Malaysia’s Paul Phua has taken down the $150,000 NLH 10th Anniversary Special at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Jeju for $3,226,000.
The Triton co-founder topped an 81-entry field to claim the $12,150,000 prize pool’s top prize at the month-long Triton festival at Jeju’s Les A Casino. American pro Brandon Wilson finished runner-up for $2,241,000 after leading heads-up before Phua rallied from behind.
The man known universally on tour as “Boss” won the most expensive event in Triton history on the stop designed to celebrate the series’ ten-year journey. It was his second Triton title, four years after Madrid, pushing his tracked career earnings past $37 million on the Hendon Mob.
“I’m a bit lost for words. We have a great team, and many great supporters. Many of them are not professional tournament players. They keep coming back. I just want to thank you all. And I also want to thank Ivan, who is upstairs. Ivan was one of our founding players, thank you Ivan.” – Paul Phua
Action Recap
The $150,000 buy-in was the highest ever staged on a Triton schedule, designed specifically as the crown jewel of the 10th anniversary celebrations. Registration stayed open through the start of Day 2, bringing the total to 81 entries with 13 paid spots.
The bubble burst when Mario Mosböck found his A♠ 6♥ all in against WSOP Paradise GGMillion$ champion Johannes Straver‘s 9♦ 9♣. The nines held, sending Mosböck home as the last player to leave empty-handed.
Even beyond the bubble, the field was stacked. Isaac Haxton, Wang Ye, and poker’s most decorated Triton competitor Jason Koon all fell before the final nine. Defending champion Kayhan Mokri was eliminated in 10th, setting the final table.
| Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Wilson | United States | 4,165,000 | 69 |
| Danny Tang | Hong Kong | 2,705,000 | 45 |
| Johannes Straver | Netherlands | 2,220,000 | 37 |
| Paul Phua | Malaysia | 2,090,000 | 35 |
| Klemens Roiter | Austria | 1,550,000 | 26 |
| Artur Martirosian | Russia | 1,390,000 | 23 |
| Elton Tsang | Hong Kong | 900,000 | 15 |
| Mikita Badziakouski | Belarus | 625,000 | 10 |
| Aleks Ponakovs | Latvia | 555,000 | 9 |
Reigning Ivan Leow Player of the Year Artur Martirosian had entered with 23 big blinds but lost a chunk early when his A♥ Q♦ ran into Elton Tsang’s K♥ Q♣, which made a flush.
Down to his final nine blinds, Martirosian jammed Q♠ J♥ and was called by Wilson’s A♠ 10♥. The ace-high held, ending the Russian’s run in ninth for $340,000.
The hand that changed the tournament came next. Klemens Roiter woke up with A♥ K♦ in the big blind and moved his 16 blinds in over Phua’s cutoff open.
Phua snapped it off with A♣ A♦. A king landed on the flop but nothing else saved Roiter. Eighth place paid $450,000, and Phua had doubled into contention.
Phua on the turning point: “I came in near the bottom of the chip count so it was quite easy for me to play, just wait for hands. The turning point was when I had aces and Klemens Roiter had ace-king on the big blind and I doubled up. From then on the cards just ran my way.”
Phua kept the momentum going, calling Aleks Ponakovs‘ near-shove with A♠ 3♣ against the Latvian’s Q♠ J♦. The board ran out 4♥ 9♣ 5♦ 6♠ 4♦ and the Triton Paradise Main Event winner was out in seventh for $577,000.
Then the floodgates opened. In back-to-back hands, two five-time Triton champions hit the rail.
Tsang three-bet jammed over reigning GGMillion champion Mikita Badziakouski‘s open and Badziakouski called his final 10 blinds with K♥ J♦. Tsang’s 9♠ 9♥ held, sending the Belarusian home in sixth for $729,000.
On the very next hand, five-time champion Danny Tang found A♠ K♥ in the small blind. Wilson opened from the button with 6♠ 6♥ and called Tang’s three-bet shove. A six flopped, and Tang was done in fifth for $936,000.
Johannes Straver sat shortest with 12 blinds. Wilson attacked from the small blind and Straver defended with K♦ 10♥ against Wilson’s 5♠ 4♥.
Straver looked good when the king appeared on the 8♣ K♥ 6♦ flop. But the 7♠ turn and 4♣ river completed a straight for Wilson, sending the Dutchman out in fourth with $1,161,000.
Three-handed, Tsang found himself sandwiched between Wilson’s chip lead and Phua’s rising stack. The final blow was a flush-over-flush cooler. Phua opened A♠ 6♠ on the button and Tsang called Q♠ 10♠ from the big blind.
The flop came 3♠ J♠ K♠, giving both players a flush draw. They checked to the J♦ turn, where Tsang bet two blinds with his straight draw and flush draw. Phua called.
The 9♠ river completed both flushes, but Phua’s ace-high was best. Tsang bet around five blinds, Phua jammed, and Tsang called it off. Third place paid $1,482,000.
Triton’s 10th anniversary: The series launched in Manila in 2016 with a $200,000 invitational won by Fedor Holz. A decade later, Phua’s victory at his own tour’s celebration event capped a month-long Jeju residency spanning 31 events across the Triton ONE and Super High Roller Series.
Heads-up began with Wilson holding 69 big blinds to Phua’s 39. The young American had seen this position before, reaching heads-up in the $50K NLH at this same stop only to lose to Punnat Punsri. This time he held a near two-to-one lead, but Phua ground his way back.
The key pot came when Wilson bluffed a 8♣ Q♥ Q♠ Q♦ J♥ board with just 3♦ 2♥. Phua called with A♠ 5♦ and took the chip lead. A few hands later, Phua’s K♦ 9♥ turned a pair of kings to extend his advantage.
On the final hand, Phua found Q♦ Q♥ and Wilson picked up A♠ 8♦. The queens held, and the room erupted close to 2 a.m. in Jeju.
“It’s very special,” Phua said. “It’s been four years since I lifted a trophy in Madrid, and I almost didn’t wake up to late reg for this event. I had two hours of sleep, but my assistant managed to wake me up.”
10th Anniversary Special Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Phua | Malaysia | $3,226,000 |
| 2 | Brandon Wilson | United States | $2,241,000 |
| 3 | Elton Tsang | Hong Kong | $1,482,000 |
| 4 | Johannes Straver | Netherlands | $1,161,000 |
| 5 | Danny Tang | Hong Kong | $936,000 |
| 6 | Mikita Badziakouski | Belarus | $729,000 |
| 7 | Aleks Ponakovs | Latvia | $577,000 |
| 8 | Klemens Roiter | Austria | $450,000 |
| 9 | Artur Martirosian | Russia | $340,000 |
The Triton Super High Roller Series in Jeju continues through April 1, with several events still on the schedule including PLO and Short Deck tournaments. Follow our full Triton Jeju coverage on VIP-Grinders for daily recaps.
Full schedules and results are available on the official Triton Poker Series website.
