Cary Katz hadn’t played Short-Deck before arriving in the Landing Casino, Jeju, South Korea, resplendent in his trademark black jacket and peaked cap.
Not that it matters.
People like Katz don’t fear games of poker, even one without the deuces, treys, fours and fives. Successful men like Katz adapt, evolve and more often than not come out on top.
After testing the water in the HKD 100,000 (USD 13,000) and HKD 500,000 (USD 64,000) buy-in Short-Deck events without coming up with as much as a conch shell, the Poker Central founder, finished second in the HKD 1,000,000 (USD 127,000) buy-in event for HKD 13,920,000 (USD 1,773,722).
The game had flung out a lure, and you could see it, flashing brightly, from his stiff upper lip.
The man who created the ARIA High Rollers, and has cashed in more of them than anyone alive or pushing up tulips, went home to the US, and I get the feeling there was only one thing on his mind.
The Poker Masters is Back
The second edition of the Poker Masters is back, and the ARIA and Poker Central have released the menu.
It looks tasty.
Sep 7 – Event #1: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Sep 8 – Event #2: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Sep 9 – Event #3: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
Sep 10 – Event #4: $10,000 Triton Hold’em (Short-Deck)
Sep 11 – Event #5: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Sep 12 – Event #6: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Sep 13 – Event #7: $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event
Events #1 – #5 are double re-entry
Events #6 – #7 are single re-entry
As you can see, Katz has introduced a Triton Hold’em event (Short-Deck) into the schedule, and I think that’s a good thing for the high roller stratum.
The Triton Poker Series is the father of the Short-Deck Ante-Only variant. The brand has become THE tour for the games biggest winners, but only a select few top-tier pros have given this format a shot because the buy-ins are so huge.
In offering a $10,000 price point (which isn’t Triton’s niche), it allows a broader tranche of players to have a taste of the newest meat in town. If they like the marble; they are likelier to compete in what is fast becoming the most significant high stakes tournament variant in the world.
Last year, Steffen Sontheimer won the Waraire Boswell designed Purple Jacket when he made four of the five final tables, winning two of them, including the $100,000 Main Event for $1.5m, leaving Las Vegas with $2,733,000 in winnings.
“Including Short-Deck is fine since it’s just the ’10k'”, Sontheimer told me in a brief interview.” It’s a little tryout for everybody and won’t influence the overall results. I’d prefer to make The Poker Masters pure NLH since we have the USPO for mixed games, but it’s fine either way.”
A lot of players coming into the Poker Masters spending more time in the zone than out of it. Justin Bonomo has to be the favourite after winning both Super High Roller Bowls and the Big One For One Drop, Jason Koon is another man picking up seven-figure scores at the rate a hammerhead shark picks up jokes about his face from other sharks, and Mikita Badziakouski has just won back-to-back Triton Poker Series Main Events.
Form.
Heat.
Luck.
Call it what you want, it’s essential coming into an event like this.
“I felt good going into the event last year,” said Sontheimer. “I had a great summer doing alright in Vegas; cashing big in Montenegro and Velden, and cashing in Rozvadov. Life was great. For me, it was the first time experiencing Vegas with nice weather. My friends and I got there two days early, and we hung out and had a good time. I felt like my game was great, confidence was at an all-time high at that point.”
The Poker Masters is still in its infancy. Given its annual calling, it will take time to settle into a rhythm, and become one of the genuinely great poker events. The schedule and lineup will ebb and flow depending on the times, and feedback from those involved.
“I loved the idea and the concept of having a week-long grind of those tourneys,” said Sontheimer. “I figured out early that the overall ranking was kinda messed up; pretty much guaranteeing the winner of the Main Event the title. But since you only win the jacket with no money on top, it’s not a big deal. There wouldn’t be any point where I play differently to win the title. My job was to go max $-EV. Everything that comes along with that is a cherry on top. They changed the ranking system for this year which makes sense. They should’ve asked players earlier to start like that right away.”
After Sontheimer won the Purple Jacket, Daniel Negreanu called him the best No-Limit Hold’em live tournament player on the planet. High praise from the undisputed Player of the Decade.
“I felt great getting so many warm words from a legend and poker icon like Daniel,” said Sontheimer. “I always enjoy playing and competing with him. It feels great to be seen as one of the top guys by people that play the same stuff. Whether it is being picked early in a draft, getting asked for swaps by the best players or getting those kinds of articles written about you.”
And media folks looking forward to writing more Poker Masters articles about Sontheimer are going to be sorely disappointed. PokerGO relies on the story arc of poker, and there is no better narrative than a man returning to defend his title.
Not this year.
