Champion Seth Gottlieb!

The Triton Series brought a large contingent of poker-playing businessmen to London this week, ostensibly to play the Luxon Invitational, but also offering plenty of other options should things not go according to plan in that one.

For American start-up founder Seth Gottlieb, it was very well worth the trip.

Gottlieb was knocked out of the Luxon Invitational before the money, but hopped into the $25,000 pot-limit Omaha event instead, despite having played only about 20 hours of PLO in his life.

Two days later and he is the PLO champion here at Triton London, banking $511,000 for the win, but insisting the prestige is what really gets him excited.

“It feels amazing,” Gottlieb said. “I care a lot more about the trophy than the money.”

Gottlieb, originally from Chicago, but now based in Alpine, New Jersey, fell in love with the Triton Series on his first visit to its tables last year in Madrid, and also followed the series to Vietnam this year. But he has stepped up his game here in London, cashing in three events prior to this one, and now earning a famous first victory.

He managed to beat the Triton regular Dan Dvoress heads-up, winning a massive pot with quad sevens to all but end the event, and polishing off Dvoress on the next hand. But Gottlieb was also the chip leader after Day 1, and so had excelled throughout.

“Triton is amazing,” he added. “I love Triton. Businessmen like me can have a lot of fun and maybe win some money. It’s the best series in the world.”

Easy game for Seth Gottlieb

FINAL DAY ACTION

Pot Limit Omaha is a popular game here in London and as a result the field became the biggest four-card tournament ever hosted on the Triton Series. There were 77 entries, including 23 re-entries, and that assured more than half a million bucks would be going to the winner.

Day 1 yesterday played long into the night, with the bubble ready to burst when only 13 players remained. Phil Ivey couldn’t make it and bust in 15th, but it was down to Raphael Schreiner to take the unhappiest walk. He had his aces cracked by Ole Schemion’s flush, and suddenly they were all in the money.

They returned for Day 2 with 10 players left and the Brit Gavin Andreanoff the shortest stack. But he doubled twice through Daniel Dvoress, which left Keith Lehr as the man clinging on. Lehr was unable to mount his own comeback and was knocked out also with aces. Schemion was the man who did the damage again, and the final table was set.

FINAL TABLE LINE UP

Seth Gottlieb — 96 BBs
Daniel Dvoress — 42 BBs
Yian Zeng — 35 BBs
Ole Schemion — 35 BBs
Pascal Lefrancois — 27 BBs
Michael Rossi — 26 BBs
Gavin Andreanoff — 25 BBs
Anton Morgenstern — 14 BBs
Matthew Wood — 10 BBs

Event #10 final table players (clockwise from top left): Seth Gottlieb, Dan Dvoress, Yian Zeng, Matthew Wood, Ole Schemion, Anton Morgenstern, Pascal Lefrancois, Michael Rossi, Gavin Andreanoff

It’s very difficult to predict how a PLO tournament will pan out. Such is the volatility that double-ups and outdraws are both frequent. Players can fly up the counts and plummet out of them. It’s the same in hold’em, of course, but it just seems even more wild in PLO.

In this event, Dvoress and Gottlieb managed to hang tough at the top, with Dvoress managing to nose ahead. However, the two Germans at the table went on steep downward curves and bust one after the other.

Remarkably, the first man out was Schemion. He lost a big pot to Gottlieb and then got involved in a hand that ended by doubling Andreanoff once more. Schemion had 1098 and called Andreanoff’s pre-flop raise.

The two of them saw a flop of 8Q4. Schemion check-raise shoved and Andreanoff called, tabling his . The aces stayed good through the  turn and  river. Schemion took $54,000 for ninth and was free to join the hold’em Main Event from the start.

Ole Schemion was first out from the final

Anton Morgenstern is arguably one of the best poker players in the world without a major title to his name, but his resume lists seven six-figure scores and two victories in PLO side events. He also led the World Series Main Event for six days not so long ago. In short, he can play.

