Poker player Devan Tang of Hong Kong beat Canadian Peter Jetten to secure the HKD9.7-million (US$1.24-million) first prize in a short-deck game at the Triton Poker Series, Jeju. The Triton Poker Series organisers issued a statement on Monday announcing Mr Tang took the second event of the six-event tournament that is under way on the South Korean resort island of Jeju.
This year’s tour stop features a total of six tournaments that end on Saturday.
The Jeju events are being held at Jeju Shinhwa World, a venue owned and operated by Hong Kong-listed Landing International Development Ltd. The casino at the property is open to foreigners-only, under South Korea’s gaming rules.
There were 69 entries in the event won by Mr Tang, which cost HKD500,000 to enter. Eight players divided the prize pool of nearly HKD15.28 million.
Mr Tang’s latest prize pot brings his career earnings to more than US$6 million, strengthening his grip on second place in the all-time list of the highest-earning Chinese players. Mr Jetten earned HKD7.04 million for taking second place and Frenchman Romain Arnaud earned HKD4.54 million for taking third place.
Triton Poker Ambassador Jason Koon finished fourth and pocketed nearly HKD3.44 million. Mr Koon leads the global money list for short-deck Texas Hold’em tournaments, where the 52-card deck is reduced to 36 by removing cards lower than a six.
Mr Tang reportedly rode his luck on his way to the title, with a run of cards that included at least five pocket aces and a four-of-a-kind. “I got very lucky. I was lucky the whole way,” he said. “When you’re playing this big and you make the final table, you have to play your best for sure.”
On Sunday, American Justin Bonomo won the first event of the tournament in Jeju, a short-deck, ante-only game with a buy-in of HKD250,000. There were 65 entries in the tournament, including 28 re-entries, and the prize pool was nearly HKD15.28 million. Bonomo took the HKD4.6-million first prize and clinched his second title for the year. Last year, he won more than US$25 million and leads poker’s all-time money list.
Mr Bonomo’s final opponent on Sunday was Yeu Wei Hsiang of Malaysia, who took home HKD3.3 million.
Triton Poker was founded in 2015 by Malaysian businessman and poker player Richard Yong. The high-stakes series targets affluent businesspeople and top professional players.
