Champion Dan Smith!

One of world poker’s most respected and decorated tournament pros tonight earned a debut victory on the Triton Series, snagging that first title in one of the very biggest events.

Dan Smith, 34, is the champion of the $200,000 buy-in Triton Invitational in Monte Carlo, banking $3.87 million for his triumph.

It’s a measure of Smith’s reputation that such an enormous payday is only the third largest tournament score of his career, and pushes lifetime earnings close to $50 million. He has won titles across the globe, in tournaments of all sizes, but had to wait for tonight to lift the Triton trophy and add his name to this series’ roll call of winners.

“This is very special,” Smith told reporters after the tournament. “I’ve had a few bigger scores in my career…but it’s different when you win a tournament with 70 players like this. It’s one of the biggest events of the year and only so many guys get to win them.”

Smith battled past a final table of both leading tournament pros and tricky recreational players, repaying the faith shown in him by Danish businessman Theis Vad Hennebjerre. Vad Hennebjerre’s own tournament ended early, long before the money kicked in, but in Smith he picked a wily tournament pro who knew when to keep his head down, and when to change gears to lock up this famous success.

Smith beat the Austrian pro Mario Mosböck heads up after the former soccer pro had spent most of the final table in the chip lead. But it was one-way traffic when only two players were left, and Smith became a very worthy champion.

A delighted Dan Smith gets his hands on a trophy at last

TOURNAMENT ACTION

The starting field of 58 added 15 re-entries during the early period, putting $14.6 million in the prize pool. As is now traditional in tournaments in this invitational format, the field was half invitees and half elite pros, with the halves of the field kept separate for all of Day 1.

The story of the opening stages was Elton Tsang, the Hong Kong-basd high roller, who overcame early elimination to surge to the top of the chip counts. He knocked out pretty much everybody who tried to battle with him, and was also responsible for bursting the bubble when Juan Pardo went out in 14th place.

Tsang hit a queen to come from behind against Pardo’s big slick, and Tsang stayed top until the final table was set as follows. It would play to a champion on Thursday.

FINAL TABLE LINE UP

1. Elton Tsang – 3.69 million
2. Dan Smith – $3.585 million
3. Alexander Shelukhin – 3.28 million
4. Jean Noel Thorel – 2.735 million
5. Danny Tang – 2.37 million
6. Mario Mosböck – 1.995 million
7. Fedor Holz – 1.75 million
8. Bob Voulgaris – 1.505 million
9. Ilkin Garibli – 970,000

Triton Monte Carlo Invitational final table (clockwise from top left): Alexander Shelukhin, Bob Voulgaris, Fedor Holz, Jean Noel Thorel, Mario Mosboeck, Danny Tang, Dan Smith, Ilkin Garibli, Elton Tsang

Late last night, Bob Voulgaris had been all-in and behind in a huge pot against Elton Tsang. He needed to hit a gutshot to survive — and hit he did, propelling him to the final table. But Tsang got revenge early on the final day, when the pair got involved in the first meaningful confrontation at the final.

All the chips went in pre-flop, lining up a straight flip. Vougaris had pocket tens, while Tsang had AK. The flop brought an ace and Voulgaris couldn’t spike a two-outer. With his faithful dog Oscar in tow, Voulgaris made the slow walk out of the tournament room, banking $406,000 for his ninth place.

Bob Voulgaris was the first out from the final table

Ilkin Garibli was one of two players at today’s final who had run all the way to the hallowed FT felt on their first appearance on the Triton Series. But his run was halted in eighth by someone for whom the Triton tables has come to feel like home.

Again, the telling showdown was a flip — Garibli’s pocket jacks up against Tang’s AK — but this time the king appeared on the flop to end Garibli’s event.

The Azerbaijani financier won the first high stakes poker tournament he ever played, having not even intended to enter it. This time, he meant it but the run ended in eighth, for $540,000.

Ilkin Garibli made it to eighth in his first ever Triton event

There had been a slight imbalance at the nine-handed final between businessmen and pros, but the first two eliminations tilted the balance back towards the poker superstars. But in a fascinating passage of play soon after, chips came and went from just about every player at the table, with Thorel getting short and doubling up, while the gloves came off in pots featuring Tsang, Smith and Tang.

Mosböck was building steadily, however, and he soon won a pot that underlined just how these super high rollers may be good friends away from the tables, but remain fierce competitors on it.

Mosböck became the man to knock out his mentor, friend and Vienna-based team-mate, Fedor Holz. To be honest, it was a fair fight when they got their chips in pre-flop, with Holz three-bet shoving his last 1 million chips over Mosböck’s early-position open.

