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.
Patience 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.
The 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
