Andrew Leathem Speeds To Victory In Triton Vietnam $25,000 Turbo

Andrew Leathem is a 43-year-old software developer from Edinburgh, Scotland who dabbles in tournament poker. Prior to making the trip to Hoiana Resort & Golf in Quang Nam, Vietnam for the latest Triton Poker festival, Leathem had $227,345 in recorded tournament earnings, with most of that coming from a final-table showing in the 2017 World Series of Poker Europe €25,000 buy-in high roller. Leathem’s first attempt at a Triton Super High Roller Series Vietnam title ended with him being eliminated near the money bubble. Leathem dusted himself off and entered the $25,000 no-limit hold’em turbo event, becoming part of a 104-entry field. The fast-paced affair saw the field narrowed down to a champion in a single day, and it was ultimately Leathem who scored the final knockout to secure the title and the top prize of $670,000.

“I was determined not to bubble this one,” Leathem told Triton reporters after coming out on top. “I sort of hung in to the final table, and it worked out. I’m super happy, but I’m also tired. It will sink in tomorrow probably.”

This score, Leathem’s largest yet, increased his earnings to nearly $900,000. The victory conferred 840 Card Player Player of the Year points on Leathem, enough to put him within striking distance of the top 100 in the 2023 POY race sponsored by Global Poker.

The strong turnout for this event resulted in a $2,600,000 prize pool, with the top 15 finishers cashing. Plenty of big names ran deep, including Wai Kin Yong (14th), Super High Roller Bowl V champion Isaac Haxton (11th), Talal Shakerchi (6th), two-time Triton champion Matthias Eibinger (4th), recent Triton Veitnam $50,000 event winner Dao Minh Phu (3rd) and Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero (2nd).

This was Barbero’s second final-table showing of the series, having topped a field of 172 entries in the $15,000 buy-in event for $600,000 less than a week before making this deep run. Barbero has now cashed for more than $2.6 million so far in 2023, with $1,060,000 in earnings at this festival and $1,551,300 for his fourth-place showing in the $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC). With 3,316 total POY points accrued across these three huge scores, Barbero has climbed into second place in the overall POY standings.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Photo credits: Joe Giron / Triton Poker.