The richest poker tournament in history has finally concluded and the player that walked away as the winner was China’s Aaron Zang. The poker-playing businessman defeated Bryn Kenney heads-up to take down the Triton Million – A Helping Hand for Charity, which took place from August 1-3 as part of the Triton Super High Roller Series London.
Zang took home £13,779,491 ($16,754,497) in winnings while Bryn Kenney captured the largest-ever poker prize of £16,890,509 ($20,537,187) as runner-up. This came as a result of a deal which both players agreed on as they entered heads-up play.
The Triton Million was a dream-come-true for both Zang and Kenney – Zang became the first from China to win on Triton, while Kenney now holds the top spot of the All-Time Money List with $55.5 million in winnings, surpassing Justin Bonomo.
The massive event attracted a total of 54 players, each putting a £1,050,000 buy-in, generating £54 million in total prize pool. The field was initially split into two between the businessmen and their poker pro guests and ultimately, eight players returned to the table for the final battle, all looking to take down the biggest-ever poker event on the planet.
How It Played Down
There was a lot of action since the start of the final battle, with plenty of aggressive bets and monster bluffs. The first player to be eliminated was Canada’s Timothy Adams (8^th) who walked away with £1,400,000 ($1,695,393).  He was followed to the rail by Alfred DeCarolis in 7^th place for £1,720,000 ($2,082,911).
Kenney was responsible for the third elimination of the day. Bill Perkins‘ king-ten couldn’t stand against Kenney’s aces, sending the hedge fund investor out of the game in 6^th place for £2,200,000 ($2,664,189).
India’s Vivek Rajkumar entered the final table as the chip leader, providing exciting action in every hand he played. He would slip down in chips, bounce back and then go right back down again, until he eventually busted in 5^th place after running into the aces of Kenney. Rajkumar earned £3,000,000 ($3,632,985).
After four hours into four-handed play, Stephen Chidwick ended his bid in 4^th place after losing to Kenney in a classic flip situation. The British poker pro walked away with £4,410,000 ($5,340,488).
Kenney continued his knock out streak, and eight hands later, he moved all in from the button with queen-ten of hearts against Dan Smith’s ace-ten. It initially looked like Smith was going to score a double, but Kenney flopped a top pair with a flush draw, eventually taking down the pot. Not a bad day for Smith though, as he was able to take home £7,200,000 ($8,719,164) for his 3^rd place finish.
Once Smith was out, Kenney was already poised to take Bonomo’s spot as leader of the All-Time Money list, regardless of the outcome. Kenney said he never really cared about the money and just wanted to capture the biggest tournament in the history of the game. The New York native is determined to hold on to the top spot for as long as he can, saying he wouldn’t let anyone take it from him.
Kenny entered heads-up play as the chip leader, but Zang kept his patience and focus and eventually triumphed in the first all-in with his pair of sixes against Kenny’s king-queen. The crucial hand came when Kenney flopped the nut flush draw after he called a raise preflop and then check-raised. Zang went all in and Kenny called without hesitation. The Chinese player emerged victorious after dodging the spades and Kenney finished as the runner-up.
Inspiration for Non-Pros
The journey to the title was not an easy one for Zang who admitted Kenney was the better player and that he made mistakes at the final table which led to him falling to just three million chips at one point. But the Chinese businessman never gave up and remained focus on his dream. He accepted the Triton Million trophy from co-founder Paul Phua with massive applause and praises in the background.
Phua, who has played cash games with Zang in Macau for quite a long time now, said that his friend is not usually a tournament player but still managed to clinch the richest poker tournament in history. Phua hopes Zang’s victory would inspire and motivate non-pros that they too can win major poker tournaments around the world.