Dan Smith Wins Triton Monte Carlo $200,000 Invitational For $3.9 Million

Dan Smith has added another monumental title to his already expansive list of tournament poker victories. The 34-year-old American poker pro defeated a field of 73 entries in the 2023 Triton Super High Roller Series Monte Carlo $200,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em invitational event to secure the massive top prize of $3,870,000.

“This is very special,” Smith told Triton reporters. “I’ve had a few bigger scores in my career…but it’s different when you win a tournament with 70 players like this. It’s one of the biggest events of the year and only so many guys get to win them.”

This was the fifth multi-million-dollar score of Smith’s career, with another five scores falling between one and two million. This latest seven-figure windfall increased Smith’s lifetime earnings to more $49,625,381. As a result, he has climbed into sixth place on poker’s all-time money list.

While Smith already had World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour, and numerous high roller titles under his belt, marked the first time that Smith came out on top in a Triton Poker event. He had 13 prior in-the-money finishes on the tour, including placing third in the 2019 Triton London £1,050,000 buy-in charity invitational for a career-best payday of $8,784,000, but had yet to get his hands on a Triton trophy before this breakthrough. This was his second title and 11th final-table finish of the year.

This tournament kicked off the latest Triton festival, which is taking place inside the Salle des Etoiles at Monte-Carlo Sporting along the French Riviera. The event ran over three days from Oct. 24-26, with a unique twist. The recreational players in the field were each required to invite one professional to enter the event. The pros were split off from the amateur players for day 1, with the two separate halves of the field first combining on day 2 and then playing on as per a standard tournament.

The top 13 finishers made the money, with a min-cash being worth $300,000. Several big names survived the bubble, only to bust before the official final table, including David Yan (13th), Isaac Haxton (11th), and Paul Phua (10th).

The final day began with nine contenders remaining and Elton Tsang in the lead. Smith was second in chips to start. Haralabos Voulgaris was the first to fall, losing a classic preflop race to Tsang to finish ninth for $406,000 for his first cash on the tour. Another preflop flip spelled the end of Ilkin Garibli’s run in eighth place ($540,000).

The next knockout was the result of yet another standard preflop showdown, with two-time bracelet winner Fedor Holz’s pocket nines facing the A-Q suited of fellow poker pro Mario Mosbock. The latter backed into the nut flush on the river to send Holz packing in seventh place ($694,000). The cash increased Holz’s career earnings to $41.8 million.

Bracelet winner and four-time Triton champion Danny Tang got the last of his short stack in with K-9 against the A-Q of Jean-Noel Thorel, who made jacks full of aces by the river to narrow the field to five. Tang secured $875,000 for his efforts, crossing $20 million in lifetime cashes in the process.

Russian businessman Alexander Shelukhin got the last of his short stack in with 8-7 suited against the J-9 suited of Mosbock. Shelukhin flopped a straight draw while Mosbock hit a pair. Shelukhin was unable to improve any further and was knocked out in fifth place ($1,125,000).

Thorel ultimately finished fourth for $1,390,000. This score increased his career earnings to $15,288,164, enough to see him surpass Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier ($14,742,921) for the top spot on the French all-time money list. His final hand saw his A-4 in the big blind fall to a pair on the river for Mosbock, who had shoved preflop with J-9 from the small blind.

Mosbock was well out in front when three-handed play began. Tsang slid to the bottom of the counts after doubling up a short-stacked Smith. He soon got all-in with 10-8 trailing Smith’s J-10. Neither player improved and Tsand was eliminated in third place, earning $1,780,000. The 2016 Big One For One Drop champion now has more than $17.3 million in career earnings to his name.

Heads-up play began with Mosbock holding 14,325,000 to Smith’s 7,550,000. Smith closed the gap in the early going and managed to move ahead in time for the decisive hand of the match. Smith raised on the button with A8 and Mosbock defended his big blind with K8.

The flop came out A96 and Mosbock checked. Smith made a continuation bet with his top pair only to be met with a Mosbock check raise. Smith made the call and the turn brought the K to give Mosbock a pair of kings. He checked and called Smith’s bet of 1,350,000. The river brought the 8 to give both players two pair. The pot had surged to 7,400,000, while Mosbock had just 4,500,000 remaining in his stack. Mosbock checked and Smith moved all in. Mosbock called and was eliminated in second place. The $2,690,000 payday was the largest yet for Mosbock.

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

Photo credits: Triton Poker / Joe Giron.

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