Champion Punnat Punsri!

By his own admission, Punnat Punsri is someone who "dabbles" in Pot Limit Omaha (PLO). But this afternoon in Montenegro, this dabbler became a PLO champion on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series.

No one has ever doubted that this Thai player has what it takes to win major poker tournaments. He was already a three-time Triton winner, albeit all in no limit hold'em. But as he prepares for a trip to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas this summer, Punsri said he was hoping to gain a bit more experience in other games.

He eyed up the $25K PLO event here at the Maestral Resort & Casino, Montenegro, and decided to sit down for a lesson. And that quest for experience has earned him one more Triton trophy, plus another $550,000 for his bankroll.

"I haven't played anywhere near this standard," a humble Punsri said, revealing that he has only really played PLO cash games about a decade ago, as well as a few bounty PLO tournaments on the Triton Poker Series. "I obviously ran not the best during the no limit Triton series. And yesterday I was trying to find inspiration to be more mentally prepared for Vegas. And I thought this could be a good opportunity for me to play with some of the best players."

He added that this will hopefully be a springboard for him to take mixed games more seriously, and turn his immense talents to even wider pursuits.

Danny Tang, left, is first to celebrate with his friend Punnat Punsri

"At the FT there were just some absolute world class players," the 32-year-old told Henry Kilbane, the Triton commentator who is a big advocate for PLO. "I'm already super happy to be at the same table as them, not in terms of potentially winning, but seeing what they do in certain spots, trying to understand hand by hand why certain board textures functions in a certain way.

"I felt as the tournament went on I understood it more and more. I obviously still have a lot to learn and hopefully this is the start of my interest in your favourite game."

Punsri was an unstoppable force as the event played into its late stages, knocking out each of his last four opponents. He admitted that the deck helped him out a little, but also said that his interest and knowledge is quickly growing.

"I obviously ran super, super good to win," Punsri said. "I obviously enjoy the format a lot more, especially after playing a lot of the hold'em events. This is a good change of pace. But I obviously need to understand a lot more in terms of how things work and different ranges and stuff."

Punsri's final opponent, Martin Dam

The last of his opponent was Martin Dam, a previous winner of a PLO event at Triton Montenegro, and one of the very best in this format. But Punsri swatted him aside as he had everyone else. And now Punsri has four Triton titles to his name.

TOURNAMENT ACTION

The first of four PLO events brought the usual suspects flocking to Montenegro, alongside a handful of previous NLH specialists encouraged to give the four-card game a try. At $25,000, this tournament was at the affordable end of things on the Triton Poker Series, so if you're the kind of person wielding an eight-figure bankroll, here was your chance to dip your toe in.

By the time registration closed, there were 84 entries and $2.1 million in the prize pool. A number of those newcomers were still involved too when the money bubble approached, with 15 players due to be paid.

Vladimir Korzinin, a hold'em darling, had chips. He was getting them in the middle regularly during a fraught bubble period, goading opponents to "make Santa the bubble". No one managed to do it, but Korzinin did indeed have a role to play as a prolonged passage of tension finally ended.

Seth Davies, who plays everything but has had a particularly good NLH trip to Montenegro, opened from a seven big-blind stack, and both Korzinin and Gergo Nagy called. The flop came 9A5 and after Nagy checked, Davies got almost everything he had into the middle. Korzinin raised to make sure Davies did indeed put everything on the line, and Nagy folded.

Davies called and showed his AQ106, which was top pair but not much else. Korzinin had that beat with AK54 and his hand only got stronger through the 9 turn and K river. With that, Davies was out and the field could breathe again.

Seth Davies departs after a protracted bubble

Korzinin's run ultimately ended in 10th, but that's a first PLO cash for him. Nagy, a PLO Triton champion, also hit the rail quickly, followed by bosses including Stephen Chidwick, Patrik Antonius, Lauraro Guerra, Artur Martirosian and Dan Dvoress. When Nacho Barbero went out in seventh, the opening day was finally over.

Six players remained and they came back on Sunday with the following stacks:

Punnat Punsri - 5,070,000 (85 BBs)

Martin Dam - 3,955,000 (66 BBs)

Alex Foxen - 3,545,000 (59 BBs)

Dirk Gerritse - 2,125,000 (35 BBs)

Isaac Haxton - 1,330,000 (22 BBs)

Sean Rafael - 775,000 (13 BBs)

Triton Montenegro Event 13 final table players (clockwise from back left): Isaac Haxton, Dirk Gerritse, Punnat Punsri, Martin Dam, Alex Foxen, Sean Rafael

The chip leader, Punsri, was one of those players who is probably best described as a hold'em expert, having whiffed all previous PLO tournaments he's played. But those events had clearly helped him learn something, because he topped a leader board featuring some Omaha wizards — Martin Dam, Dirk Gerritse and Sean Rafael — alongside all-round geniuses Alex Foxen and Isaac Haxton.

