Double Dutch Delight in Triton Poker Cyprus Event

When it comes to the Super High Roller circuit in poker, location can be everything. The action at the felt is going to be hot no matter where you are, but a stunning destination means a lot to players who count themselves among the elite.

With 69 entries overall, a massive prize pool of $6.6 million was on the line at the Merit Royal Resort and Casino. The final table was packed with poker players of legendary repute and it was Teun Mulder who got the job done, topping his countryman Tom Vogelsang to win the $1.94m top prize.

Cyprus Proving Popular with Poker Elite

The Triton Poker Series in Cyprus is proving extremely popular with professional poker players, and not only the ones who are already in the stunning holiday destination. Daniel Negreanu has a serious case of FOMO and as WSOP 2021 Player of the Year Josh Arieh revealed, is jumping on a steel bird to take part.

Attention @PocketFives investors! I got this text…. are you ready for some @PokerGO Cypress action? We have a horse ready to make the trip! pic.twitter.com/Z2zSW0KP40

— Joshua Arieh (@JoshuaArieh) April 4, 2022

Two events in, a win for Andras Nemeth in the $50,000-entry Opening Event set the scene, but the $100,000-entry second event really saw the blue touch paper lit. In Event #1, two Hungarians took first and second place for a total of $1,852,000 in winnings. In Event #2, two Dutch players won over $3.3 million.

There were some poker greats in the field, with GPI Breakout Player of the Year Johan Guilbert, Belarussian All-Time Money List crusher Mikita Badziakouski, PokerGO owner Cary Katz, Sam Greenwood, British poker legends Stephen Chidwick and Ben Heath, and the dominant player of 2021, Michael Addamo.

In the second event, only nine players were paid, and Event #1 winner Andras Nemeth was the ‘bubble boy’, as he crashed out with ace-five against Vogelsang’s jack-six when the latter made a straight.

Dvoress Runs to Fifth

Soon after the final nine players assembled at the felt, Elton Tsang was the first player to bust. Tsang, who won $12.2 million of his $13.4m live winnings in the WSOP Big One for One Drop event in 2016, busted for a score of $192,000, a profit of $92,000 on his entry fee. Out in eighth was Ali Imsirovic for $251,700, the Bosnian-American’s ace-four crushed by Vogelsang’s ace-king pre-flop and post-board.

In seventh place, the first of two Malaysians met with an exit as the big man himself, Paul Phua, busted for $324,500 with pocket tens outdrawn by Vogelsang’s jack-ten. Phua was followed from the felt by his countryman Michael Soyza, whose $410,500 result came when he was busted in sixth place. Soyza’s ace-nine started his final hand ahead against Teun Mulder’s king-ten, but a king on the flop saw to that and the field was down to five.

After making a raise with five-three, Canadian player Daniel Dvoress moved all-in on a flop of 9-8-3 but was called by Jake Schindler, who held eight-six for middle pair. That held to mean the end for Dvoress, albeit a hand later, after a micro-stack of chip change saw ace-four shot down mercilessly by Schindler’s pocket jacks. The Canadian left with a $529,000 return on his investment.

Dutch Courage Wins the Day

“Despite winning that hand, Schindler would be gone next.”

With four players remaining, there was an embarrassment of riches when it came to player quality and money still up for grabs, with $4.8 million to be won. Mike Watson was the first of the four to lose out on that chance of winning the close to $2 million top prize. ‘SirWatts’, as he is known online, lost with king-deuce against Schindler’s ace-king on a king-board to leave with $683,300.

Despite winning that hand, Schindler would be gone next. One cause of that elimination was Mulder making a crucial double-up with pocket fours against the American’s pocket jacks, a four coming on the river when all the chips were in the middle pre-flop. Mulder could have been out for $903,000, but instead, Schindler was a little while later, ace-three losing to Mulder’s queen-jack of clubs to add insult to injury.

An ace and a three on the flop gave Schindler two pair but there were two clubs on board too and a ten of clubs on the river saw Schindler exit stage left. Mulder had 9.4 million chips to Vogelsang’s 4.4 million and was able to make that chip advantage count with brutal effect.

Heads up lasted just two hands, as Mulder put his chip stack to perfect use. In the final hand, Vogelsang thought he had a way back into the battle, holding a straight by the river with a ten filling in the middle gut shot. Mulder had king-ten, however, for the superior straight and he claimed the $1,940,000 top prize, with Vogelsang winning a runner-up prize of $1,390,000.

There are still several high-profile events on the ticket in Cyprus, with Event #3, the $75,000-entry Short Deck event coming next.