Players such as Bryn Kenney, Stephen Chidwick and Fedor Holz could only watch on in awe as the enigmatic mystery man ‘Gambledore’ – real name Vladimir Korzinin from Estonia – took home the top prize of $4.35 million in Monte Carlo for one of the biggest scores of 2024. At a final table that also featured stars such as Sam Greenwood and Dan Smith, the unique triumph for Gambledore came in thrilling circumstances.
| Triton Poker Series $150,000 Event #12 NLHE 8-Max Final Table Results: | |||
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Vladimir Korzinin | Estonia | $4,350,000 |
| 2nd | Ossi Ketola | Finland | $2,970,000 |
| 3rd | Fedor Holz | Germany | $1,962,000 |
| 4th | Bryn Kenney | United States | $1,616,000 |
| 5th | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | $1,300,000 |
| 6th | Dan Smith | United States | $1,016,000 |
| 7th | Tom Fuchs | Austria | $762,000 |
| 8th | Sam Greenwood | Canada | $562,000 |
| 9th | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | $435,000 |
Epic Turnout for Super High Roller
Monte Carlo may be the playground of the rich and famous but it is also a happy hunting ground for elite poker professionals. Legends of the game took part in this $150,000 buy-in event and with a massive 121 entries (including 55 re-entries), a prizepool of over $18 million was a juicy one, with a top prize of $435,000 for an event that isn’t even the biggest in this festival in terms of an entry fee.
There were just 20 players who ended inside the money places and one of them was Jesse Lonis, who won his first Triton Poker Series event later in the weekend, having never played the TPS events before. Claiming $290,500 in 14th place, Lonis, along with Patrik Antonius ((17th for $263,000) and Daniel Dvoress (11th for $363,000) all missed out on the final table.
As the final nine gathered, Sam Greenwood from Canada led the field on 85 big blinds but he was closely followed by Tom Fuchs with 74 big blinds. There was some gap to the others, with the eventual winner Korzinin on 46 bigs.
Thomas Boivin wasn’t far behind on 38 big blinds, but the Belgian became Korzinin’s first victim when a board of A-9-5-5 with two spades prompted a shove from Korzinin with queen-ten of spades. Boivin called off his stack with jack-five for turned trips but a seven of spades on the river gave the Estonian a flush and the field was already down to eight.
The Cowboy is Shot Down
One player had gone already and that was enough of a shock to send players around the room into discussion. Soon, though, the overnight chip leader fell to Korzinin too. Greenwood had stayed away from hands of any sort since sitting down but on a flop of T-4-2 with two clubs, Greenwood moved it all in with ace-five of clubs. Korzinin called with pocket queens and this time the made hand held, sending Greenwood to the rail for $562,000 and Korzinin to the top of the leaderboard.
Another previously powerful player, Tom Fuchs, busted next for $762,000. Losing a chunk to Ossi Ketola of Finland, Fuchs was down to 10 big blinds and those went in when he shoved with ace-ten. Fedor Holz re-shoved with pocket nines and Korzinin made the call with ace-queen of hearts. A clean board for the German player Holz meant Fuchs was on the rail and Korzinin took a minor hit.
Dan Smith is known as ‘The Cowboy’ in the elite poker world but he was shot down next for $1,016,000, the first seven-figure score of the event. Smith got it in good with jack-ten on a flop of Q-J-T against Korzinin’s queen-six but a six on the turn gave the Estonian a better two-pair and he held through the river to reduce the field to five.
Chidwick Chased Home
Stephen Chidwick was sporting the kind of legendary moustache that can make headlines during the fundraising month of ‘Movember’ in his native Great Britain, but the Kent-born superstar – and Britain’s most successful ever live tournament poker player – was on the rail next for a score of $1,300,000. Shoving for his last 10 bigs with king-seven on a flop of T-7-5, Ketola called with ten-nine and survived turn and river to take out one of the most dangerous opponents left in the tournament.
Bryn Kenney was hoping to take the title and move over $11 million clear of his nearest challenger Justin Bonomo on the All-Time Money List on The Hendon Mob. He failed in that bid but did come fourth for $1,616,000, leaping $9m clear at the top with over $73 million in lifetime cashes in ranking events. All-in with pocket sixes, the Long Islander lost to Korzinin when the latter’s king-queen of clubs flopped a flush draw and completed it on the river.
Three-handed, Ossi Ketola took out Fedor Holz or $1,962,000. On a flop where the Finn made top pair and the German only middle pair, the money went in and no more drama meant Ketola took out Holz, taking the chip lead with 49 big blinds to Korzinin’s 32. All-in with seven-deuce of spades, Korzinin immediately got there with another flush, as Ketola’s king-nine didn’t end the event and soon, a board of Q-J-T-7 got all the chips in again.
Once more, Ketola had the best of it with queen-six but Korzinin had the flush draw yet again with ten-six of clubs and when a nine of clubs landed on the river, it was all over. Ketola could comfort himself with $2.97 million, by far the biggest score of his poker career and his fourth result inside a magical week in Monaco, but the tournament – and the Triton trophy – belonged to the mysterious Vladimir Korzinin, who banked $4.35 million, refused all offers of an interview and disappeared into the night like a certain similarly named wizard.
None passed ‘Gambledore’, and this was the moment Korzinin became a Triton Poker champion. The new poker legend’s quest for glory is surely only just beginning.