Champion Yuna Kanaizumi!
A startling final table run from Japan's Yuna Kanaizumi landed her a first Triton ONE title in Jeju tonight, giving her a $395,000 payday — even before she began pulling bounty envelopes in this $5,000 Mystery Bounty Event.
It was all the more remarkable for the fact that this trip to Triton ONE is the first Kanaizumi has ever made. When asked to compare Triton with other poker events, she admitted she had no reference points.
But after cashing both the QQPK Genesis and a $2K One Night Bounty event, Kanaizumi now has a maiden title. It's been quite the debut.
"I'm very excited, happy, honoured," Kanaizumi said as she accepted her trophy.
It was a sensational performance in every way. Kanaizumi came to the final of this 836-entry tournament with only 14 big blinds, but soared up the counts in the early exchanges, and never looked back after seizing the chip lead. The only player who came close to matching Kanaizumi was the only other woman at the final: Nguyen Thi Xoa, making a return to the top stage after her seventh-place finish in the QQPK Genesis event earlier in the week.
They became the first female pair to play heads-up at a Triton-branded event.
But even Nguyen could ultimately do nothing to halt Kanaizumi, who achieved two early double-ups at the final before then knocking out five opponents to swell her bounty haul. Kanaizumi flopped a full house on what turned out to be the last hand, with Nguyen unable to get away from a turned pair of queens.
Nguyen's second deep run of the week earned her $240,000, before bounties, but she is still looking for a first outright win. Nguyen was also the runner up in the $10K Mystery Bounty event in the Super High Roller Series here in September.
But this one was all about Kanaizumi, who was unstoppable on this cruise to a first win.
Yuna Kanaizumi begins life as a champion
TOURNAMENT ACTION
Once again, the turnout for this Triton ONE event was extraordinary, with a staggering 836 entries across two starting flights. It meant a prize pool of $3.8 million, of which $1.67 million was in the bounty pool. More on that later.
Tournament organisers quickly adjusted the published schedule, adding a third day. It meant Day 2 focused on bursting the bubble then progressing to the final table, which would play out in full on Tuesday.
The elimination of Anton Rubtsov in 10th left the following players to find seats at the final:
Yunpeng Bai - 36,700,000 (61 BBs)
Tien Tranh Pham - 29,400,000 (49 BBs)
Elmer Kalaquian - 26,300,000 (44 BBs)
Kirill Beketov - 21,600,000 (36 BBs)
Nguyen Thi Xoa - 16,400,000 (27 BBs)
Cheung Chung Ching - 10,400,000 (17 BBs)
Fan Chih Wei - 9,850,000 (16 BBs)
Yuna Kanaizumi - 8,450,000 (14 BBs)
Chen Chuanshu - 8,075,000 (13 BBs)
Event 3 final table players: (clockwise from back left): Fan Chih Wei, Yuna Kanaizumi, Cheung Chung Ching, Elmer Kalaquian, Kirill Beketov, Nguyen Thi Xoa, Yunpeng Bai, Tien Tranh Pham, Chen Chuanshu
Blinds were rolled back by a level, giving everyone a bit more play, but the day was less than 30 minutes old before two players were on the rail.
On the very first hand of the final table, Cheung Chung Ching's three-bet shove got through. But on the second hand, he shoved again from the button holding A2, knowing two shorter stacks sat to his left, and might be inclined to fold. Good theory, but Yuna Kanaizumi found pocket 10s and called for her tournament life. She flopped a set to double.
Cheung folded the third hand, but on the fourth looked down at JJ. He three-bet shoved again, this time after Fan Chih Wei had opened. Wei had a slightly bigger stack and a slightly bigger hand, QQ. Wei called, held, and Cheung's all-action start to the final was over.
He was out in ninth for $29,000, and has three bounty draws.
Cheung Chung Ching's fast start ended with him on the rail
Cheung might have departed, but the frenetic pace continued. The returning short stack Chen Chuanshu hadn't found many opportunities to do anything about the state of his stack, and picked up A9 in middle position, which he rated good enough for a nine-blind shove. Nguyen Thi Xoa was in better shape chip-wise, and called holding KQ.
The board of 63JQ3 hit Nguyen. Chen was knocked out in eighth, for $37,000. He has two bounties as well.
Chen Chuanshu hit the rail in eighth
Nyugen's solid start was matched only by that of Kanaizumi, who built on her early double-up to surge into the overall lead. She doubled again through Elmer Kalaquian, with AJ beating Kalaquian's pocket sixes, all-in pre-flop, and then Kanaizumi had the chips to send Kirill Beketov to the rail in sixth.
