Champion Phil Ivey!

For the second time in a week, Phil Ivey came to Triton London and conquered.

The American great, already in the Poker Hall of Fame and, by many estimations, the best player ever to sit at a poker table, landed a fifth career Triton title in the $25,000 Short Deck Turbo.

It was, by Triton’s standards, a small event, played in its entirety on the final day of a long festival and in the shadow of the short deck main event. But it came with a $280,500 first prize and a stellar final table.

Ivey was heads-up against Danny Tang, who also had four career Triton titles and was searching for a second from this stop. But Ivey had a massive chip lead by this point and was able to brush Tang aside. Tang had to make do with $193,800 at the end of another successful festival for him.

As for Ivey, he now moves alone to second in the all-time champions list, with only the dominant Jason Koon ahead of him.

“I love the game of poker, I always have,” Ivey said, explaining to Ali Nejad what keeps him coming back. “I love to play. Hopefully I’ll get a few more.”

TOURNAMENT ACTION

It was the final event on the Triton London schedule, but for anyone keen on short deck who was no longer in the Main Event, here was one last chance to get on the honours board.

The buy-in was $25,000 and there were 33 entries (including 15 re-entries), which put $825,000 in the prize pool.

The min-cash in this one was “only” $57,800, the smallest of the series so far. But even for players of these kinds of means, it’s not insignificant — and that’s before you even factor in things like Player of the Year points. And prestige.

It meant that this tournament still underwent the kind of slowdown common when a bubble is close — although all things are relative in a turbo, where stacks are growing small.

After Mikita Badziakouski was knocked out in ninth, Anson Ewe was the short stack, and Paul Phua wasn’t comfortable either. But thankfully for those two, Cary Katz ended up on the wrong side of a pair vs. pair encounter with Ivey (Katz’s tens lost to Ivey’s jacks) and then Ivey polished him off too.

Katz’s final hand came when he took a stand with 109 on a flop of A. Ivey, who had raised pre-flop and bet the flop, actually had what he was representing. His  condemned Katz to the rail.

They now moved around a single table, but with still one player to bust until the money. It turned out that Phua couldn’t survive. He had no choice but to fold for more than 30 hands in a row before he was finally forced in only six antes. Danny Tang was his lone opponent and Tang’s A10 made a straight.

An unfortunate bubble for Paul Phua

Phua’s London trip ended in the disappointment of a tournament bubble.

They now lined up, in the money, as follows:

Danny Tang – 4.4 million (148 antes)
Phil Ivey – 2.235 million (75 antes)
Thai Ha – 1.325 million (44 antes)
Daniel Dvoress – 1.23 million (41 antes)
Stephen Chidwick – 550,000 (18 antes)
Anson Ewe – 275,000 (9 antes)

Event #17 final table players (l-r): Thai Ha, Dan Dvoress, Anson Ewe, Danny Tang, Phil Ivey, Stephen Chidwick

Ewe had inched into the money, but could go no further. In a three-way all in, Ivey’s pocket kings beat both Tang and Ewe with the latter hitting the rail in seventh. Tang took a massive hit in the hand too, with Ivey assuming the chip lead.

Anson Ewe edged into the money

His closest challenge now came from Chidwick, who chipped up and then dumped Thai Ha on to the rail. Chidwick shoved with pocket tens and Ha called with AJ. He couldn’t hit, and Ha was out, banking his first Triton cash. It was worth $74,200.

Thai Has picked up a first Triton cash

The next player out was Dvoress, falling short of his own remarkable back-to-back. Dvoress won this equivalent tournament in Cyprus, sealing the deal on his first ever Triton success while the cleaning staff were moving in, and his flight out out the country was nearing.

It would have been quite something to essentially defend his title, but, you know, with stacks short and A9, all his remaining chips went in. Ivey was lurking with A and it held.

Dan Dvoress fell short of a title defence

Ivey was now on the rampage. After a relatively long period of three-handed play (maybe 20 minutes) Ivey accounted for Stephen Chidwick. Chidwick has been deep in pretty much every tournament this week, but hasn’t managed to convert and he took another beat here.

Chidwick had AK and Ivey had Q and a nine on the flop was all it took.

Yet another deep run for Stephen Chidwick

Ivey had 144 antes to Tang’s 21 so there was no surprise when this one ended rapidly. Tang got it all in with JQ and Ivey was sitting there with A. There was nothing unusual on the board and that was the end of that.

Danny Tang couldn’t overcome a big chip deficit heads up

The Main Event had finished moments earlier, leaving Ivey free to take to the stage and talk to Ali Nejad for the many fans watching on the stream.

What a phenomenal end to a phenomenal series here in London. See you at the next one!