Bernhard Binder Leads Final 12, Danny Tang Chasing Back-to-Back Triton Main Event Titles

When the doors of LES A Casino opened this morning, plenty was still to be decided before the $100,000 Main Event at the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju II reached the business end of the tournament. With late registration open until the cards were in the air, those returning for Day 2 found 36 new entrants had joined the field, bringing the total entries to 196.

That created a $19,600,000 prize pool, with the top 31 finishers guaranteed at least $173,000, while $4,145,000 was set aside for the winner, along with the coveted Triton trophy.

Leading the way is Bernhard Binder, who has taken the high-stakes scene by storm this year, including winning a maiden Triton title here in Jeju earlier this year, taking down the $125K NLH 7-Handed for $2,137,953. Binder bagged 8,325,000, thanks in part to a huge pot against Miroslav Atanasov. Atanasov attempted an ill-timed bluff, which gifted Binder the chip lead, and the Austrian high-stakes crusher never looked back.

Second in chips is a player who knows this stage as well as anybody. Danny Tang, the most recent Triton $100,000 Main Event champion, sits with 6,025,000 and is looking to become just the second player after Mikita Badziakouski to win back-to-back Triton Main Event titles.

Rounding out the podium is Yang Xu, who will return with 5,225,000, as he looks to claim his first Triton title.

Triton Main Event Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Bernhard Binder	Austria	8,325,000	56
2	Danny Tang	Hong Kong	6,025,000	40
3	Yang Xu	United States	5,225,000	35
4	Danilo Velasevic	Serbia	5,175,000	35
5	Chahnhoon Jung	United States	4,250,000	28
6	Nick Schulman	United States	4,075,000	27
7	Roberto Perez	Spain	3,850,000	26
8	Ryuta Nakai	Japan	3,325,000	22
9	Gytis Lazauninkas	Lithuania	2,625,000	18
10	Isaac Haxton	United States	2,575,000	17

Starting the day as chip leader, Danilo Velasevic was a mainstay at the top of the leaderboard throughout the day. The Serbian even reclaimed the chip lead late in the session before slipping down the counts in the closing stages. He ultimately bagged 5,175,000, keeping him well in contention as he also looks to secure his first Triton title.

Further down the leaderboard, Poker Hall of Famer Nick Schulman bagged 4,075,000, while Isaac Haxton finished the day with 2,575,000. This run marks Haxton's 78th Triton cash, with a 35th final table now within reach.

Day 2 Action

The tone was set early, with a flurry of eliminations getting the action going straight away.

Phil Ivey, Punnat Punsri, Mike Watson, Joao Simao, Alejandro Lococo and Matthias Eibinger were among the early exits, with several big names finding their Main Event runs cut short before the field had a chance to settle.

As play progressed towards the bubble, more notable names followed them to the rail, including Adrian Mateos, Stephen Chidwick, Ben Tollerene, Nick Petrangelo and Dan Dvoress.

Serial Main Event final tablist Klemens Roiter, Triton co-founder Paul Phua and Mehdi Chaoui then fell just before the dinner break, leaving the tournament delicately poised on the bubble as the remaining players headed off for a well-earned break.

The Bubble

When play resumed, the tournament was just three places from the money. Anyone who expected the play to slow down and the players to tighten up was in for a surprise.  The first hand back from the break saw an elimination, with another player falling almost immediately after. That brought the event to the stone bubble, and hand-for-hand play began.

In the first hand of hand-for-hand play, the bubble burst, with two players eliminated simultaneously. Hannes Jeschka was the first to fall after losing his all-in, leaving him hoping that Samuel Mullur, who was also all-in on another table, would suffer the same fate, which would mean the two would split the 31st-place payout.

Mullur lost his flip, which meant both players were eliminated in the same hand and shared the $173,000 payout, each taking home $86,500.

With the bubble bursting within five minutes, the remaining players were guaranteed a cash and could turn their attention towards making a run at the final table and beyond.

First came the post-bubble shakeout, with several of the shorter stacks making their exits. Patrik Antonius (28th), David Coleman (27th) and Jean-Noel Thorel (25th) were among those to fall in the money.

Alex Foxen, a former Triton Main Event champion, then bowed out in 17th before the two remaining women in the field fell in quick succession. Linglin Zeng finished 16th, followed by Jessica Teusl in 15th. Two more players were eliminated before the end of the day, with Jesse Lonis the final departure in 13th place.

The surviving players will return for Day 3 tomorrow, Wednesday, September 16, at 1 p.m. local time and continue playing until a champion is crowned. Play will resume on Level 23, with blinds of 75,000/150,000 and a big blind ante of 150,000.   

Each player is guaranteed $320,000 upon their return, but when play resumes, just 11 players sit between them and a $4,145,000 payday.   