PokerStars ambassador Sam Grafton wins Triton Coin Rivet Invitational for $5.5 million
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PokerStars ambassador Sam Grafton had an incredible run at the Triton Poker Series in Cyprus, winning the Coin Rivet Invitational for $5.5 million in what was his second cash of the festival to earn the single biggest score of his career.
In his first result of the Tritons Super High Roller Series in Cyprus, Grafton finished second in the $50k buy-in NLHE 6-handed tournament. Although narrowly missing out on first place, Grafton walked away with close to a million dollars for the result – $994,500 to be exact.
His next target was the $200k buy-in Coin Rivet Invitational. This interesting and unique event, which had 115 runners and a total prize pool of $23 million, pitted wealthy businesspersons against poker professionals who were invited to the game. As play progressed, professionals and amateurs merged.
Coin Rivet Invitational final table
Grafton made the final table of the Coin Rivet Invitational, joined by a healthy mix of knowledgeable pros and willing amateurs.
French day trader Karl Chappe-Gatien earned himself a reputation as final table bully, helped along by a deck of cards that seemed always to fall in his favor. Chappe-Gatien eliminated Tom Vogelsang in ninth, Seth Davies in eighth, Twitch streamer Ebony Kenney in sixth, and Fedor Holz in fourth place.
(Incidentally, if Ebony Kenney had laddered up just one more place, she’d have set a new record for biggest ever cash by a woman in live poker.)
Chappe-Gatien’s luck eventually ran out as play went three-handed. The two other remaining players, Sam Grafton and Linus Loeliger, both doubled up through the Frenchman, before Grafton pulled off a superb semi-bluff to further reduce his stack. Chappe-Gatien’s miracle run was all but over and he was soon eliminated in third.
“Karl was playing so aggressively, so creatively, really coming at us from a different playbook and that was very, very challenging, so it was a real battle all day”, said Grafton recalling his time at the table with Chappe-Gatien.
As heads-up commenced, Grafton held a significant chip lead and was looking to end it quickly. Doing so would prevent the need to enter a strategic battle against talented and respected cash game pro Loeliger.
But the cards refused to let it end that way. Loeliger doubled up early and fought back, and the battle ensued.
In the final hand, Loeliger shoved holding K♦ 6♥ , and Grafton made the call with A♣ 7♥ . Grafton hit an Ace on the flop and held to bring the epic event to a finish.
Loeliger earned himself an incredible sum of money for second place, $XM.
Sam Grafton took home his first Triton trophy, and a career best sum of $5.5 million.
“To be the champion is an amazing feeling. I am also aware, of course, how well I ran. It’s tournament poker at the end of the day and there was a lot of luck involved, but I’m very grateful to be champion”, said Grafton, “And it’s a memory that I’ll cherish forever.”
Biggest week of Grafton’s poker career
Sam Grafton, a member of PokerStars Team Pro since April 2021, is an accomplished online and live pro who, according to Hendon Mob, has $12.2 million in live cashes to his name.
Grafton’s previous biggest cash was a second place finish in the EPT Barcelona Main Event in 2019 for $1.4 million. His recent $5.5 million victory at Tritons is by far his biggest ever cash, more than three and a half times his previous biggest score.
Along with $994,500 for his second place finish in the 6-handed event, Grafton has earned just shy of $6.5 million at the Triton Series in Cyprus, which has more than doubled his total live earnings.
It’s been the single biggest week of Sam Grafton’s poker career!
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