The first three of the Triton Poker Series events in Jeju, South Korea are in the past with Justin Bonomo, Devan Tang and Michael Soyza spending some time on the winner’s podium.
Perfect.
Donald and Kim couldn’t reach an agreement in Vietnam, and now satellite images show that North Korea’s plans to dismantle a key missile test facility seem to be on the back burner.
619 km away, blissfully unaware of the potential end of the world, poker players with deep pockets assemble in Jeju, South Korea to play poker in the Triton Poker Series.
Richard Yong should invite the two presidents.
I can’t think of a better way to solve the world’s problems.
Three of six planned tournaments are in the books.
Here are the finer details.
Justin Bonomo Wins HKD 250,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck
It’s been a cracking start to the year for the most successful live tournament money earner in history.
In January, Justin Bonomo, beat 32-entrants to win the $383,650 first prize in a $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), and now he has taken down the opening game of the 2019 Triton Poker Series in Jeju, South Korea.
The HKD 250,000 (USD 32,000) No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck event attracted 65-entrants (37-entrants, 28 re-entries), culminating in a $1,946,281 prize pool.
The 33-year-old American beat Yue Hsiang, heads-up, to win his 24th career title, his first in this format. Bonomo told reporters that he enjoyed figuring the game out on the fly, but did have to make a few guesses along the way.
It’s another near miss for Hsiang after posting two runner-up finishes and a third in PokerStars events in Asia over the past few years.
Final Table Results
1. Justin Bonomo – $586,114
2. Yue Hsiang – $420,473
3. Sergey Lebedev – $272,671
4. David Benefield – $206,414
5. Choon Siow – $159,270
6. Ying Lin Chua – $124,231
7. Ben Lamb – $99,385
8. John Juanda – $77,724
Devan Tang Wins HKD 500,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck
We had another East versus West End Boss battle in Event #2: HKD 500,000 (USD 64,000) No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck, and this time the East came out on top.
69-entrants (45 entrants, 24 re-entries) created a prize pool of $4,132,105, and by the time the final table came into view, it contained three partypoker ambassadors: Jason Koon, Isaac Haxton and Mikita Badziakouski.
Koon and Badziakouski, in particular, have solid form in Triton Poker Series events, but neither of them reached the end zone with Devan Tang tangling with Peter Jetten for all the beans.
Tang, who hit a one-outer on the river to escape death in a ‘quads versus quads’ hand against Badziakouski, eventually overcame Jetten to win the $1,239,758 first prize, the most significant of his career, and his first title in more than three years.
It’s not Tang’s most significant score. That came when he finished 3/52 in a $200,000 buy-in Triton Super High Roller ran in partnership with the World Poker Tour (WPT) in Manila back in 2016 when Tang earned $1,405,500.
It was a fourth Triton Poker Series Main Event for Jetten after finishing third and sixth in Montenegro last year, and a fourth-place finish in the HKD 1m No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck event in this event also last year.
Final Table Results
1. Devan Tang – $1,239,758
2. Peter Jetten – $897,009
3. Arnaud Romain – $578,469
4. Jason Koon – $437,674
5. Isaac Haxton – $338,926
6. Leong Wai – $264,388
7. Mikita Badziakouski – $210,236
8. Paul Phua – $165,640
Michael Soyza Wins HKD 500,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed
Michael Soyza continued his stunning run of form to pick up the most significant sum of cash of the series thus far. The Malaysian topped a field of 81-entrants (49-entrants, 32- re-entries) in the HKD 500,000 (USD 64,000) No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event to secure the most significant score of his career.
It was another thrilling final table with the Triton Titan, Ivan Leow, and the Aussie Millions Main Event winner Bryn Kenney making the final. Choon Siow and Jason Koon were making their second final table of the series thus far, but it was Sam Greenwood who would give Soyza his toughest test.
Greenwood once again underlined his status as one of the best in the world finishing runner-up for $1,019,251 a month after winning the $100,000 Super High Roller at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) for $1,775,460 in the Bahamas.
Soyza’s victory tips him over the $5m mark in all-time earnings after his 13th career victory.
Final Table Results
1. Michael Soyza – $1,420,581
2. Sam Greenwood – $1,019,251
3. Ivan Leow – $662,513
4. Bryn Kenney – $499,560
5. Kok Beh – $387,315
6. Jason Koon – $300,679
7. Liang Xu – $236,976
8. Choon Siow – $183,338
9. Stanley Choi – $140,147
