The HKD 1,000,000 buy-in Short-Deck, Ante-Only tournament moves into an unscheduled third day of action with Kenneth Kee, Richard Yong and Cary Katz in contention to take home the HKD 22,500,000 (USD 2,866,838) first prize.
It seems a little folly to say things are getting serious after we’ve already dished out HKD 47,600,000 (USD 6,064,852) in prize money, but as sure as landmines are landmines, it’s happening.
Over the next three days, the Triton Poker Series in Jeju gets serious with the HKD 1,000,000 (USD 127,000) buy-in Short-Deck, Ante-Only event, and the HKD 2,000,000 (USD 255,000) buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event yet to determine a winner.
We will begin with the Short-Deck finale.
Day 1 ended with the Frenchman, Arnaud Romain, sitting at the top of the chip counts with 16 players remaining from a field of 41 entrants. Late registration stayed open for the first few levels of Day 2, and we saw Phil Ivey, Gabe Patgorski, Ivan Leow, Cary Katz, Bryn Kenney and Chow Hing Yaung re-enter, as well as a host of same day re-entries to take the final count to 60.
Here is the breakdown of the action.
Level 7 – Ante 5,000
Winfred Yu had the worst start possible when Leow cracked his pocket kings with pocket jacks, flopping and then turning the other two jacks for quads. Leow moved up to 620,000; Yu slid to 61,000.
In the next hand, Yu got it in with A9hh, and Koon isolated with JTcc and flopped a straight. Yu was the first player out.
Cary Katz HKD 1m re-entry lasted as long as a PokerGO TV commercial. Katz ran AK into the pocket kings of Patgorski, and the American had to dig deep into his pockets for the third time.
Following Katz into Jeju’s humid air was Devan Tang, who got it in holding pocket queens, only to run into the much heavier looking pocket aces of Mikita Badziakouski.
And then we lost the man that everyone wants to see leave except his fans – Phil Ivey. Marius Torbergsen limped into the pot with QhJc, Wai Kin Yong raised to 45,000 holding pocket queens, and Ivey raised to 200,000, on the button, holding pocket aces. Torbergsen released his hand, Yong moved all-in, and Ivey made the call.
Yong only had one out, the Qd, and it arrived on the flop like a spear through Ivey’s heart. Both aces remained in the deck. Ivey had to re-enter. Yong moved up to 2.1m.
Within minutes of sitting back down, Ivey was at it again, only this time his hand held up when his pocket aces bested the K9o of Chan Wai Leong after the pair got it in on a K87 flop.
Then we lost Alan Sass.
We caught the action on a flop of Tc7s6h with four people splashing around. Sass bet 80,000 from the cutoff, Badziakouski called from the button, and Gabe Patgorski called from the blinds with Wang Qiang folding.
The turn was the Ks, and Badziakouski bet 200,000 once checked to, and only Sass called. The Ac brought the action to a close; Sass checked, Badziakouski jammed for 700,000, and Sass made the call for his tournament life. Badziakouski showed 98dd for the flopped straight, and Sass mucked his hand and left the table. The Belarusian moved up to 1,950,000.
Level 8 – Ante 6k
Gabe Patgorski eliminated Qiang when his KQcc turned a queen to trip up pocket jacks. Phil Ivey sent Bryn Kenney to the cash desk when his J9s out turned and rivered the pocket eights of the GGRAsia pro. And Paul Phua doubled through Andrew Robl KK>AQ.
Vivek Rajkumar had been playing in the cash games all week, and Tom Dwan sent him back from whence he came. Four players limped into the pot to see the AdKsQd flop. Everyone checked to the Ah turn. Ditto. Would the 9s on the river bring some life to this hand? It would. Dwan bet 40,000, Rajkumar moved all-in for 253,000, and everyone folded except Dwan, who had his opponent covered. Rajkumar showed Q9cc for two pairs, and Dwan showed Ac8s for trips and moved over the million chip mark.
Level 9 – Ante 8k
Kenneth Kee is having a decent week, and it continued with the elimination of Gabe Patgorski. Kee’s pocket queens upending the KTo of the American. And ‘West’ lost in another East v West fatal fight when Xuan Tan’s AQo rivered a boat to beat the 86cc of Ben Lamb.
Level 10 – Ante 10k
Tom Dwan removed the dangerous Wai Kin Yong when the pair got it in on a QcTs7cAc board with Dwan holding KJo for the straight, and Yong holding A7o for two pairs. The board didn’t pair, Yong was out, and Dwan moved up to 2.5 million chips.
Then we lost Phil Ivey for good.
We caught the action on fourth street with Ac8d7dKc staring at the chandelier, and around 900,000 in the middle. Badziakouski had put Ivey all-in, and he burned through four-time extension chips before making the call, and it was good.
Badziakouski: Tc9s
Ivey: AhTs
The Belarusian was on the draw, and Ivey was ahead with top pair.
River: Jc
Badziakouski nailed his straight to move into the chip lead, and Ivey was out despite doing everything right.
