We have been following the Triton Super High Roller Series held in Jeju, South Korea with no small interest. Indeed, the event has turned out to be quite exciting in its own right and having people pile on, spectate, and (in the case of a few bold souls) play, has been a confirmation to that.
A Glimpse of Triton
And now that most of the poker action for the year has drawn to a steady end, everyone is anticipating the still of the few months to follow with a mixture of dread and loathing. However, Triton will be releasing a few high-stake episodes right after the main event wraps up.
Commentary will be provided by the captivating Lex Veldhuis and Randy Lew. Triton has also been quite the accomplished event in its latest iteration. Even though most competitions don’t pass as a scene of Casino Royale, the current leg of the competition allowed players to do as they see fit as long as other players at the tables didn’t mind.
In the worlds of Jason Koon however, having to sit through the smoke has been a challenge as he found it as a significant drawback to his own game, taking a shot at smokers in particular. Mr Koon has already amassed nearly $20 million in cash winnings and it wasn’t done sipping cocktails and smoking cigars.
Back to the Game Itself
The most recent leg of the tournament saw Peter Jetten and Ivan Leow retire from the race after they were defeated. Their hopes of clinching the multi-million-dollar prize prize was quickly evaporated.
Leow faced Koon who was already in a mood to argue with everyone at the event because of the allowed smoking at the tables and drinking. Koon channelled his irritation into the game and defeated Leow, throwing him out of the race firmly and unapologetically.
The competition has been tight so far, but the final table of the event is still to be decided. Mikita Badziakouski has the lead with 3,065,000 chips, trailed by Sergio Aido with 3,000,000.
Other contenders are of course Jason Koon who’s managed to push well ahead at the expense of Richard Yong, Sam Greenwood, and Chan Wai Leong who have been fairing somewhat worse.
All players making it to the finals deserve to be here and following their progress is another interesting aspect of the joy of reporting about poker. With Mikita Badziakouski now having the lead, Jason Koon will be struggling to catch up.
Still, Koon is far better poised than any of the other contenders presently. The region’s star Leong is also running perilously low on chips, making his game a begging of the fates.
Even then, he may yet turn his luck around, as most skilled poker players eventually do, pulling themselves off the brink of the chasm and plunging right back into the action.
Drawing to an end, Triton Poker is hardly over and more exciting developments are poised to follow, one way or another. Triton will still have its winner – the best player in both the West and East hemisphere. A reward more dear than any cash incentive, though Triton’s monetary reward comes close.
Update: Mikita Badziakouski has won the final table with USD 5,255,456 as good as in the bank. This has brought Badziakouski’s total winnings in 2018 alone over $10 million, making him one of the richest players out there.
