Champion David Coleman

It was another long day and a late night at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in the Bahamas. But suffice to say David Coleman won't mind missing out on a couple of hours of sleep.

Coleman was the last man standing in the $125,000 buy-in NLH 7-Handed event here at the Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, earning himself a career best $3,113,000 payday. It comes with a first Triton trophy and first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet.

This was not easy. Not only did the 99-entry field feature most of the game's elite pros, many of whom made the final table this evening, Coleman also had to sit next to the Czech player Martin Kabrhel for long periods. Kabrhel's torrent of table chat flowed relentlessly throughout the day, even after Coleman had made it plain that he wasn't all that interested in conversation.

Ultimately, a one-two punch from Coleman and eventual runner-up Dominykas Mikolaitis finally silenced Kabrhel in third.

Dominykas Mikolaitis narrowly missed a second Tr

Coleman was then able to overcome Mikolaitis in a relatively deep-stacked heads-up duel, where the pair played for a $1 million differential in prize money. Coleman got it done just past 1 a.m. local time, leaving Mikolaitis with $2,104,000 for second.

Coleman admitted in his post-game interview that only a late intervention from friends had persuaded him to play the event.

"I owe them some dinner for sure," Coleman said. "It was a game time decision. I was pretty worn out from the Invitational, I kind of wanted to hang out and rest up. But I decided to max [late reg] it and immediately went from one starting stack to eight starting stacks in less than two hours."

He added: "I ran insanely hot. I'm so grateful."

Coleman has enjoyed great success in poker tournaments across the world over the past few years, and has made three previous final tables on the Triton Poker Series. This was the one where he made it stick, however, and Triton earnings now rocket past $8.5 million.

"It's incredible," he said. "It's a hell of a ride I've been on. I feel like I've been the luckiest guy in poker. I'm extremely grateful, really happy to be a part of it."

He continued: "Triton does an amazing job and I look forward to playing more of these."

David Coleman's name in lights at last

TOURNAMENT ACTION

Thie event played out in the shadow of the Triton Invitational, offering huge buy-in action for anyone not fortunate to get into the exclusive event, as well as migrants who had played there and lost.

There are a lot of people in the Bahamas this week who fit one of those descriptions and the 99 entries came from 66 unique players with 33 re-entries. There was more than $12 million in the prize pool and more than $3 million for the winner.

The bubble in this one burst all over Cary Katz. The money kicked in at 17 and Katz had one of several sub-10 blind stacks. He had the misfortune to be seated alongside the runaway chip leader David Coleman, however, and when action folded to Coleman in the small blind, he essentially jammed to pretty much cover Katz in the big blind.

Katz looked down at pocket eights. Even though players such as Alex Foxen, Daniel Rezaei and Emilien Pitavy had fewer chips, Katz saw this as a chance to get his tournament back on track. He was all-in and at risk.

Cary Katz burst the bubble

Coleman's A7 included a dangerous over-card, and the ace duly fell on the river to break Katz's resistance. They were all in the money and all chasing Coleman. Flash forward a couple of hours and the situation was just the same, even as a final table of seven was set.

Coleman had heaps, and while his nearest challenger Martin Kabrhel was the man responsible for knocking out Patrik Antonius in eighth and getting them to the final, he was only a distant second. They got together around the final with the following stacks.

David Coleman - 8,080,000 (137 BBs)

Martin Kabrhel - 3,045,000 (51 BBs)

Dominykas Mikolaitis - 2,490,000 (42 BBs)

Brandon Wilson - 2,305,000 (38 BBs)

Dan Dvoress - 1,655,000 (28 BBs)

Punnat Punsri - 1,430,000 (24 BBs)

Bryn Kenney - 795,000 (13 BBs)

Event 8 final table players (clockwise from back left): Dominykas Mikolaitis, Martin Kabrhel, Bryn Kenney, David Coleman, Punnat Punsri, Dan Dvoress, Brandon Wilson

No one except Coleman and Kabrhel could be truly comfortable. But no one, besides perhaps Bryn Kenney, was in significant danger. With ICM implications clearly at play (seventh paid $551K; first $3.1m), this might be cagey for most of them, with Coleman in particular prepared to exploit his perfect position.

Coleman did indeed widen his gap at the top as Kabrhel slipped back nto the pack, with Kenney still holding onto a short stack. However, two big pairs then went up against one another: Dan Dvoress four-bet shoved his pocket tens after Dominykas Mikolaitis three-bet his aces.

Mikolaitis called the shove, obviously, and his bigger pair held. Dvoress had 28 blinds at the start of the hand, but none at the end. Instead he departed his second final table of the week with $551,000.

Another final table in Paradise for Dan Dvoress

Punnat Punsri slipped down alongside Kenney in the counts and with pocket eights decided to three-bet jam from the big blind after another Mikolaitis raise. But this was more good news for the Lithuanian, who had pocket queens and sent another highly dangerous opponent to the rail.

