Champion Mike Watson

Canada's Mike Watson is now a seven-time champion on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series after the 42-year-old pro won a second NLH turbo tournament of this trip to Montenegro.

There was a distinct sense of deja vu as Watson found himself holding a Triton Poker trophy only four days after he picked up his last one. This time it was in the $50K NLH Bounty Quattro, which he added to success in the $30K NLH event earlier in the week.

It came over a field of 32 entries and came with a prize of $621,000, including $240,000 in bounties. Watson was delighted how it turned out, making the most of a tournament in which many of his usual rivals were otherwise occupied. It was nonetheless a fierce final table, with the top four also featuring the only player who has more titles than Watson, Jason Koon, as well as Alex Foxen, who could have won his fifth.

But Watson outlasted both of them, as well as the exceptional talent of Linus Loeliger, who finished second.

Watson versus Loeliger

"It's sick," Watson said, becoming the first player on this trip to Montenegro to win a second title. "Lucky cards, I guess really, at the end of the day. In turbos, there's going to be some all-ins, if you win the hands, that's a big part of it."

He then expressed his happiness at emerging as the closest challenger to Koon's 12 Triton titles.

Watson said: "I don't think Jason is going to feel me breathing down his neck or anything, just quite yet. But being second alone is pretty incredible. So I'm really thrilled to have that on my resume right now."

While he admitted it can be tempting to want to take a day off from the grind once in a while, he said he was happy to stick to what he does best, with the results to show for it.

"I'm here to play poker, it's a work trip," Watson said. "I'm away from my family for a few weeks so I'm here to play, try to make some money, try to win some titles if I can. Poker remains the primary focus. But you know it's a long trip sometimes."

The dedication is clearly worth all the effort.

Watson's work trip brings home the paych

TOURNAMENT ACTION

The last NLH Turbo event on the schedule took place not only in the shadow of the $100K Main Event, but on a blistering hot Friday here in Montenegro, with many of the players arranging a tennis tournament on the pristine clay courts of the Maestral Resort. It meant that only 28 non-tennis players decided to give this $50K Bounty Quattro a spin, with four additional re-entries.

By Triton Poker standards, the $1.6 million prize pool was relatively meagre, but this was a hugely talented field battling toward a $381K first prize, plus $60K bounties for the final eight players.

The final table bubble was therefore also the bounty bubble, though the real cash only kicked in with six players left. Nonetheless, the following squeezed around the last table, with two to bust before the cash.

FINAL TABLE LINE-UP

Linus Loeliger – 1,650,000 (66 BBs)

Anatoly Zlotnikov – 945,000 (38 BBs)

Mike Watson – 890,000 (36 BBs)

Alex Foxen – 745,000 (30 BBs)

Jason Koon – 680,000 (27 BBs)

Jesse Lonis – 590,000 (24 BBs)

Artur Martirosian – 525,000 (21 BBs)

Emilien Pitavy – 380,000 (15 BBs)

There were subplots aplenty in that line-up, including a fourth final table of the trip for Anatoly Zlotnikov, a second consecutive Turbo final for the winner of the first, Mike Watson, a Turbo winner from Jeju, Jesse Lonis, and the reigning Ivan Leow Player of the Year, Artur Martirosian. And then of course there was Triton Ambassador Jason Koon, seeking that elusive 13th title once again.

The only player at the final without a previous Triton title was France’s Emilien Pitavy. He had led the field for long periods while registration was still open, but was the short stack by the time they reached the last eight. And that was as far as he could go.

Pitavy had A9 and spotted a great squeezing opportunity after Linus Loeliger opened from UTG+1 and Anatoly Zlotnikov called in the cutoff. Pitavy shoved his 11 blinds, but Loeliger called holding A and the dominant ace remained best.

Loeliger took the first bounty token, worth $60K, and they were off and running.

Emilien Pitavy made the final but not the cash

By his own tremendous standards, this trip to Montenegro has been disappointing for Martirosian. He’d played everything, but not cashed at all. However, the next significant pot got him off the mark for the trip: Martirosian open-jammed pocket fives for 17 blinds and Lonis, on the button, called. The two players had identically-sized stacks, which meant Martirosian took everything when Lonis didn’t connect holding KQ.

That was the bubble burst in an instant, with Martirosian banking the $60K bounty. It also put Martirosian in second place in the chip counts as they posed for an ITM, final table snap.

