Wai Kin Yong Secures Fourth Triton Poker Title With Short Deck Win In London

When the 2023 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series London began on July 27, there were two players in the world who had won four or more Triton titles: Jason Koon with seven, and Mikita Badziakouski with four.

Since then, three more players have joined this list, while Koon added yet another victory on the high-stakes tour to extend his record to eight wins. Joining Badziakouski in a four-way tie for second are Poker Hall of Fame member Phil Ivey, bracelet winner Danny Tang, and Wai Kin Yong.

Yong is the latest player to have achieved this impressive feat. The Malaysian player took down the $30,000 buy-in short deck event on Aug. 9, topping a 37-entry field to earn $350,000. He now has more than $11.5 million in recorded tournament earnings, with nearly $11.3 million of that coming from his 16 in-the-money finishes in Triton events.

Yong’s largest career score saw him take down the 2019 Triton London £100,000 buy-in event for more than $3.1 million. His first two titles on the tour came at a 2016 stop in the Philippines, with victories in a 490,000 HKD charity event and the 500,000 HKD main event totaling more than $2.8 million in earnings.

The top seven finishers cashed in this event, with some of the most hottest players on the live tournament circuit joining Yong at the final table. Two-time Card Player Player of the Year award winner Stephen Chidwick placed seventh ($58,200) for his 16th final-table finish of the year. With four titles and nearly $5.9 million in to-date POY earnings, Chidwick now sits in fifth place in the 2023 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

Triton co-founder Paul Phua was then eliminated in sixth place, adding $72,100 to his career totals to bring his lifetime earnings to nearly $28.3 million.

Isaac Haxton was the next to fall, with his A-K unable to beat out the A-Q suited of a surging Yong. He took home $94,300 for his 18th final-table showing of 2023. With six titles and more than $9.7 million in POY earnings, Haxton is the third-ranked player on the POY leaderboard.

Sam Greenwood’s run in this event concluded when his K-10 clashed with the pocket queens of Yong. Greenwood cashed for $122,000 as the fourth-place finisher. The score increased his career cashes to nearly $34.8 million.

2022 Triton Cyprus $40,000 short deck champion Karl Chappe-Gatien was also knocked out by Yong, whose K-Q suited overcame the A-10 of the Frenchman. Chappe-Gatien settled for $161,000 when his top pair of aces finished second-best to the two pair of Yong.

Yong held more than a 9:2 chip lead over two-time Triton champion and two-time bracelet winner Chris Brewer when heads-up play began. Brewer found a double-up to close the gap but was still trailing when the final hand of the tournament was dealt. All of the chips got in preflop with Yong holding QQ against Brewer’s JJ. The board ran out K76109 and the larger pair held to lock up the pot and the title.

Brewer was awarded $252,400 as the runner-up. Like Haxton, this was his 18th final table of the year, with five titles earned along the way. Brewer has accumulated more than $10.6 million in POY earnigns across those scores, and as a result, has moved into fourth place on the 2023 POY leaderboard.

Here is a look at the payouts awarded a the final table:

Photo credits: Triton Poker / Nick Pope.

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