Triton Poker Montenegro: Winfred Yu Captures Career-First Triton Title in Event #3: HK$ 100K Short Deck NLHE Ante Only For HK$2.04M

With a buy-in of HK$100,000, Event #3: HK$ 100,000 Short Deck NLHE Ante Only of the Triton Poker High Roller Series Montenegro registered 70 entries (includes 28 re-entries) generating HK$6.58 Million in the prize pool. Playing out over two days at the Maestral Resort & Casino, the event was ultimately won by Hong Kong’s Winfred Yu (cover image), who bagged his maiden Triton title, along with HK$2,040,000 in prize money.

A prominent face in the Asian poker circuit, Yu is presently ranked third on Hong Kong`s All-Time Money List, with total live winnings of nearly $4 Million. Yu is credited for introducing poker to the high rollers of China, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Yu proved that he is as good a poker player as he is a poker organizer as he overcame a 3:1 chip deficit against Isaac Haxton to win the title. The American pro had already finished runner-up to Steve O’Dwyer in the series-opener and was looking to claim the title this time around; however, it wasn’t meant to be as Yu eventually emerged as the victor, relegating Haxton to yet another second-place finish.

Talking about his victory in the post-event interview, Yu said, “I’m very excited. It’s my first Triton championship. Last year I came fourth in the short-deck main event, this time I got the job done.”

Following the eliminations of Sam Greenwood (9^th) and Paul Phua (10^th), all the remaining players were assured of a payday.

Dutchman Jordi Urlings was the first player to cross the money line, finishing eighth for HK$260,000, after which the seven-handed final table was formed.

Final Table Recap

Macau’s Tam Tek Lon did not last long at the final table and was the first to depart. His were outdone by Leon Tsoukernik’s , which bettered to a rivered two pair, leaving Lon with three antes. On the next hand, he was eliminated by Isaac Haxton in seventh place.

Next up was Ukraine’s Ihor Shkliaruk who was sent to the rail by Tsoukernik in sixth place. With the board open , Shkliaruk jammed holding and Tsoukernik called with . While Shkliaruk turned a straight, Tsoukernik rivered a full house which won him the pot.

Finishing in fifth place was Germany’s Steffen Sontheimer when his pocket queens were cracked by Peter Jetten’s ace-king.

Owner of the most popular casino in Europe, King’s Casino Rozvadov – Leon Tsoukernik found himself entangled in a three-way pot against Haxton and Jetten. Tsoukernik held , and both his opponents were dealt ace-jack. As luck would have it, both Haxton and Jetten flopped three-of-a-kind jacks to chop the pot between them – eliminating Tsoukernik in fourth place.

The three-handed play started with Peter Jetten in the chip lead, but soon enough he lost most of his stack, first to Haxton and then to Winfred Yu. Though play continued for quite some time, ultimately, Jetten’s two pairs were defeated by Haxton’s straight, resulting in the former’s third-place dismissal.

The heads-up confrontation began with Isaac Haxton enjoying a 3:1 chip lead over Winfred Yu. But as is the nature of the short-deck format, the chip lead changed hands a few times before Yu finally won the title.

On the last hand, both players shoved all-in with Haxton holding , while Yu had the . The board revealed , and Yu hit three-of-a-kind jacks on the river to take down his first-ever Triton title, along with a top prize of HK$2,040,000. Haxton picked up HK$1,370,000 for his second runner-up finish at the series.

Final Table Results (HKD)

1. Winfred Yu – HK$2,040,000

2. Isaac Haxton – HK$1,370,000

3. Peter Jetten – HK$920,000

4. Leon Tsoukernik – HK$700,000

5. Steffen Sontheimer – HK$540,000

6. Ihor Shkliaruk – HK$420,000

7. Tam Tek Lon – HK$330,000

You can catch the final table action right here.

Day 1:

Day 2:

Content & Images Courtesy: Triton Poker

Photography by Joe Giron

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