Mosböck had AQ and made the call, ending with a flush in spades to beat Holz’s pocket nines. Mosböck was the first to console Holz, although this German sensation doesn’t need too much consoling. He took his medicine, saw his bank account swell by $694,000, and went looking for a seat in the main event.

Mario Mosboeck’s arm reaches out to console Fedor Holz on his elimination

As we have seen many times before on the Triton Series, if players double up rather than bust when they’re all-in and called, the tournaments can get incredibly shallow. So it proved here, where Thorel managed another double up, while Tang and Smith went tumbling, and soon everyone bar Mosböck had stacks smaller than the average of 18 big blinds.

Thorel, in particular, was again demonstrating his remarkable ability for hanging around, and it was only fitting that he applied the knockout blow to Tang. Thorel had AQ to Tang’s K when the latter got his last four big blinds in.

Thorel ended the hand with a full house, while Tang went looking for an $875,000 payout. Tang had been chip leader for a while today, but the turbulence of this final table ejected him just before everybody else became a millionaire.

What can you do? Danny Tang gets Thorel-ed

For Thorel, this particular elimination was the most meaningful. He knew before the start of play that if he could finish in fifth place or higher, he would leap to the top of the France all time poker money list — an incredible achievement for a player who only took up the game age 60.

The departure of Tang secured the top spot for Thorel, and his loyal partisan rail cheered its support.

Still no one other than Mosböck really had anything like what you’d call a comfortable stack, but nobody was making any crazy moves either. It was all a bit of a grind as stacks dwindled and everyone waited for someone else to go bust first.

Alexander Shelukhin had largely managed to steer clear of all the big confrontations, but that meant he was on a steady decline. After seeing Thorel stuck his chips in from late position, Shelukhin saw suited connectors and risked his last two blinds. However  couldn’t beat  and Shelukhin was out.

This businessman from Moscow has been a poker enthusiast all his life, and he was another making his debut on the Triton Series. He ended with a $1.125 million payday, which will no doubt please him very much.

Mosböck congratulates his VIP partner Alexander Shelukhin

Thorel, of course, is always never short of pleased with anything he does at the poker table. Just being in the game often seems enough for the 76-year-old, but he sure plays a mean game too while he’s there.

He was at his characteristic best here in the Triton Invitational, long outlasting his pro partner Erik Seidel and playing merry havoc once again at the final. All good things must come to an end, and Thorel’s tournament halted in fourth.

Thorel, in the big blind, called Mosböck’s shove from the small and the Frenchman’s A4 led his opponent’s J at this stage. However, Mosböck drilled a nine on the river to stun Thorel.

Everyone around the table came over to shake his hand and hug him as Thorel headed away, with another $1,390,000 to his name. He is now the target for the rest of France’s poker players.

The ageless Jean-Noel Thorel

Mosböck, of course, now had an overwhelming lead. He had 59 big blinds, Elton Tsang had 18 and Dan Smith only eight. But nobody was giving it up just yet.

Smith has been in plenty of situations like this before, and knows his spots precisely. He got his chips in with A7 and scored a double against K and, crucially, those cards were in the hands of Tsang.

That meant the pair swapped places on the leader board, and on the very next hand, Tsang was heading out the door. Smith got him, with J10 beating 10. Tsang, who once won $12 million in a poker tournament here in Monte Carlo, had to make do with third place and $1,780,000 this time.

Elton Tsang fell just short of a Monte Carlo double

Smith’s surge put him at 30 big blinds, in sight of Mosböck’s chip-leading 57. The last of the businessmen had gone and now it was two elite pros, from either side of the Atlantic, gunning for a maiden Triton title.

All the small early pots went in Smith’s direction. The same applied to the slightly bigger ones too, and the American boss gradually edged into a chip lead without ever really seeing a flop.

When they did eventually play a pivotal pot — the pivotal pot — Smith was on the right side of what was something of a cooler.

Smith raised with A8 and Mosböck called with K. They saw a flop of . Mosböck checked, Smith bet, Mosböck check-raised and Smith called.

That brought the K on the turn and both players had a pair. Mosböck checked, Smith bet and Mosböck called, and when the 8 rivered, they both had two pair and all the chips went in.

Mosböck’s surge was over, but he picked up a mighty $2,690,000 for his efforts.

Mario Mosbock had bossed the final table until Smith took charge

Smith paid tribute to all his opponents as he spoke at the end of a draining event. “Some days you feel the moment, and this tournament kind of felt good,” he said. “When I had a moment, I just got a good run of cards.”

He added: “People have this idea that pros always know what to do…but sometimes you’re just hoping others collide and bust out.”

With a 20-year career at the top of this game, Smith is a clear master. And now he is a Triton Series champion.

Dan Smith’s victory begins to sink in