Mikolaitis didn't really need it, but hit a third queen on the river. It takes that kind of thing to beat a player like Punsri — a five-time Triton champion — with the Thai player taking $720,000 for sixth.

A sixth place rather than a sixth trophy for Punnat Punsri

Mikolaitis was now in second place, behind the imperious Coleman. Kenney was still the lowest as they went for dinner, but then doubled up twice, through Coleman and then Brandon Wilson soon after the break to get back into contention. Kabrhel drew back closer to Coleman, then Mikolaitis won a big pot from the leader, jamming a board of Q7K6 holding aces. Coleman did well to get way from his QJ but surrendering a big chunk of his stack.

Mikolaitis now led from Kabrhel, with Coleman now down at the average stack line.

With the levels relentlessly increasing, time was now becoming a factor. And Kenney was able to cling on no more. The all-time winningest player on the Triton Poker Series hadn't really had the chips to play his usual expansive game at this final, and was down to only six blinds when he got them in as raise after Kabrhel's under-the-gun limp.

Kenney had AJ, but still had all four of his opponents to get through, including the opening limper. As it happened, Mikolaitis cleared out all of them when he min-raised from the cutoff. Kabrhel folded eights. The problem for Kenney was that Mikolaitis had AK and improved when a king flopped.

That sent Kenney out in fifth with $913,000 to his name.

Not this time for Bryn Kenney

The volume rarely changes in with Martin Kabrhel at the table. Even if his monologue abates for a moment, his opponents still struggle to find the energy to get a word in. The only effective way to quieten Kabrhel is to take his chips and, after a long period where he couldn't get much going, Coleman bounced back to take a chunk from his Czech antagonist.

Kabrhel limped from under the gun holding A2 and Coleman checked his option with just 63. But after the flop fell 647 Coleman paired his bigger card and check-called three barrels from Kabrhel.

Kabrhel's ace high did not improve, making Coleman's reads all the better. Kabrhel finished the hand down to 12 blinds, while Coleman was back in the lead. But it didn't last long. Kabrhel found pocket kings in the big blind and doubled back through Coleman's A5. When they went on another break, Mikolaitis had nosed ahead with 42 blinds and Kabrhel, at the bottom of the counts, had 23. Coleman and Wilson were in the middle.

And then an explosion. Wilson and Coleman had been quietly butting heads for much of the day, with Wilson making at least one soul read of his opponent to pick off a big bluff at a point that Coleman was on the slide. But Coleman regrouped and came roaring back, busting his countryman in a ghastly cooler.

After another Kabrhel limp from under the gun, Wilson found QJ and raised from the small blind. Coleman looked down at red pocket kings in the big blind. He put in the three-bet.

Kabrhel left them to it and Wilson called. Then the grossest of flops emerged: QQK. It was trips for Wilson and a boat for Coleman. Wilson check-called on the flop, check-called after the 2 turn, and the check-called for the last of his chips on the 10 river.

Coleman had him this time, and Wilson was out in fourth for $1,132,000.

Another fine showing from Brandon Wilson

Coleman was now back in front with more than his two opponents combined, with Kabrhel sitting with only 15 blinds. They were soon finally prised from his hands.

Kabrhel open-jammed his small blind having looked at his cards and seen paint. Specifically, he had KJ. He only had Mikolaitis to get past, but not for the first time, Mikolaitis picked up decent cards at just the right time. This time he had AK and called. The board offered nothing and Mikolaitis' ace played.

Kabrhel's boisterous performance ended in third place, with a $1,367,000 reward.

Martin Kabrhel finally KOed in th

Two players were now left and stacks were even. Coleman had 52 blinds to Mikolaitis' 47. The clock ticked past midnight, and there was still potentially a long way to go. Mikolaitis seemed interested in looking at the numbers, Coleman less so. So they played it out pure.

Coleman put his foot down. He won four of the first five heads up hands and built a lead of 72 blinds to 27. But the blinds went up, Mikolaitis won a few pots of his own, and they started Level 25 with 49 blinds (Coleman) to 31 (Mikolaitis).

But they would not see Level 26.

Coleman again accelerated away from his opponent and opened up a 60:20 big blind lead. That was the point where Mikolaitis limped from the small blind with 108 and Coleman checked his option holding Q7. Coleman flopped top pair after the first three cards came 6Q10, and crucially there was something there for Mikolaitis too.

Coleman check-raised after Mikolaitis' tickle. But Mikolaitis called, taking them to the 7 turn. That was now two pair for Coleman.

He led at this one, picked up the call from Mikolaitis, which then took them to the 4 river. Coleman now bet it all, comfortably covering Mikolaitis. And Mikolaitis called for everything.

Heads up in Event 8

The Lithuanian, who won his first Triton title in Montenegro this year, came up one place short today. But his prize of $2,104,000 was considerably more than that first-place pick-up.

Coleman, however, can now add a Triton title to his rapidly expanding list of accolades. He gets his first WSOP bracelet too, plus $3,113,000.