Five-time champion Mike Watson

The No Limit Hold'em phase of this Triton Poker Super High Roller Series trip to Jeju ended in the most spectacular fashion at the Landing Resort & Casino tonight.

Not only did two superstars of the series, with six titles between them, square off for yet another title, it only ended when one of them rivered a straight flush to seal the deal.

The man with the monster hand was Canada's Mike Watson, who defeated the UK No 1 Stephen Chidwick to land a fifth Triton title. It was a Hollywood ending to yet another blockbuster tournament in which 69 entries of $125,000 created a prize pool of $8,625,000.

Watson took the biggest prize alongside the trophy. He was chip leader when he and Chidwick chopped the prize money heads-up, with Watson banking $2,120,812. Chidwick fell narrowly short of his third Triton title, and what would have been his second of the Jeju stop. He instead took $1,927,188 as the runner-up.

Stephen Chidwick beaten heads-up this time

Watson had endured a relatively fallow trip to Jeju, with only two min-cashes to his name. He had also played and busted this tournament early on, before re-entering at the very last moment. But he span up that stack to become the overwhelming chip leader by the time the tournament was five-handed, and it proved to be enough to see him through an exceptionally tough final table.

The last seven had accolades aplenty between them and included another five-time winner, Mikita Badziakouski, plus Chidwick and Jun Obara, who had already won here in Jeju this trip. Kristen Foxen had the chance to become the No 1 on the women's money list, while Artur Martirosian was all but certain to lock up the Ivan Leow Player of the Year race.

But none could stop Watson, who was characteristically unflappable on his march to victory, which he completed with that incredible last hand. Already one of only a few players with Triton titles in short deck, PLO and hold'em, this $2m+ score earned him a new career high.

"Anytime you get a new career high score, it feels good," Watson told Ali Nejad in his winner's interview. "Considering how many of these big buy-ins I play at Triton, it's a little upsetting that it's taken this long to top it. But it feels great to get another title. It's amazing."

The new champ talks to Ali Nejad

TOURNAMENT ACTION

The last pure hold'em event on the schedule, Event 10 offered the chance for the two-card demons either to further upgrade their Jeju trip or to get themselves out the hole. The tournament attracted 69 entries of $125K each, which meant this was a sweet $8.625 million closer.

As usual, the predators were on the prowl, and as the tournament reached its in-the-money phase (11 players were due to be paid), Player of the Year contenders Artur Martirosian, Alex Foxen and Punnat Punsri — as well as last season's POY Danny Tang — all had chips. But ultimately only Martirosian made it through the bubble.

Punsri went out in 17th, Tang hit the rail in 13th and then Foxen was the stone bubble. He held on for a long while with a sub-10 blind stack, but his final four went to Mike Watson with A9 losing to QJ.

With Isaac Haxton, Tom Fuchs, Santhosh Suvarna and Jesse Lonis then perishing in the money but with two tables still remaining, they eventually settled to a final as follows:

Stephen Chidwick - 3,495,000 (87 BBs)

Artur Martirosian - 2,765,000 (69 BBs)

Mike Watson - 2,565,000 (64 BBs)

Kristen Foxen - 1,560,000 (39 BBs)

Jun Obara - 1,400,000 (35 BBs)

Sean Winter - 1,060,000 (27 BBs)

Mikita Badziakouski - 950,000 (24 BBs)

Event #10 final table players (clockwise from back left): Artur Martirosian, Stephen Chidwick, Sean Winter, Mikita Badziakouski, Mike Watson, Jun Obara, Kristen Foxen

All of Chidwick, Obara, Foxen and Badziakouski were returning to final tables after decent showings already on this trip to Jeju. Although hardly strangers to major finals, Martirosian, Watson and Winter were at their first of the festival. The average stack was 49 blinds, so this was destined to go on a good long while.

For Badziakouski, it was brief. He lost his 24 blinds over two hands to Martirosian. The first came when he defended his big blind to an early-position open holding 75. He picked up a flush draw on the A1010 flop, but couldn't raise Martirosian off his AJ. The second hand was for Badziakouski's last eight blinds, which he surrendered with AJ when Martirosian flopped a ten holding A10.

Badziakouski earned $414,000 for seventh. It was his fourth final table of this trip.

Yet another final table for Mikita Badziakouski

Martirosian was now looking incredibly solid, not just in this tournament but in the Ivan Leow Player of the Year race. However, he was not invulnerable, as Kristen Foxen was about to prove.

In a three-bet pot, Foxen flopped a set of tens and turned a boat. She just called as Martirosian fired both streets with a straight draw. Martirosian hit that draw on the river and he went for all of it, with Foxen gleefully showing the better hand. That catapulted her to the top of the counts, leaving Martirosian in a three-way tie for second.

