Champion Eelis Parssinen!
The Triton Super High Roller Series braces itself at every festival for an invasion of Nordic players right before the PLO events begin. Nobody quite knows why the Finns in particular have such an affinity for the four-card game, short of wondering whether it’s on the curriculum in Finnish high schools.
But sure enough, the Nordics arrived in their droves to Monte Carlo this week, and arguably the very best among them came out on top of the biggest $100K buy-in PLO event ever held in world poker.
Eelis Parssinen, a 35-year-old from, you guessed it, Finland, took down the $100K PLO Main Event for a career best $2,270,000 score, plus an exclusive Jacob & Co timepiece. He had previously made the final table of this event in Montenegro, but now claimed the title he would have been favourite for before a card was dealt.
“We have a pretty strong community,” Parssinen said, asked to explain the strength of PLO players in Finland. “We talk a lot of poker. That’s the best way to improve in this game.”
Eelis Parssinen with his PLO community
A humbled Parssinen paid tribute to his close friends who helped him to this point, but also doffed his hat to the no limit hold'em grinders who stick around to play PLO after more than 10 days of intense two-card competition.
"These are tough, tough weeks," Parssinen said. "These guys are playing everything 12 hours a day. Have to respect these guys, grinding their ass off."
He said: "Obviously it feels surreal. Playing here against the best players, with my best friends, I can't describe it."
Thankfully for Parssinen, he allows the cards to do most of the talking.
Eelis Parssinen, Finland's finest
He denied Dan Dvoress, one of those no limit hold'em crushers, a third career Triton title. Dvoress tried his best at a swingy final table but had to make do with a $1,563,000 runner-up prize.
And with it, this Triton Monte Carlo festival wrapped. Phew.
TOURNAMENT ACTION
Day 1 of this event played for 10 levels, but registration remained open all the way until the start of Day 2. Sure enough, plenty of those cast aside on the opening day made their way back in and, in all, cashiers registered 87 entries.
That made this the biggest field ever assembled for a $100K PLO event, breaking the mark set in Montenegro in May.
It also put $2.27 million aside for the winner, from a prize pool of $8.7 million. PLO continues to grow on the Triton Series, so expect records to tumble again at our next stop.
The bigger the prize pool, the bigger the bubble, and here the last 14 players were guaranteed $166K. That’s the less hurtful way of saying that the player knocked out in 15th would get nothing, and as the field reduced to its final three tables, tensions rose a notch.
Danny Tang was the short stack with 16 left, and he was in the big blind with two players calling Dan Dvoress’ open-raise in front of him. That priced Tang in for the last of his chips, but Alex Foxen ended the hand with a straight to eliminate Tang.
Play went hand for hand and most attention now shifted to Dylan Weisman. The four-card specialist, who had chopped the PLO Main Event with Chris Frank in Montenegro, had only four blinds and the last of them got in the middle looking at a flop of 926
All eyes on Dylan Weisman at the PLO Main Event bubble
As they waited for hands to finish on other tables, the pair discussed the contents of their hands, with Weisman describing his holding of A1055. Ivey told Weisman that he was in bad shape. That was the truth. Ivey's 7643 already had a bigger pair, and had draws too.
"I'll take a ten or an ace," Weisman said.
After the dealer received instruction to deal the turn, the Q rolled off and Weisman sprung from his chair to leave. Ivey's flush couldn't be caught at this stage, and Weisman was out in 15th.
No luck for Dylan Weisman
Within a couple of hands, both Artur Martirosian and Sam Greenwood were also on the rail, but their consolation prize totalled $166K apiece. Weisman didn't have even that.
Twelve players went to dinner, and the postprandial action was all about filling the seven seats of the final. Eventually, when Bob Voulgaris was knocked out in eighth, the last seven lined up as follows:
Eelis Parssinen - 5.8m (58 BBs)
Espen Myrmo - 3.45m (35 BBs)
Sean Winter - 3.375m (34 BBs)
Mads Amot - 2.525m (25 BBs)
Dan Dvoress - 2.4m (24 BBs)
Alex Foxen - 2.125m (21 BBs)
Phil Ivey - 2.05m (21 BBs)
Triton Monte Carlo PLO Main Event final table (clockwise from back left): Espen Myrmo, Phil Ivey, Sean Winter, Mads Amot, Alex Foxen, Eelis Parssinen, Dan Dvoress
There was no outright short stack heading into the final, which essentially made everyone vulnerable. And it was the Norwegian crusher Mads Amot who first landed on the wrong side of the turbulence. He three-bet his KK24 pre-flop and the original bettor, Dan Dvoress called with A789.
