Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Vietnam: Orpen Kisacikoglu Wins Event #7: $75K NLHE; India’s Santhosh Suvarna Banks $628K in Fourth Place!

WSOP bracelet winner Orpen Kisacikoglu was the last player standing in Event #7: $75K NLHE of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Vietnam, underway at the lavish Hoiana Resort & Golf in Quang Nam. The London-based Turk stormed through a star-studded 85-strong field (57 unique players) to win the Shamballa bracelet and a whopping $1,753,000 winner`s payday.

As the top-ranked player on Turkey’s all-time money list, this was Kisacikoglu’s second Triton Poker trophy. He landed his first in August 2019 at the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Europe Triton €100K Super High Roller for €905,937. He boasts a career-best score of €2,016,491 he earned from a runner-up finish in the Triton Series Madrid Main Event in May 2022.

With this latest win, Kisacikoglu has earned four Triton Poker scores, bringing his total winnings on the tour to an impressive $4,967,643. With this win, his live tournament scorecard has reached $13,201,354.

Kisacikoglu’s journey to the top was not without challenges, as he suffered a setback at the start of the tournament when he burned the soles of his feet in a hot-sand-related incident. However, it did not dampen his spirits, as he refused to let the injury hinder his performance on the tables.

High-stakes crusher Stephen Chidwick, who holds the top spot on England’s all-time money list, earned an impressive $1,245,000 for his second-place finish. This marked his fourth score at the Vietnam stop, putting him in a solid position to win the Player of the Year title, as he was already leading in the standings before the event.

While several big names were a part of the event, the Indian rail was keenly following Santosh Suvarna‘s deep run. The Dubai-based casino operator banked a career-best $628,000 in fourth place – more than 2.5 times his previous best. This score catapulted Suvarna from #18 to #7 on India’s all-time money list, where he currently sits with $1,089,414 in live tournament earnings.

Suvarna, who previously ran the Rockets Poker Room in Bengaluru, has been a well-known figure in the domestic cash game circuit for over a decade. In 2022, he teamed up with Vikram Kumar to manage poker operations at the Cadillac Casino in Goa, India.

Suvarna made his Triton debut in Cyprus last year, where he secured a breakout finish in Event #5: 75K NLHE (8^th for $245,000), placing him #2 among the top Indian scorers of 2022. After a few failed attempts earlier in the series, Suvarna put himself on course for his first tournament victory in Event #7. He entered the final table with 2,480,000 (50 BBs) – ranked fourth among the nine finalists. Despite swinging back and forth among the top four stacks and even pulling ahead into the chip lead a few times, Suvarna’s fortunes took a hit after losing a pot to Stephen Chidwick, which got him down to an average stack.

The hand saw Suvarna opening to 2X (160K) from the middle position with and Chidwick defending from the big blind with . On the flop, Chidwick bet 110K, and Survarna made the call. The turn was checked around. On the river, Chidwick bet 80K with a pair of nines, and Suvarna paid him off.

Not long after that, the Dubai-based Indian gave his title aspirations a shot in the arm by orchestrating a double elimination. He busted the Triton Poker Cyprus 2022 Main Event winner Thailand’s Punnat Punsri and Dusk Till Dawn poker club owner Rob Yong in a three-way all-in hand.

Suvarna’s dream run ended in fourth place, with Stephen Chidwick digging the hole. The Indian moved all-in with ace-seven, and Chidwick called off with . The board opened a straight for Chidwick, ending Suvarna’s pursuit to win his first Triton title. Despite the loss, Suvarna remained gracious, giving Chidwick a fist pump and leaving the table with a smile.

Event #7: $75K NLHE 8–Handed attracted 85 players (including 28 re-entries), creating a $6,375,000 prize pool, and 11 players got paid.

You can watch the replay of the final day`s play below.

Daniel Dvoress money bubbled the tournament in 12th place.

David Yan (10^th for $159,500) and Adrian Mateos (11^th for $159,500) crossed the money line but failed to find a final table seat.

Final table Chip Counts

1. Steve O’Dwyer – 2,630,000
2. Michael Soyza – 2,505,000
3. Stephen Chidwick – 2,490,000
4. Santhosh Suvarna – 2,480,000
5. Rob Yong – 1,750,000
6. Orpen Kisacikoglu – 1,715,000
7. Jason Koon – 1,470,000
8. Punnat Punsri – 1,050,000
9. Henrik Hecklen – 910,000

Final Table Recap

The first player eliminated on the final table was Natural8 Ambassador Michael Soyza. Stephen Chidwick cracked Soyza’s pocket aces with pocket jacks – flopping the two-outer.

Soon after returning from the dinner break, India’s Santhosh Suvarna eliminated Punnat Punsri (7th) and Rob Yong (8th) in a double knockout. In a three-way all-in showdown, Suvarna’s pocket rockets busted Punsri’s pocket fives and Yong’s .

The next two players to fall were Jason Koon in sixth place and Henrik Hecklen in fifth.

Next in line was India’s Santhosh Suvarna in fourth place. Suvarna moved all-in on the button with , and Stephen Chidwick came along with a call holding. Suvarna was ahead, but the tables turned on the board that gave Chidwick a turned straight.

The final two players, Stephen Chidwick and Orpen Kisacikoglu, each secured a seven-figure payout as they settled into an intense heads-up match. Chidwick was eyeing his second Triton title, while Kisacikoglu sought his first.

The chip stacks fluctuated in small increments as the players traded blows until a pivotal hand occurred. Chidwick held while Kisacikoglu had . On the flop, Kisacikoglu opted to call rather than raise Chidwick’s bet, allowing his opponent to catch a more significant piece on the turn . This led to a massive pot, with Chidwick drawing slim odds of success. The outcome left Chidwick reeling, and Kisacikoglu wrapped up the win with a flush holding .

Despite their intense rivalry on the poker tables, Chidwick and Kisacikoglu are close friends. Following the game, Chidwick graciously congratulated Kisacikoglu, and both players jumped into the Main Event with significantly larger bankrolls.

Complete Results (USD)

1. Orpen Kisacikoglu – $1,753,000
2. Stephen Chidwick – $1,245,000
3. Steve O’Dwyer – $816,000
4. Santhosh Suvarna – $628,000
5. Henrik Hecklen – $497,500
6. Jason Koon – $389,000
7. Punnat Punsri – $306,000
8. Rob Yong – $239,000
9. Michael Soyza – $182,500
10. David Yan – $159,500
11. Adrian Mateos – $159,500

Content & Images Courtesy: Triton Poker, Poker Photo Archive & Joe Giron

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