Doug Polk went from short stack to reaching the $125,000 Triton Poker London Main Event final table, while Dan “Jungleman” Cates chip leads with nine players left.
The 151-entrant no-limit hold’em tournament will begin its final session at 1 p.m. local time in London on Monday, with the YouTube stream starting at 2 p.m (6 a.m. PT). Each of the remaining players has a guaranteed minimum payout of $422,500, but the winner will take home $4,185,000.
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No Better Time for Pocket Aces
Short-stacked (less than 20 big blinds) during Sunday’s session, Polk was looking for an opportunity to double up into a decent stack with the bubble nearing. He’d do better when he picked up A♣A♠ from the hijack and raised the 20,000 big blind to 40,000. Stephen Chidwick, the small blind, three-bet it to 150,000 with Q♠Q♥ before Ole Schemion moved all in for 660,000 with A♥Q♣.
Polk only had 350,000 and Chidwick had everyone covered, and both players, holding premium hands, called. The board ran out J♠J♥4♣5♠3♦, and the pocket aces held up. The Upswing Poker founder tripled up back to a more manageable stack, while Chidwick took the side pot.
Schemion, who won a Triton event last week, was out in 34th place, seven spots off the money. Shortly after the bubble burst, Ramin Hajiyev went out in 27th place, a $189,000 min-cash. Other notables to bust on Sunday include Luxon Invitational winner Bryn Kenney (21st for $205,000), Erik Seidel (19th for $226,000), Espen Jorstad (16th for $254,000), and Nick Schulman (11th for $360,000.
Polk was among the short stacks as the final table bubble approached, but he’d build up his stack to 3,325,000 after Seth Davies was eliminated in 10th place ($360,000). Following Davies’ exit, the final table of nine was set with the blinds to resume on Monday at 50,000/125,000 with a 125,000 big blind ante.
Triton Poker London Main Event Final Table Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Chip Stack |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Cates | 8,200,000 |
| 2 | Stephen Chidwick | 6,650,000 |
| 3 | Jean Norel Thorel | 5,650,000 |
| 4 | Timothy Adams | 5,150,000 |
| 5 | Doug Polk | 3,325,000 |
| 6 | Juan Pardo | 2,500,000 |
| 7 | Isaac Haxton | 2,325,000 |
| 8 | James Chen | 2,300,000 |
| 9 | Lun Loon | 1,675,000 |
Everyone at the final table will be trying to catch up to Cates, whose 8,200,000 stack is good for 66 big blinds. The two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) Poker Players Championship winner was dominant on Sunday, which is no surprise to anyone who has followed his brilliant career.
Jungleman has long been known more as an online poker crusher. But with his two WSOP bracelets and over $12.3 million in Hendon Mob cashes entering the Triton Poker London Main Event, he’s proven that his skills aren’t limited to the internet.
2023 Triton Poker London Series Updated Results
| Tournament | Entries | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25k NLH GGMillion$ | 162 | Luc Greenwood | $897,000 |
| $25k NLH 7-Handed | 120 | Fedor Holz | $609,853 |
| $40k NLH Mystery Bounty | 133 | Espen Jorstad | $639,000 |
| $50k NLH 8-Handed | 112 | Ole Schemion | $1,350,000 |
| $25k NLH 7-Handed | 104 | Jason Koon | $1,570,000 |
| $200k NLH 8-Handed | 81 | David Yan | $3,052,002 |
| $30k NLH Turbo Bounty | 86 | Pedro Garagnani | $459,000 |
| $250k NLH Luxon Invitational | 118 | Bryn Kenney | $6,860,000 |
| $25k Pot-Limit Omaha | 77 | Seth Gottlieb | $511,000 |
| $60k NLH Turbo | 61 | Phil Ivey | $1,007,000 |
*Lead image courtesy of Trition