“I won’t play this year,” Sontheimer confirmed. “I don’t think it’s the best value of the year and I have private things during that week that I value a lot. So I decided to skip and watch some of the streams. I’m a bit sad for sure, but I’m happy with my decision.”
I imagine there are twenty plus other people who are also happy with his decision.
Tag: Mikita Badziakouski
Sam Trickett is among the top pros sitting pretty after Day One of the Triton SHR Series Main Event. Others have had to rebuy. The Paul Phua Poker team reports
Day One of the Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro Main Event has just gone, and what a day it was! Some of the biggest names in poker were among the 47 (including re-entries) so far who have stumped up the HK$1m (US$128k) entry fee, making for some exciting poker tournament action and some very difficult tables.
At one point Paul Phua found himself seated in the most unfortunate position of all: with the young internet legend Timofey “Trueteller” Kuznetsov to his left, and veteran five-time WSOP bracelet winner John Juanda to the left of that! Perhaps it’s not surprising that Paul Phua was knocked out twice during the day. Undaunted, he has bought in a third and final time for Day Two!
Top pros who suffered an early knock-out, and then bought in again, include Steve O’Dwyer, Wai Kin Yong and David Peters. Even the recent Triton SHR Series 6-Max Montenegro champion, Fedor Holz, busted out and rebought. And despite the tournament experience born of two bracelets and more than 33 cashes at the WSOP, Dominik Nitsche was forced to buy in three times just as Paul Phua was.
Qiang Wang, the million-chip man
There is just one million-chip man going into Day Two: Qiang Wang. Top pros with significantly bigger stacks than the 250k they began with include Mikita Badziakouski (825k), Sam Trickett (715k) and Steffen Sontheimer (600k). Montenegrin local hero Predrag Lekovic, who came third in the Triton SHR Series 6-Max warm-up event, is sitting in tenth place with 357k. Lekovic busted Timofey “Trueteller” Kuznetsoz out of the tournament on the very last hand of the day!
Registration remains open until the beginning of Day Two. The big question is, will Tom Dwan make a last-minute appearance? Or is he too caught up in the exciting side action of high-stakes cash games at the Maestral Resort and Casino?
Interviews for the Paul Phua Poker School
Once the tournament broke up for the night, the Paul Phua Poker team filmed even more video interviews with the top pros. We’re really excited by the great strategy advice they have given us, as well as their insights into the life of a professional high-stakes poker player. We can’t wait to get all the footage edited so we can share it with you in the Paul Phua Poker School.
In the meantime, follow @PaulPhuaPoker on Twitter for updates on the Triton SHR Series Main Event.
No one can tell the future, least of all in poker. But there is one thing we can say for sure: with some of the world’s top poker pros competing, it’s going to be a thriller.
Fedor Holz, Dan “Jungleman” Cates and Sam Trickett are just some of the poker pros playing in the exclusive Triton Super High Roller Series in Montenegro. The Paul Phua Poker team reports
Is it really just a year and a half since the first Triton Super High Roller Series took place? Already it has become a key fixture in the top poker pros’ calendars, and Day One of the Triton SHR Series in Montenegro shows why.
The Main Event, starting on July 18, is expected to bring out the very brightest stars in poker. We’re now only just on the warm-up tournament: the 6-Max Texas Hold ’Em, with an entry fee of “only” HK$250,000 (US$32,000). And yet some of the world’s finest poker pros are playing already.
The great, late Fedor Holz
Fedor Holz, the likeable German poker prodigy who at 23 has already amassed $23m in live tournament earnings, arrived fashionably late – by three hours! Even so, true to form, he wasted no time in building a commanding stack. He finishes Day One in sixth place, with more than double his starting stack of 50,000.
Three places above him, with 129,000, is Steve O’Dwyer. The US high-stakes specialist, who has $18.5m in live tournament earnings, is now poised to notch up another big win. Pity the Canadian pro Lucas Greenwood, who started the day with the fearsome Steve O’Dwyer to his left – and then, having busted out and rebought, drew the legendary Dan “Jungleman” Cates to his left instead!
Greenwood has a comfortable 64,600 as he enters Day Two. He’s not sitting pretty, however. Who’s that two places to his left? It’s Steve O’Dwyer, yet again!
Other huge poker names who have survived to Day Two include John Juanda, Sam Trickett, Richard Yong, Winfred Yu and Mikita Badziakouski.
Paul Phua Poker interviews the poker pros
The Paul Phua Poker team was at the Triton SHR series too, with cameras at the ready, to bring you live action on Facebook and Twitter (follow @PaulPhuaPoker). We also conducted exclusive interviews with Fedor Holz, Dan “Jungleman” Cates and the British No 1 Sam Trickett – we’ll add those videos to the Paul Phua Poker School in due course – and there will be many more to come as the Triton SHR Series unfolds.
