Champion Anatoly Filatov!

It had been 18 months since Anatoly Filatov had last appeared on the Triton Super High Roller Series, perhaps chastened by a cashless visit to Cyprus in 2023 in which he fired four tournaments without success. But Filatov's pedigree is such that he was never likely to stay away for too long, and he timed his return to perfection.

After a first cash in Event 5 here in Jeju, he jumped in to play three longs days in Event 6, the $25,000 buy-in WPT Global Slam. When the final hand was dealt, he found himself raking in the last pile of chips, defeating Calvin Lee heads up and claiming the $1.882 million first prize.

"I feel the power," Filatov said in an enthusiastic winner's speech, in which he revealed how Korean ancestry brought him to Jeju. His mother, who was born in Uzbekistan, is of Korean heritage, specifically from the island of Jeju. A trip here was in some ways a trip home.

It's fitting then that Filatov hit a new career high in this event, taking career earnings beyond $7 million. More importantly, it marks an emphatic return to poker's top table. Lee had been the dominant force during the early periods of a nine-handed final day, but Filatov seized the baton half way through the last period of play and was unstoppable from that point forward.

Filatov's mask comes out in celebration

It was one way traffic in heads-up play, with Filatov grinding Lee down to dust. Lee eventually took a stand for his last 14 blinds with A4, but Filatov flopped best with his K and there was nothing more to be done.

"This win is really special, and I'm really thankful for that," Filatov said. "I get lucky so many time, ran so good. I can't complain."

He also paid tribute to his wife, who had given him a mask she acquired in Venice as a lucky charm. Filatov wore it to walk to the final table, and put it on once more as he hoisted both trophies: one from Triton, and one from tour sponsors WPT Global.

As for Lee, he claimed a runner-up prize of $1.185 million, more than double his previous career best score. But his hunt for a first Triton title will continue—though he's in good form, having already made two finals on this trip to Jeju.

Calvin Lee was powerless against Filatov heads-up

Eighty players made it through the first day, which meant the opening levels of Day 2 were about surviving to the bubble. Only 63 places paid, so two full tables of players needed to bust before the cashiers needed to start work.

There were plenty of prominent players who couldn't survive this particular passage of play. Triton stalwarts Kiat Lee, Eelis Parssinen, Christoph Vogelsang and Matthias Eibinger landed outside the ropes. Ethan "Rampage" Yau's vlog also came to a screeching halt.

And though there were plenty of players nursing a short stack through this turbulent period, ultimately it was one of the medium stacks who fell in the worst position. Dan Dvoress, with 21 blinds, picked up A9 and four-bet jammed from under-the-gun, having been three-bet by the big stack of Shunjiro Kita in the cutoff. Kita had it, though. His remained dominant through a low board and Dvoress was eliminated in 64th. Kita assumed the overall chip lead.

TOURNAMENT ACTION

Dan Dvoress takes it in his stride as he bubbles Event #6

Of course, the next passage of play — the race to the final — is even tougher to navigate than what came before. And Kita was one of many unable to survive it. Alex Theologis, Justin Saliba and Michael Soyza all took major chunks from Kita's stack before he was knocked out by Christopher Park in 33rd. And of those assassins, only Saliba managed to make it to the last nine.

By that point, Calvin Lee had surged to the top of the counts, leading four North Americans and five Europeans — with eight Triton titles between them — to a final. It lined up as follows:

Calvin Lee - 16,025,000 (40 BBs)

Justin Saliba - 13,675,000 (34 BBs)

Orpen Kisacikoglu - 12,775,000 (32 BBs)

David Coleman - 12,075,000 (30 BBs)

Igor Yaroshevskyy - 11,800,000 (30 BBs)

Anatoly Filatov - 9,200,000 (23 BBs)

Fedor Holz - 9,100,000 (23 BBs)

Pascal Lefrancois - 8,375,000 (21 BBs)

Jon Ander Vallinas - 4,225,000 (11 BBs)

Event 6 final table players (clockwise from back left): Orpen Kisacikoglu, Anatoly Filatov, Fedor Holz, Igor Yaroshevskyy, Jon Ander Vallinas, Calvin Lee, David Coleman, Justin Saliba, Pascal Lefrancois

The last nine returned for the last of three days, with comparatively shallow stacks but a $1.9 million carrot dangling in front of them if they could last the distance.

Spain's Jon Ander Vallinas obviously knew that he would need some help to progress. AQ was plenty strong enough to potentially begin his comeback and he got his last eight blinds in with it, three-bet jamming over Calvin Lee's open.

Lee had a decent hand too, however, and his pocket tens won the crucial flip. It left Vallinas on the rail in ninth, which earned him $176,000.

