Following the success of the recently concluded Triton Series – Special Edition where all four champions Nemeth, Mulder, Ivey, and Yu captured seven-figure scores, the spotlight has now shifted to the ongoing Super High Roller Bowl Europe series also held in Merit Royal Hotel Casino & Spa, North Cyprus. The premium festival running through the 15th showcases a total of ten events with the exciting $250,000 SHRB Main Event on this week’s schedule.
With buy-ins on the heavier side, the usual attendees include some of the industry’s most experienced players, making the relatively small fields one of the toughest to triumph in. The latest crowned champion is Hong Kong’s Danny Tang who after cashing in on his fifth run since the Triton series, finally bagged the victory. Other event winners include Phil Ivey for a second trophy this high roller season, Marius Gierse who denied Tang the title in Event #3, Mikita Badziakouski having defeated Ivey in heads up play, and Dutch pro Tom Vogelsang as the festival’s first awarded champion.
Tang takes down SHRS Europe #5: $50,000 Short Deck for $640,000
After a series of deep runs including a third place finish in the Triton $75,000 Short Deck event, Danny Tang finally captured an exceptional win in Super High Roller Series’ second Short Deck tournament on schedule. Tang entered the final day with a massive chip lead – a stack larger than all his opponents’ combined, giving the Natural8 Team Hot pro a major advantage to ship it all the way and that, he did.
Malaysian founder Paul Phua was the first to bust the final table after losing to Lun Loon’s pocket Queens with American pro Seth Davies, who entered the final day with the shortest stack, followingly shortly in fourth. GGPoker global ambassador Jason Koon was also in the mix but inevitably exited in third place after Tang rivered an Ace for a higher set against Koon’s flopped set of sevens. With two left in the running, Tang’s 3-1 chip lead eventually led him to seal the deal, beating Loon’s with with a turned straight for the final hand. Loon’s runner-up finish awarded him a substantial $416,000 for his best live cash to date.
“I would have to say short deck, although I’ve been playing no-limit hold’em to climb through the ranks to be up here,” commented Tang to PokerGO. “But I’ve spent so much time in the last three years on short deck. I feel like I can compete with these beasts in no-limit hold’em, but I think they’ve spent more time on no-limit whereas I’ve spent more time on short deck.”
“I love it. For me, no-limit hold’em is still the purest form of poker. Short deck is so close in equity a lot of times, but because I feel like my skill is superior in short deck, that’s why I play more short deck. And also, I obviously enjoy the game. These beasts are always putting me in tough spots in no-limit hold’em and I love giving them back in short deck”, he added.
A profitable run this Spring season, Danny Tang’s total live earnings as reported in The Hendon Mob has now reached over the $10 million mark. The Asian pro’s Super High Roller record has truly been outstanding with his best live cash recorded nearly at $1.8 million for coming in second Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro Main Event in 2019. Tang’s April results for the Cyprus festivities alone have already added over $1 million in winnings to his name, and with a number of events to go, poker fans can definitely expect Tang to make a few more notable finishes in the coming days.
Buy-in: $50,000
Dates: April 11, 2022
Entries: 32
Prize pool: $1,600,000
ITM: 5 places
SHRS Europe #5: $50,000 Short Deck Results
Place | Player | Country | Prize |
1st | Danny Tang | Hong Kong | $640,000 |
2nd | Lun Loon | Malaysia | $416,000 |
3rd | Jason Koon | United States | $256,000 |
4th | Seth Davies | United States | $176,000 |
5th | Paul Phua | Malaysia | $112,000 |
Other Winners
SHRS Europe #1: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
Buy-in: $25,000
Dates: April 7, 2022
Entries: 40
Prize pool: $1,000,000
ITM: 6 places
Champion: Tom Vogelsang – $360,000
SHRS Europe #2: $50,000 Short Deck
Buy-in: $50,000
Dates: April 8, 2022
Entries: 42
Prize pool: $2,100,000
ITM: 6 places
Champion: Mikita Badziakouski – $756,000
SHRS Europe #3: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $25,000
Dates: April 9, 2022
Entries: 64
Prize pool: $1,600,000
ITM: 10 places
Champion: Marius Gierse – $432,000
SHRS Europe #4: $50,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
Buy-in: $50,000
Dates: April 10, 2022
Entries: 32
Prize pool: $1,600,000
ITM: 5 places
Champion: Phil Ivey – $640,000
2022 PokerGO Tour Leaderboard
Remaining in the lead is legendary Phil Ivey with 1,725 points, followed by bracelet winner Jason Koon with 854 and Danny Tang closely in third with 844. The player to accumulate the highest number of PGT points will receive the Super High Roller Series Championship title along with a $25,000 bonus.
Rank | Player | Country | Points |
1 | Phil Ivey | United States | 1,725 |
2 | Jason Koon | United States | 854 |
3 | Danny Tang | Hong Kong | 844 |
4 | Andras Nemeth | Hungary | 738 |
5 | Winfred Yu | Hong Kong | 700 |