Talal Shakerchi Wins Triton Poker Series Vietnam Main Event for $3.25 million

The Triton Poker Series has reached its Main Event in Vietnam as the Hoiana Resort & Golf venue played host to a stunning finale, culminating in British high roller Talal Shakerchi winning the $3,250,000 top prize after getting the better of Michael Soyza heads-up. It was a stunning result not only for PokerStake seller Soyza, but the German player Daniel Smiljkovic as two of the final three finishers in the event came in the podium places.

Early Stages Favor the Big Stacks

The final nine players who gathered at the final table were headed by British hedge fund manager and high roller regular Talal Shakerchi, whose stack of 7.4 million chips equated to 74 big blinds by the time the final table was reached. Behind Shakerchi, Spanish superstar Adrian Mateos sat on 7.1 million, with a much bigger gap back to third in chips Daniel Smiljkovic on 5.3 million chips.

With 135 entries, a record-breaking Triton turnout, eclipsing the 130 entries in the 2019 Triton Main Event in London, the $100,000-entry Main Event began in fine style. It was a swift exit for the Czech Republic player Roman Hrabec, who already has a second-place finish to his name this series after starting the festival in top gear during the opening events.

Hrabec started the final with just five big blinds and predictably perhaps was the first man out. He shoved with 3♠3♥ only for Mateos to call him with K♦10♠. The board of 9♦8♠2♦Q♦J♣ gave the Spaniard a straight and he sent Hrabec to the rail with $324,000.

Next to leave the action was Winfred Yu, who busted in eighth place for $418,400 when Michael Soyza and Fedor Holz had him in fatal trouble in a three-way all-in. Yu shoved with A♠10♥, but had wandered into the coldest deck since the Titanic hit the iceberg, Holz holding K♠K♥ and Soyza A♦K♦. Both men called and Holz was hoping for a double elimination, but Soyza struck gold on the board of A♣5♥2♣J♣9♦ and tripled up, while Yu said goodbye.

North American Hopes Go South

With seven players remaining, it was the last American standing who was next to hit the rail. Nick Petrangelo has enjoyed a profitable trip to Vietnam already, but he busted in seventh for a score of $566,800 when he ran his J♠J♣ into the A♠A♥ of Michael Soyza, with the board of Q♣4♥3♥K♦10♣ giving Petrangelo no added hope to a two-outer river draw.

With Petrangelo gone, the last remaining North American player in the event was Canadian Timothy Adams, but his tournament came to a close in sixth place for $756,000. Shoving with A♣Q♣ pre-flop over Talal Shakerchi’s raise with J♥J♣ and Soyza’s call with A♦Q♠, Shakerchi’s re-shove meant that Adams only had to hit, as Soyza wisely elected to fold. The board was not a kind one, however, as the British player hit a set on the flop of A♥J♠7♣ and after the 9♣ turn and 2♥ river, the field was down to five.

Five became four when German poker legend Fedor holz ran out of luck in an awful spot. All-in with the best of it holding K♦K♣, Holz couldn’t hold against Daniel Smiljkovic, whose A♥Q♥ spiked an ace on the turn of a board showing 9♣3♦2♣A♠10♠. Holz, who cashed for $965,000 in fourth place, fell just short of the top four as a result of the suckout.

Soyza Eclipsed by Shakerchi

With four remaining, the Spanish player Adrian Mateos was one of the major threats. However, his tourney ended abruptly, losing from the small blind with K♠7♣ against Soyza’s A♦5♠ when all the chips went in pre-flop. Soyza hit a five and with just two big blinds left to his name, Mateos exited in the next hand despite dominating Shakerchi, running out of luck entirely to leave in fourth place for $1,201,000, the first seven-figure score of the final day.

Earlier on, Mateos had discussed his strategy in another fun video short from Poker.org:

Three-handed, two of the last players were PokerStake players, leading to much celebration from their investors. A brilliant bluff from Soyza practically levelled the stacks early in three-handed play, and it was Smiljkovic who busted in third, cashing for $1,450,000. The German had a piece of the flop when his pre-flop raise with 7♦6♦ was called by Shakerchi with 5♥3♥. That flop of 7♠6♥2♥ was a spectacular one, and all the money went into the middle with the German player needing to fade straight and flush draws. The Brit hit on the turn of 10♥ and the K♥ river made no difference to the outcome, Smiljkovic busting outside the top two.

Heading into the final duel, Shakerchi’s win in that hand meant he had a strong lead of 22.5 million against Michael Soyza’s 11.3 million chips. The chips didn’t stay that way, but Shakerchi had retaken the lead by the time the final hand played out. The British player’s A♦7♦ was ahead of Soyza’s Q♦J♥ with all the chips committed and after the 6♦6♥5♦ flop and 7♣ turn, Soyza needed to see one of eight ‘face’ cards to survive. The K♥ on the river was the only type of picture card he couldn’t win with, having missed queen and jack, and Soya cashed for $2,207,000 in second place, runner-up to Shakerchi, who claimed his first Triton win and the $3.25 million top prize – the biggest tournament win of his poker career so far.

This article originally appeared on PokerStake.com