Champion Dan Dvoress!

It might be time for poker reporters to set up a new shortcut, one that writes "Dan Dvoress has won again on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series".

After his record-breaking three-trophy haul in Montenegro in May, Dvoress has taken up right where he left off in Jeju this week, tonight picking up another win in the $30,000 NLH 8-Handed event.

It brought with it a seventh career title, a payday of $942,000 and, uniquely, a measure of revenge over his fellow Canadian Xuan Liu, who defeated Dvoress heads-up in Montenegro in 2025 when she won her first ever event.

It was Dvoress against Liu again for the title

Tonight, however, Dvoress was untouchable, still surfing the wave of success on which he'd torn through Triton's last festival. Remarkably, he revealed he hadn't even played a poker tournament since he brought the curtain down on the Montenegro stop with that final win. But Dvoress clearly still has everything it takes.

"Here is the first live poker that I've played since Montenegro, and I was like 'Can I keep the momentum going?'" Dvoress said. "And apparently, yes."

He continued: "Mostly I tried to focus on not poker, and play a bunch of tennis, do a lot of hiking, get outdoors, do a lot of gardening...I do think that occasionally taking a step back can be useful. It helps you reframe things, helps you think about things a little bit different."

But it was business as usual for Dvoress in this one. He held the chip lead at the end of Day 1, and had it still when the tournament reached a final table of eight. And even when faced with players including Ben Tollerene, Lun Loon, Stephen Chidwick and his old nemesis Liu, Dvoress' success never seemed in doubt.

Now with seven titles — equal with Matthias Eibinger and Mike Watson, and behind only Jason Koon — he has the chance perhaps to rise to the very top of the pile. He also leads the Ivan Leow Player of the Year award by a comfortable margin, which now grows even bigger.

Momentum is real for Dvoress

"I just want to play my best every time I show up," Dvoress said, explaining his motivation for continuing to return to Triton. And remember, that "best" is very, very good indeed.

TOURNAMENT ACTION

A field of 135 entries amassed for this one, with the buy-in having now crept up to $30,000. And after a wave of first-time winners in the first four tournaments here this trip, the players who made it into the deep stages seemed to be making a strong point for the old guard.

Paulius Vaitiekunas was eliminated on the bubble, losing significant pots to Yu Zhang and then Yuna Kanaizumi, before Artur Martirosian took the very last of his chips. But when 18 players remained at the end of the day, there were former champions throughout the field: Dan Dvoress led, Xuan Liu was second, Ben Tollerene was third. Then there was Stephen Chidwick, Alex Kulev, Nick Petrangelo and Danny Tang. It was an all time line up.

A bubble for Paulius Vaitiekunas

Not all of them made it to the final, of course. But Dvoress, Liu, Chidwick and Tollerene did. Dvoress had slipped and then bounced back into the lead, with Malaysia's Lun Loon also surging up the counts. Loon was hoping to end a run of 11 final table appearances without a win.

For the second day in succession, it was an eight-handed final, with simultaneous knockouts on each of the last two tables — Ren Lin busting to Liu; Alex Kulev losing out to Dvoress — quickly slimming the field from 10.

Ren Lin narrowly missed the final

They therefore lined up as follows, with stacks reflecting a two-level roll-back:

Dan Dvoress - 6,775,000 (68 BBs)

Lun Loon - 4,175,000 (42 BBs)

Xuan Liu - 3,775,000 (38 BBs)

Stephen Chidwick - 3,650,000 (37 BBs)

Lin Meng-Ling - 3,600,000 (36 BBs)

Ben Tollerene - 2,075,000 (21 BBs)

Yan Jingyao - 1,775,000 (18 BBs)

Gytis Lazauninkas - 1,175,000 (12 BBs)

Event 6 final table players (clockwise from back left): Gytis Lazauninkas, Lin Meng-Ling, Stephen Chidwick, Yan Jingyao, Dan Dvoress, Xuan Liu, Lun Loon, Ben Tollerene.

The final table began at a frantic pace, with Gytis Lazauninkas quickly all-in against Yan Jingyao, but chopping the pot to survive. Lazauninkas got both unlucky and lucky in the same hand: he had AK to Yan's A, so was dominant to begin with, but Yan turned a straight. Lazauninkas then hit one of his three outs to hit Broadway as well.

