Debut Triton Win Claimed by Nick Petrangelo as Spencer Falls Just Short

The latest Triton Poker title was won by a first-time winner, as one of the best who hadn’t previously taken a trophy on the tour, Nick Petrangelo, claimed the win and $775,000. The one-day Turbo No Limit Hold’em event, which featured 53 entries including 15 re-entries, saw stars such as Steve O’Dwyer, Daniel Dvoress and David Yan all make the latter stages only for ‘Nicky P’ to grab the W.

Martirosian Can’t Make the Money

The bubble of a 53-entry single-day event is a tense occasion, and it was the Russian player Artur Martirosian who felt the pain of bubbling for no return on his five-figure entry fee. All-in with 16 big blinds with pocket eights, he lost a flip to Petrangelo’s and made a swift exit. The pot gave Petrangelo the lead with 54 big blinds, with the American some way clear of German Leon Sturm and Canadian Daniel Dvoress who both had just eight bigs each.

It was Sturm who shoved first, running into Isaac Haxton’s pocket kings. Happily for Sturm, he was running with the best hand in the deck, pocket aces. Doubling up, Sturm’s resurgence put Dvoress under the gun and he soon pushed all-in himself with . Called by Sturm himself with pocket tens, the German won the flop, a clear board for Sturm sending Dvoress home with a min-cash of $77,000.

Steve O’Dwyer fell to short stack then busted in eighth for a score of $101,000. O’Dwyer led with pocket queens when he shoved but he lost to British player Lewis Spencer, whose got there on the river, an ace coming to signal the Irish-American’s departure.

Nouira Goes Close Again

Leon Sturm’s survival to the final seven was admirable but the German ran out of luck at that stage. All-in with pocket jacks, Sturm was in terrific shape to double when Maher Nouira turned over pocket sixes. The Tunisian player missed the flop and the turn, but a miraculous six on the river sent Sturm to the rail for $130,000.

Isaac Haxton enjoyed one of the strongest previous years of any poker player in the world, but that didn’t help him with six left. All-in with , Haxton lost to Petrangelo’s as his fellow American denied him a debut win on his own path to victory. Haxton’s result in sixth place was worth $164,000.

Nouira left next, as he cashed yet again this series. Busting in fifth place for $212,000, Nouira lost two hands to Lewis Spencer, as ace-jack lost to king-jack then the Tunisian’s was chopped down by the British player’s pocket aces. Spencer vaulted to a massive chip leader in that hand as he raked in Nouira’s stack, giving himself half of the chips in play.

Spencer Comes Close as Petrangelo Powers Home

With four left, Spencer had all the inertia, with David Yan forced to move with holding only two big blinds after a previous confrontation with Spencer. Pentrangelo had shoved with [5d and the bigger stack, hitting a five on the board to reduce the field to just three, Yan going home with $273,000.

Dylan Linde busted next, cashing for $362,000 when his pocket deuces lost to Petrangelo’s , with the latter being the aggressor once more. A nine and a jack on the flop meant Linde was out of luck and that pot had helped build Petrangelo’s chip lead into a dominant one, his 38 big blinds some way clear of Lewis Spencer’s 15 big blinds.

The British player had when the board came . All the money went in but Petrangelo had turned a flush with and he had the pot and the title, taking home $775,000. Spencer, so close to victory after dominating much of the final table, took the $556,000 runner-up prize.

“This one doesn’t count!” joked Petrangelo after the action. “I want to win one of the Main [Events] or the Invitational or the $200Ks. No, obviously this is great and I’m happy. I’d like to win one of the big ones before I’m done – it’s a different skill set.”

Photographs courtesy of Joe Giron for the Triton Poker Series, proudly partnered by PokerStake.