Triton SHRS: 'Boss' Paul Phua Dominates Tournament on the 10th Anniversary of His Series

A Symbolic Tournament with Star-Studded Participants

Event #12: $150,000 NLH 10th Anniversary Special, attracted a total of 81 entries, boosting the prizepool to an astounding $12,150,000. Despite it being a celebration of Triton's decade-long presence, opponents like Brandon Wilson and Danny Tang gave the series founder no easy ride.

Phua almost didn't make it to the second day of play, as he overslept and was saved from missing late registration by his assistant, who just managed to wake him in time. The tournament was charged with emotion, as Phua dedicated his tearful victory to his late friend and series co-founder, Ivan Leow.

A Journey to a Historic Triumph

Paul Phua didn't start the final table from the strongest position, but he soon began moving up. The turning point came when he knocked out Klemens Roiter (8th place) as his A s A h held against Roiter’s A d K s. From that moment, the cards seemed to be in his favor.

He successively eliminated Aleksejs Ponakovs in seventh place and in a crucial showdown for the final heads-up, he also knocked out his friend Elton Tsang. In the heads-up against American pro Brandon Wilson, Phua started with a slight deficit, but with accurate reading of the game and successfully uncovering a big bluff, he turned the lead to his side.

A Magical Moment with the Number 2:22

The fatefulness of the entire evening was highlighted by a detail on the Triton Tempo clocks that count down the decision time for each player. At the decisive moment, Phua's timer showed 2:22. This number was inextricably linked with Ivan Leow.

In the final hand of the tournament, Wilson went all-in with A h 8 d, which Phua instantly called with Q d Q h. The board delivered no surprises, allowing Paul Phua to raise his second Triton trophy and collect $3,226,000, slightly improving his record win.

Final Table Results of Event #12: $150k NLH 10th Anniversary Special

Source: Triton Poker Series