Michael Soyza
Michael Soyza won the Triton High Roller in Cyprus, adding to his staking mystique ahead of the World Series.

Malaysian Poker Pro Wins Triton High Roller for $1.7 million After Epic Heads-Up

The latest Triton Poker Series event had an insanely stacked final table line-up. After the dust had settled, Mikita Badziakouski had banked another seven-figure score as runner-up and Malaysian high roller Michael Soyza was the champion, banking an amazing $1.7 million as the winner. With so much poker talk centering around the 54th annual World Series of Poker that starts in just 11 days’ time, is the Malaysian player the most in-form hopeful heading to Las Vegas?

Final Table in Cyprus Produces Drama to the Last

With only 13 players of the 87 entries cashing in the Triton Poker Series event at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel in North Cyprus, Soyza’s triumph came at the conclusion of a dramatic few days. Making it to the final eight in strong form, he went on a heater, taking out almost all of the seven men who stood in his way. All that was after Denmark’s Henrik Hecklen was the final player to bust without making money in 14th place.

As it happened, the final table was reached and Artur Martirosian busted in eighth place for $241,500 in the very same hand. That was because Michael Soyza eliminated two players in one fell swoop as his final table got going in a serious way. Mikalai Vaisaboinikau had ace-jack, Martirosian had pocket queens, but Soyza held AdAc and they held to reduce the field to seven.

After Michael Addamo took out Dylan Linde in seventh for $310,000, Matthias Eibinger was unable to derail the Soyza runaway train. The Austrian’s AhKh couldn’t hold against the Russian player Viacheslav Bulygin’s pocket tens. The Russian was the next man to drop, as Soyza’s own pocket tens were too good for Buldygin’s AsJc and Soya surged into a huge lead.

That’s where he stay until heads-up, as Dan Smith and Michael Addamo both feel to leave Mikita Badziakouski between Soyza and glory. As we explored only last week, the Belarussian has quietly become one of the game’s all-time greats but even he couldn’t prevent Soyza sweeping the board, as – after two double-ups – Badziakouski fell too, claiming the runner-up spot.

2023 Triton Poker Series $75,000 NLHE 8-Max High Roller

Place Player Country Prize
1st Michael Soyza Malaysia $1,735,000
2nd Mikita Badziakouski Belarus $1,200,000
3rd Michael Addamo Australia $796,000
4th Dan Smith U.S.A. $623,000
5th Viacheslav Buldygin Russia $502,500
6th Matthias Eibinger Austria $391,500
7th Dylan Linde U.S.A. $310,000
8th Artur Martirosian Russia $241,500

Soyza’s Record Speaks for Itself

Soyza is cleatly a go-to choice for fans of the Malaysian when it comes to choosing a player for the $25,000 Fantasy Draft in Las Vegas which is run annually by Daniel ‘Kid Poker’ Negreanu. To many, however, investing in Soyza personally will be far more important. Soyza has already sold his action on Poker Stake and is sure to do so again over the summer. Having handsomely rewarded his investors previously, he’s going to be hot property on the site from the WSOP’s kick off on May 31st.

Soyza is ultra-reliable in high rollers, as evidenced by his ability to mix it with the absolute best when the buy-in would make most players’ eyes water. Soyza has the perfect temperament for the rarified air of a high roller tournament and looks at home swapping three-bets and river bluffs with the likes of Badziakouski and Addamo. Many great players might have found themselves daunted by the prospect of taking on those two, but not the Malaysian.

The uncompromisingly aggressive style of Soyza means he’s always in there scrapping for big wins. His record of cashing is remarkably consistent and he does the business at the top end of tournaments. With just 13 cashes in the WSOP and no bracelet, he’ll be desperate to put that record right this summer.

Other Players to Invest In

The World Series of Poker is the perfect opportunity to stake a poker player if you never have before. By heading to the PokerStake Staking Page, you can immediately access players to invest in, easily seeing the tournament they’ll be looking to enter, the mark-up and how much has already been sold of the percentage on offer.

Some of the best players in the world are selling action this summer, with former Global Poker Index (GPI) number one Alex Fozen putting his tournaments up on the page. Another superstar of the live poker circuit is Cherish Andrews, who already has a raft of events to invest in. She was the GPI Female Player of the Year last year and is sure to have another great WSOP.

Others such as Felipe Ramos, Allen Kessler, Hayley Hanna and Frank Kassela already have packages on the site, and you can check out the official Poker Stake WSOP page right here if you’re looking to purchase a piece of your favorite professional poker player. Enjoying the World Series as a fan just got even better!