A live tournament round-up from the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Montenegro including wins for Bryn Kenney, Rui Cao and Henrik Hecklen.
Bryn Kenney is likely sitting behind a computer screen in some dazzling part of the world, smoking a fat one through a holder made from the thighbone of an ostrich, winning heaps.
A few days ago, he was in Montenegro, at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series, and he made quite an impression amid the chandeliers, caviar and expensive smelling cigar smoke.
Kenney came into the event as one of the most in-form players in the world and left as THE most in-form player in the world. It began, with a win in Event #2: HK$500,000 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max, a 79-entrant event that created an HK$11,230,000 (US$1,431,264) first prize, and it ended with victory in the HKD 1 million (USD 127,000) Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro Main Event.
44-people competed in the event, and there were 31 re-entries, creating a HKD 21,300,000 ($2,713,876) first prize. Heroes filled the final table. Jason Koon came in as the All-Time Triton Money Earner, Peter Jetten had been making final tables for fun, and the defending champion, Mikita Badziakouski was also in the mix.
It didn’t matter.
Kenney was utterly dominant, taking a chip lead into a heads-up punch-up with Danny Tang that made an Emu look like a Horsefly. Tang eventually fell, earning $1,796,509 for his runner-up position, and in his debut at this price point, no less.
“I was in the zone, played well and crushed the table,” said Kenney.
It’s fantasy stuff for Kenney, who has now earned more than $9m playing live tournaments in the first half of 2019, alone. It’s also his third seven-figure score since March.
2/48, HKD 2m Triton Main Event in Jeju for $3,062,513.
1/79, HKD 500k Triton NLHE 6-Max in Montenegro for $1,431,376.
1/75, HKD 1m Triton Main Event in Montenegro for $2,713,859.
A few days ago, I interviewed Kenney, and he told me that he has Justin Bonomo’s All-Time Money record in his crosshairs. Given the difference is $12m, I thought he was cartoon character wacky, but now I’m not so sure. The win sees him leapfrog over Fedor Holz and David Peters to sit comfortably in the fourth spot on the All-Time Money Earned list with $34,799,434. With the £1m Triton Poker Super High Roller Series event in London beginning at the end of July, who knows how far Kenney can go.
Final table results
1 – Bryn Kenney, USA, HKD 21,300,000 ($2,713,876)
2 – Danny Tang, Hong Kong, HKD 14,100,000 ($1,796,509)
3 – Peter Jetten, Canada, HKD 9,600,000 ($1,223,155)
4 – Mikita Badziakouski, Belarus, HKD 7,260,000 ($925,011)
5 – Sam Greenwood, Canada, HKD 5,650,000 ($719,878)
6 – Paul Phua, Malaysia, HKD 4,400,000 ($560,613)
7 – Erik Seidel, USA, HKD 3,460,000 ($440,846)
8 – Matthias Eibinger, Austria, HKD 2,680,000 ($341,464)
9 – Jason Koon, USA, HKD 2,050,000 ($261,195)
Rui Cao wins The HK$1m No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck Ante-Only Main Event
Moving swiftly on from the Main Event containing decks of 52-cards to ones that have 34, and Rui Cao took down the HK$1m No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck Ante-Only Main Event after beating Paul Phua, heads-up.
It was the perfect final battle for fans of Triton Poker. Co-founder, Paul Phua, has made eight final tables, including sixth in the long-deck Main Event, and eighth in this same event last season.
Cao was making his fourth final table, and after emerging from a final table that included the Jeju Short Deck Main Event winner, Kenneth Kee, Daniel Dvoress and Arnaud Romain, he avoided a third runner-up position after beating his buddy Phua in the final phase of the competition. Cao also finished fifth in this event last year and has an excellent track record in high stakes tournaments despite buttering his bread with cash games.
ITM finishes
1 – Rui Cao, France – HKD 26,300,000 ($3,350,725)
2 – Paul Phua, Malaysia – HKD 17,100,000 ($2,178,608)
3 – Romain Arnaud, France – HKD 11,800,000 ($1,503,367)
4 – Daniel Dvoress, Canada – HKD 9,070,000 ($1,155,554)
5 – Kenneth Kee, Singapore – HKD 7,200,000 ($917,309)
6 – Ming Zhong Liu, Hong Kong – HKD 5,620,000 ($716,010)
7 – Tong Siow Choon, Malaysia – HKD 4,400,000 ($560,578)
8 – Isaac Haxton, USA – HKD 3,400,000 ($433,174)
9 – Timofey Kuznetsov, Russia – HKD 2,630,000 ($335,073)
10 – Mikita Badziakouski, Belarus – HKD 2,300,000 ($293,029)
11 – Guang Pu Lu, Canada – HKD 2,300,000 ($293,029)
Henrik Hecklen wins HK$250,000 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo
What do you do when all the No-Limit Hold’em events have ended, it’s raining outside, and your belly is full?
Timothy Adams turns into a tournament organiser.
With so many monsters failing to run deep in the No-Limit Hold’em Main Event, and the focus turning to Short-Deck and Pot-Limit Omaha, the Jeju Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Main Event winner created an impromptu HK$250,000 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo.
The ‘Timothy Adams Invitational’ created 37-entrants, and the Danish star, Henrik Hecklen, continued his decent run of form in 2019 by taking down the HKD 3,410,000 ($434,444) first prize after beating the Global Poker Index (GPI) World #1, Alex Foxen.
Hecklen earned his degree playing online cash games, but more recently moved to live tournaments; it’s a move that’s born fruit. Hecklen won a €10k High Roller at the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) in Prague for $569,680, before finishing second to Sam Greenwood in the $100,000 Super High Roller at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), winning $1,284,260.
ITM results
1 – Henrik Hecklen (Denmark) HKD 3,410,000 ($434,444)
2 – Alex Foxen (USA) HKD 2,200,000 ($280,286)
3 – Timothy Adams (Canada) HKD 1,460,000 ($186,008)
4 – Daniel Dvoress (Canada) HKD 1,052,500 ($134,091)
5 – Mike Watson (Canada) HKD 850,000 ($108,292)