As play got under way on the final day, names began falling off the leader board from the bottom up. Rafael, a PLO expert from the US, endured an especially short time at the final table. On the second hand he saw, he picked up KQQ2 and called Alex Foxen's early-position raise in the big blind, after Dirk Gerritse had also called from the button.

It was a lovely flop for Rafael. He hit top set on the rainbow 5Q9 board. His check, however, was followed by two checks behind him, which brought the 7 on the turn. Rafael decided now was the tim to bet, and got pretty much all his stack in. Foxen folded, but Gerritse was amenable and raised to get the rest in.

Gerritse had KJJ9 so had picked up straight and flush draws on the turn. Though Rafael was still ahead, the 8 river was a killer. Gerritse completed his flush and Rafael was out.

He won $125,000, enough for a buy-in to the Main Event starting today.

Sean Rafael's final table lasted two hand

Haxton was now the shortest stack, and though he doubled with queens through Punsri, he lasted only four hands more. Punsri picked up double suited aces -- AA109 -- and was surely praying for someone to three-bet after he opened. Haxton, with AQJ2 answered the prayers from the small blind, and Punsri four-bet pushed. Haxton called, and although his hand technically improved to two pair after the JQ8 flop, Punsri's improved even more.

The 7 turn missed Haxton and the K river made Punsri's straight even bigger. Haxton's 54th career Triton cash was for $161,000.

Yet another final table for Isaac Haxton

Punsri's chip lead was now significant. He had more than his three remaining opponents combined, and they were now also in something of an ICM stranglehold, with $50K separating fourth from third, and a further $130K pay-jump from third to second. But the pattern continued of the field being trimmed bottom up.

Dirk Gerritse is better known as the online PLO crusher "venividi", and he came out from behind the online moniker as he opted to give the high stakes live events at the Triton Poker Series a go. Before this week, he'd played six Triton events and cashed three of them, but this was his first final table.

The trend is clearly in the right direction, but Gerritse's tournament ended in fourth. He three-bet a Punsri open from the small blind, holding AQ104 and then jammed for the rest of it after a flop of 295. Punsri refused to lie down, holding J10107 and a 10 on the river sealed the deal for Punsri.

Gerritse landed a prize of $201,000 for fourth.

Dirk Gerritse continues to get closer to a first win

Alex Foxen now came under pressure as the shortest of the three remaining stacks. And it was the very next hand where Punsri claimed his latest victim: Foxen three-betting then calling off the tiny remaining scraps of his 12 blinds with AQ105.

Punsri, who had opened and then but in the final bet, had 9753 and the double-suited hand flopped two pair and rivered a flush after the 978KK run-out.

Foxen's stellar Montenegro trip continued with another $251,000 payout.

More brilliance from Alex Foxen

Punsri could do no wrong and he entered heads-up play with a massive chip lead. He had 98 blinds to Dam's 14, and the supposed PLO rookie had only one final end boss standing in his way.

Dam, whose Triton PLO title came in the Bounty Quattro here in Montenegro last year, had the chance to make it two and deny Punsri. But he would need to throw himself in front of the Thai steamroller to make it happen.

And when he did, the steamroller just kept on rolling.

Martin Dam sees the river card that ended his tournament

The heads-up duel was barely started before it was over. Dam opened AKQ6 and Punsri three-bet AQ87. Dam jammed and Punsri called, setting up one last showdown.

It looked good for Dam on all streets except the last. The flop was J96. The turn was the 4. But the 8 river catapulted Punsri into the lead, and that was final. The Dam was broken.

Despite giving up bags of experience to his final table opponents, and admitting he thought they were all better than him, Punsri was the last man standing. He was there to take the congratulations of all his many friends from across the Triton Poker Series.

"This is a good start to my PLO tournament journey," Punsri said. "I just hope I can improve fast and maybe one day be able to compete here more competitively."

Matt Belcher, Poseidon Ho, Kiat Lee, Danny Tang and Lun Loon join Punnat Punsri in celebration