It was the biggest 6-figure PLO event in history and it was Spain’s Sergio Martinez who emerged triumphant, picking up $2.34million and a Triton Main Event title.
The $100k buy-in for the flagship 4-card event on Triton Poker’s Jeju stop in South Korea didn’t deter the big names and deep pockets. Forty-seven entries and 44 re-entries produced a $9.1million prizepool, the top three assured of a 7-figure payday.
First port of call as always was the money bubble, and it was Daniel Dvoress who would fall just short of the paid spots, going from mid-table to out in one brutal hand…
Dvoress: A♣ A♦ 10♦ 4♦
Zhikang: 2♠ 5♦ 4♣ 3♠
Flop: 7♣ 3♦ 4♥
All the chips went in and Dvoress was drawing to 10s or 7s…
Turn: Q♠
…adding queens on the turn, but the river wasn’t interested…
River: 6♦
That left the remaining 15 players with a guaranteed $160k but it would require a top 9 finish for those who had fired two bullets to show a profit.
Beasts such as Mike Watson, Jason Koon, Joni Jouhkimainen and Ben Tollerene would all fall short of the final table, but four Chinese players would make it.
That quartet included Jeju NLH Main Event winner, Huang Wenjie, aiming for a remarkable double.
Unfortunately for the Chinese player, he ran into an unstoppable Martinez, who also KO’d Tom Vogelsang in the most ridiculous hand of the day…
I'm getting One Drop PTSD vibes… There is no safe place in poker. 😱🫣 pic.twitter.com/H15UIchB5w
— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) March 12, 2025
Martinez now led the three remaining Chinese, but Ding Biao closed the gap by eliminating Zhikang Dai in 4th for $854,000. That left Biao, Martinez and Lin Wei to decide the podium spots with $1million+ paydays secure.
Martinez, by now slipping well behind Biao, ended Lin’s hopes, his K♣ J♠ J♣ 10♣ surviving against A♦ K♦ Q♣ 10♦ with Lin out in 3rd for a career-best $1,055,000 score.
Biao held a 56BB:20BB lead but somehow Martinez kept his dreams alive and when five hands in a row went the Spaniard’s way, Lin was on fumes. When the last of his chips went in, the poker gods refused to play ball with Biao…
Biao: A♠ K♠ K♣ J♦
Martinez: K♦ 5♣ 4♥ 5♠
Flop: 5♦ 7♣ 2♣
Turn: 7♥
River: Q♦
That gave Martinez the $2,340,000 top prize, more than doubling his lifetime earnings. “I had a huge chip lead,” Martinez told reporters in his post-game interview, “and all of a sudden it disappeared.”
He also explained he had told his girlfriend to go to bed in case his fightback was un successful. Luckily, she declined… and it was!
Event #16 $100k PLO MAIN EVENT
Final table results
| 1 | Sergio Martinez | Spain | $2,340,000 |
| 2 | Ding Biao | China | $1,610,000 |
| 3 | Lin Wei | China | $1,055,000 |
| 4 | Zhikang Dai | China | $854,000 |
| 5 | Tom Vogelsang | Netherlands | $686,000 |
| 6 | Mads Amot | Norway | $536,000 |
| 7 | Huang Wenjie | China | $423,000 |
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
- Calculate your rakeback with the rakeback calculator
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, please visit www.begambleaware.org
