Champion Chen Mingcong

There's another new name to follow on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series. It's Chen Mingcong, a 32-year-old player from Wuhan in China, who tonight outlasted a field of 172 entries to the $30,000 NLH event to win a first prize of $1.143 million.

Before today, Chen's biggest career cashes had come away from the Triton Poker Series, but he had been building a bankroll and preparing for this moment on the biggest stage. He first came to this most prestigious tour a year ago, and has made a series of deep runs since then.

But this victory is an order of magnitude bigger, and clearly demonstrated he is a player of enormous promise.

"I am lost for words," he said in his winner's interview, battling a whirl of emotions. "I'm just very happy, very excited and very moved."

Chen dedicated the win to his wife Lesley

He added that he has been building to this moment through his play on smaller tours, stating: "I have always looked forward to holding a Triton trophy, and now here I am holding one. I am very proud."

Dedicating the win to his wife, Lesley, he added thanks to all his friends and family for allowing him to follow his poker dream.

"Their support is not in vain," Chen said.

Chen was the chip leader heading into the final, but was powerless as he watched that lead evaporate through a series of short-stack double-ups. But where many players would have crumbled and tilted themselves out of contention, Chen remained composed and regrouped to assume the lead once more.

A long three-handed battle gave way to a brief heads-up due

He was devastating when only three players were left, wielding his chips to perfection as stacks grew very short. He outlasted Triton's finest Danny Tang, who was knocked out in third, and sealed the deal after a brief heads-up battle with Japan's Lee Chang Hwan.

After Zhou's Quan's victory earlier on Thursday, Chen made this a day to remember for China. He is well on the path to matching Zhou as one of China's very best.

TOURNAMENT ACTION

With a $30,000 buy-in, this tournament signalled that the stakes were going up as the true bulk of the Super High Roller Series came into view. Only the hardiest and most successful players from Triton ONE were still in town, locking horns with the SHRS regs. But after the bubble burst at 28 players, there was a healthy mix of experienced campaigners and newcomers still involved into the second and final day.

Former champions including Andrew Leathem, Mikita Badziakouski, Jesse Lonis and Matthias Eibinger hit the rail before the final, with Boris Kolev's elimination in 10th taking them to the last nine.

Tournament organisers rolled back the levels to ensure a 30-blind average, as the following took their seats to find a new champion:

Chen Mingcong - 7,700,000 (62 BBs)

Aren Bezhanyan - 6,525,000 (52 BBs)

Ebony Kenney - 5,775,000 (46 BBs)

Danny Tang - 5,500,000 (44 BBs)

Lee Chang Hwan - 2,275,000 (18 BBs)

Paulius Plausinaitis - 2,175,000 (17 BBs)

Patrik Antonius - 1,975,000 (16 BBs)

Brandon Wilson - 1,700,000 (14 BBs)

Rayan Chamas - 775,000 (6 BBs)

Event 3 final table players (clockwise from back left): Chen Mingcong, Lee Chang Hwan, Rayan Chamas, Brandon Wilson, Paulius Plausinaitis, Ebony Kenney, Danny Tang, Patrik Antonius, Aren Bezhanyan

Chen Mingcong had arrived at the chip lead in this event thanks in no small part to a huge pot against Rayan Chamas when 12 players were left. Chen's pocket jacks beat Chamas' sixes, and he followed up by knocking out Yu Lei in 12th on the next hand.

But although Chen's final table started brightly, he took a nosedive when he doubled up Lee Chang Hwan -- pocket 10s beating K7 -- and then also doubled Paulius Plausinaitis -- pocket sevens holding against A9. This all happened after he had also doubled up Chamas, whose 98 won the day against Chen's AJ to keep him alive.

Chen Mingcong had a terrible start to the final

Hwan therefore took over at the top, Chen slipped down, and with very shallow stacks already, the ICM handcuffs shackled everybody.

With caginess the order of the day, Chamas was back down to five blinds again when he found what looked like a decent spot to maybe quadruple up. Chen opened from under the gun, Aren Bezhanyan called form mid position, then Danny Tang raised from the cutoff.

Chamas, in the big blind, had K3 and got his chips in. Chen and Bezhanyan folded but Tang's pocket queens were plenty good enough to end Chamas' day. After four cashes in Triton ONE, this was Chamas' first cash on the Super High Roller Series.

