Career-Best Score For Denmark's Henrik Hecklen in Triton Poker Series Madrid Main Event
Henrik Hecklen got his hands on a career-high score of €2,170,509 when he came out on top of a 93-strong crowd in the €100,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event. Hecklen's previous largest prize weighed in at $1,284,260, his reward for a runner-up finish in a $100,000 Super High Roller at the 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Now his biggest cash tips the scales at the equivalent of $2,293,679.
Hecklen has had a busy couple months, cashing three times at EPT Prague, going deep in the UKIPT London Main Event, and cashing in a €50,000 buy-in event at the Triton Poker Series Madrid festival. What a way to round out May, with a €2,170,509 payday.
Sam Greenwood's quest for this title ended when his pocket kings lost to the pocket eights of Kevin Paque courtesy of an eight on the flop. Alfred DeCarolis, Brazilan Bruno Volkmann, and Finnish legend Patrik Antoinus were the next players who bowed out. Antoinus lost a coinflip with pocket sevens against the ace-ten of Aleksejs Ponakovs; he collected $558,000 for his sixth-place finish.
Triton Poker Series Madrid NLHE Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henrik Hecklen | Denmark | €2,170,509* |
| 2 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | €2,016,491* |
| 3 | Kevin Paque | Netherlands | €1,134,000 |
| 4 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | Latvia | €888,000 |
| 5 | Sam Grafton | United Kingdom | €716,000 |
| 6 | Patrik Antonius | Finland | €558,000 |
| 7 | Bruno Volkmann | Brazil | €440,500 |
| 8 | Alfred DeCarolis | United States | €344,000 |
| 9 | Sam Greenwood | Canada | €260,500 |
*reflects a heads-up deal
Team PokerStars' Sam Grafton was the next player to find himself without any chips. Grafton's shove with pocket fives came at the worst possible time because Orpen Kisacikoglu was dealt a pair of aces in the small blind. The UK-based Turkish businessman's rockets remained true, and Grafton was gone, albeit with €716,000 to show for his efforts.
Ponakovs lost most of his stack when he flopped a flush against the sneakily played pocket aces of Kisacikoglu which ultimately because a full house. Ponakovs crashed out at the hands of Hecklen soon after.
The remaining three people were guaranteed seven-figure hauls. Kevin Paque claimed the €1,134,000 third-place prize when he made attempts to rectify his short stack by jamming with ace-five. Unfortunately for Paque, Hecklen looked him up with the superior ace-jack.
Hecklen held a narrow lead over Kisacikoglu and the heads-up duo looked at the numbers for a deal. After a little haggling, which included Hecklen asking for more than what ICM offered, the duo settled on figures they were happy with, and left €80,000 to play for in addition to a Jacob & Co watch.
The final hand saw Kisacikoglu initially limp in with pocket fours but then push all-in after Hecklen three-bet. Hecklen instantly called with pocket kings. An ace-high board was safe for the Dane's cowboys and he became the biggest winner of the Triton Poker Series Madrid festival so far.