Champion Pieter Aerts!

A late-night epic in the first six-figure buy-in event of the Triton Series trip to Monte Carlo ended with Belgium’s Pieter Aerts winning a second Triton title of his career, denying Malaysia’s Michael Soyza a third.

The pair had been half of a four-way ICM deal with Fedor Holz and Mario Mosböck that took place many hours before, with Soyza at that point a dominant chip leader and taking lion’s share of $13.1 million prize pool.

But with $310,000 left on the side for the winner, Aerts ended the night with $2,234,587, only slightly less than Soyza’s $2,305,000. It was due reward for a tenacious performance from Aerts, who was in dire straits on several occasions, but dug in and bounced back.

“It was definitely really long,” an exhausted but delighted Aerts said. “We made a deal four-handed, then the play changed a lot because we’re playing just for that first prize…I was down to five big blinds four handed and four big blinds heads up, but I came back. That’s how it goes sometimes.”

Even a spirited rail featuring Danny Tang, Punnat Punsri, Webster Lim and Lun Loon couldn’t quite get Soyza over the line. Across the other side of the TV set, Pieter’s partner Charlotte cheered him to success, thinking too of a young daughter the couple have who was sleeping not far away.

Michael Soyza finished second but took the most money

The baby was the reason Aerts skipped a year of the Triton Series, but he returned in fine style in this one, despite whiffing the first four events of the series in Monte Carlo.

“Of course not doing well in the first events is not what you’re looking for. but it’s important to keep your cool, stay calm,” Aerts said. “I didn’t let it affect me too much.”

He added: “Coming here now in this huge event and being able to take it home after this marathon session feels good.”

The couple left the tournament room with the trophy under their arm, like a new addition to the family.

A hug for the new champion

TOURNAMENT ACTION

From a starting field of 131 entries, 52 players still had an interest coming into Day 2. The min-cash in this one was $152,000, so more than ever this was a dividing line players were keen to fall the right side of.

It wasn’t to be for the likes of Dan Dvoress, Chris Brewer Ben Tollerene or Elton Tsang, nor for Triton Monte Carlo champions Brian Kim and Roman Hrabec or Alex Foxen, who perished today before the money.

As the field slimmed to its last 24 players, there were two action points: Fedor Holz had made a huge river bet to ask Kiat Lee if he fancied risking his whole stack looking at a board of 9 Q 4 K 7. Lee eventually decided he didn’t and folded.

However, at the TV table, Thomas Mühlöcker had open-shoved his K Q and found a caller in Alex Kulev, who had A J. Neither player hit anything on an entirely dry board, which meant Kulev’s ace played and Mühlöcker was toast. The last 23 were now all in the money.

Thomas Mühlöcker’s elimination burst the bubble

Lee’s fold in the hand against Holz grew ever more impressive during the next passage of play, during which the Malaysian pro edged steadily upward on the leaderboard as opponents hit the rail. Closing in on the final table, Stephen Chidwick, Alex Kulev and even Phil Ivey were vanquished, with Lee sitting just ahead of his friend and countryman Michael Soyza at the very top.

Disappointed poker fans didn’t get to see Phil Ivey on the final

Lee’s pocket queens won a hand against Alex Theologis’ A 8, which sent Theologis out in 10th and set the final table. Theologis had made the top 10 in each of the four tournaments he has played so far in Monte Carlo, even though this one didn’t quite get him to the final.

Those who did stacked up as follows:

Kiat Lee – 4.88m (61 BBs)

Michael Soyza – 3.935m (49 BBs)

Pieter Aerts – 3.525m (44 BBs)

Fedor Holz – 3.375m (42 BBs)

Andy Ni – 3.305m (41 BBs)

Steve O’Dwyer – 2.86m (36 BBs)

Mario Mosböck – 2.675m (33 BBs)

Roland Rokita – 1.175m (15 BBs)

Christoph Vogelsang – 475,000 (6 BBs)

Triton Monte Carlo Event 6 final table (clockwise from back left): Mario Mosbock, Christoph Vogelsang, Pieter Aerts, Kiat Lee, Steve O’Dwyer, Michael Soyza, Andy Ni, Roland Rokita, Fedor Holz.

All observers would have expected Christoph Vogelsang to be the next player eliminated. It’s tough to cling on with six big blinds, even if you are one of the best in the world. However Vogelsang (and Roland Rokita, for that matter) must have looked on with glee when Andy Ni played and lost two of the first three hands at the final. The second of those cost Ni his tournament.

Ni was in the small blind with 30 big blinds and looked down at A 4. He put in a standard raise, but then saw Michael Soyza, in the big blind, three bet. Ni jammed and Soyza, with 40 blinds, called to put Ni at risk.

Soyza had pocket 10s and they held on a board devoid of aces. Ni hit the rail in ninth for $304,000, with everyone else laddering $77K.

A quick tumble out of contention from Andy Ni

That was a welcome boost for Vogelsang, but he couldn’t quite make any more. He too found a small ace, A 5  and raised two of his eight blinds. Mario Mosböck called, laying a trap with pocket tens, the same hand that had accounted for Ni a moment ago.

