He’s won across the world, from Las Vegas to Sydney via Monte Carlo, including the biggest poker title of all, and last night Christopher Brian Moneymaker added a Triton SHR title to his resume – along with $903,000, his third-biggest cash ever.
Moneymaker was in Montenegro, where the Triton Poker Super High Roller series had returned after a five-year break, with its third season finale promising two weeks of highstakes tournament action.
Kicking things off, a GGMillion$ $25k buy-in special, which pulled in 163 entries including Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Ike Haxton and, of course, the mercurial 2003 WSOP Main Event champ.
The tournament could have been very different for 48-year-old Moneymaker had he not spiked a three-outer on the bubble, surviving the cut for the second time. That sad but necessary role fell to Kiat Lee, whose departure left 27 players with at least a $41,000 min. cash.
The list of those who cashed but failed to make the final table would grace any big event, Seth Davies (26th for $41,000), Patrik Antonius (17th for $55,000), Phil Ivey (14th for $61,100), and another WSOP Main Event champ, Germany’s Hossein Ensan (13th for $67,200).
The final table was settled when Moneymaker himself KO’d Byron Kaverman (the bubble-buster), all the chips going in pre-flop after a raising war…
Kaverman: A♠ J♣
Moneymaker: 10♠ 10♣
Flop: Q♠ 10♥ 9♠
Turn: 2♥
River: 9♦
The shallow stacks guaranteed action – with blinds rising according to number of hands played rather than the clock – and Ike Haxton fell in 9th place, his nines no good against Biao’s jacks.
Klein, Spencer and Mateos all fell in quick succession, the latter’s jacks cracked by Kim’s treys on the river, Kim also busting Velasevic’s fishhooks on the very next hand.
Though Kim would bust Biao too, Moneymaker had survived his all-in against his countryman and it was Igor Yaroshevskyy who would bow out in 3rd, happy indeed at having laddered up to a $419,000 payday.
With Moneymaker’s 51 bigs against Kim’s 30, play might have lasted a while, but it took only three hands to separate them, middling ace versus better ace deciding the GGMillion$ opener at Triton Montenegro…
Kim: A♠ 8♥
Moneymaker: A♣ 10♣
Flop: 10♠ 3♦ 9♣
Turn: 8♦
River: 4♦
Event #1 Final table results
| 1 | Chris Moneymaker | $903,000 |
| 2 | Brian Kim | $609,000 |
| 3 | Igor Yaroshevskyy | $419,000 |
| 4 | Ding Biao | $341,000 |
| 5 | Danilo Velasevic | $272,000 |
| 6 | Adrian Mateos | $209,500 |
| 7 | Lewis Spencer | $153,000 |
| 8 | Morten Klein | $110,500 |
| 9 | Isaac Haxton | $91,300 |
“I wasn’t going to lose today,” Moneymaker explained afterwards: “I could have put it in with any hand and I would have won. I ran pure.”
He added: “I hit a three-outer, a six outer. I thought to myself, ‘You know what, this is going to be 2003. I’m not going to lose any more hands today.”
- Win a $12,000 WSOP Package in our VIP-Grinders WSOP Satellite
- Get the best rakeback deals
- See the best poker promotions
- View the latest poker news
- Get the best No Deposit Poker Bonuses
- Benefit from the biggest poker bonus
- Watch more poker videos
- Calculate your rakeback with the rakeback calculator
- Watch the best Twitch Poker streamers
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, please visit www.begambleaware.org.