Ben Tollerene was not so fortunate a few hands later. The four-time champion ripped in his last 18 blinds after Dvoress had opened UTG and Lin Meng-Ling had called from middle position. Dvoress called the shove holding QQ and, after Lin folded, Tollerene tabled his .

Tollerene was a significant under dog and didn't catch up. It meant he was the first to leave the final, taking $118,000.

Ben Tollerene wanders awa

After trying and failing to knock out Lazauninkas, Yan had remained among the short stacks. But he soon doubled himself, winning a big flip with AQ against Lun Loon's J. As in many previous cases, the luck seemed to run out for Loon when it mattered most, as the Malaysian was soon back on the ropes in a hand against Liu.

In this one, Loon picked up A9 on the button and moved in, even though he had Liu and the chip-leading Dvoress in the blinds behind him. Liu looked down at Q and called immediately, putting Loon's tournament on the line. Loon didn't see an ace (and Liu actually saw another queen). It meant that Loon's 12th career final ended in a seventh-place finish, worth $160,000.

Lun Loon had another wretched time at the final

It was already clear that Dvoress and Liu were going to be the toughest players to beat during this phase of the final table. Everything they touched turned to gold — and they were largely staying out of each other's way.

Yan was the next player to try to outmuscle one of the two leaders, and it ended in familiar ignominy.

Yan certainly had the ammunition. He picked up AK and three-bet jammed from the small blind after Dvoress' button open. Dvoress called and was dominated, holding A. However, the run-out of had that killer 10 lurking among it. That was all Dvoress needed.

Yan was out in sixth for $217,000.

Yan Jingyao made it to six

Dvoress maintained a very healthy lead as all others, bar Liu, slipped into the danger zone. That even included the noted crusher Chidwick, whose final table had not quite caught light.

Chidwick had slipped down to nine blinds, behind even Gytis Lazauninkas's 11 blinds, when the pair then got embroiled in a classic race situation that would likely end the tournament for whomever lost. Lazauninkas open raised with JJ, Chidwick shoved with and they prepared for the dealer to determine their fate.

This time, the pocket pair prevailed. A third jack appeared on the river for good measure and Chidwick took the walk. A hold'em title on the Triton Poker Series still eludes the man sitting second on poker's all time money list. But he has another $279,000 to his name.

Stephen Chidwick lost a huge flip to bust in fifth

At this point, there was the real possibility of two intriguing firsts: if Dvoress and Liu got heads up, they would become the first duo to twice square off for a Triton title. If Liu and Lin were the last two sitting, it would be the first time two woman had gone heads up.

Liu's place was looking pretty solid, but Lin was now in danger. And when she jammed her last eight blinds over a Dvoress pre-flop open, it was her make or break moment.

Lin was in good shape. She had 99 to Dvoress' K. But true to form at this final, Dvoress got what he needed in the shape of a king on the flop. Lin was out in fourth, claiming a first Triton cash worth $348,000.

A first ever Triton cash for Lin Meng-Ling

Now only Gytis Lazauninkas stood between the Canadian heads-up rematch. Having brought the short stack to the final, Lazauninkas had never had what might be called a comfortable stack, even after he doubled through Dvoress four-handed, holding Q4 to Dvoress' 10. But when he got 17 blinds in with pocket queens soon after, called by Dvoress with , he had a decent chance to finally get moving in the right direction.

However, not for the first time, Dvoress ran out the winner. The flop came 8A9, followed by the turn and river. That was that for Lazauninkas. He won $424,000 - a new Triton high for the Lithuanian.

Gytis Lazauninkas had the shortest stack coming into Day 2 and finished third

So here they were again. The old sparring partners from Montenegro. Liu overcame a chip deficit to close that one out — 61 blinds to 16 — and she'd need to do it again to prevail this time. Dvoress had 89 blinds to Liu's 19 this time around, so there was a huge imbalance.

But as you already know by now, there was to be no repeat. In fact, this battle didn't even last to a second hand.

Not this time for Xuan Li

On the very first deal, Dvoress had pocket threes and shoved. Liu had KJ and called. And the board ended up giving Dvoress the wheel -- as well as yet another title. That's seven!