Zhao Wenjie’s Heads-Up Masterclass
The Main Event with a buy-in of $8,000 drew a massive field of 1,230 entries, creating a prizepool just shy of $9 million. For much of the final two days, it seemed Spanish player Ander Vallinas would be the main protagonist, dominating the game and entering the final as the undeniable chipleader with 153 big blinds.
However, the true star turned out to be Chinese player Zhao Wenjie. Making his Triton debut, Zhao showed fearless play, highlighted by an incredible bluff in heads-up.
On a board of 9 c 7 d 6 c 5 d 8 s, which normally would have led to a split pot, he put Vallinas under enormous pressure on the river, forcing a fold. Zhao held only 4 h 3 c, but Vallinas believed he had the top straight.
Zhao emerged as the champion, but thanks to a heads-up deal and his previous dominance, Vallinas walked away with the largest payout of the event and his career.
Results of the Event #10: $8,000 NLH Main Event Final Table
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1. |
Zhao Wenjie |
China |
$1,160,000* |
|
2. |
Ander Vallinas |
Spain |
$1,337,000* |
|
3. |
Shota Nakanishi |
Japan |
$641,000 |
|
4. |
Liu Xiaohu |
China |
$475,000 |
|
5. |
Kai Yang |
USA |
$371,000 |
|
6. |
Issey Maeda |
Japan |
$279,000 |
|
7. |
Zhou Quan |
China |
$213,000 |
|
8. |
Eguchi Takumi |
Japan |
$151,000 |
|
9. |
Jimmy Guerrero |
France |
$116,990 |
*Heads-up deal.
Austin Yang Surprises by Overcoming Haxton and Kenney
The final event of the series was the $15K High Roller, a perfect bridge to the upcoming Super High Roller Series. The tournament attracted 490 entries and featured a star-studded final table with the likes of Bryn Kenney and Isaac Haxton.
When it came down to the final three, it seemed almost impossible for the 29-year-old Malaysian, Siang Ang “Austin” Yang, to triumph over two of the game’s most successful players.
Yet, Yang first knocked out Kenney in third place and subsequently defeated Haxton in a dramatic heads-up. After his victory, Yang humbly credited his success to good fortune and shared a humorous detail – he shook hands with the legendary Paul Phua before the final to “borrow” some of his famed luck.
This ritual appeared to work, as Yang turned his short stack at the start of the final table into a trophy win and a $932,000 prize.
Results of the Event #20 ($15,000 High Roller) Final Table:
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1. |
Siang Ang Yang |
Malaysia |
$932,000* |
|
2. |
Isaac Haxton |
USA |
$940,000* |
|
3. |
Bryn Kenney |
USA |
$891,000* |
|
4. |
Manuel Fritz |
Austria |
$466,000 |
|
5. |
Paulius Vaitiekunas |
Lithuania |
$366,000 |
|
6. |
Christopher Nguyen |
Germany |
$287,100 |
|
7. |
Aren Bezhanyan |
Armenia |
$214,000 |
|
8. |
Zhang Yang |
China |
$149,090 |
|
9. |
Sergio Aido |
Spain |
$117,000 |
*3-way deal
The Triton ONE festival in Jeju concluded with a remarkable success, passing the torch to the Super High Roller Series, where events will feature buy-ins up to $150,000.
Sources: Triton Poker Series, X
