Champion Seth Davies!

One of the most popular players on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series finally has a title to match his incredible skills.

It's one of the enduring mysteries of this game that players of Seth Davies' immense talents can somehow play elite poker for the best part of a decade without landing a title on the series that has become his home from home.

But Davies tonight put that right in Montenegro, defeating a field of 143 entries to reel in a $1,490,741 first prize and finally put a Triton Champion's cap on his head. It came after 37 cashes and 17 final tables, stats that baffled and then delighted Davies.

"When you start throwing all those numbers out, 17 final tables and I've never even been heads up!?! That's a big number," Davies said. "Most of my biggest success has been on other tours, so it's really nice to finally have a win at Triton, especially when it means so much to me."

He added: "Poker's a hard game, especially tournament poker, and when a couple of things don't go your way it just feels like the whole world is falling down on top of you. So when everything goes this way, it just feels incredible."

His many friends were scattered across the Maestral Casino & Resort, but stopped everything they were doing to rush back to the tournament room to celebrate with Davies.

Ben Tollerene and Dan Dvoress were carrying tennis rackets. Jason Koon was fast asleep. But they all got notice that Davies had taken one down and rushed back to the tournament room so they could be there to watch Davies pick up the trophy, beer in one hand a a broad smile on his face.

Ben Tollerene, Jason Koon and Dan Dvoress dropped what they were doing to celebrate with Davies

Davies battled back from just four big blinds at one point to complete an incredible victory. It was a spectacularly short-stacked affair for much of the final stages, with a number of players still in real contention as fortunes swung one way and then the other.

"We were five handed and everybody had the same amount of chips," Davies said. "It was just madness and when things are that way, you've got to run well. And I ran well. I won a bunch of pre-flop all-ins, made a bunch of big hands. It was really anybody's game and it just went my way today.

Davies took some of the final variance out of things by arranging a heads-up ICM deal with Danilo Velasevic. Velasevic, the Serbian who was also seeking a first title, banked $1,226,000 for his troubles.

But this, in the end, was all about Davies.

TOURNAMENT ACTION

After four events of buy-ins at the lower end of what you can expect on the Triton Poker Series, the $50K finally came around—and brought with it the customary big numbers. Remember, Triton players like higher buy-ins rather than shun them. There were quickly 143 entries including 60 re-entries. That how you build a $7.15 million prize pool.

When Day 2 began, there was still work to be done to make the money, and it became one of the more drawn-out bubble periods of the week so far. The two pivotal hands ended up having Stanley Tang at their centre, and neither brought good news for the American.

Tang had a decent stack on the stone bubble and it got even better when he picked up black aces. Talal Shakerchi raised from early position, Tang three-bet one seat along, and then Tang's dreams came true when Fedor Holz, with 20 blinds, four-bet from the button.

Shakerchi shied away, but Tang ripped it in. Holz called and found out his queens had been coolered.

Fedor Holz cracked aces on the bubble to survive

But not so fast. The dealer gave Holz hope with the 1098 flop, and though the 4 turn was not one of his six outs, the J river certainly was. Holz did the dirty double on Tang to win a massive one and leave Tang with 10 blinds.

Not long after, Tang picked up pocket fours and three-bet jammed the big blind. Mikita Badziakouski, who had opened the pot, made the call with AJ and flopped an ace. This dealer is no longer on Tang's Christmas card list. He was out on the bubble, leaving 23 with a minimum of $83,000 to collect.

A bitter pill to swallow for Stanley Tang

Returning to the Triton fold, Vladimir Korzinin was once again wowing the crowds on the feature table, casting his spell into the money once more. But Korzinin became one of those to fall short of the final table as the field very slowly contracted.

Brian Kim ended Vladimir Korzinin's fairytale comeback

By the time only nine remained, the average stack was just 25 blinds. The roll back of two levels gave them some wiggle room as they lined up as follows:

Danilo Velasevic - 4,725,000 (47 BBs)

Jules Dickerson - 4,650,000 (47 BBs)

Matthew Belcher - 4,250,000 (43 BBs)

Fedor Holz - 3,525,000 (35 BBs)

Poseidon Ho - 2,975,000 (30 BBs)

Joao Simao - 2,875,000 (29 BBs)

Mikita Badziakouski - 2,450,000 (25 BBs)

Seth Davies - 1,925,000 (19 BBs)

Alex Foxen - 1,225,000 (12 BBs)

Triton Montenegro Event 6 final table players (clockwise from back left): Alex Foxen, Poseidon Ho, Jules Dickerson, Fedor Holz, Joao Simao, Seth Davies, Matthew Belcher, Danilo Velasevic, Mikita Badziakouski

Foxen has enjoyed a tremendous week already here in Montenegro, as he tends to do at every poker festival he visits. But Day 2 in this tournament was a little bit more of a grind than he tends to be used to, and the final table didn't exactly go according to plan either.

Foxen lost a big early pot to Jules Dickerson when the latter's A2 flopped best and turned better, and Foxen then nursed three blinds as long as he could. He doubled up once, but then busted 89 to Joao Simao's KQ. Simao flopped top pair and Foxen flopped a straight draw. He missed, and that was the end of this one for the three-time champ.

Foxen won $166,000 for ninth.

He is mortal after all. Alex Foxen knocked out in ninth

Poseidon Ho became the next man out. Ho has been a gregarious presence ever since first setting foot into a Triton Poker Series tournament room in Jeju this year, and now his sixth cash came with his first final table.

The viewers were denied a chance to get to know him more, however, after he defended his big blind to a Jules Dickerson button open and flopped a straight draw with J10 connecting with the KQK flop.

