Phil Ivey Wins Turbo Triton Event for $1 million, Gottlieb Grabs First Title

Two more dramatic events concluded at the Triton Poker Series festival in London as Phil Ivey got over the line to win his fourth TPS title for a cool million dollars. The latest victory in the career of the 10-time WSOP bracelet winner was a fast track to success as he won the $60,000-entry Triton Turbo Event #12 to capture a million-dollar top prize.

Yan Busts Before the Bubble

With 61 entries and 14 re-entries, a prizepool of $3.6 million was up for grabs, with just over one million dollars up top. Only 11 players would make the money and after Luc Greenwood got lucky to double through Nick Petrangelo when A♦9♣ got there for the Canadian against Petrangelo’s A♠Q♠, David Yan was under the gun in the sense of being extremely short stacked. The New Zealander moved all-in with A♥8♦ but Phil Ivey called with pocket nines and the American was not to be denied, sending the former Triton event winner Yan home with nothing and further strengthening his own push for glory.

One more player needed to bust for the remaining players to move into profit and Wai Kiat Lee’s elimination in 12^th place did just that. By the time the final table had been reached, Ivey sat on 41 big blinds, a chunk ahead of Biao Ding on 27 big blinds at the upper limits of the leaderboard.

Luc Greenwood may have survived into the money, but he went no further, leaving the final table first when his 10♦9♦ lost to Cary Katz’s 10♥8♥, the American making a flush to flip his dominated hand into a winning one. Greenwood departed with $104,000, and he was swiftly followed from the felt by Malaysian Wai Yong, as the three-time Triton event winner shoved with 6♣6♠ and ran into Tan Xuan’s A♦Q♥. Even worse was to come for both, however, as Cary Katz woke up with pocket aces, and called them both, holding to reduce the field to six.

Ivey Seals the Deal

“I’LL BE GOING HOME AND WAITING FOR THE NEXT TRITON, I GUESS.” ~ PHIL IVEY

With six left, play got even shallower before Biao ding departed for $223,200. He was only a few minutes ahead of Latvian Aleks Ponakovs in the queue for a taxi as the latter lost with A♦3♦ to Petrangelo’s Q♠9♠, two spades on the flop and another on the river giving the previously luckless Stateside player the flush and kicking Ponakovs to the door with $285,500.

Brazilian professional Rodrigo Selouan was next to depart, earning $360,000 when his A♣4♣ fell short, busted by Ivey’s pocket jacks this time, and that pot meant that a trio of American players remained. Not for long, Petrangelo’s A♣Q♣ losing to Ivey’s A♠8♣ as Petrangelo once again got unlucky with a dominating hand, heading home with $468,900.

Heads-up, Ivey had a whopping lead, holding 47 big blinds to Cary’s Katz’ stack of just 14. Katz – down to 10 bigs – found the perfect hand to shove with, as he moved it in with A♣K♣, but Ivey was priced in to call with Q♥7♥ and the board of Q♣Q♠6♣2♦J♠ sent Katz home in second place for $715,500, moving him into 12^th place on the all-time money list ahead of Fedor Holz.

For Ivey, it was another seven-figure win in his illustrious career as he took home $1,007,000. The drama was captured by the cameras as Ivey ended up as the top dog.

“It’s always nice to win one of these,” said Ivey nonchalantly in the aftermath of glory. “I love these Triton [events]. I’ll be going home and waiting for the next Triton, I guess.”

Gottlieb Gets One ‘For the Fans’

American Seth Gottlieb had always been a fan of the Triton Poker Series, but the businessman-turned-player, who lucked out in the Luxon Invitational, busting just outside the money places, is now a confirmed fan, winning Event #10 for half a million dollars. Gottlieb, who admitted after the event that his Pot Limit Omaha experience was capped at less than 24 hours, captured the title at the expense of one of poker’s most consistent performers over the past decade, Canadian Daniel Dvoress.

With 77 entries and 23 re-entries, the bubble period of this event saw Phil Ivey bust in 15^th place, before Ole Schemion sent Raphael Schreiner home with nothing on the stone bubble. Thereafter, the final nine lined up with Gottlieb on 96 big blinds, miles clear of even his closest challenger, Dvoress, on 42 bigs. A surprise exit for fourth-of-nine Schemion preceded a busy period of play where Gottlieb stayed out of trouble then took care of Pascal Lefrancois in third place to peak at exactly the right time. With Gottlieb and Dvoress very close in chips, the former had a set of sevens which led Dvoress’s two-pair with a card to come and all the chips in the middle. Another seven on the river gave the American quads and the two men shook hands.

The Chicago-born Gottlieb, who now lives and plays poker from his home in New Jersey, was delighted with the win. Prestige came above profit to the Day 1 chip leader who saw it out in style.

“I care a lot more about the trophy than the money,” he told reporters after the event. “Triton is amazing. I love Triton. Businessmen like me can have a lot of fun and maybe win some money. It’s the best series in the world.”

This article originally appeared on PokerStake.com