levels of 45 minutes each, only 24 hopefuls claimed chips and Russia’s Timofey “Trueteller” Kuznetsov holds a commanding lead after turning the starting stack of 50,000 into massive 342,200. Kuznetsov still leads the 2017 leaderboard for online cash game winnings and went on a hot run to dominate Day 1 of 6-Max Event. Kuznetsov first scored a fortunate double with king-ten suited against the jack-five suited of Winfred Yu, then busted Yu after when cracking the aces of the President of Poker King Club with king-seven suited.

Sergio Aido lost more than half of his stack early on before going back on track in the last two levels of the night, and the Spaniard bagged up 139,100, closely followed by Mikita Badziakouski (134,800), Dario Sammartino (129,200), and Rainer Kempe (116,500). Other notables coming back for Day 2 include Koray Aldemir (93,900), David Peters (83,400), Pratyush Buddiga (77,800), Erik Seidel (76,500), Founder of Triton Richard Yong (74,000), Dan Colman (56,600), 2016 Triton Super High Roller Suncity Cup champion Dan Cates (52,100), defending Triton Super High Roller Main Evrnt champion Wai Kin Yong (32,500), Winfred Yu (29,700) and Paul Phua (26,800).

Six players opted to fire a second bullet, and this created a 41-entry strong field. However, this number is not final yet, as the registration remains open until the cards are back in the air for Day 2 as of 1 p.m. local time on Saturday, February 18th. Among those to buy in twice was also Phil Ivey, but the superstar failed to find a bag and won’t be allowed to enter again. Ivey first bowed out with ace-nine against the pocket kings of Stanley Choi before being eliminated a second time in a three-way all in with Kuznetsov and Rui Cao.

Bryn Kenney and Mustapha Kanit were also among the casualties, but both can enter again before Day 2. Kanit busted in the last hand of the night in a battle of the blinds with Kempe after the former limped in with ace-jack suited. Kanit kept his promise to go all in during the last three hands of the night and did so with the king-five off suit, the board ran out queen-high.

During the second level, the event organizers including Yu also announced an upcoming Triton Super High Roller Series later this year in Macau and welcomed all participants to join. Furthermore, luxury watch brand Hublot was announced as official timekeeper and provider of the tournament clock for the high-stakes spectacle.

The remaining 24 players and possible new participants as well as re-entries will return to The Forum at Solaire Resort and Casino at 1 p.m. local time with level 10 and blinds of 600-1,200 and a running ante of 200. The event is scheduled to play down to a winner and the PokerNews live reporting team will be there to provide all the updates.

Recap by Pokernews

Day 2 Seat Draw

  1. Table 1-Seat 1 Timofey Kuznetsov (RU) – 342,000
  2. Table 1-Seat 2 Stanley Choi (HK) – 50,100
  3. Table 1-Seat 3 Jack Salter (UK) – 39,100
  4. Table 1-Seat 4 Devan Tang (HK) – 85,500
  5. Table 1-Seat 5 Sergio Aido (ES) – 139,100
  7. Table 2-Seat 1 Pratyush Buddiga (US) – 77,800
  8. Table 2-Seat 2 WaI Kin Yong (MY) – 32,500
  9. Table 2-Seat 3 Winfred Yu (HK) – 29,700
  10. Table 2-Seat 4 Mikita Badziakouski (BY) – 134,800
  11. Table 2-Seat 5 Yu Liang (CN) – 117,000
  13. Table 3-Seat 1 David Peters (US) – 83,400
  14. Table 3-Seat 2 John Juanda (ID) – 35,300
  15. Table 3-Seat 3 Paul Phua (MY) – 26,800
  16. Table 3-Seat 4 Marcus Yi Lim (SG) – 64,600
  17. Table 3-Seat 5 Rainer Kempe (UK) – 116,500
  19. Table 4-Seat 1 Koray Aldemir (DE) – 93,900
  20. Table 4-Seat 2 Marius Torbergsen (NO) – 72,600
  21. Table 4-Seat 3 Dan Colman (US) – 56,600
  22. Table 4-Seat 4 Dan Cates (US) – 52,100
  23. Table 4-Seat 5 Dario Sammartino (IT) – 129,200
  25. Table 5-Seat 1 Adam Sanders (US) – 48,600
  26. Table 5-Seat 2 Cheok Leng Cheong (PH) – 73,000
  27. Table 5-Seat 3 Erik Seidel (US) – 76,500
  28. Table 5-Seat 4 Richard Yong (MY) – 74,000