Paul Phua Poker: Montenegro Moments

The tranquil shores of the Montenegran coast are a far cry from the bustling Macau gambling establishments on the Kotai Strip, but a change is as good as a rest they say, and the Triton Super High Roller Series regulars tend to enjoy their annual jaunt to the Maestral Resort & Casino.

Located in one of the most exclusive parts of the Adriatic coast, in the immediate vicinity of Sveti Stefan, it is one of the most attractive resorts on the coast, 8 km from Budva, and boasting its own private beach - a fact probably not lost on the likes of Tom Dwan, Fedor Holz, Dan “Jungleman” Cates, Sam Trickett, Timofey “Trueteller” Kuznetsov, Paul Phua, Wai Kin Yong, Winfred Yu, Andrew Robl, John Juanda and Richard Yong.

The who’s who of the high-stakes world descended on the resort for its official re-opening after extensive renovations over the winter, and it’s the subject of a little bonus video from the guys at Paul Phua Poker – a glimpse inside the casino high-life which poker’s richest players get to enjoy.

We’re more used to seeing the Macau crew sharing their top tips and favourite poker strategies on Phua’s site, Daniel ‘jungleman’ Cates recently sharing how he got into the game and how he became the star of the game he is now. In Montenegro however, it was the German duo of Fedor Holz and Manig Loeser who grabbed centre stage and took down the two biggest titles.

Holz walked off with the trophy and $444,893 (that’s US$, more than 3.5million HK$!) in the 6-Max High Roller after a heads-up battle against Su Hao that saw the chip lead change hands multiple times, with Malaysian businessman Richard Yong also making the final table.

Loeser’s triumph was in the Main Event, bagging a massive US$2,161,520 first prize when he defeated that man Yong again heads-up, the famous faces of John Juanda and Steffen Sontheimer also featuring heavily at the final table.

Final Result 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series 6-Max Event, Montenegro

Final Result 2017 Triton Super High Roller Series Main Event, Montenegro

With some extremely slick editing, clever graphics and a soundtrack, the little bonus from Paul Phua Poker looks like a trial run for some serious poker coverage in the months ahead, so watch out for what’s next from the poker masters of Macau!