The 9 8 7 flop gave each player a straight draw, but Mosböck also had the over-pair. All the remaining money went in here, and although Vogelsang paired his five on the turn, it was not enough. The German pro collected $381,000.

Christoph Vogelsang laddered but bust

It again now became Soyza time. He picked up 4 10 and called Roland Rokita’s shove with 10 9. Soyza was ahead already, but the dealer put an ace on the river to end it. Rokita, who won his first Triton title in Jeju earlier this year, left his second career final table in seventh. He earned $519,000.

Roland Rokita’s tournament ends

But spectators then collectively held their breath as a car crash hand played out between the two Malaysians, with the former chip leader finding himself in tatters.

Lee had pocket queens and raised from mid-position. Soyza had 7 6 in the big blind, which was plenty good enough to defend with a call. And he saw the dream flop of 8 4 5. Soyza made a devious check, and Lee was disciplined enough to check behind.

The  turn looked like it might kill the action, and both players checked. But then the  river ignited the action once more. Soyza now bet, putting 500K out there. Lee, sitting with a set, raised to 1.4 million. Soyza three-bet to 4.5 million and Lee took a long while but called off for almost all his chips.

Can Kiat Lee fold a rivered set of queens?

Soyza’s straight won him an enormous pot, and Lee only lasted a couple of hands more before Steve O’Dwyer mopped up the last of his chips. O’Dwyer’s A [10] beat Lee’s K J. Lee took home $701,000 but yet another final table ends for him without a title.

Unfortunately for O’Dwyer, that pot represented his high point. On the very next hand, he found A K and opened his button. Pieter Aerts jammed 26 blinds with J 10 and O’Dwyer snapped, but the first three cards off the deck were 7 9 8 and Aerts’ straight took almost everything O’Dwyer had.

He bust soon after to Aerts, with A K this time not good enough against[S] 6 . O’Dwyer’s first cash of the trip was for $904,000.

Steve O’Dwyer surrenders his last shrapnel

Everyone was now guaranteed at least $1.127 million, and Soyza had a huge chip lead. His 109 BBs led Aerts’ 54 BBs, Mosböck’s 24 and Fedor Holz’s 23. They decided to chop it up.

Leaving $310,000 on the side, Soyza signed for a minimum of $2.305m, Aerts took $1.924m, Mosböck would get $1.544 and Holz $1.528. And they then played to determine who took the trophy.

A four way deal

Holz quickly doubled through Aerts, which switched the fortunes of that pair. Aerts and Mosböck therefore became the two men under most pressure, and it seemed to be a race to the door for them. This unfortunate contest was won by Mosböck, who ended up busting to his friend and training partner Holz.

In the final hand, Holz completed from the small blind with K 9  and Mosböck raised from the big blind with3 7 . Holz called and saw a flop of 5 A 3.

Holz checked his flush draw, Mosböck bet his bottom pair and Holz check-raised. Mosböck called. They both checked the 9 turn, but then the3 river was the action card. Holz bet is flush, Mosböck jammed with trips and Holz called.

That was that for the Austrian ex-soccer pro. He landed himself the $1,544,316 negotiated at deal time. That was $400K more than the advertised fourth place payout.

Mario Mosbock, right, ended up busting to his friend Holz, left

Aerts was still the short stack and the tournament seemed to be heading towards a heads-up showdown between Holz and Soyza. But the Belgian had clung on during crucial periods, and when he managed one more double up, winning a race with A 8 against Soyza’s pocket fours, he found himself suddenly in the lead.

The structure was catching up with them too, with there now being only about 100 blinds between them three handed. After about two more levels with no eliminations, that total was only just over 50 blinds, and Holz was the shortest.

He managed one double up, but that was all. He then hit the rail in third after Soyza raced back to the top of the counts. Aerts opened and Holz shoved for about 18 blinds with A 4. Soyza looked down at the dream: A A .

Soyza shoved, no doubt hoping Aerts had enough to want to play for it all. But Aerts folded, leaving Soyza alone against Holz. Holz hit a four on the flop, but he couldn’t go better than that. Holz departed in third with his negotiated $1,528,097.

Fedor Holz hit the rail in third

Soyza now faced Aerts with a 50 to 38 chip lead.

“Let’s go, Soyza!” chimed the Malaysian rail, led by Hong Kong/Brit Danny Tang.

The first major pot left Tang instructing Sozya to “regroup”. It was a double for Aerts, with Q K against Soyza’s 9 J. They got all the chips in after a flop of 9 10 J. Both players likely thought they were ahead, but the straight stayed good against the two pair.

Aerts now led by 39 blinds to 27, as they settled in for more.

The heads-up battle was one for the purists — an efficient euphemism for a duel that dragged on much longer than seemed possible. Both players were ahead, then pegged back, then all-in, then doubling, then ahead again, then pegged back again. The tournament structure began swallowing up the blinds, but even when there was only 33 big blinds in play, it continued.

A long heads-up battle finally ends

Aerts was down to his last four blinds but doubled up twice in consecutive hands. That put him back ahead. And then they got it in once more, with Aerts holding A 10 to Soyza’s J 10. This time it held up.