Chan Wai Leong Wins $25K PLO at Triton Poker Jeju for $387,000

Chan Wai Leong has his Triton Poker title. After 23 cashes and 14
final tables across a run dating back to the tour's second-ever event
in the Philippines in 2016, the 39-year-old Malaysian won the $25,000
PLO at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Jeju and earned
$387,000.

His Triton earnings already exceeded $12 million before this result,
but a title had stayed out of reach until now. Chan led for nearly all
of Day 1 in the 53-entry field, took that lead into the final table,
and came back from 11 blinds in heads-up play against Sean Rafael to win
the last pot with a full house on the turn.

Day 1 and the Bubble

Chan built a significant chip lead early in the first session and held
it through the end of the day. Twelve players bagged chips. Nine would
cash, meaning three eliminations stood between the field and the money.

Thomas Eychenne and Gruff Jones went in 12th and 11th to set up the
stone bubble. Hand-for-hand play ran for nearly two hours. Ben
Tollerene, Lautaro Guerra, Paul Phua, Philip Sternheimer, Danny Tang,
Laszlo Bujtas, and David Wang all sat on short stacks throughout.
Isaac Haxton had moved ahead of Chan at the top during this stretch.

Tang was the player who could not survive. Haxton raised him off his
big blind, then called Tang's small blind shove. Haxton held J965
against Tang's AQ97 and turned a club flush. Tang finished 10th and
nine players reached the money.

Final Table

David Wang busted first, eliminated by Phua. Then two all-in pots
resolved simultaneously to end 8th and 7th place. Chan's QQ66 beat
Lautaro Guerra's AJ96, and Sean Rafael's AKJ2 beat Laszlo Bujtas's
AQ106, both pots all-in pre-flop. Chan moved back into the chip lead
with Rafael as his closest challenger.

Tollerene, the NLH Main Event champion and shortest stack at the
table, busted first. He raised from the button holding KQJJ and Haxton
three-bet from the big blind with AA65. The board brought nothing for
Tollerene and he took $82,000 for sixth.

Sternheimer, the runner-up to Tollerene in that Main Event, busted
next. He held AKK7 with 22 blinds and ran into Rafael's AAK2. The
money went in pre-flop and the board did not change the outcome.
Sternheimer took $106,000 for fifth.

Rafael then removed Haxton in fourth. Haxton three-bet from the small
blind with AKJ2 against Rafael's double-suited AK98. On a 97Q flop,
Haxton moved in his last eight blinds. Rafael called with a pair of
nines and held through the 7 turn and 4 river. Haxton collected
$136,000, having also cashed the PLO Main Event running concurrently.

Phua went out in third. His series had already included a win in the
$150,000 10th Anniversary Special and a runner-up finish, and this was
his third final table of the trip. He shoved AK85 from the big blind
into Rafael's AKQ10 button open. Rafael paired his queen on the turn
and Phua was out for $181,000.

Heads-Up

Rafael started heads-up with 81 blinds to Chan's 25.

Chan fell to 11 blinds before his AJ52 beat Rafael's J932 to double
up. He doubled again with KKQ7 against Rafael's 9882. A third double,
KKJ6 against KQ109 on a 7KJ flop, gave Chan the lead for the first
time in heads-up.

The final hand began with Chan calling from the small blind and calling
Rafael's raise, holding 1056K. The flop came 595 and Chan called
Rafael's c-bet. The turn brought the 10, completing a full house for
Chan. Rafael checked, Chan bet, and Rafael jammed. Chan called and
Rafael had no outs. The tournament was over.

Chan celebrated on stage with Paul Phua and much of the Malaysian
poker community, who had gathered to watch one of the tour's original
players finally take a title.

Results