No-deal as Wiktor Malinowski scoops Triton's biggest prize

Wiktor 'Limitless' Malinowski lived up to his nickname today by rejecting a heads-up deal and pulling down the biggest prize of the Triton Poker Montenegro series – a monster $4,789,000. 

Known as an absolute beast of the online poker world, Belarus-born Malinowski came into today’s final table of the $200K buy-in final NLH event of the stop without a Triton win.

With 84 of the 93 entries already gone and the lion’s share of the $18.6 million prize pool still to be won, the other eight seats held a cluster of the world’s elite.

Adrian Mateos, Steve O’Dwyer, Mike Watson, Mikita Badziakouski, Jason Koon, Jonathan Jaffe, Nick Petrangelo held 25 Triton titles between them. Only Matas Cimbolas, like Malinowski, was seeking a maiden victory.

As Malinowski later admitted, “The table was very tough. Many great players.” Ain't that the truth? We think that could be the toughest final table lineup we've seen. 

If you see a final table line-up like this, our best advice is to run

No deal for Malinowski

Malinowski had been in the same position before, bringing the chip lead into the final day of the Cyprus Main Event in 2022. There, he ended up third, behind Punnat Punsri and Wayne Heung.

“I knew when I was coming to the final the job was not done. I had had this chip lead before, so I had to stay focused,” Malinowski said. 

And that he did, though a little good fortune always helps, as when he busted Petrangelo in eighth with a weaker ace. He had the other side of the domination when he took out Triton title record-holder Koon in sixth.

Koon’s Triton number is 10, five titles clear of Badziakouski – and it wasn’t to be six for the Belarusian, with Mateos ending his hopes.

Between them, Mateos and Malinowski whittled the race down to just two. The Polish pro had a 3:1 chip lead and rejected talk of a deal, despite the $1.5 million gulf between first and second.

It was a good decision by Malinowski.

Adrian Mateos has been on a tear recently but came up just short today

The final hand

Mateos:
Malinowski:

Flop:
Turn:

Mateos check-raised all-in at this point and was snapped off by Malinowski.

River:

That gave Malinowski not only a Triton title to join his peers but also a career-best $4,789,000 payday.

“It’s the best feeling,” Malinowski said after his historic victory. “There are so many moments in poker when it’s not so good, so when you win, it feels very special.”

Triton Montenegro Event #11 – $200K NLH results

^{Images courtesy of Triton Poker/Joe Giron}