Xuan Liu, a regular fixture at high-stakes televised cash games and elite tournaments, made history by becoming the first female winner of the prestigious Triton Poker Series. The WPT Global Ambassador took down Event #1: $25,000 NLH WPT Global Slam at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro, earning a career-high $860,000 first-place prize and the coveted Triton Poker trophy.
This was Liu’s first-ever Triton tournament, and she went on a remarkable run that has already inspired many — and will no doubt inspire many more. With the victory, Liu crossed the $3 million mark on The Hendon Mob, placing her 15th on the women’s all-time money list.
The $25,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em WPT Global Slam attracted 155 entries, generating a total prize pool of $3,875,000. The top 27 finishers cashed, with the final eight earning six-figure payouts.
Top pros such as Jesse Lonis, William Alex Foxen, Isaac Haxton, Mikita Badziakouski, Artur Martirosyan, Seth Davies, and many other recognizable names made it into the money but fell short of reaching the final table. Here’s a quick recap of how Xuan Liu triumphed over an elite final table in her debut Triton tournament.
Triton Poker SHRS Montenegro Event #1: $25K WPT Global Slam – Final Table Recap
Xuan Liu entered the final table with a middle stack of 33 big blinds. Four-time bracelet winner David Peters led the pack with 71 BBs, followed closely by Dan Dvoress.
Shortly after the final table began, Theodore McQuilkin was the first to be eliminated. Entering with just eight big blinds, McQuilkin ran pocket jacks into Zhang Yu’s pocket kings and exited in 9th place for $86,500. Lithuania’s Paulius Plausinaitis soon followed after failing to double his short stack, finishing 8th and earning $105,000.
Next out was Zhang Yu, who went from chip leader to short stack after losing an all-in against Tom Fuchs. Yu then shoved with king-ten of diamonds and was called by Dvoress holding pocket queens. The queens held, sending Yu to the rail in 7th place for $144,500.
Four-time Triton champion Mike Watson, known for his short-stack prowess, moved all-in with pocket jacks but ran into Dvoress’s pocket kings. Watson finished 6th, collecting $199,000.
After several levels of play, the final five returned for the final day. Tom Fuchs jammed his last 18 big blinds with king-jack of spades and was snap-called by Dvoress with pocket sevens. The board offered no help, and Fuchs departed in 5th, earning $259,000.
Just four hands later, three-time Female Player of the Year Kristen Foxen found herself all-in against Liu. Liu, covering Foxen, held king-jack of spades, while Foxen revealed king-eight of clubs. The board ran out dry, and Liu’s hand held to eliminate Foxen in 4th place for $325,000.
David Peters became the next casualty of Dvoress’s dominant run. In his final hand, Peters called for his tournament life with the top pair but lost to Dvoress’s spade flush. Peters bowed out in 3rd place, banking $398,000.
Heads-Up Showdown
Daniel Dvoress entered heads-up play with a commanding chip lead—61 big blinds to Liu’s 16. However, Liu refused to go quietly. She patiently chipped up by winning small pots and maintained her stack.
In a pivotal moment, Liu picked up pocket fives and won a crucial flip against Dvoress’s ace-queen, seizing the chip lead. On the very next hand, Dvoress shoved his remaining four big blinds with ten-three of clubs, and Liu called with seven-six. The board ran out: 5♣–J♦–7♠–K♦–9♥, giving Liu the winning hand and crowning her the first female Triton champion.
Triton Poker SHRS Montenegro $25K WPT Global Slam Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Payout |
| 1st | Xuan Liu | $860,000 |
| 2nd | Daniel Dvoress | $598,000 |
| 3rd | David Peters | $398,000 |
| 4th | Kristen Foxen | $325,000 |
| 5th | Tom Fuchs | $259,000 |
| 6th | Mike Watson | $199,000 |
| 7th | Zhang Yu | $144,500 |
| 8th | Paulius Plausinaitis | $105,000 |
| 9th | Theodore McQuilkin | $86,500 |
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Source – Triton Blog
