'It's insane' – Brian Kim busts Italian on a heater to secure first Triton title

Brian Kim has taken down the first event in the Triton Super High Roller WPT Global Ultimate Slam Series, earning the largest winner's payday of his career and garnering his long-sought first Triton title after seven years and numerous final-table finishes. Kim earned $941,000 and a stylish Triton trophy after outdueling Triton Series first-timer Enrico Camosci for the win in a truly international finale, where all nine players came from different countries.

Camosci, an Italian pro who was also the runner-up in September's €10,300 EPT Barcelona High Roller, collected $634,000 for the second-largest live cash of his career and is nearing $3 million in winnings in an incredible 2024. Greece's Alex Theologis finished third to claim a $436,000 payout. Day 1 leader Xu Liang held a sizeable edge early but encountered tough sledding mid-day, finally busting in 12th position.

Despite moving well past the $10 million mark in recorded lifetime live-event winnings, Kim's triumph was only the third major victory of his career, joining wins in 2022 in both a WSOP Online event and a PGT high-roller tourney. Kim had also made eight previous Triton Series final tables over the past seven years before finally securing a Triton title.

“It’s elusive,” Kim told Triton's Marianella Pereyra following his win. “With all these great players, it’s possible I could have been coming to Triton for another seven years and not winning one... It's insane."

Tom Fuchs finally found a cash at Triton after nine previous blanks.

DREW AMATO

Liang crashes to 12th-place finish

Early Day 2 action was dominated by China's Liang, who began the day with a healthy edge over the other 33 Day 1 survivors, the last of a 170-entry field. The day's first major task was breaking through the event's 27-player money bubble, and that occurred when Liang hit a runner-runner straight to bounce France's Jeremy Zouari. With Xouari's exit, the tourney's $4.25 million prize pool was in play.

Numerous famed pros busted from action before the event reached its final table. Falling short of the finale but still logging cashes in Event #1 were Dimitar Danchev, Nacho Barbero, Isaac Haxton, Artur Martirosian, Hossein Ensan, Thomas Bouvin, Liang, and in 10th, to bubble the finale, Austria's Matthias Eibinger.

The final table began with the remaining players tightly bunched. Theologis narrowly led Kim and Spain's Roberto Perez, and Theologis picked up the first final-table knockout, sending Hong Kong's Elton Tsang to the rail in ninth. A run of short-stack double-ups then followed, but eventually, Ranno Sootia, Aleks Ponakovs, Dominykas Mikolaitis, and Tom Fuchs followed Tsang to the cashier's window. It was Fuchs' first ever cash at Triton in 10 attempts after nine blanks at Jeju.

Fourth place went to Perez in a hand where Kim spiked a five to make a pair to bust a short-stacked Perez when Perez's Q-T couldn't improve, and Theologis, who had slipped from the top rung, busted in third when Kim made a full house to claim Theologis' last few chips.

Brian Kim busted Enrico Camosci in second, with the Italian enjoying a hot 2024.

Spenser Sembrat

That brought on heads-up play, with Kim ahead of Camosci, who's having a standout 2024, but both players getting short of chips themselves. Camosci doubled up once to take the lead, but Kim caught his own double to move back in front. The tourney's final hand found Camosci moving all in with and Kim calling with . Camosci's hand didn't catch up, and Kim had his long-sought Triton title.

WPT Global Ultimate Slam results