Dickerson led and Ho jammed his last 10 blinds. Dickerson called. The 8 turn and 7 river weren't the cards Ho needed. Dickerson's A9 stayed best and the man from Taiwan was on the rail in eighth for $208,000.

No more Poseidon Ho

At this stage, Seth Davies seemed to be odds on to follow Foxen and Ho out the door. He had only around five blinds in a rapidly shortening final, but Davies went on an incredible tear after the dinner break.

He doubled up first through Dickerson and then through Joao Simao, and suddenly he had 29 blinds. The average was now only 20 as the table got very short. Everyone found themselves wearing the ICM handcuffs and things slowed right down.

One reliable way to unlock those cuffs is via two big hands clashing, with table positions sufficient to sow a seed of doubt. Such was the case in the pot that sent Matthew Belcher out.

Action folded to Danilo Velasevic on the button, who made a standard raise. Belcher looked at AQ in the small blind and correctly deduced this was well ahead of most button-opening ranges. He jammed for 14 blinds.

Velasevic was loving the sight of that. He had two black aces and snapped. The flop brought two diamonds to give the aces a scare, but turn and river bricked and Belcher was out. He took $283,000, by far his biggest Triton cash to date.

Matthew Belcher ran into top of range

Fedor Holz and Mikita Badziakouski have both been here before, of course, and were picking their spots perfectly with their short stacks. But the next really significant pot played out between the two of them, and it left Holz in dire straits.

Holz found K8 in the small blind and had the shorter stack of Badziakouski to his left. Holz jammed, but Badziakouski wasn't scared with KJ and called for all he had left. They both flopped a king, but there was a jack too and Badziakouski doubled. Holz had only two blinds left.

Not long later, they were in the stack of Joao Simao, whose Q9 eventually beat Holz's 75. This was a made-for-TV run-out of 8K7K8, which first gave Holz the outdraw, but then counterfeited his hand on the river.

After the queens vs. aces hand on the bubble, Holz could have few complaints. Instead, he picked up $382,000 for sixth.

Few complaints from Fedor Holz

Badziakouski's head was next for the chopping block. The tournament was so short now that nobody could really do anything special; they were all just beholden to the dealer. Velasevic opened QJ from under-the-gun and Badziakouski shoved AK from the big blind. Velasevic, with one blind fewer, called for his tournament life, and spiked a queen and a jack.

Badziakouski had one blind left, which went to Dickerson with a dominant ace. The five-time Triton champion won $493,000 for fifth.

Mikita Badziakouski is still looking for a sixth title

The average stack among the four left was 18 blinds, with two players above the line, two players below. And those two relative strugglers then played the next pot of note between them, which put Seth Davies back in contention but left Simao breathing on fumes.

Simao opened Q5 and Davies defended his big blind with A3. The flop came ace high and Davies check-raised. Simao called, picking up a straight draw on the turn to go with his queen, which he didn't yet know was not live.

The 3 river gave Davies two pair, but he checked it again. That successfully drew the bluff from Simao, who moved all in. Davies called and secured a double, which left Simao with only one blind. Velasevic gobbled that up on the next deal, as Simao's tournament came to an end in fourth. He won $615,000, his second and biggest cash at his first Triton event.

Joao Simao gets his Triton career off and running

Three players remained, and the tournament information board showed them in a virtual dead head: 24 blinds each, which meant one blind steal, or one blind surrender, was the difference between the chip lead and a short stack. But then one of the pots of the tournament played out, ending in a superb hero call from Velasevic, which put clean air between him and his two opponents.

Velasevic raised the button with A10 and Dickerson called from the big blind with KJ. The flop missed them both. It came 998. Both players checked for a turn of 5.

Dickerson now led out for two blinds and Velasevic called.

The 4 river was more nothing for both of them, but Dickerson put Velasevic to the test. He jammed for the rest of his 26 blind stack. Velasevic, who started the hand with 24, had to decide if this was his moment.

Burning through a handful of time-bank cards, he decided his ace was good. He put the chips forward. Dickerson was forced to show his bluff and lick his wounds with one blind. Velasevic was now in command.

Dickerson managed to double up his one-blind stack twice to stay alive, then must have loved the sight of Davies and Velasevic playing for all of Davies' stack. Velasevic shoved his button with Q2 but Davies picked up pocket nines and proved that he wasn't scared.

He made the call and rivered another nine to win. (Velasevic turned a flush draw to make it nervy.)

When Dickerson then doubled again through the new chip leader, it was could have been a three-way battle again. However, Dickerson ended up losing his last nine blinds to Davies after Davies opened the small blind with Q7 and Dickerson jammed his A9 from the big blind. The seven on the flop ended it in Davies' favour.

Dickerson's thrill-ride ended in third and a $751,000 payout.

Jules Dickerson's thrill ride ended in third

There was now 57 blinds between the last two players, with Davies taking a 37-20 big blind lead. The two pros opted to chop it, however, leaving $54,000 on the side to play for, but locking up $1,436,741 (Davies) and $1,298,259 (Velasevic). For these two, both of whom were yet to win a title, the trophy may have meant even more.

This ended up being a very short heads-up duel.

On the first hand, Velasevic limped with 96 and Davies checked his K6. The flop came king high. Davies check-called all the way, including when Velasevic continued his line on the river and committed everything. Davies pondered with his single pair, but eventually made the call, saw the bluff, and finally got his hands on a trophy.

His final haul was $1,490,741. Velasevic made do with his $1,298,259. And suddenly all the Triton bosses poured back to the tournament room to celebrate with their friend, their confidante and now their fellow Triton champion.

Have a beer on Seth Davies