It has been a long wait for Chan Wai Leong, but one of the original players on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series finally has a title.
The 39-year-old made his Triton debut in the Philippines back in 2016 at the second event the tour ever hosted. After 23 previous cashes, 14 final tables, and two runner-up finishes in No Limit Holdem Main Events, Chan Wai Leong finally ended his trophy drought. He took down the $25,000 PLO event in Jeju, earning $387,000 and the ultimate validation of his skills.
While it is far from his biggest result, considering his previous Triton earnings already sat at more than 12 million, it came in a tournament where he clearly meant business from the very start. He held a massive chip lead for almost all of day one, carried that lead into the final table, and closed the door on a massive heads-up comeback against PLO crusher Sean “Doorbread” Rafael.
The Early Action and Bubble Tension
The 53-entry field played out alongside the massive PLO Main Event. Chan Wai Leong rose to immediate prominence, establishing a significant chip lead early and holding it through the overnight break.
The bubble period was an absolute grind. With twelve players bagging day one and only nine getting paid, the tension was massive. For over two hours of hand-for-hand play, nobody busted. More than half the field was surviving on absolute crumbs.
While Isaac Haxton managed to chip up ahead of Chan, massive names like Ben Tollerene, Lautaro Guerra, Paul Phua, Philip Sternheimer, László Bujtás, and David Wang were all clinging to sub 12 blind stacks.
Something had to give. Danny Tang was finally eliminated on the absolute stone bubble. Haxton raised his big blind, and Tang took a stand from the small blind with A♠️Q♦️9♠️7♣️. Haxton held J♥️9♥️6♠️5♠️ and ended up turning a club flush to send Tang home and burst the bubble.
The Final Table Bloodbath
The short stacks quickly collided once the money was reached. David Wang busted in 9th place to Paul Phua. Then, simultaneous preflop all-ins on both tables sent two players to the rail at once. Lautaro Guerra got his A♥️J♠️9♥️6♠️ in against the Q♥️Q♦️6♥️6♠️ of Chan, while László Bujtás committed his A♥️Q♠️T♥️6♠️ against the A♦️K♠️J♥️2♥️ of Sean Rafael. Chan and Rafael both held, eliminating Guerra in 8th and Bujtás in 7th.
This massive double elimination set the final table and pushed Chan Wai Leong back into the chip lead.
Ben Tollerene, the recent NLH Main Event champion, entered the final table as the extreme short stack. He shoved his last six blinds from the button with K♦️Q♥️J♥️J♣️, but Isaac Haxton woke up with A♠️A♣️6♥️5♣️ in the big blind. The board completely bricked out for Tollerene, sending him out in 6th place.
Philip Sternheimer, the runner-up to Tollerene in the NLH Main Event, followed his friend out the door in a brutal setup. Sternheimer held 22 blinds with A♥️K♥️K♣️7♠️ and ran straight into the A♣️A♣️K♠️2♣️ of Sean Rafael. All the money went in preflop, the aces held, and Sternheimer busted in 5th place.
Rafael Surges as Haxton and Phua Fall
Sean Rafael went on an absolute tear. He picked up a double-suited A♣️K♥️9♣️8♥️ and opened the action. Isaac Haxton three bet from the small blind with A♠️K♦️J♠️2♥️. Rafael called, and the flop came 9♦️7♣️Q♦️. Haxton shoved his last eight blinds, and Rafael called with his pair of nines. The board completed with a 7♥️ and a 4♥️, eliminating Haxton in 4th place.
Rafael continued his aggression and soon clashed with Triton founder Paul Phua. He opened the button with A♣️K♦️Q♥️T♥️, and Phua shoved from the big blind with A♥️K♥️8♣️5♣️. Rafael called and paired his queen on the turn to win the hand. Phua earned $181,000 for his 3rd place finish, completing an incredible series where he also secured gold and silver finishes.
The Heads Up Battle
Heads up play began with Sean Rafael holding a massive 81 to 25 big blind lead over Chan Wai Leong.
Rafael applied immense pressure, quickly grinding Chan down to just 11 blinds. But Chan refused to die. He then managed to double up twice in quick fashion.
The momentum completely shifted when Chan doubled a third time. Holding K♦️K♣️J♣️6♦️, he clashed with the K♠️Q♣️T♥️9♦️ of Rafael on a 7♥️K♥️J♦️ flop. Rafael flopped top pair and a massive straight wrap, but the top set of Chan held clean through the turn and river.
Chan was now in the commanding lead. The final hand began with Chan calling the small blind with T♠️5♠️6♣️K♦️. Rafael raised with 8♠️9♠️6♥️4♥️, and Chan called. The flop fell 5♦️9♥️5♣️, and Chan called a continuation bet from Rafael. The T♥️ turn gave Chan a full house. Rafael checked, Chan bet, and Rafael shoved drawing dead.
The decade-long wait was finally over, and Chan Wai Leong was a Triton Poker champion.
Triton Poker Series Event 17 $25K PLO 6 Handed Payouts
- 1st Chan Wai Leong $387,000
- 2nd Sean Rafael $278,000
- 3rd Paul Phua $181,000
- 4th Isaac Haxton $136,500
- 5th Philip Sternheimer $106,000
- 6th Ben Tollerene $82,000
- 7th László Bujtás $57,750
- 8th Lautaro Guerra $57,750
- 9th David Wang $39,000
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With over 12 years of Omaha Poker experience, Lebi is the Head of Content at PLO365. A dedicated PLO specialist, he bridges the gap between complex GTO theory and practical street poker. He leads our review team, stress-testing PLO solvers, HUDs, and training courses to ensure they meet the demands of the modern grinder. When he isn’t auditing poker room RNGs or writing strategy guides, you can find him grinding PLO cash games and Turbo MTTs. Check here how we review.
