Chen Peng, playing the Triton ONE Main Event the day after his win

China's Chen Peng has become a regular attendee since Triton ONE started coming to Jeju. He played four events during the inaugural festival last September, and was back again this time around, with notable success.

Following deep runs in both the $5K Mystery Bounty, where he finished 37th, and in the $10K NLH 7-Handed, where 38th place won him $18,500, Chen hit a new career landmark in the $5K Single Day event on Thursday, sealing a maiden major triumph and $214,000.

Chen prospered amid the kind of buffeting that characterises these shallow-stacked turbo affairs, building a chip-leading stack ahead of the final, then rolling with the punches to convert the lead into a win.

It was all the more impressive when opponents at that final included the dastardly Spanish duo Ander Vallinas and Adrian Mateos, with Belarus' Alex Boika adding further threat. (Earlier in the day, YouTube sensation Ethan "Rampage" Yau had also held sway, before busting ahead of the final.)

But Chen showed absolutely no sign of being intimidated by the opposition and sealed what amounts to a breakout triumph. He has also been seen deep in high roller tournaments in Cyprus and Malaysia in the past year or so, and this win may further bolster the bankroll to play more as Triton ONE nears its conclusion and the Super High Roller Series starts.

TOURNAMENT ACTION

Most of the single-day events at Triton ONE have a buy-in of around $2,000, but true to form for Triton-branded tournaments, it only gets more popular when the buy-ins go up.

This $5K event, with a hybrid turbo structure (30-minute levels during late registration, 20 minutes in the freezeout phase), proved exceptionally popular as 147 unique players added a further 79 re-entries. The prize pool therefore pushed past $1 million, with $214,000 for the winner.

That's not bad for an evening's work.

As is always the case, players departed about as quickly as they arrived, and the tournament flew down to its bubble stage. There were numerous critical short stacks as the field thinned to the magic 35 who were due to be paid — and there then ensued a wild stone bubble period, featuring no fewer than eight double ups, then a double elimination to end it all.

Samuel Mullur doubled up twice during this period. He won one hand with 26 beating AQ, but still only had three big blinds, such was the size of his stack when he got it in. Across the room, Tony Xie Tso won with 5Q against Nguyen Trung Hieu's 67. That was just two examples.

The first time there were three called all-ins, all three players survived. But the second time, two people were knocked out. One was the aforementioned Tso, who once again went into battle against Nguyen. This time Nguyen's A4 flopped a four to beat Tso's AJ.

Tony Xie Tso doubled once before eventually bursting the bubble

On the next run-out, Fendy Kosasih's AQ lost to Zhou Quan's J7, prompting jubilation from the rail. It was a jack on the flop that ended this one, and sent Tso packing.

When the third at risk player survived, Kosasih and Tso split the $8,000 min-cash, taking $4K each. It wasn't as much as their buy-in, but it was a small consolation.

Fendy Kosasih couldn't cling on through the exacting bubble phase

It meant we had to go back in time to find the actual bubble boy, and that turned out to have been Aren Bezhanyan. He bust in 37th to Adrian Mateos, in one of those especially gross spots. Mateos was already tournament chip leader and engaging in some characteristic big-stack pre-bubble bullying when he three-bet jammed over Bezhanyan's open. Bezhanyan was having none of it and put himself at risk with a call, holding AQ. Mateos only had A10 but hit a 10 on the flop to eliminate Bezhanyan. He was the last player to earn zilch.

Aren Bezhanyan got Mateos-ed

As is normal in the turbos, stacks were already very short and chips began flying in as they battled to make the final. There were only eight seats at this one, and after Sebastian Gaehl was knocked out in ninth, the following booked their spot.

Chen Peng - 15,725,000 (63 BBs)

Xu Yang - 7,925,000 (32 BBs)

Song Chenghui - 5,550,000 (22 BBs)

Adrian Mateos - 5,000,000 (20 BBs)

Ander Vallinas - 3,475,000 (14 BBs)

Alex Boika - 2,975,000 (12 BBs)

Rudy Halim - 2,600,000 (10 BBs)

Ye Yi - 1,950,000 (8 BBs)

Ye Yi had been one of the players involved in the stone bubble action, losing a pot from ahead to double up one of the shorter stacks. But she had collected her thoughts and progressed to this final, from where she now began a rise from the ashes.

She doubled quickly, with K10 beating the chip-leader Chen Peng's AQ, and then successfully managed to avoid danger as those around her fell one by one. Ander Vallinas, at his second final of this Triton ONE series, went out in eighth. He raised his K8 from early position, leaving himself less than a blind behind, and committed that last chip when Chen shoved. Chen had Q5 but flopped a queen. This tournament earned Vallinas $27,000.

Rudy Halim doubled through Song Chenghui. Alex Boika doubled through Chen. Then Halim ran AK into Xu Yang's pocket aces to bust in seventh for $36,154. It was a tiny bit more interesting than a straight pre-flop all-in, however.

Xu raised his aces from under the gun, and Mateos called in the small blind. Halim then saw his ace-king and, with only three blinds, committed them all — just about enough to pass as a raise. This allowed Xu to put more in the pot as a three-bet, and Mateos called. Halim was at risk, but Xu and Mateos still had more behind.

The flop fell 973. Mateos, with a marginally bigger stack than Xu, checked. Xu bet 3 blinds and Mateos called again. The 10 came on the turn. Mateos checked again and now Xu jammed for 15 blinds. Mateos let his cards go.

Xu showed his aces and took the significant pot, busting Halim.

The all-in pots came thick and fast, with Song now prominent. He doubled up himself. He doubled up two other players. He doubled up again, and then he bust Boika. The man from Belarus, a regular these days on the Triton Super High Roller Series, lost the last of his chips with K7 running into Song's A5. Boika boosted his bankroll to the tune of $49,000.

For long periods in this event, most eyes had been on Mateos. The Spanish No 1, frequently mentioned in the conversation for best hold'em tournament player in the world, was in his element against slightly less experienced opposition in this aggressive format. Mateos was commanding his table throughout the pre-bubble period, and was only really pegged back towards the final.

The imperious Adrian Mateos was long-time leader

But having pinched a lot of blinds in the early going, Mateos had subsequently slipped back thanks to that pot against Xu. He then became Song's next victim. Mateos had seven blinds, two of which were in the middle pre-flop, and risked them with K8 after Song jammed a covering stack from the small blind. Song's Q6 from a queen to take it down. Mateos was out in fifth for $65,500.

Chen, who had led heading to the final, hadn't been able to dominate during the early craziness, but he now came back to the fore. Xu got everything in with A5 and slammed into Chen's pocket sevens, which stayed best. Xu followed Mateos out in fourth, banking $84,000.

Ye doubled through Chen, but Song wasn't so fortunate on the next major skirmish. Chen's A6 beat Song's 63 and Song was out in third for $105,000.

That left only two: the chip leader going into the final, versus the short stack. And although everyone enjoys a David and Goliath story, this time Goliath won. Ye could lay a glove on Chen in the heads-up passage of play, and Chen closed it out for his $219,000 victory.

Ye Yi returned to action in the Triton ONE Main Event