Champion Kiat Lee
On a night when Seth Davies ended a long and inexplicable trophy drought, Kiat Lee, who finally overcame his own demons in Jeju a few months ago, showed that once you win one, the second can come easily.
Lee blitzed through the $30K NLH Turbo at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series stop in Montenegro, claiming what amounts to back-to-back turbo victories on the series having done the same in the short-deck turbo that ended the South Korea stop.
Like Davies, Lee had been to 17 final tables without a Triton win, but snatched the last-gasp success in Jeju on the festival's final night. But here in Montenegro, Lee showed that the dam has now broken. He beat a field of 71 entries to pick up a $586,000 first prize.
Kiat Lee and Seth Davies won titles almost simultaneously
"Kiat is on the wall!" bellowed his friend Danny Tang, referencing the LED panels that adorn the Triton tournament room, bearing the faces of multiple champions.
Lee will indeed be there from now on. The Malaysian is a two-time turbo champion, and there won't be a more popular one to be found anywhere.
As is the norm in the turbo events, it was a crazy and fast-paced affair, particularly in the closing stages when stacks got very short. But Lee carried a big chip lead to the final, and was then responsible for the elimination of the players who finished in fifth, fourth, third and second, in the space of only about 15 hands.
A second place for Stanley Tang
The final opponent was Stanley Tang, who bounced back from bubbling the $50K event to nearly land a first title from his first final table appearance. But Lee was not to be messed with, and got it done at almost exactly the same time as Davies.
Tang made do with $416,000 and a first cash on the series, but it was Lee who was marched by a trusty band of followers into the main tournament room for a photo with his many supporters.
A stage full of superstars celebrates with Kiat Lee
TOURNAMENT ACTION
The first turbo of any Triton stop is always played like a home game. Players might be a little stuck, but they're not totally dry just yet, which means they're playing mainly for fun. Add to that the fact that this one was on the eve of the Invitational, and the number of recreational players in the field increased, all just warming up for the big one.
It all contributed to a line-up of 53 players plus 18 re-entries for a 71-entry field and a prize pool of $2.13 million. There was "just" the $586,000 to the winner, so nothing worth getting too stressed about.
As always, it was fast and furious. And as always, Matthias Eibinger was going deep. However, the turbo specialist this time fell in the very worst position, on the stone bubble, when his QK lost to Sameh Elamawy's pocket fives. That put everyone left the right side of the ITM line and guaranteed $53K.
Elamawy in particular was loving it, stating that he'd never been to a final table before and was merely getting into the groove before the Invitational. It was looking good for him to break that jinx until he lost another big flip to Punnat Punsri, with pocket eights beaten by AJ. He went out soon after on the final table bubble.
Sameh Elamawy, right, shares a joke with Michael Soyza
A laughing Elamawy said he was happy. It meant he hadn't used up all his run good ahead of tomorrow's big one. "You used up a little," Michael Soyza observed drily, pointing to some previous outdraw. But nobody was splitting hairs as they prepared for the final.
Final table line-up
Kiat Lee - 2,595,000 (32 BBs)
Punnat Punsri - 2,570,000 (32 BBs)
Thomas Santerne - 2,400,000 (30 BBs)
Michael Soyza - 1,425,000 (18 BBs)
Aleksandr Zubov - 1,300,000 (16 BBs)
Aleks Ponakovs - 1,150,000 (14 BBs)
Stanley Tang - 1,085,000 (14 BBs)
Adrian Mateos - 925,000 (12 BBs)
Maksim Shornikau - 750,000 (9 BBs)
Triton Montenegro Event 7 final table players (clockwise from back left): Adrian Mateos, Punnat Punsri, Maksim Shornikau, Stanley Tang, Aleksandr Zubov, Tomas Santerne, Kiat Lee, Aleks Ponakovs, Michael Soyza.
First man out from the final was the man with arguably the biggest reputation. Adrian Mateos got his last seven blinds in with AJ but Kiat Lee had AQ and more chips, enough to knock out Mateos. The Spanish No 1 wandered away to be interviewed by some Spanish media, and then went back to his room to prepare for the $200K tomorrow.
Mateos won $61,000 for ninth in this one.
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Adrian Mateos was out in ninth
Maksim Shornikau was next out, though he managed to hang around for a good few more orbits. In the end, he had only three blinds and had to post blind and ante, leaving him just one more blind to commit after Michael Soyza open-shoved the small blind.
Shornikau's Q6 couldn't beat Soyza's AJ. Shornikau won $80,000 for eighth.
A first final table for Maksim Shornikau
Stacks were now comedically short across the board, and Aleks Ponakovs was left with just one big blind after a skirmish against Soyza. He sat on that blind for four hands, before calling all-in with J10 against Punnat Punsri's raise, and losing to Punsri's A9.
Ponakovs picked up his 26th career cash, but still hunts the first title. He has $103,000 more to his bankroll though.
Aleks Ponakovs couldn't run up one big blind
Punsri also did the damage that then left Soyza in deep trouble. His A9 rivered a flush to beat Soyza's AJ, leaving Soyza with dust. Kiat Lee took the last of it, while Soyza earned $130,000 for sixth.
Michael Soyza is next to be swept away
Aleksandr Zubov's pink pig has been a common sight on the Triton Poker Series in recent years. It's been involved in bounty draws before, has snuck into winner's photos, and now here it was with its rightful owner at a final. (It's even in the group photo above.)
But the pig couldn't go all the way. Zubov lost with A3 to Stanley Tang's pocket queens. Then lost with AK to Kiat Lee's A4. The first pot cost him significantly more chips, but the second was more critical as it cost him everything he still had left. Zubov's prize for fifth was $166,000.
Aleksandr Zubov, and his pink pig, couldn't go all the way
Lee now had the bit between his teeth.
He knocked out Thomas Santerne with JQ beating A3. Then he knocked out Punsri with pocket queens holding against J7. And then Lee's J10 beat Tang's 79.
It all happened in the blink of an eye, the fitting finale to a madcap tournament.
A champion in the blink of an eye: Kiat Lee
But it showed what we all knew already. It was no fluke when Kiat Lee won his first title in Jeju. And it was no fluke when he took his second tonight.
It will be no fluke when he invariably adds even more from here too. Watch this space.
