Final 6 players of the 2017 Triton Super High Roller Main Event Manila

For the past few days, several of the world’s leading poker pros were holed up in an exclusive room at the Solaire Resort & Casino with the 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series rolling out its fourth installment of the series. The HK$1,000,000 buy-in Main Event saw 39 total entries for a prize pool of HK37,043,400 (US$4,772,926). The eventual winner will receive a lion share HK$13,717,500 first prize (US$1,767,511)

While Fedor Holz and Tom Dwan missed out on the festivities, Phil Ivey was present, returning to the series for his second visit. Erik Seidel was also at the felt, attempting to best his runner-up finish at the series opener and of course to add more figures to his quest for the top spot in the All Time Money List.

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More: Erik Seidel’s quest for the #1 spot of the All Time Money List

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By the time the final six was established, Ivey and Seidel were out, along with John Juanda, Paul Phua, Winfred Yu, Rainer Kempe, Jack Salter, and 2016 GPI Player of the Year David Peters.

Before the final table was established, the day’s entering chip leader, Elton Tsang, dropped out in the unfortunate bubble position in 7^th place. Currently, Tsang ranks 1st in China’s All Time Money List after championing the US$1,111,111 NLH Big One for One Drop last year.

Here’s a look at the final six players in the running:

Sergio Aido – Spain – 2,490,000 chips

Sergio Aido is back at the final table once again and this time, he holds the chip lead with a stack of 2,490,000. Aido has shown spectacular performance at the series, finishing 4^th at the HK$250,000 buy-in 6-Max opener. Last year, the hot-handed Spaniard took 3^rd on both events of the Triton series third edition, earning a combined total of over US$1M. In addition to those achievements, he placed 2^nd at the APT Macau 2016 Main Event and 10^th at the 2016 ACOP Main Event. One week ago, Aido championed the Single Day High Roller event at the Macau Poker Cup 26.

Getting to the final table of the ongoing Triton series Main Event, Aido rose to the top of the ranks after eliminating Zuo Wang and shaving some chips off Elton Tsang. He eliminated Peter Chan, got lucky on David Peters, and crossed well over the 2M mark after shipping in all of Paul Phua’s chips.

Koray Aldemir – Germany – 2,420,000 chips

Trailing the leader by a very narrow margin is Koray Aldemir, a new face in the Triton series.  While most players remember his compatriot Fedor Holz, winner of the WSOP 2016 US$111,111 High Roller One Drop event, Aldemir placed 3^rd in the same event to earn him his biggest live payout of US$2,154,265. One month ago, he ran deep at the Aussie Millions 2017 Main Event finishing in 10^th place.

Aldemir enters the final six of the Triton Main Event with 2,420,000, a stack he amassed after calling out Wai Kin Yong’s river-bet bluff.

Wai Kin Yong – Malaysia – 1,705,000 chips

Wai Kin Yong may have been a no show at the final day of the event opener but at the Main Event, it was clearly the opposite. Returning to the felt to defend his title, Yong had quite an erratic day keeping his chips together. After an unsuccessful attempt to push out Aldemir on a failed bluff bet, his stack fell way below average. He later recouped some of the lost chips, winning a coin flip against Phil Ivey that sent the American pro packing.

Yong is decorated with back-to-back victories at the Triton series, winning the Main Event of the second and third installments. He enters the final six with a stack of 1,795,000.

Daniel “Jungleman” Cates – USA – 1,475,000 chips

Daniel “Jungleman” Cates heads the lower half of the chip rung with 1,475,000 in chips. Cates is a well-known pro all the way from the USA. Although he rarely participates in the Asian live circuit, Cates has one Triton series title under his belt, the HK$200,000 Suncity Cup won back in November 2016. In addition, Cates shipped in his largest career payout of US$1,774,145 after his second place finish at the EPT 10 FPS 4 Super High Roller event in Monte Carlo.

For the most part, Cates grinded for chips during the unofficial final table of nine players, and eliminated Daniel Colman to keep his stack in healthy fighting contention.

Devan Tang – China – 1,045,000 chips

Another familiar face at the final table is Devan Tang who took 3^rd place at the first edition of the Triton series for a US$1,405,500 payday. He also earned another large score at the APT Manila Millions in 2012, collecting nearly US$1M. Tang is often seen at the Macau poker circuit, attending numerous high roller events. He closed out his 2016 year with a win at the APT Finale Macau Super High Roller Event for US$92,809. Currently, he is running 4^th in China’s All Time Money List, and is nearing US$3.5M in live tournament earnings.

Tang eliminated Jack Salter and took a chunk of Phil Ivey’s chips to cross over the million range.

Bryn Kenney – USA – 615,000 chips

Bryn Kenney

Bryn Kenney slides into the sixth spot of the final table with 615,000 in chips. Kenney is a well-known pro but is a rare sight in Asia. Last we saw him, he participated in the third edition of the Triton series in November, falling one spot short of victory at the Main Event. Last year kicked off very well for the American pro, reigning at the PCA 2016 US$100,000 Super High Roller NLH event to pick up a smile worthy payout of US$1,687,700.

Chip Counts (in order)

Sergio Aido 2,490,000

Koray Aldemir 2,420,000

Wai Kon Yong 1,705,000

Daniel Cates 1,475,000

Devan Tang 1,045,000

Bryn Kenney 615,000

The final six round will begin at 1pm today. Somuchpoker.com will have a recap for you as soon as it concludes.

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More: 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Manila – Coverage

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Article by Triccia David