Jon Ander Vallinas loses a flip to bust in ninth

Two-time Triton champion Orpen Kisacikoglu was returning to a final table for the first time since Monte Carlo 2023, and earning the first cash of this trip to Jeju. And coincidentally, he managed to find himself in the exact same flip as Vallinas before him, also squaring off too against Lee.

Kisacikoglu had 19 blinds when he three-bet Lee's open with red pocket tens. Lee four-bet jammed AQ and Kisacikoglu called. This time, Lee got the help he needed when a queen landed on the turn. That was terminal for Kisacikoglu, who had to settle for $220,000 and an eighth-placed finish.

Orpen Kisacikoglu also loses a flip to head out in eighth

Pocket tens were not done yet. And neither was Lee. Only around six eals later, Lee found the exact two cards once more — 1010 — and once again found an opponent raising into him. This time it was Pascal Lefrancois, who opened from under the gun with K. Lee three-bet his pair, Lefrancois jammed, and the cards were on their backs again.

This run out was especially unfortunate for Lefrancois. He hit one of his overcards when the dealer put the J9Q out there. But the turn filled Lee's straight, and that was unbeatable now. Lefrancois' first cash of the trip earned him $312,000.

Pascal Lefrancois removes his microphone as he's knocked out

Lee was on a seemingly unstoppable run now, but he took a back seat to the next elimination. This one pitted pocket pair against pocket pair, but it was the nines of Igor Yaroshevskyy that stayed best against David Coleman's sixes.

Coleman hadn't managed to get anything going at the final table and had dwindled to 10 blinds. In his final hand, Lee opened and both Yaroshevskyy and Coleman called with their pocket pairs, both also ending with an overpair to the 532 flop. Yaroshevskyy tickled a small bet in, Coleman shoved. Lee folded, but the nines were not threatened after turn or river.

Coleman's third cash of the series was his biggest yet at $415,000.

David Coleman sees the dealer deliver his fate

Half of the eight Triton titles previously won by players at this final table belonged to Fedor Holz, and the German wizard was in decent shape to make it five. He was also enjoying some decent fortune in the early stages of the final, particularly in a hand where his KJ rivered a straight on a 10 runout. He had two opponents in the hand, Yaroshevskyy with pocket tens and Lee with pocket threes. But somehow the two with sets managed to wriggle away losing the minimum.

Holz was therefore not able to push into his most comfortable position of dominant chip leader, and had 13 blinds when his final hand came about. Coincidentally, in this one he was facing an opponent, Anatoly Filatov, holding KJ, who flopped Broadway. Holz's A flopped top pair, but Filatov played it slowly, picking off Holz's river shove.

The straight was still good then. Holz was out in fifth for $529,000.

Fedor Holz with a face that says, 'I guess I'm not winning this one'

Technically, Holz had suffered a bad beat, but it was nothing of the scale suffered subsequently by Justin Saliba to oust him in fourth. The opponent was the same, Filatov, and this time the Russian pro had Q5 in his hand. He open-raised from the small blind and Saliba, with , called from the big.

Filatov took the lead on the 459 flop and made a half-pot bet. Saliba called and hit an over-card when the turned. Filatov checked, Saliba bet three-quarters of his stack and Filatov jammed for the rest.

Saliba called with top pair, but the 5 river stabbed deep into Saliba's hopes. He was out in fourth for $675,000.

Justin Saliba turns over cards that have just been rivered

The last three — Yaroshevskyy, Lee and Filatov — all had plenty to play with now, having each played a part in trimming the field down to this stage. For the first time so far on this stop in Jeju, we had three top-ranking players with relatively deep stacks. It was fun to watch them try to dance their way through the various situations.

Although there was experience to burn among these three, the only player with a previous Triton title to his name was Yaroshevskyy. But the Ukrainian was next to bust. Filatov took a significant portion of Yaroshevskyy's stack with A6 beating , and then Lee finished him off on the next hand.

Lee jammed the small blind with A8 and Yaroshevskyy committed his last eight blinds with K. Yaroshevskyy didn't hit anything and Lee rivered an unneeded ace. That left Yaroshevskyy's three-time ambitions in tatters, though he picked up $850,000 for third.

Igor Yaroshevskky’s last chips go in

There were just two players left now but 120 blinds between them — Filatov marginally ahead with 67 to Lee's 54. The stage was set for the first genuinely deep-stacked heads up duel of the week.

If only Lee had been able to pick up some cards to do anything about Filatov's momentum. The Russian won just about every hand in as lop-sided a contest as you'll see, including hitting trip fours with 74 to beat Lee's A. Ultimately, there was no stopping Filatov, who has found home from home in Jeju.

Let the celebrations commence for Anatoly Filatov