It was just one year ago that Bulgaria’s Alex Kulev announced his arrival in the high-roller world with a seven-figure score at Monte Carlo, and last night he bagged his third monster payday, adding his first Triton Poker title worth $2,566,000 to his blossoming resume.
You couldn't toss a chip in the Maestral Casino without hitting a modern-day legend of the game, with Patrik Antonius, Fedor Holz, Linus Loeliger, Ike Haxton, Jason Koon and Mike Watson all seeking glory and a share of the $10 million+ prize pool.
None of these poker greats would even make the money, however, with 'SirWatts' – who earlier in the week landed the $30k title – falling on the bubble. Watson paired his ace on the flop when all-in and at risk, but the river brought Thomas Santerne a third ten. The remaining players were all guaranteed $160,000.
This time last year, the name Thomas Santerne would have meant little to nothing to the poker world’s elite. An EPT €50k SHR win and two GGMillion$ online scoops later, and the Frenchman is seen as a force to be reckoned with.
However, with the likes of Bryn Kenney, Danny Tang and Daniel Dvoress all still in the mix, you’d have got good money on a Kulev-Santerne finale.
Bryn Kenney brought some sartorial splendor to the Triton $100KPatience and unorthodoxy
Tang ousted Kenney with kings vs. queens and looked to be ruling the roost, but losing jacks vs. aces and then queens against ace-king saw him fall in fifth for $752,000.
Tunisia’s all-time money winner, Maher Nouira, has been on a tear this month and his fourth-place cash for $933,000 was his biggest-ever, while China’s Xu Liang went one better than his Triton Jeju Main Event fourth-place finish in March.
If the $50k finale earlier in the day was a three-handed ICM masterclass, then the $100k heads-up battle was a study in patience and unorthodoxy, with Kulev showing the latter as Santerne profited from the former.
Thomas Santerne ran into Kulev's trap with pocket queensThe turning point came when Kulev, trailing almost 4-1 in chips, limped his ladies from the small blind, then just flatted Santerne’s 6BB raise.
Santerne: 
Kulev: 
Flop: 
“A very troublesome flop,” was the commentary booth's take, while the French pro’s quarter-pot bet was again just called.
Turn: 
The expected shove came, as did Kulev’s insta-call.
River 
With stacks now almost even again, Kulev took control and when the end came – pocket sevens busted by 
with tens on the flop and turn – the Bulgarian’s mother, father and girlfriend were on hand to share his celebrations.
“I’m a little bit overwhelmed, to be honest,” Kulev said in his post-match interview. “This means a lot to me. To accomplish this in front of my family is very special to me. I will cherish this for a long time.”
Triton Montenegro Event #8 $100K results
| Place | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Alex Kulev | $2,566,000 |
| 2nd | Thomas Santerne | $1,735,000 |
| 3rd | Xu Liang | $1,127,000 |
| 4th | Maher Nouira | $933,000 |
| 5th | Danny Tang | $752,000 |
| 6th | Daniel Dvoress | $594,000 |
| 7th | Dylan Linde | $454,000 |
| 8th | Aleksejs Ponakovs | $342,000 |
| 9th | Bryn Kenney | $255,000 |
Next up for the Triton Montenegro SHR crew is the $125,000 buy-in Main Event, starting later today.
Images courtesy of Triton Poker/Joe Giron