Wish you were here? You can have the next best thing: tweet your question for the Triton poker pros to #PhuaTriton, and Paul Phua will do his best to get them answered.
Maestral, Montenegro, magnificent
Another reason to love this particular Triton SHR Series is the idyllic location. The five-star Maestral Resort and Casino where the tournaments are being held has been comprehensively refurbished over the last few months, and the Montenegrin Prime Minister himself cut the ribbon on its reopening last week. The Maestral now has 183 rooms and 22 suites, all finished to the highest design specifications, with superb cuisine and a Wellness & Spa Centre that already in 2016 had been named Montenegro’s best. It also offers a private beach and an expansive terrace bar overlooking the sea.
Montenegro has some of the most beautiful coastline in Europe, with dramatic hills rising above perfect sandy beaches in tranquil coves. But even by Montenegrin standards this particular stretch is prized as one of the best. In the immediate vicinity of the unique island resort of Sveti Stefan, near Budva with its Old Town and modern nightlife, it is well worth visiting – even without Fedor Holz enjoying a post-tournament dinner on the Maestral’s sea-view terrace a few tables to your right!
For more Triton SHR Series action, follow @PaulPhuaPoker on Twitter, like and follow Paul Phua Poker on Facebook, and tweet your questions for the Triton pros to #PhuaTriton
When two of the best players in the world end up capturing the first and second prize in a contest that is not even the main event, then you know you have a great tournament on your hands.
That’s precisely what took place at the Triton Series in February at the Solaire Resort in Manila. Dan Colman, Dan Cates, Phil Ivey and others came to play at what is now one of the most established dates in the Asian poker calendar.
The Solaire is a great venue for this tournament. If you haven’t been, it’s a very new development right on the sea. The attention to detail in the rooms, the tables, and the restaurants is incredible. All in a friendly environment with excellent service. It’s a great place to spend a few days.
The pros arriving from all corners of the world had two bites at the cherry. One a 6 max tournament with a HK$ 250,000 buy in over the first two days. And then a HK$1,000,000 main event which took place after. The winners of both would have to beat some of the greats of the game – players firmly established in the all-time money earning list.
The first tournament had 43 entries (including eight re-entries) each withtheir eye on the HK$3.6mn prize.
At the start of the second day fresh faced Timofey “Trueteller” Kuznetsov was the early chip leader. Paul Phua fell away early, as did great players like John Juanda and Dan Cates. Rainer Kempe was the beneficiary. He quickly built up a big stack and got to second place.
Other players who fell away included Koray Aldemir, who would have a much better time of it at the higher buy in event starting the next day. You never want to be the bubble in a poker tournament but the tournament organiser Richard Yong graciously performed that role by bowing out in eighth place!
The last seven players left in the tournament congregated at one table to play out the remaining action.
Mikita Badziakouski lost to a pair of Kings with his ace-ten. The popular Italian player Mustapha Kanit was next.
Kuznetsov, who had done so well early on day two, went to the rail in fifth place – a prize of US$92,040 equivalent still not a bad return — losing almost all of his chips in just two consecutive hands. A tough sudden turnaround for the young Russian. Sergio Aido was next, narrowly missing out on a place on the podium.
So the last three players were Rainer Kempe from Germany – who had done so well during many of the early levels – against two Americans, Eric Seidel and Dan Colman, who are 2nd and 4th on the all-time money list. That shows you just how strong the field was at that last table in Manila.
Kempe was the first to go. His pocket queens were no match for Colman’s ace-six suited. A six appeared on both the flop and the turn too – leaving Colman with the winning hand.
So then it was Colman versus Seidel – two of the biggest poker prize winners in history facing each other off in heads up action. Colman started with almost twice as many chips as his opponent. But that was by no means the whole story. The lead would change more than once.
Seidel caught Colman bluffing for jack-high. But then Colman bravely called his opponent soon after and the lead went back to the young American again. The tournament ended in great style – the sort of hand you would want the first prize to be won with in this sort of company. Colman began what would be the last hand with ace-jack suited. His eyes must have lit up inside when he got two jacks on the flop. And, you guessed it, he scored an ace on the turn! With the full house in Colman’s hands, the six max came to an end, with the HK$D 3,641,600 (USD 473,408) prize going to the young American star.
However, despite the action-packed finish, that was only the starter to the main course that would get underway the following day. The million Hong Kong dollar 10 max tournament with unlimited buy-ins on day one. Another very strong field – but with a totally different outcome.