Event 11 final table players (clockwise from back left): Artur Martirosian, Alex Foxen, Mike Watson, Jason Koon, Anatoly Zlotnikov, Linus Loeliger.

Martirosian was now in the zone. He doubled up on the very hand after busting Lonis, this time enjoying the right side of a cooler. Both Loeliger and Martirosian had a five in their hands – Loeliger had A5 and Martirosian had . And the two other fives were on the table by the time a turn card was out. All the money went in and Martirosian’s kicker played for a massive double.

He had 76 blinds when the average was only 36 and nobody else had more than 33.

Whatever happened in this event, this has been an incredible trip to Montenegro for Anatoly Zlotnikov. One win, one third place and a fifth in the Triton Invitational. Every single player who played this week would have been happy with that record.

But Zlotnikov couldn’t add to his title haul in this one, losing a massive pot to Loeliger in another stinking cooler. Zlotnikov had 43 when Loeliger had 9. The flop of linked the two hands perfectly, but gave Zlotnikov the bottom end of the nine-card straight.

He was left with less than one blind, which of course meant that everyone went hunting for his bounty on the next hand. And it was Mike Watson’s A9 that beat Zlotnikov’s 4 (and he took a few chips from Martirosian’s too).

Zlotnikov won $79,000.

It's been a banner week for Anatoly Zlotnikov

Loeliger was back at the top of the leaderboard now, ahead of Watson, Foxen and Martirosian, in that order. The only player who hadn’t yet shifted up or down was Koon, who was nursing 12 big blinds. But he could nurse them a while longer as Martirosian’s quick cameo at the top of the counts came to crashing halt.

Martirosian was likely expecting better when he got dealt AA on the button and put in the mandatory open-raise. Loeliger called in the big blind and the pair took to a flop of 9. Both players checked.

The turn was the 9 and Loeliger led out. Martirosian raised with his aces and Loeliger just called, taking them to the 6 river.

Martirosian had 17 blinds left, but Loeliger’s bet was bigger than that. It was a frightening board, but Martirosian’s aces were under-represented. He called for the last of it.

Loeliger had 107 and had rivered a straight. Martirosian took $161,000, including his one bounty payment.

Artur Martirosian reads it and weeps

With the two Russians now eliminated, there were three North Americans against the surging Swiss.

The first blood went to Watson. He doubled through Loeliger holding pocket eights, which ended with a straight. Loeliger’s A10 never even threatened to catch up.

However, Loeliger was not to be denied when he got into a race against Koon.

Loeliger called on the button holding KJ and Foxen completed from the small blind. Koon looked at pocket sixes in the big blind and moved in for 14 blinds total. Loeliger called and Foxen backed down. The first card off the deck was the and that was decisive.

Koon flipped his bounty token to Loeliger and took $128,000 for fourth.

Jason Koon prepares to hand over his bounty token

Loeliger was still collecting those tokens, but Foxen had nosed ahead. Shortly before Koon’s elimination, Foxen won a chunky pot from Loeliger when his KQ turned a queen. And by the time the tournament went on a brief break, Foxen suddenly had 61 blinds to Loeliger’s 28 and Watson’s 18.

Linus Loeliger couldn't overcome Watson

Watson doubled through Loeliger with AK beating A. Foxen could sit back and watch the two shorter stacks exchange positions. But very soon after, it was less comfortable for Foxen as Watson's queens beat Foxen's , even though Foxen turned a flush. A fourth club on board on the river gave Watson a better one.

Watson pulled right up alongside Foxen, with Loeliger now the lonely short stack. But after Loeliger found a double through Foxen, with A10 beating A, it was Foxen's turn to occupy third place, with Watson out in front.

And Foxen never recovered. Another couple of small pots heading elsewhere left the four-time champ with only seven blinds. He moved them in from the small blind holding K5 and Watson called with A. The better hand held and Foxen departed in third for $168,000.

Alex Foxen had to settle for third

Watson had a lead of 39 blinds to 12 and this didn't take long. Three hands into heads-up play, Loeliger shoved with K5 and Watson called with A. It held, giving Watson the final bounty, a second turbo win of this trip and a seventh title overall.

"How many PLO turbos are on the schedule?" he asked immediately, reflecting on this unlikely, but wholly deserved, double. He'll be the favourite, no matter how many there are.