Rayan Chamas punched out in ninth

Brandon Wilson was now the tournament short-stack, but he too hopped on the rollercoaster to see if his fortunes would change. He became the latest player to double through Chen, with K10 beating A9 for 14 blinds, and he won the next hand too with a pre-flop raise.

But rollercoasters famously head downward too, and Wilson suffered a rapid plummet only a couple of hands after that. He found AQ and jammed those 14 blinds into the middle from mid-position, but Chen was lurking behind with pocket kings.

Chen would have been forgiven for fearing the worst given how his final table had gone to this point. But the big pocket pair held this time, eliminating Wilson in eighth. He won $139,000.

Brandon Wilson finished eighth

Chen was back on track. He had won another big pot from Paulius Plausinaitis when he flopped trip fours holding A4, extracting the maximum from AJ. And then after Wilson's elimination, he turned his attention to one of the other short stacks, Patrik Antonius.

Chen had J9 and raised from UTG+1. Antonius was in the small blind and looked down at pocket sevens, plenty good enough to commit his last six blinds. Chen called. The flop of 4K3 was very scary for the sevens. The 6 turn was a blank. But the J river was a killer for Antonius, who adds $192,500 to his Triton total, but not a third title.

Even Patrik Antonius couldn't halt Chen

After losing that big pot to Chen, Plausinaitis had trod water for a little while, then managed to double through Bezhanyan. It was only for 10 blinds, however, which had dwindled to seven by the time the same two players clashed once more.

With action folded to him, Plausinaitis moved all-in from the small blind holding K10. But Bezhanyan woke up with AJ in the big blind and sensed those chips could be coming back.

He made the call, hit a jack on the flop, and that was enough. Plausinaitis was heading to the rail, $265,000 richer.

Paulius Plausinaitis made it to sixth

This has already been a superlative trip to Jeju for Bezhanyan, who became the first Armenian ever to win on the Super High Roller Series, days after completing an excellent Triton ONE showing. The back-to-back dream seemed like it might be alive and kicking, until he had the misfortune to be the latest player to run into Chen.

There were two sub-10 blind stacks at the table, but Bezhanyan had 16 in the small blind when Chen opened the button, from the chip lead. Bezhanyan had AJ and deemed it good enough to take on the leader. He jammed.

Chen wasn't just on the steal, however. He called with pocket sevens and won the flip. It left Bezhanyan looking for a $345,000 payout, and narrowly missing the quickest elevation to the multiple champions page in Triton history.

The back-to-back dream died for Aren Bezhanyan

Ebony Kenney, back at a Triton Poker Series final for the fifth time, had done well to steer her stack through all the carnage around her, particularly as things had grown especially shallow. But with seven blinds, two of which were in the middle already, KQ was plenty good enough to call Lee Chang Hwan's 10-blind shove.

Lee, who was similarly desperate for a double-up, had pocket sixes, so they were flipping. But Kenney did not connect through the 394AA run-out and that was the end of the road.

Kenney cashed the Triton ONE Main Event, as well as the $25,000 Jupiter, and this tournament earned her $432,000.

More excellence, and another final table, for Ebony Kenney

Triton Ambassador Danny Tang was by far the most experienced of the three players left, but after he lost a significant pot to Lee, who flopped trips holding 98, Tang had the smallest stack. He managed to double it back through Lee, with pocket jacks beating AQ, and suddenly there were three stacks of fewer than 30 blinds each.

Chen put his foot on the pedal again, however, and left the other two in his dust. Pretty quickly, he accelerated up to 40 blinds, with the others holding fewer than 10. Tang was very disciplined (and correct) to fold pocket sevens to aggression from Chen on one hand (Chen had 10s). But when Tang did try to take a stand, but he ended out in third.

Tang raised the button holding KQ, leaving only scraps behind, and Chen jammed the small blind with A7. Tang called for the tiny amount he had held back, and it was down to the dealer.

The board ran J65J2 and Tang was out. He is getting close to that sixth career Triton title, but this time settled for third and $531,000.

Danny Tang is still looking for number six

Chen had 36 blinds. Lee had seven and a mountain to climb. But he couldn't even really take the first step. After a small amount of back and forth didn't change the order too much, Lee decided to call for his last six blinds holding 86 after Chen shoved with K2.

A fine performance from Lee Chang Hwan ended in second

The flop brought an eight for Lee, catapulting him into the lead. But the K on the river dashed his hopes and secured the title for the brilliant Chen.

Here's a new player of clear and exceptional talent. We will surely see much more of this man.

It starts to sink in for Chen Mingcong