The betting again took place entirely pre-flop, with Kanaizumi opening KQ from under the gun and Beketov moving in for 17 blinds from the button. He had AK so was in excellent shape after Kanaizumi called. However the dealer put a queen on the flop and Beketov couldn't find the outdraw.
Beketov's sixth place was worth $52,056. Kanaizumi was the new chip leader.
Kirill Beketov's elimination began Kanaizumi's surge
At the other end of the counts, three players had sub-15-blind stacks and were looking for spots to get them in. Tien Thanh Pham thought he had found his, but ended up only running into a cunning trap set by Nguyen.
Pham had QJ and opened from UTG+1. Pham looked down at AA in the big blind and, closing the action, opted just to call. Two players took in the innocuous 727 flop. Pham checked and Nguyen checked behind, with the J turn now giving Pham what he thought was top two pair.
Pham checked-called Nguyen's bet, and the Q river was even crueller than the turn. Pham checked again, and Nguyen bet enough to put Pham all-in. He couldn't get away from what seemed to be a monster, but saw the aces in Nguyen's hand and hit the rail.
Pham won $73,000 and has three bounty tokens too.
Tien Thanh Pham ran into aces
The action slowed slightly, but there were a number of players still without the chips to feel especially comfortable. Chief among them was Taiwan's Fan Chih Wei, who had not managed to find any traction since busting Cheung in the opening exchanges, and watched his stack dwindle to fewer than 10 blinds. (One pot against Kanaizumi cost him half his stack, and it was downhill from there.)
Wei had only five blinds when he played his last hand: open-jamming pocket fours and receiving calls from both Kanaizumi and Nguyen. They checked down the board of K6K62.
It was a horrible board for the small pair, with Kanaizumi's A2 ending as the winner. Wei was out in fifth for $99,000, with four bounties yet to be decided.
Fan Chih Wei was counterfeited out
Kanaizumi was still on a roll, and she quickly accounted for Yunpeng Bai soon after as well. This time, Kanaizumi made a speculative call from the big blind holding J4. Yunpeng, who opened from under the gun, held KJ. The flop of 4J7 was brilliant for Kanaizumi, and she checked to set the trap.
Yunpeng, with top pair, bet. Then he shoved after the 9 turn and another check from Kanaizumi. Kanaizumi made another call with her two pair, and filled up when the case J came on the river.
Yunpeng had picked up eight bounties during the tournament, but had to toss his own token to Kanaizumi as he went looking for his $127,000 fourth-place prize.
Yunpeng Bai out in fourth
Elmer Kalaquian was now the last man remaining, but he quickly suffered the same fate as everyone else who had attempted to tangle with Kanaizumi. It was only four hands since Yunpeng's departure, but Kalaquian headed in the same direction.
Kalaquian found KQ in the small blind and shoved his last 15 blinds. Kanaizumi had AJ in the big blind and called. Although the dealer made it interesting by putting a king on the flop, an ace followed on the turn to snuff out Kalaquian's hopes.
Kalaquian earned $169,000 for third, and has five bounties.
Hope on the flop for Elmer Kalaquian turned to dust on the turn
It brought the tournament to its heads-up stage, with two women squaring off for the third time this week. The difference this time was that this was an open event, which was typically male dominated. Kanaizumi and Nguyen were therefore setting a new Triton landmark.
Kanaizumi had the clear advantage. Her stack weighed in at 106 big blinds to Nguyen's 34. Though Nguyen had the greater experience, Kanaizumi had cashed twice already here in Jeju this week, and she showed no sign of letting this one slip from her grasp.
Kanaizumi's incredible momentum simply continued through what turned out to be a brief heads-up battle.
Another great showing from Nguyen Thi Xoa
On the final hand, Nguyen opened with Q2 and Kanaizumi called holding 104. The flop could not have been better for Kanaizumi. It gave her a full house when it fell 10410. She checked and Nguyen bet. Kanaizumi was strong enough to just call.
The Q turn was even more perfect. It now gave Nguyen reason to think she could be ahead. Kanaizumi checked, Nguyen bet, Kanaizumi raised and Nguyen called. This pot was getting pretty huge.
The last card was the J and Kanaizumi went for all of it. Nguyen took a long while as she pondered the call, but shoved it in in the end. And with that, Kanaizumi, who came to the final with only 14 blinds, was the champion less than four hours later.
