Chris Moneymaker Kicks Off Triton Montenegro with Stunning High-Roller Win

Name Surname
Managing Editor
4 min read
Chris Moneymaker

Viewers and fans of the Triton Super High Roller Series can be forgiven for expecting a big name winner of the opening event of the latest festival. But the winner of Event #1: $25,000 GGMillion$ Live is arguably one of the biggest names of all.

Chris Moneymaker. The 2003 WSOP Main Event champion.

From sitting with one big blind on the bubble, Moneymaker topped a 163-player field and defeated a star-studded final table to add his name — that famous name — to the long list of Triton champions.

Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro Event 1 – $25,000 GG Million$ Live Final Table Results

PlacePlayerCountryPayout (USD)
1Chris MoneymakerUnited States$903,000
2Brian KimUnited States$609,000
3Igor YaroshevskyyUkraine$419,000
4Ding BiaoChina$341,000
5Danilo VelasevicSerbia$272,000
6Adrian MateosSpain$209,500
7Lewis SpencerUnited Kingdom$153,000
8Morten KleinNorway$110,500
9Isaac HaxtonUnited States$91,300

Winner's Reaction

"I wasn’t going to lose today," said Moneymaker. "I could have put it in with any hand and I would have won. I ran pure.

"I could have put it in with any hand and I would have won. I ran pure."

"I hit a three-outer, a six outer. I thought to myself, ‘You know what, this is going to be 2003. I’m not going to lose any more hands today.'"

It's the third-biggest win of Moneymaker's career after the 2003 WSOP Main Event, and a fifth-place finish in the $250,000 Luxon Invitational last August.

"I don’t really play a whole lot of high rollers, but when I do I enjoy it,” Moneymaker said. "I probably won’t play a ton more, but I’m sure I’ll be back out at a Triton stop.

"They do a really good job. It’s insane how well they run tournaments."

The win sees Moneymaker move to the top of the Tennessee all-time money list with $7.1 million, overtaking Kathy Liebert ($6.9 million.)


Is Chris Moneymaker's Win STILL the Biggest WSOP Upset Ever?


Final Table Action

Triton Poker GGMillion$ Final Table

Moneymaker came into the final table with the chip lead after eliminating Byron Kaverman to get the table down to the final nine.

There was a familiar face at the final table, with Biao Ding having previously defeated the great Phil Ivey heads-up to win a Triton poker title in Jeju. And he was back in action in Montenegro, sending Isaac Haxton to the rail as the first elimination of the final table.

Norwegian high roller Morten Klein then tussled with Brian Kim, only to fall in eighth as Kim moved to the top of the chip counts.

Brian Kim

A quirk of the structure was that the GGMillion$ blinds increase relative to the number of hands played rather than in set intervals. The average stack dwindled to around 15 blinds and, perhaps inevitably, the chips began to get in.

Moneymaker got in on the action eliminating Lewis Spencer with pocket nines vs pocket threes. Kim then picked up pocket threes against the jacks of Adrian Mateos, only to river a set to eliminate the Spaniard, who earlier this week picked up the sixth SCOOP title of his career.

It appeared that Kim had hit his stride, cracking the pocket jacks of Danilo Velasevic with ace-queen.

Surviving the carnage? Igor Yaroshevskyy. Having come into the final table as the short stack, he could only look on as Moneymaker and Kim clashed, with Moneymaker doubling up to regain the chip lead.

The two traded eliminations as Kim eliminated Biao Ding before Moneymaker finally sent Yaroshevskyy to the rail to bring things to heads-up.

Moneymaker held the chip lead, and duly finished things off on the third hand of heads-up, calling an all-in from Kim to secure victory and write another chapter in his long and successful poker career.

Chris Moneymaker

Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro Schedule

The second event of the festival Event #2 - $26,150 NLHE 9-Handed got underway yesterday, and is scheduled to play to a winner today. Also getting under way is Event #3 - $41,800 NLHE 8-Handed.

DateTimeEvent
Mon 13 May1:00 p.m.#1 - $26,150 NLHE GGMillion$ Live 8-Handed Day 2
 3:00 p.m.#2 - $26,150 NLHE 9-Handed Day 1
Tue 14 May1:00 p.m.#2 – NLHE 8-Handed Day 2
 3:00 p.m.#3 - $31,800 NLHE 8-Handed Day 1
Wed 15 May1:00 p.m.#3 – NLHE 8-Handed Day 2
 3:00 p.m.#5 - $42,400 NLHE Mystery Bounty 7-Handed Day 1
Thu 16 May1:00 p.m.#5 – NLHE Mystery Bounty 7-Handed Day 2
 3:00 p.m.#6 - $53,000 NLHE Bounty Quattro 7-Handed Day 1
Fri 17 May1:00 p.m.#6 – NLHE Bounty Quattro 7-Handed Day 2
 3:00 p.m.#7 - $53,000 NLHE 8-Handed Day 1
Sat 18 May12:00 p.m.#7 – NLHE 8-Handed Day 2
 3:00 p.m.#8 - $106,000 NLHE 8-Handed Day 1
Sun 19 May1:00 p.m.#8 – NLHE 8-Handed Day 2
Mon 20 May2:00 p.m.#9 - $132,500 NLHE Triton Main Event Day 1
Tue 21 May1:00 p.m.$132,500 NLHE Triton Main Event Day 2
 5:00 p.m.#10 - $52,000 NLHE Turbo 8-Handed
Wed 22 May1:00 p.m.Triton Main Event Final Table
 2:00 p.m.#11 - $212,000 NLHE 8-Handed Day 1
Thu 23 May1:00 p.m.#11 – NLHE 8-Handed Day 2
 4:00 p.m.#12 - $26,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1
Fri 24 May1:00 p.m.#12 – Pot-Limit Omaha Day 2
 2:00 p.m.#13 - $26,000 PLO Main Event Day 1
Sat 25 May1:00 p.m.#13 – PLO Main Event Day 2
 4:00 p.m.#15 - $52,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1
Sun 26 May1:00 p.m.Pot-Limit Omaha Day 2
 4:00 p.m.#16 - $31,200 Pot-Limit Omaha Quatro Bounty

Pictures courtesy of Joe Giron/Triton Poker

Share this article
author
Managing Editor

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

More Stories

Other Stories

Recommended for you
Poker's Superstars Set to Descend on Montenegro for the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Poker's Superstars Set to Descend on Montenegro for the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series