Three all-in blinds helped Petrangelo win the Triton $150K 10th Anniversary Special.

Nick Petrangelo won the Triton Jeju II $150K 10th Anniversary Special, earning $2,212,910. He won in a heads-up match against Joao Simao, who went all-in with his blinds, and Simao won $2,517,090.

After coming close to the championship multiple times at the Triton Poker Series Jeju II, Nick Petrangelo finally got his moment. After nearly two weeks of intense playoffs, the American player broke through in the event's top tournament, defeating his longtime friend Joao Simao heads-up to win the $150K 10th Anniversary Special and a prize of $2,212,910 at LES A Casino.

The final table brought together some of the most prominent names in the poker world, including Adrian Mateos, Thomas Boivin, Danny Tang, Dan Dvoress, and Seth Davies.

For Simao, finishing as runner-up was not disappointing, as he performed admirably. The Brazilian earned $2,517,090 from the heads-up deal, but he has already secured the biggest prize of the series – winning the $200,000 Invitational and achieving a career-best $7,250,000.

$150K 10th Anniversary Special Tournament Final Table Results

*Reflects the prize money distribution after the heads-up agreement.

Winner's Reaction

This victory brought a glorious series to a close for Petrangelo, who had won five prizes at the event, adding another major title to his already illustrious career. After entering heads-up play with his longtime friend Simao, the two reached an agreement, but ultimately decided to decide the champion with a series of all-in blinds.

"Yes, we split the prize money in the heads-up match. It's always good to have a good result in these tournaments because the field is really strong and the outcome can go in any direction. You might get a bunch of ninth-place finishes in these tournaments, or you might get lucky and make it to three-on-one or heads-up matches. I'm glad we succeeded this time."

Petrangelo said the strength of the field made the victory all the more satisfying.

"You have to be sharp in every aspect of the final table. The advantage is very small right now, so you have to get into top form. You know, it feels great to execute well in a tournament like this and to feel like you're playing well most of the time."

This heads-up match carries an extra layer of significance due to the long-standing rivalry between Petrangelo and Simao. The two have been competing against each other since the online poker boom of the late 2000s.

"Yes, we've been playing against each other. I mean, like you said, we've been honing our skills online since 2008, we've been playing against each other for a long time. He's a great guy. You know, there are a lot of different small groups here, and he's kind of like a lone wolf crushing everything. I have a lot of respect for him for that."

Day 2 Action

Nine additional runners joined the 26 who advanced from Day 1, bringing the total number of participants to 67, setting the stage for a marathon battle for the championship.

With only 20 big blinds available, almost all participants on Day 2 were eliminated in the early levels. Among the late entrants, Punnat Punsri, Jesse Lonis, Jamil Wakil, Ding Biao, Samuel Mullur, Michael Watson, and Phil Ivey were all eliminated before the first break of the day.

Isaac Haxton made a rare double kill earlier in the day, hitting a flush on the turn to beat Stephen Chidwick and Brandon Wilson. But Haxton was soon overtaken – Daniel Dvoress pulled off an even rarer triple kill against Sam Greenwood, Matthias Eibinger, and Patrik Antonius, propelling him to the top of the leaderboard.

The bubble burst quickly, with Wai Kiat Lee taking the wrong side in a pre-flop clash where his AQ ran into Tang's AK. The board gave Lee a chance to draw a flush, but he ultimately failed to make it, missing out on the prize money by one place. Despite this painful exit, Lee performed well overall in the series, winning the $40K Mystery Bounty and earning money in three other events, adding nearly $2 million to his career earnings.

Despite doubling up immediately after the money bubble, Alex Foxen was the first player to be eliminated after entering the money bubble, defeated by Seth Davies with a better flop.

Boivin then surged to the chip lead, first doubling down from Ben Tollerene, then making a straight and getting paid off the American pro. Tollerene's situation worsened from there, as Murly Manokharan doubled down from him, and he then lost to Manokharan in a run, missing the final table by one place.

Dvoress was the first player eliminated from the final table, first allowing Manokharan to double his bet, and then his QQ was shattered by Miroslav Atanasov.

Davies, who started Day 2 with a chip lead, was eliminated in eighth place, following Dvoress. He made a large raise with A8 but failed to improve, and Petrangelo beat him with AQ.

Then came the biggest pot of the tournament so far, with Tang and Atanasov engaging in a pre-flop raise battle, ultimately ending with Tang going all-in with a Big Slick against Atanasov's pocket Jacks. The result favored Atanasov, who now held nearly a third of the chips after this massive clash.

After Manokharan was eliminated in sixth place, Simao took the Ace, leaving Boivin with only a few chips. Surprisingly, Boivin successfully doubled up multiple times, growing his chip stack from a mere 15,000 to 695,000, seemingly on the verge of a historic comeback. Unfortunately, Boivin's momentum came to an abrupt end after losing a runner-up match to Mateos, finishing in fifth place.

In the four-player showdown, Petrangelo first bluffed Mateos to fold his best hand, and then caught Atanasov's big bluff, quickly increasing his chip stack.

Atanasov was forced to go all-in from the big blind, after which Simao and Mateos battled for a huge side pot. Mateos made a bold but ultimately unsuccessful bluff—which boosted Simao's chip stack and eliminated Atanasov in fourth place. Shortened by the failed bluff, Mateos quickly fought back with AT against Simao, but lost to Simao's 3 in a run, forcing heads-up play.

The two longtime friends quickly reached an agreement, with Simao receiving a larger share of the prize pool. Seemingly uninterested in continuing the battle, they agreed to go all-in until a champion was crowned. In just three hands, Petrangelo doubled up twice, then won Simao's remaining chips—the tournament was over, and Petrangelo was crowned the official champion.

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