Mike Watson “It’s a Work Trip” After Seventh Triton Title Win

Triton Montenegro 2026 produced another milestone night for Mike Watson , who captured his second turbo title of the festival and seventh Triton Poker title overall.

The Canadian pro won Event #11: $50,000 NLH Turbo Bounty Quattro at the Maestral Resort & Casino in Przno, Montenegro , banking $621,000 including $240,000 in bounties.

#11 $50k NLH -- TURBO Bounty QUATTRO ($50,000)

Total Prize

$1,600,000

Entries

32

ITM

6

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	$381,000	MW Michael Watson Canada	2,084.00
2	$263,000	LL Linus Loeliger Switzerland	1,473.61
3	$168,000	AF Alex Foxen United States of America	1,203.20
4	$128,000	JK Jason Koon United States of America	1,042.00
5	$101,000	AM Artur Martirosyan Russia	931.99
6	$79,000	AZ Anatoly Zlotnikov Russia	850.79

Mike Watson Wins Again At Triton Montenegro

Watson had already won the $30K NLH Turbo earlier in the week , and there was a clear sense of deja vu as he found himself holding another Triton trophy just four days later.

This latest victory came from a 32-entry field, with the event generating a $1,600,000 prize pool. The field was smaller than many Triton events, partly because the $100K Main Event was also running, but the final table still carried serious weight.

Watson had to get through Linus Loeliger , Jason Koon , and Alex Foxen on the way to the title. Koon remains the only player with more Triton titles than Watson, while Foxen was chasing a fifth of his own.

“It’s sick,” Watson said after becoming the first player at this Montenegro stop to win two titles. “Lucky cards, I guess really, at the end of the day. In turbos, there’s going to be some all-ins, if you win the hands, that’s a big part of it.”

Seven Triton Titles and Counting

The win moved Watson into second place alone on Triton’s all-time titles list, behind only Koon’s record tally of 12.

“I don’t think Jason is going to feel me breathing down his neck or anything, just quite yet,” Watson said. “But being second alone is pretty incredible. So I’m really thrilled to have that on my resume right now.”

Watson also made it clear that despite the long festival grind, he still sees these trips as business first.

“I’m here to play poker, it’s a work trip,” Watson said. “I’m away from my family for a few weeks so I’m here to play, try to make some money, try to win some titles if I can. Poker remains the primary focus. But you know it’s a long trip sometimes.”

Loeliger Starts Fast

The final table began eight-handed, with Loeliger leading the way and Watson sitting third in the counts. The bounty bubble and final table bubble were the same, with the top eight collecting bounty tokens but only six players reaching the money.

Emilien Pitavy was the first to fall after shoving ace-nine into Loeliger’s ace-queen. That gave Loeliger the first bounty token and brought the field one step closer to the paid places.

The money bubble burst when Artur Martirosian jammed pocket fives and held against Jesse Lonis , who called with king-queen. Martirosian collected the bounty and finally opened his account for the Montenegro series.

Big Names Fall Before Watson Takes Over

Anatoly Zlotnikov had already enjoyed a huge Montenegro series, including a win and a deep run in the Triton Invitational , but he could not extend that streak here. He lost a massive straight-over-straight pot against Loeliger before Watson finished him off on the next hand.

Martirosian was next to go after his pocket aces were cracked by Loeliger, who rivered a straight. That left Watson, Loeliger, Foxen, and Koon still in the hunt.

Koon’s latest bid for title number 13 ended in fourth place. He moved in with pocket sixes, but Loeliger called with king-jack and found a king on the flop.

Watson Beats Foxen and Loeliger

Foxen briefly took control three-handed, but Watson fought back in a key pot when his queens made a higher flush against Foxen’s four-three. That hand changed the shape of the tournament and pushed Watson back into contention.

Loeliger doubled through Foxen soon after, leaving Foxen as the shortest stack. Foxen eventually shoved king-five from the small blind and Watson called with ace-king. The better hand held, sending Foxen out in third for $168,000.

Watson entered heads-up play with a large lead over Loeliger and needed only three hands to finish the job. Loeliger shoved king-five, Watson called with ace-ten, and the board kept the Canadian ahead.

The final bounty token went to Watson, along with his second turbo title of the week and seventh Triton trophy overall.

“How many PLO turbos are on the schedule?” Watson joked immediately after the win.

All quotes and images courtesy of Triton Poker Series.