Champion Kiat Lee
There was once a time when Kiat Lee thought he couldn't win a title on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series. But one year and one day since he finally managed to get off the mark, Lee won his third trophy tonight on the series where he feels most at home. Not only that, he beat the tour's founding player Paul Phua heads up to record this latest triumph.
Lee now joins the exclusive three-time club, all won within the past 366 days, and is $840,000 richer.
"I'm feeling great," he admitted. "I'm proud to be here."
A delighted Kiat Lee
Like his first success, Lee's win came in a short deck event, this time with a $50,000 buy-in, the final stages of which played out like a boisterous home game between friends. The final three were all Malaysians, described by Lee as being part of the same poker family, with Lun Loon joining Lee and Phua in the final stages.
But Lee had all the momentum going into the shallow-stacked end game, picking off Loon first and then Phua. He paid tribute to Phua for giving him the chance to play on the Triton Poker Series, admitting he feels especially close to the man he had just denied at the table.
"He's like a father to me," Lee said of Phua. "Paul is pretty important in my poker career. Without him, I wouldn't be here in this Triton field."
Triton founding player Paul Phua, denied by one of his proteges
Despite halting Phua's chance to become a multiple champion, Lee is a popular winner and hugely respected among his fellow pros. Many lined up to pose for photos alongside the latest champion, before racing off to play in the $100K short deck event which got started today in an adjoining room.
TOURNAMENT ACTION
The second of three scheduled short deck events doubled the buy-in from the first, and near doubled the number of entries as well. The cash desk accepted 60 entries of $50,000 apiece to put an even $3 million in the pool and pay the winner $840,000.
As is always to be expected, the field was a keen mix of all-poker wizards, short deck specialists and visiting VIPs — many players in more than one camp — and they played with typical alacrity down towards the bubble.
Martin Nielsen, the stone bubble from the $25K event, this time finished three from the money. Stephen Chidwick also then fell the wrong side of the money line, before Ferdinand Putra lost to Lun Loon's two pair to send the last 10 into the cash.
Ferdinand Putra burst the bubble
But there was no room at the seven-handed final for Ivan Ermin, Wu Kuisong and Michael Zhang, with Loon also taking care of the latter -- AK beating pocket queens -- to take us to the final.
Loon's late surge put him clear at the top:
Lun Loon - 9,730,000 (122 antes)
Mikita Badziakouski - 4,380,000 (55 antes)
Ding Biao - 4,355,000 (54 antes)
Elton Tsang - 3,965,000 (50 antes)
Kiat Lee - 2,395,000 (30 antes)
Paul Phua - 1,235,000 (15 antes)
Winfred Yu - 940,000 (12 antes)
Event 22 final table players (clockwise from back left): Ding Biao, Kiat Lee, Lun Loon, Mikita Badziakouski, Paul Phua, Elton Tsang, Winfred Yu
On the night that Triton officially celebrated the start of its landmark 10th year, there were two Triton founding players doing what they do best — playing high stakes poker — as the final table got under way. But for two-time champion Winfred Yu, there wasn't anything he could do to spin up his short stack.
Yu jammed his last 12 blinds with AQ after two limps, but after Loon called with KJ and flopped both a king and a jack, Yu was free to make other plans for the evening. Yu won $146,000.
Another short deck cash for Winfred Yu
Elton Tsang is another long-time member of the Triton family, also with two Triton titles — even though his preference is for cash games. And in a match-up that has likely happened thousands of times at those cash-game tables, he went at it with Paul Phua for the last of his chips.
Tsang raised over Ding Biao's opening limp, but then saw Paul Phua move in with a 34-ante stack. Tsang was the only caller, for all his 22 antes, but his KQ could not improve enough to beat Phua's aces.
It was a cruel runout for Tsang, with the dealer putting the Q7K out there. But then running nines on turn and river gave Phua a better two pair, and therefore the pot. Tsang won $188,000 for sixth.
Elton Tsang prepares to make his way out the door
When they headed to dinner, Loon was still sitting pretty with 110 antes, ahead of Phua's 60. The remaining three were below average and in need of some hands to get things going.
For Kiat Lee, things took an upturn. But only at the expense of Mikita Badziakouski. These players, with seven titles between them, got their near equal stacks in the middle holding 109 (Badziakouski) and AJ (Lee), with Badziakouski raising then calling off after Lee's covering three-bet.
The suited ten-nine is very powerful in short deck, but the board of 68QK10 only favoured Lee. His straight took the last of Badziakouski's chips and the Belorussian earned $240,000 for fifth.
Mikita Badziakouski left them to it
The man they call Boss, Paul Phua, was now the shortest, but a double through Loon with 108 turning a straight to beat pocket queens, put him back in action. And then when Ding Biao's aces defeated Loon's AK, Ding was at the top of the counts and Loon was pegged right back.
But this being short deck, the status quo did not last for very long. In fact, Ding now tumbled not only down the leader board but out the door next, surrendering his last 18 antes to Lee. Lee had the aces this time, AA, and beat Ding's KQ. All the chips went in pre-flop.
Ding's fourth prize was $304,000.
Ding Biao was the last non-Malaysian left
Lee had more than his two opponents combined, and now looked a good bet to win a second short deck title in Jeju one year and a day since he won a similar event here. With three Malaysians left, all of whom are friends, the tournament resembled a home game. Richard Yong dropped by to watch and support as well.
Lee, however, was relentless. This was the first time since the early stages of the final when one player had a significant lead, and he was duly making his opponents play for all their chips on every hand. When they declined, Lee picked up the antes and kept moving upward.
He picked off Loon next. Loon, who finished second in the first short deck event here this week, got his last 10 antes in with A10, but got rivered by Lee's J9. Loon added another $400,000 to his ledger, and has every reason to be happy with his start to this series.
Another podium finish for Lun Loon
It left Lee to square off against Phua, and Phua had a mountain to climb. Lee's 100 antes were especially imposing against Phua's eight, and it turned out there was nothing even Boss could do.
On the very first hand of heads-up play, all the chips went in pre-flop. Lee's A8 stayed better than Phua's KQ and the day was done.
Paul Phua still hunts for his second trophy
Lee, like all Malaysia poker players, knows how important Phua has been to his career. But he showed no mercy to Boss and picked up $840,000 along with his third title. What a year it's been.
