Kahle Burns Wins $1.7 Million In $75,000 Buy-In Triton Mediterranean Poker Party High Roller

Two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Kahle Burns recorded the largest score of his tournament poker career on Friday, Sept. 9. The Australian defeated a field of 88 total entries in the 2022 Triton Mediterranean Poker Party $75,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em event, capturing the title and the massive $1,730,000 first-place prize.

This marked the third time that Burns had cashed for seven figures in a poker tournament. He now has nearly $14.3 million in lifetime earnings. This victory has helped secure his hold over the second-place spot on the Australian all-time money list. Burns only surpassed 2005 WSOP main event champion Joe Hachem ($12.4 million) as a result of this score and two other high-roller cashes he’s made in recent weeks. Burns now trails only Michael Addamo ($25.2 million), the only player from down under with more recorded tournament earnings to his name.

In addition to the title and the money, Burns also secured 816 Card Player Player of the Year points. This was his third POY-qualified score of the year, having also finished as the runner-up in a €50,000 high roller at the European Poker Tour Barcelona festival and sixth in a $10,400 buy-in at the Mediterranean Poker Party series which preceded this Triton stop. With 1,481 total points and nearly $2.4 million in year-to-date earnings, Bruns now sits just outside the top 200 in the 2022 POY race sponsored by Global Poker.

Burns also earned 750 PokerGO Tour points as the champion in this event, enough to move him inside the top 70 on that leaderboard.

The strong turnout for this high buy-in event resulted in a prize pool of $6,600,000, which was paid out among the top 13 finishers. Sean Perry was the last player eliminated outside of the money, with his flopped top pair of queens running into the pocket aces of Burns. Several big names hit the rail inside the money on the road to the final table, including Triton Madrid event winner Lazlo Bujtas (13th), Triton winner Michael Soyza (12th), Brazilian tournament star Bruno Volkmann (10th), and World Poker Tour champion Jonathan Jaffe (9th).

Santosh Suvarna (8th – $245,000), was the first to fall at the final table, with his A-8 failing to beat out the K-Q of Swiss high-stakes online star Linus Loeliger. Artem Vezhenkov was next to that the rail, with his K-J being beat by the J-9 of Burns. Vezhenkov had raised the majority of his short stack preflop from early position and Burns had defended his big blind, then taken a stab on a 10-6-3 rainbow flop. Vezhenkov called with his king high, leaving himself less than s single big blind behind. Burns picked up an open-ended straight draw when an eight hit the turn and bet enough to put Vezhenkov all-in. Vezhenkov called and was ahead, but a queen on the river gave Burns a straight for the win. Vezhenkov earned $315,000 as the seventh-place finisher.

Despite Loeliger scoring the first knockout at the final table, he was ultimately sent home in sixth place. He called all-in for just more than six big blinds with K-5 suited facing a small-blind shove from Burns, who held J-10. Burns rivered a pair of jacks to drag the pot and narrow the field to five. Loeliger earned $400,000 for his deep run. He now has more than $3.3 million in live tournament earnings to his name, with reportedly millions more won online under the screenname ‘LlinusLLove’.

Hedge-fund manager Talal Shakerchi lost a classic coin flip to finish fifth, with his pocket deuces failing to outrace the A-Q of bracelet winner Sam Greenwood. Despite not being a professional player, Shakerchi has now recorded more than $8.8 million in career cashes.

Two-time bracelet winner Yuri Dzivielevski got his stack in with A-9 dominating the A-4 of Burns, who barely had him covered. Burns rivered a straight to send the Brazilian packing in fourth place. This was Dzivielevski’s second deep run of the series, having also finished as the runner-up in the $30,000 buy-in six-max event just days earlier for nearly $750,000. With 11 final-table finishes, one title, and more than $3.3 million in year-to-date POY earnings, Dzivielevski is now ranked eighth in the 2022 POY standings.

WPT champion Seth Davies doubled up off the short stack late in three-handed action, and picked up pocket jacks the very next hand. He called all-in facing a shove from Burns, who held A-9. Burns flopped an ace and held from there to leave Davies with less than a big blind. He did find one double-up but then ran Q-J into the pocket aces of Burns to be sent home in third place ($815,000), increasing his lifetime earnings to nearly $16.4 million with this strong showing.

With that, Burns took more than a 3:1 chip lead into heads-up play with Greenwood. The Canadian was able to close the gap considerably in the early going, but Burns remained solidly ahead by the time the final hand was dealt. Greenwood shoved from the button for just shy of 15 big blinds with 44. Burns called with A7 and the board came down 96575 to lock up the pot and the title for Burns.

Greenwood secured $1,210,000 as the runner-up finisher, the fifth-largest score of his career. He now has more than $26.7 million in lifetime earnings, making him the third-highest earning Canadian behind only Daniel Negreanu ($45.5 million) and Timothy Adams ($30 million).

Here is a look at the payouts and rankings points awarded at the final table:

Photo credits: Joe Giron / Triton Poker.

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