Mikita Badziakouski goes back to back
Back to back Main Event titles in any live poker series is something most players only ever dream of, but for Mikita Badziakouski that dream has become a reality. Not only that, but he has accomplished his feat in a series that richly rewards its winners. The Triton Super High Roller Series crowned its new champion and handed him HKD$41,250,000 (USD5,255,456) this week, except of course, he wasn’t a new champion at all, having won the previous Triton Super High Roller Main Event in Montenegro just a few months ago. This event, held in Jeju, South Korea attracted 55 runners, many of them world-class high stakes pros, with each competitor paying HK$2,000,000 (US$256,420) to enter.
The final payouts for the Main Event are as follows:
1st – Mikita Badziakouski – HK$41,250,000 (US$5,255,456)
2nd – Chan Wai Leong – HK$25,520,000 (US$3,251,376)
3rd – Richard Yong – HK$16,720,000 (US$2,130,212)
4th – Sam Greenwood – HK$11,550,000 (US$1,471,528)
5th – Jason Koon – HK$8,470,000 (US$1,079,120)
6th – Sergio Aido – HK$6,490,000 (US$826,858)
Million Dollar Cash Game
While millions of dollars always change hands when players win tournaments at the Triton Super High Roller Series, the biggest money of all can perhaps be found in the more secluded arena of cash games. With so many talented high stakes players in one place, it is no surprise that huge cash games have been going on. Usually these games are very private, but this time around they are being televised in several episodes due to air later this week. Viewers can expect to be treated to some big names in action, playing for colossal sums of money.
Blinds began at the US equivalent of $3,000/$6,000 with a $6,000 button bet added, and the buy in was set at $900,000 in US money. At the start, around $8,000,000 was on the table, but by the end there was $16,000,000 circulating. The games being played switched between regular Texas Hold’em and Short-deck Holdem.
J.P.Park who supervised the game said “I’ve been around poker for a long time, and that was the most exciting game I’ve ever seen,” Park said. “The million-dollar cash game was the biggest cash game I have ever been involved with. They started with roughly $8 million, about a million per person, on the table. And at one point there was $16 million on the table.”
Side event winners
In the side events during the series, several huge scores were collected, with David Peters winning the HK$500,000 (USD$64,105) Six-Max No Limit Hold’em event for HK$8,775,000 (US$1,100,000). He defeated a field of 39 players to take down the event.
There were 60 entries for the HK$1,000,000 (US$128,210) Triton Hold’em side event. (Short Deck Ante-Only). Kenneth Kee managed to defeat all comers in that one, picking up HK$22,500,000 (US$2,860,000 approx.)
The HK$500,000 (US$64,105) Triton Hold’em event (Short Deck Ante-Only) was won by Ivan Leow who managed to best a final table that included Jason Koon and Tom Dwan to pocket the 1st prize of HK$8,470,000 (US$1,079,586.
The smallest event still offered a great payday to eventual winner Nick Schulman, with 61 players having paid the HK$100,000 (US$12,821) entry fee. On his first outing playing Short Deck Ante-Only poker, he triumphed over Kenneth Kee heads up to win the event, banking HK$2,135,000 (US$272,084).
Article by Craig Bradshaw