The A36 flop put Dvoress in the lead, and gave him a flush draw too. Amot c-bet, Dvoress shoved and Amot caled it off. Amot was drawing to an off-suit five or king but missed. He was first out from the final, banking $409,000.
Mads Amot first out from the final
What seemed like a lifetime ago, but was only last week, Alex Foxen was bossing his way to a maiden Triton title in the $50K NLH event, and now here he was again at a final, this time in PLO.
But unfortunately for Foxen, his stack was considerably smaller this time and the bossing was being done elsewhere. He ended up hitting the rail next, busting in sixth for $518,000.
Sean Winter opened from under the gun and Foxen defended his big blind holding AQ106. The AJ10 flop was obviously decent enough for Foxen to check-call all-in for his last two blinds.
He would have known he was vulnerable, however, and Winter's AQQJ was better. It stayed that way after the 5 turn and 6 river and Foxen was done for this trip. He promised to return, so no doubt we'll see him again soon.
Alex Foxen commits the last of his chips
Phil Ivey is similarly unaccustomed to playing with a short stack, but he'd been doing so for long periods in this one as the tournament moved through the bubble and eventually to the final. But Ivey's tenacity couldn't take him past fifth place, as Dvoress consigned him to the rail.
Ivey's stack was small enough that it could go in pre-flop as a four-bet jam. He had a double suited K6109 abut couldn't connect enough to beat Dvoress' AQJ7. Ivey's elimination earned him $667,000 and left only four in the field.
No more Phil Ivey
Dvoress re-assumed the chip lead, ahead of Myrmo, Parssinen and Winter, in that order.
Winter was shortest, and then Winter was gone, losing almost everything in a pot against Parssinen. It began pretty benignly, but then went nuts on a flop of 7A3 because Parssinen had two sevens in his hand.
The turn 10and river 4 slowed the action and Winter's final chips didn't go in until the next deal, where Parssinen took the final sliver too. Winter only came into Monte Carlo towards the end of this festival, but finished it with a nice $836,000 pick-up for fourth.
Sean Winter eliminated in fourth
The three left were guaranteed seven figures, and stacks were all but even.
That was true only until an enormous pot played out between the two Nordics: Parssinen and Myrmo put everything on the line in a pot that played through the streets. Dvoress limped his button, Parssinen completed from the small blind and Myrmo checked his option. The three saw a flop of 653.
Parssinen bet, Myrmo raised and Dvoress left them to it. But Parssinen called to see the 7 turn. Parssinen bet again, Myrmo called again and the dealer completed the board with the Q.
The pot was now big enough that Parssinen could jam and Myrmo had to decide if he wanted to play for the rest of his stack. He decided he did — his A734 was a straight. But Parssinen tabled A987 for a straight as well, and it was bigger.
A super tough decision for Espen Myrmo
Myrmo only came to the Triton Series for the first time here in Monte Carlo and he made it to seventh place in the $50K for $193,000, which he followed up with third here for $1,029,000. Easy game.
Myrmo's elimination coincided with a tournament break, so Dvoress and Parssinen headed off for 15 minutes, preparing to return to stacks of 65 BBs (Parssinen) to 43 (Dvoress). It was 1am local time, but there was potentially a lot of play left.
Second place for Dan Dvoress
Not so. Not really. Parssinen applied pressure right from the start and Dvoress was ground down to eight blinds. He doubled up. He was ground down to eight blinds again, but doubled up once more.
The third time, however, there was no coming back. Dvoress opened Q10J4. Parssinen three-bet AK74. Dvoress called off.
The board ran J74AA and we had our champion.
Parssinen's celebrations begin
