Christopher Nguyen has had a remarkable run this year.
The 26-year-old from Austria took down the $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em Event at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Montenegro, winning a $1,535,000 cash prize and his first-ever Triton trophy.
His last win was just a few months after his first WSOP bracelet, which he got in Prague.
Nguyen has already won over $4.9 million in live tournaments this year alone.
He has done well in all of the events on the European Poker Tour, WSOP Europe, and Triton Montenegro.
Nguyen and Foxen Battle Through Tough Field
The tournament attracted a total of 132 entries and generated a massive prize pool of $6,600,000.
Only 27 players managed to make it to Day 2, and the money bubble burst quickly since players were trying to make it into the final table.
Several prominent players cashed in the event but did not reach the final table.
Nick Petrangelo finished in 17th place, Orpen Kisacikoglu, Daniel Dvoress, Kiat Lee, and Santhosh Suvarna all cashed out but were eliminated before they could reach the final table.
Nguyen Builds Massive Momentum at the Final Table
The Final Table (Image Courtesy of Triton Poker)
Nguyen’s chase for the title really began once the tournament reached the final table.
Joao Simao from Brazil was Nguyen’s first victim when pocket jacks ran into Nguyen’s pocket queens.
Simao was eliminated in ninth place and earned $153,000.
Next up was Jason Koon, a twelve-time Triton champion. Koon shoved with 
and Nguyen called with 
.
Koon hit top pair on the flop, but Nguyen got a flush draw on the turn. The river completed the flush, and Koon’s tournament life ended in eighth place for $192,000.
Nguyen was on a heater, and a few minutes later he went against poker legend Patrik Antonius.
On the flop, Antonius called a raise from Nguyen and then shoved with 
.
Nguyen looked down at 
and called. A queen on the flop and river sent Antonius packing in seventh place for $261,000.
Nguyen was in charge of the table at that point.
Foxen Stays Alive as Pressure Increases
The other players were not ready to give up without a fight, even though Nguyen had a massive chip lead.
Alisson Piekazewicz lost a big chunk of his stack when Daniel Rezaei's pocket tens dominated his pocket sevens.
Shortly after losing that hand, Piekazewicz went all-in holding 
and ran into Foxen’s 
.
Foxen hit a pair on the turn and eliminated Piekazewicz in sixth place. Piekazewicz took home $353,000 for his efforts.
Thomas Muehloecker was the next player eliminated from the tournament after a tough hand against Foxen.
Muehloecker had pocket fives and nearly got all of his chips into the pot pre-flop against Foxen, who held 
.
Foxen was able to make trips over the course of the hand and eliminate Muehloecker in fifth place for a payout of $456,000, which was the largest Triton payout of Muehloecker's career to date.
Just after these eliminations and before the end of level 23, one of the biggest hands of the tournament took place between Nguyen and Daniil Kiselev.
Kiselev called multiple bets from Nguyen before the river card completed the board.
Nguyen shoved and Kiselev called, holding two pair 
, but Nguyen had two pair with 
for the better hand.
He eliminated Kiselev from the tournament in fourth place with a payout of $568,000.
Nguyen had accumulated a massive chip stack after this hand, and he continued to have a big lead when they went to three-handed play.
Dramatic Heads-Up Finish Crowns Nguyen Champion
Rezaei went all in with 
against Nguyen’s pocket 7s.
The flop brought a few opportunities for Rezaei to win, but Nguyen's pair was able to hold up and eliminate Rezaei from the tournament in third place for a payout of $693,000.
Following Rezaei's elimination, the final two players left in the tournament were Nguyen and Foxen, with Nguyen holding a commanding chip lead of 3 to 1.
The two players did not agree on a deal. However, both were already guaranteed to win more than $1 million.
This was Nguyen's first seven-figure Triton win and yet another significant finish in Foxen's storied career.
The last hand played in the heads-up was exciting.
Nguyen shoved from the button with 
; Foxen quickly called with 
, putting herself in prime position to double up.
The flop, however, widened Nguyen's opportunities for a potential split with a straight and a pair.
The turn card further contributed to the potential of a split pot, and so did the river card was 
.
The river card finished Nguyen’s nine-high straight and effectively gave him the championship trophy, ensuring a dramatic conclusion to the tournament.
Foxen is also coming off her best result at a Triton final table, finishing second. Her total Triton earnings are now more than $6 million but has yet to capture her first Triton title.
Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Winnings |
| 1 | Christopher Nguyen | $1,535,000 |
| 2 | Kristen Foxen | $1,039,000 |
| 3 | Daniel Rezaei | $693,000 |
| 4 | Daniil Kiselev | $568,000 |
| 5 | Thomas Muehloecker | $456,000 |
| 6 | Alisson Piekazewicz | $353,000 |
| 7 | Patrik Antonius | $261,000 |
| 8 | Jason Koon | $192,000 |
