Webster Lim Wins Record-Setting Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Vietnam Kickoff Event

The 2023 Triton Super High Roller Series Vietnam festival kicked off with the $25,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em ‘GG Super Millions’ event. A total of 166 entries were made by the time registration closed, setting a new record for the largest field in Triton Poker tour history. After two days of action the record turnout was narrowed down to a single player: Webster Lim.

The Malaysian earned $965,000 for his second career Triton victory. The score was his fourth-largest live payday yet, bringing his lifetime earnings to more than $11.3 million.

Lim dedicated the victory to the late Ivan Leow, his countryman and mentor who tragically passed away while attending the Triton festival in Cyprus last year.

“All my close friends know mine and his relationship. Without him, I wouldn’t be here,” Lim told Triton reporters after coming out on top. “So, I just want to say that this win is for him. This is for you Ivan. I miss you.”

In addition to the money and the title, Lim also earned 1,092 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his first POY-qualified score of the year, but this alone was enough to move him inside the top 60 in the 2023 POY race standings sponsored by Global Poker.

After the field topped out at 166 entries, it was quickly whittled down to just 32 contenders by the time day 1 came to an end. Only the top 23 made the money, with notables that cashed but failed to final table including nine-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel (21st), World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour champion Michael Watson (17th), and EPT winner Patrik Antonius (13th).

Lim had claimed the chip lead by the time the remaining eight players took a seat at the official final table. WPT champion Jonathan Jaffe (8th – $121,000) hit the rail in eighth place after his pocket jacks ran into the pocket kings of fellow WPT winner Seth Davies.

Michael Soyza soon followed when his A-J suited was unable to overcome the A-Q suited of two-time bracelet winner Nick Petrangelo. Soyza earned $164,000 for his first live cash of 2023.

Lim added to his lead by busting Sosia Jiang (6th – $222,000) and Petrangelo (5th – $286,300). Lim’s K-J suited outran Jiang’s A-5 suited, making two pair on the river for the win. He then found pocket jacks and got all-the chips in against the A-9 suited of Petrangelo. Neither player improved and Lim took a healthy chip advantage into four-handed play.

Davies’ run in this event came to an end when his pocket nines were unable to hold up against the pocket eights of Chris Brewer. An eight on the flop gave Brewer a set and the lead, and he held from there to send Davies packing in fourth place ($357,000). This was already Davies’ sixth POY-qualified score of the year. With 1,986 total points and $1,926,773 in to-date POY earnings, Davies now sits in 13th place on the POY leaderboard.

Despite the big come-from-behind win in that hand against Davies, Brewer soon found himself all-in and at risk. Brewer was left on fumes after attempting a multi-street bluff that was quickly picked off by Lim and his trip aces. He found two double ups, but was soon all-in and at risk again with A-J facing the pocket aces of Roman Hrabec and the K-J of Lim. Hrabec’s overpair held up and Brewer was eliminated in third place, earning $435,500 for his third final-table finish of the year. Brewer’s two previous deep runs both ended with him hoisting the trophy, first in a $25,000 buy-in and then in a $50,000 high roller at the European Poker Tour Paris festival. With 1,760 POY points and $1,844,369 in earnings so far this year, Brewer is now among the top 20 contenders in the 2023 POY rankings.

Heads-up play began with Lim holding more than a 2:1 chip lead over Hrabec. He had expanded that advantage to over 3:1 by the time the decisive hand of the match was dealt. With blinds of 200,000-400,000 and a big blind ante of 400,000, Lim raised to 1,400,000 from the big blind with J3 after Hrabec had limped on the button with 74. Hrabec called and the flop came down 932. Lim checked with his flush draw and middle pair. Hrabec bet 700,000 and Lim called. The 6 on the turn saw Lim check again. Hrabec bet 2,500,000 and Lim called again. The 9 completed the board and Hrabec bet 5,200,000, leaving himself just 225,000 behind. Lim thought it over before eventually making the hero call with his nines and threes with a jack kicker to take a gigantic lead.

Hrabec was left with just over a small blind. He got all-in on the next hand with 7-3 and was unable to outrun the K-10 of Lim. Hrabec took home a career-high payday of $653,600 as the runner-up finisher.

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

Photo credits: Joe Giron / Triton Poker.