Thursday, December 19, 2024

WSOP Paradise: Alejandro Lococo wins Triton Million Invitational for $12.07 million

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If you understand “mom’s spaghetti” in a non-foodie way, then you’ll take a shine to the latest winner at the 2024 WSOP Paradise at the refurbished Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Alejandro Lococo, known in his circles as “Papo MC” outlasted a deep pool of sharks and snatched an eight-figure payday at Atlantis in the Bahamas during the last and final stop on the 2024 WSOP.

The second event on this year’s docket in the Bahamas had a $500,000 buy-in for this nosebleed tournament that featured several of the top high rollers in the world. Event #2 Triton Million Invitational attracted 96 players who generated a juicy prize pool worth $48 million. The top 17 places paid out and a min-cash was worth $755K. The final nine locked up at least a seven-figure payout. Of course, most of the cheddar was set aside to the top three spots with over $12 million set aside to the winner and well over $8 million to the runner-up.

The format includes a split format with amateurs slugging it out in their own field and the pros in their own section at the start of Day 1. They eventually combined the fields so an equal amount of amateurs and pros were heading into the final stretch.

Among the noteworthy players who went deep and cashed included… Michael Moncek, Chance Kornuth, Adrian Mateos, Esti Wang, David Einhorn, Stephen Chidwick, Phillip Nagy, Punnat Punsri, and Mikita Badziakouski.

The final eight included Sosia Jiang from New Zealand, Latvia’s Aleksejs Ponakovs, Alex Foxen, Elias Talvitie of Finland, Canadian pro Daniel Dvoress, Sinan Unlu from Turkey, Ben Heath as the lone Brit at the final table, and Argentinian rapper Alejandro Lococo.

Sosia Jiang, the last lady standing, busted in eighth place, which paid out an impressive $1.6 million. She was small-stacked and shoved from the small blind with :K but ran into Dvoress’s Carte As de trèfleCarte Roi de trèfle. Neither improved on a seven-high board, so Dvoress dragged the pot with King-high.

Dvoress picked off another short stack with Carte As de cœurCarte 8 de cœur against Aleksejs Ponakovs’ Carte 9 de trèfleCarte 8 de trèfle. Ponakovs hit the rail in seventh place, which paid out $2.1 million.

Dvoress ambushed a third-straight player when Alex Foxen made a finals with pocket sevens. Dvoress won with Ace-eight again. Foxen hit the bricks in sixth place which paid out a smidge below $2.8 million.

Elias Talvitie met his fate in fifth place in a battle of Finland vs Argentina. Talvitie’s King-Jack lost to Lococo’s Carte 10 de trèfleCarte 7 de trèfle. Talvitie was ahead on the flop, but Lococo picked up a double gutshot draw. Although Talvitie turned a pair of Kings, Lococo rivered a straight to win the pot. Talvitie took home over $3.5 million for fifth place.

The tides turned against Dvoress and he went from the hunter to the one being hunted. He got it all in with pocket deuces against Lococo’s pocket Jacks. Lococo flopped a set and turned a boat, and Dvoress was knocked out in fourth place which paid out almost $4.4 million.

Short-stacked Sinan Unlu was the next player to bow out when Lococo busted him in third place. Unlu snatched $5.3 million for third place. Not too shabby, eh!

The heads-up joust was a battle between the UK and Argentina. Ben Heath was clearly the more experienced player, but Lococo had momentum and confidence while being blessed by the poker gods. Lococo held a 7-to-1 edge with 84M to 12M.

Heath made a final stand with Big Slick up against Lococo’s King-deuce off suit. You know where this is going. Loco flopped a pair of twos, which held up. Hath never improved and he busted in second place. For a valiant runner-up performance, Heath banked $8.16 million, which marked his largest cash to date in his impressive career. Heath now has over $31 million in career earnings. He’s currently in the Top 40 on Hendon Mob in lifetime earnings, and he sits in second place in England’s all-time list behind Stephen Chidwick ($60 million).

Lococo banked $12,070,000 for his epic victory, and he now has close to $14.9 million in career earnings. He was sixth place for Argentina heading into the final table with $2.8 million in winnings, but after this sick score, he leapfrogged into second place on Argentina’s money list just behind Nacho Barbero ($21.5 million).

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