Michael Soyza Wins 2nd Triton Title in Triton SHRS Cyprus Event #8: $75K NLH 8-Handed ($1.74 Million); Santhosh Suvarna Makes 4th Cash Finish in the Series

The 2023 Triton Super High Roller Series Cyprus, a 15-event poker extravaganza being held at the plush Merit Hotel & Resort in Northern Cyprus, saw Malaysian ace Michael Soyza dominating a competitive 87-player field (32 unique players) in Event #8: $75K NLH 8-Handed. He walked away with a second Triton Poker title, a cash prize of $1.74 Million, the Triton Poker trophy, and the Shamballa Jewels bracelet.

Soyza’s journey to triumph was far from smooth, with stiff competition at the final table, including his heads-up adversary, Belarusian whiz Mikita Badziakouski (2nd for $1.20 Million), Michael Addamo (3rd for $796,000), Dan Smith (4th for $623,000), and Event #6: $50K NLH 7-Handed winner Viacheslav Buldygin (5th for $502,500). Despite this, Soyza impressively eliminated six of his eight final rivals en route to clinching the title.

Being blessed with a significant chip lead during the short-handed final table, Soyza managed to stay unfazed by the prowess of his competitors. However, the recent 2023 PokerStars EPT Monte-Carlo €25K High Roller champion, Badziakouski, wasn’t about to let victory come easily for Soyza.

Mikita Badziakouski was initially behind Michael Soyza during the entirety of the heads-up but managed to double up twice and bring the stacks close to even. However, trying to pull off a rather heroic bluff went against Badziakouski. Soyza proved even more gallant and found the correct call on the final hand, ending the tournament.

Heads-up stack sizes

Michael Soyza – 8.70 Million Chips

Mikita Badziakouski – 8.10 Million Chips

On the last hand, Badziakouski called small blind with , while Soyza chose to raise it to 1.20 Million with . After a pause, Badziakouski agreed to the call. The flop favored Soyza with a pair and left Badziakouski with a gutshot draw.

Soyza confidently check-called Badziakouski’s post-flop bet of 800,000. On the turn , Badziakouski gambled with a hefty 2.10 Million, but Soyza wasn’t backing down. The river proved insignificant, prompting Badziakouski to go all in with his remaining 4.10 Million. Soyza, after burning through his time-bank chips, made arguably the toughest call of his career, securing his second Triton poker title grandly.

You can watch the final hand here.

We've all made hero calls.

But not as big as a $1.7 MILLION hero call! @MichaelSoyza making the right decision when it matters most. pic.twitter.com/l9K5yV8chx

— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) May 17, 2023

“We’re here to battle,” Soyza said in his post-game interview, admitting that Badziakouski had him on edge for a moment.

Michael Soyza, the #3 ranked player on Malaysia’s all-time-money list, boasts $14.57 Million in live-tournament earnings. He recently achieved his career-best finish in the 2023 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Vietnam Main Event, scoring a jaw-dropping $2.21 Million in second place. The Asian Poker Tour partner won his maiden Triton title in a HK$500K NLHE event at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju in March 2019.

India’s Santhosh Suvarna (12th for $131,000) continues to shine in Cyprus, having crossed the cash line for the fourth time in the super high roller series. He won the series-opener Event #1: $25,000 NLH GG Super Millions Live on May 11 for a career-best $700,000. And followed it with another two FT finishes in Event #5: $40K NLH 8-Handed (4th for $457,500) and Event #7: $25K NLH 8-Handed Turbo (8th for $77,800), bringing his total earnings in the festival to a life-changing $1,396,110 (~₹11.54 Crores).

Only 13 players from the 87-entry field (32 unique) shared the $6,525,000 prize pool, with a min-cash worth $131,000. The event also saw accomplished players like Nacho Barbero (10th for $140,500), Christoph Vogelsang (11th for $140,500), and Ben Heath (13th for $131,000), making the money line but falling short of the final table.

You can watch the Day 2 live stream replay on a 30-minute delay below.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Michael Soyza – $1,735,000
2. Mikita Badziakouski – $1,200,000
3. Michael Addamo – $796,000
4. Dan Smith – $623,000
5. Viacheslav Buldygin – $502,500
6. Matthias Eibinger – $391,500
7. Dylan Linde – $310,000
8. Artur Martirosian – $241,500
9. Mikalai Vaskaboinikau – $182,500

Content & Images Courtesy: Triton Poker

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