Day 2 of the Triton Million at the World Series of Poker Paradise has concluded. Day 1 saw a total of 95 entries, with 67 players returning for Day 2 at Atlantis Paradise Island. Late registration remained open until the start of play on Day 2, and only one player chose to pony up an additional $500,000 today, bringing the prize pool to $48,000,000. The players quickly learned on Day 2 that 17 would make the money, with a minimum cash worth $755,000. The first-place prize is a staggering $12,070,000, along with the coveted Triton trophy and a WSOP gold bracelet.
Day 1 chip leader Michael Moncek kept the momentum going on Day 2, ending the night once again as the chip leader with 12,500,000. 'Texas Mike,' who became a fan favorite on Hustler Casino Live for his aggressive play and near 100% VPIP, had a rough summer after losing nearly two million during their Million Dollar Game. Now, he looks to not only recover those losses but also win much more, as he aims to go wire-to-wire.
Right behind Moncek on the leaderboard is Daniel Dvoress in second with 12,350,000, and Alejandro Lococo in third with 10,775,000.
| Place | Player | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Moncek | 12,500,000 | 63 |
| 2 | Daniel Dvoress | 12,350,000 | 62 |
| 3 | Alejandro Lococo | 10,775,000 | 54 |
| 4 | Adrian Mateos | 9,825,000 | 49 |
| 5 | Stephen Chidwick | 8,650,000 | 43 |
| 6 | Sosia Jiang | 7,925,000 | 40 |
| 7 | Sinan Unlu | 7,200,000 | 36 |
| 8 | Ben Heath | 5,450,000 | 27 |
| 9 | Elias Talvitie | 4,925,000 | 25 |
| 10 | Alex Foxen | 4,600,000 | 23 |
Bad beats are always tough to swallow, but they’re especially painful in a $500,000 buy-in event. Day 2 saw no shortage of them, starting with Michael Addamo, who got his chips in with pocket kings against pocket jacks. Unfortunately for him, his opponent spiked a jack on the river, eliminating Addamo from the tournament.
Later in the day, Juan Pardo was sent packing after getting involved in a massive pot with pocket aces against Moncek. After flopping top pair and a flush draw, Moncek four-bet shoved for his stack of 2,100,000. Pardo called the shove, but Moncek immediately turned two pair, and the river brought no help for Pardo, sending his aces up in flames.
Then Jessica Teusl found herself all-in with ace-ten of spades against Phil Nagy’s ace-ten of diamonds. A chop seemed certain with both players holding the same hand, but the board had other plans. Nagy flopped a flush draw and then turned the nut flush, leaving Teusl drawing dead and brutally eliminating her.
Some other notable players who fell prior to the money include Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Jason Koon, Patrik Antonius, Isaac Haxton, Nick Schulman, and Justin Bonomo.
Near the money bubble, play can sometimes tighten up, especially in a tournament with a $500,000 buy-in, but that was not the case in the Triton Million. With 20 players left and 17 making the money, Nick Petrangelo raised all-in from under the gun with ace-ten, and Daniel Dvoress, on the button with pocket jacks, made the call. This call also gave Artur Martirosian the opportunity to call from the big blind with ten-nine suited. After the jack-high flop, both players checked to the turn, which brought a ten. Dvoress called a 900,000 bet from Martirosian, and the river brought a nine. Martirosian then checked his two pair and snap-called the jam for his remaining 2,200,000 from Dvoress, only to see Dvoress's set complete the double elimination, sending both players to the rail and leaving the remaining 18 players on the direct money bubble.
Before play could move to hand-for-hand action, there was another all-in and call at a different table. Hustler Casino Live owner Ryan Feldman found himself all-in on the flop for his stack of 1,325,000 against Lococo, who had middle pair. Feldman held a flush draw and a gut shot straight draw, and the turn gave him additional outs as he became open-ended. Unfortunately for Feldman, the river bricked out, and he was eliminated as the bubble boy.
The night ended with 14 players remaining, all of whom have locked up at least $792,000. The remaining players will return for the final day on December 9 at 12:00 p.m. local time, where a winner will be crowned in this historic event. Play will resume in Level 21 with blinds at 125,000/250,000 and a 250,000 big blind ante. There will be a break after every two levels of play, with a dinner break to be determined.
Remaining Prize Pool and Payouts
| Player | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $12,070,000 | |
| 2 | $8,160,000 | |
| 3 | $5,304,000 | |
| 4 | $4,390,000 | |
| 5 | $3,542,000 | |
| 6 | $2,795,000 | |
| 7 | $2,140,000 | |
| 8 | $1,605,000 | |
| 9 | $1,200,000 | |
| 10-11 | $985,000 | |
| 12-13 | $865,000 | |
| 14 | $792,000 | |
| Phillip Nagy | 15 | $792,000 |
| Punnat Punsri | 16 | $755,000 |
| Mikita Badziakouski | 17 | $755,000 |
Be sure to follow PokerNewsfor live updates and coverage until a champion is crowned in the Triton Million.