He had nursed a short stack through some of the tournament’s later stages before laddering up thanks to his countryman Schemion’s elimination. He eventually perished with kings losing to aces all in pre-flop, and picked up $71,200, his first score on the Triton Series.

PLO specialist Anton Morgenstern

Yian Zeng is another Triton newcomer, who was playing the first event under this banner in the PLO. He had clearly enjoyed his time at the tables, chewing the fat with Keith Lehr in particular, and taking a decent stack into the final.

However, he got involved in an almighty three-way pot alongside the seemingly Teflon-coated Andreanoff, and and the Triton regular Dvoress, which ended in a huge win for the latter and left the other two on the rail.

Andreanoff got it started with an opening raise. He had AA9, so fair enough. Zeng called with , a powerful looking hand in Omaha.

Yian Zeng finished seventh

Dvoress, with AKQ put in a three-bet, and that prompted a shove for 2.1 million from Andreanoff with the aces.

Zeng, with 1.2 million, under-called all in. And Dvoress, with roughly the same stack as Andreanoff called too.

The flop had a few possibilities. It came JQ2. And the  turn brought drama in the form of a straight for Zeng. However the  river was even more spectacular. That was the nuts for Dvoress and two players hit the rail at once.

Zeng earned $91,500 for seventh; Andreanoff took $115,500 for sixth.

The UK’s Gavin Andreanoff

Michael Rossi won his trip to the Triton Series thanks to a victory in a Moneymaker Tour Main Event in West Palm Beach, Florida. He had already cashed in one event — 13th in the $25K 7-Handed to put him in profit for the trip. His appearance on the PLO final table continued the rush, and he ended up with a new career high of $148,200 for fifth place in this one.

Rossi got his chips in with the nut flush draw and a straight draw on a flop of Q73. But his  ended up essentially whiffing through the  turn and  river, losing to Pascal Lefrancois’ flopped set of queens.

Still, Rossi will have warm memories of this visit to London.

Michael Rossi continues a fantastic run

The same fond memories will probably also be found by Matthew Wood, who has played two tournaments on the Triton Series, both in London this week, and both of which ended in cashes. However, the nature of his elimination from this tournament will likely sting.

He became the latest player to be knocked out with aces, getting a three-bet in pre-flop holding AA5 and finding Dvoress calling with .

Wood then moved in after the flop of K45 and Dvoress called with his straight draw. The  on the river was gin for Dvoress and send Wood out in fourth. He picked up $184,800.

Two cashes so far for Matthew Wood

The last three players were all from North America, and pitted former Triton turbo champion Dvoress against one of this season’s breakout players Seth Gottlieb, alongside Canada’s Pascal Lefrancois, who chose London to make his Triton debut.

It was now that Gottlieb found another gear and was able to haul himself not only back into the lead, but over the finishing line first.

Gottlieb picked up 32J and got involved in a pot against Lefrancois’s . All the money went in after a flop of  and the  turn and  river completed Gottlieb’s straight.

Lefrancois took $234,000 for third.

Pascal Lefrancois made it to third

The heads-up stacks started pretty close and the two adversaries exchanged only small pots to start with. However, everything went crazy in a hand where Gottlieb was dealt 877 and Dvoress had .

The flop came 497 and both players checked. Then the turn was the . All the chips went in here, with Gottlieb’s set becoming quads after the  river.

Dan Dvoress and Seth Gottlieb shake hands after the huge pot

The stacks were incredibly close and it required a close count to determine that Dvoress had Gottlieb slightly covered. The final scraps went in on the next hand, and a pair of kings for Gottlieb was good enough.

Dvoress adds yet another deep run to his ledger, but has to settle for $355,000 for second.

Daniel Dvoress fell one place short of a second title

As for Gottlieb, Triton’s biggest fan is now one of its champions. There’s no doubt we’ll be seeing him again.