Level 11 – Ante 12k
Paul Phua doubled through Andrew Robl AQ>KJ and Badziakouski KK>TT. And Carey Katz doubled through Romain Arnaud when the pair got it in on KcTc6hKs in a boat over boat cooler of a hand for the Frenchman.
Robl took his time to double up when his JTo found the magic turn card it needed to turn a nearly flop into a winning hand against Leow’s AK. Katz eliminated Xuan Tan when the pair got it in on JsTd8s with Katz holding the middle pin and the open-ended straight draw, and Tan holding the Broadway draw. The Qh on the river giving Katz his straight. And Kenneth Kee won a big flip against Tom Dawn AK>JJ to move up to 3 million chips, and knock Dwan down to 2.3m.
Level 12 – Ante 15k
It was a different level but the same old Kee. This time Romain Arnaud feeling the pain after running JTo into the Andre the Giant looking KK, to create a final table of nine.
The first player to hit the dirt was Dwan.
Katz and Kee (it sounds like a pub duet) limped into the pot, and only Katz called when Dwan raised to 130,000 on the button. The flop rained down AcJh9h, Katz checked, Dwan bet 160,000; Katz called. The turn was the Ts; Katz moved all-in, and Dwan made the call.
Katz: KhQc
Dwan: AsJc:
Katz was ahead with the straight. Dwan needed one of his cards to pair up to avoid elimination, but it wasn’t to be. The Qh finished the action, Katz moved up to 4 million chips, and Dwan was out.
And then there were seven.
Paul Phua moved all-in for 575,000 holding KJo, and Badziakouski looked him up holding AQo. Five cards later, and the Belarusian had 3.8m chips. Paul Phua had none.
Final Table Chip Counts
1. Cary Katz – 4,940,000
2. Mikita Badziakouski – 3,820,000
3. Richard Yong – 3,380,000
4. Kenneth Kee – 2,230,000
5. Andrew Robl – 1,535,000
6. Peter Jetten – 1,430,000
7. Ivan Leow – 665,000
The Money Honey
1. HKD 22,500,000 (USD 2,867,426)
2. HKD 13,920,000 (USD 1,773,981)
3. HKD 9,120,000 (USD 1,162,264)
4. HKD 6,300,000 (USD 802,879)
5. HKD 4,620,000 (USD 588,778)
6. HKD 3,540,000 (USD 451,141)
Level 13 – Ante 20k
The great thing about watching Triton Short-Deck Ante-Only events is the happiness factor. I have never seen so many people walk away from such savage beats with a smile, but you knew at least one person was going to find the next hop, skip and jump a tad challenging on the zygomaticus major.
Seven remained.
Only six places contained any cash.
The person who left empty-handed was Andrew Robl.
Ivan Leow limped into the action holding KTo, Robl moved all-in holding ATdd, Richard Yong moved all-in with AQss, Leow folded and five community cards later, Robl was left wandering behind the wrong side of the curtain looking as grey as the shirt and cap that clothed his body.
Yong took the chip lead.
Level 14 – Ante 25k
Kenneth Kee doubled through Badziakouski when his pocket kings gave AJdd a good kick in, but it wasn’t without a scare. Kee watched helplessly as the Belarusian flopped two pairs on AcQcJh. The 6h on the turn changed nothing, but the Th on the river righted the wrong and Kee moved up to 3.7m, with Badziakouski sliding to 1.2m.
Kee wasn’t the only person doubling.
Peter Jetten got it in with KQss against the JThh of Yong, and the board stayed as low as it possibly could with all of the small cards removed from the deck to give the Canadian star the win.
And then six became five, and once again Kenneth Kee was at the heart of the action.
Richard Yong limped into the pot with T8o, Kee joined him with ATcc, and Ivan Leow moved all-in for KQss. Yong folded, and Kee looked him up. The flop was Js9c8h to maintain the status quo. The Kc gave Leow hopes of a doubled up, but the 7h on the river gave Kee the straight, moving into the chip lead, and sending Leow to the rail.
And then we had one of the most magical hands since Triton formed.
Kee limped into the action holding the rockets, Badziakouski raised to 400,000 with pocket kings in the next pew, and Peter Jetten moved all-in for 2,205,000 holding pocket queens. Kee put on a little Hollywood before also moving all-in, and Badziakouski called.
The flop brought more clubs than a high street in Ibiza – 9c8c6c – giving Badziakouski a backdoor flush draw, but that door shut on the fourth street when the 8h arrived, and it’s twin, the 8s, turned up on the river to end the action.
After the smoke had cleared, Badziakouski and Jetten ended up on the wrong side of the rail in fifth and fourth respectively, and Kee took the chip lead into three-handed action.
Kee – 7,140,000
Katz – 5,615,000
Yong – 5,245,000
The three of them battled it out for a further three hours before deciding to return at 4 pm the following day to play down to a winner.
Final Chip Counts
Kee – 8,245,000
Yong – 6,815,000
Katz – 2,940,000