But his slide continued. He next lost a pot to Watson's trip kings, with Watson moving up alongside his fellow Canadian Foxen at the top.

Such are Martirosian's skills, however, that he by no means gave this one up. He very steadily built his stack up again, to the point that he was only a solitary blind behind Watson in a rapidly flattening race when he pounced on a chance to knock out Sean Winter.

Winter, with 15 blinds, opened his button holding A2. He made it 6x the big blind, close to half his stack. Martirosian found AJ in the small blind and shoved it in. Foxen folded, but Winter called for his tournament life.

The dealer did not help the all-in player. Winter was out in sixth for $526,000.

Half a million for Sean Winter

With five players left, the average stack was now only 28 blinds, and only Martirosian's stack of 45 blinds was biggest. It meant the other four — Obara, Watson, Foxen and Chidwick — were under severe ICM pressure with each pay jump now more than $150K.

Obara was the first to emerge from this period in profit. His 109 rivered a straight to win big from Martirosian. But then Obara shoved his button with K7 and Watson called with AJ. Watson made a straight. That put Watson far ahead, and allowed him to exert the kind of pressure that only a decent chip leader really can.

That lead suddenly got a whole lot bigger too when Watson put a tough beat on Martirosian. Foxen started the pivotal hand, raising from under the gun. Watson looked down at AQ and three-bet his button. Martirosian, in the big blind, picked up red pocket queens and moved all in for 15 blinds.

Foxen got out of the way, but Watson called. And then the dealer put the K101037 out there, which filled Watson's flush. Martirosian was dusted in fifth, picking up $673,000.

Artur Martirosian, effectively PoY elect

There's still the PLO phase of this Triton Jeju stop to play out, but Martirosian may have just locked up the Player of the Year award.

Watson was cruising. He had 55 blinds and nobody else had more than 19. Stephen Chidwick was shortest, with nine blinds, but he found a double through Obara. It put Chidwick into second spot overall, but he was nowhere near Watson. And then when Obara doubled back through Chidwick, they switched positions once more.

Obara was, on paper, the closest challenger to Watson. But he became the next player to hit the rail. Obara defended his big blind to a Watson open, holding A9. It was effectively all-in, but not quite. Obara still had a small blind behind.

Obara happily got the last of it in when he flopped top pair when the dealer put 879 on the felt. Watson was drawing very live with K6, however, and the 10 turn made him a straight.

It was a cruel blow for Obara, who narrowly missed his search for a second title of the trip. He finished fourth for $849,000, while everyone else was now guaranteed seven figures.

More Jeju brilliance from Jun Obara

Chidwick had five blinds but then doubled with AK against Watson's K3. He then doubled once more with pocket sevens over Watson's 63 and the British player now had 23 blinds to Watson's 41.

Foxen hadn't found a hand in a while and her stack of three blinds showed the effects. She doubled it, with AJ through Watson's 105, but still faced an uphill battle. Pocket jacks three-handed looked like being a further lifeline, especially after Chidwick jammed in front of her. Foxen called and saw Chidwick's Q8. The sight of another queen on the flop will have been less welcomed.

That was the end of the battle for Foxen, whose payout of $1,104,000 is enough to push her to the top of the all-time money list for women in poker, supplanting Vanessa Selbst. This day was always coming, and Foxen is now right up there, better than anyone.

Kristen Foxen takes over top spot in the women's money list

It was 2 a.m. local time and there were 70 blinds between the remaining two. Watson had 43 blinds to Chidwick's 27, and it was time for the tournament director's intervention. These two pros, with complete respect for one another's game, immediately agreed an ICM chop.

Watson guaranteed himself $2,072,812. Chidwick locked up $1,927,188. There was $58K still to play for and potentially a fifth or a third title.

They sparred a little. And the blinds went up. And then they sparred a little more. But then the big one came up, from which ther was no coming back. Watson had 9Q in the small blind and completed. Chidwick checked his option with J7.

Heads up between Watson and Chidwick

It took them to a flop of 10J2, which Chidwick checked. Watson bet and Chidwick called with his top pair.

Both players checked the 6 turn. And then the K came on the river, filling Watson's straight flush -- only one pip from a royal. Chidwick led for two thirds of the pot at it, and Watson must have been licking his lips.

He put in an overbet shove.

Chidwick's pair of jacks were now miles behind, but he agonised and made the call. Watson showed down his enormous holding, and brought the curtain down on a thriller.

"We got three handed, I definitely thought I was just gonna whittle these guys down, all in, all in, just take away their chips," Watson said. "But obviously Stevie picked up the pocket sevens and he doubled up. And then it wasn't long before Krissy was out and it was a tough heads-up match, which was not what I was hoping for."

Not what he was hoping for, but he did it nonetheless.