Phil Ivey and Bryn Kenney lead the 19 pairs of the Triton Jeju Invitational

The Triton Poker Super High Roller Series will celebrate its eleventh Invitational tournament from September 12 to 14, 2026, in Jeju, South Korea, marking the first time this exclusive format comes to Asia. The event, with a $200,000 buy-in, stands out by bringing together 19 confirmed pairs, each consisting of a professional player and a VIP guest, a formula that has been maintained since the inaugural edition in 2019.

Structure and Dynamics of the Triton Poker Jeju Invitational

The Triton Invitational employs a unique format: VIP participants are paired with high-level professionals, playing in separate fields until Day 2, when everyone joins in the same competition until a champion is crowned. The exclusivity of the event, coupled with a multi-million dollar prize pool and a field perceived as more accessible, makes it a highly coveted tournament among professionals.

The current list includes renowned names among both VIPs and professionals, and more pairs are expected to join. Some notable participants are Phil Ivey, Bryn Kenney, Dan Smith, Kayhan Mokri, Ramin Hajiyev, and Aaron Zang. All of them rank among the five previous winners who have already confirmed their participation.

Confirmed Pairs for Triton Jeju 2026

• Javid Ismayilov & Aleks Ponakovs
• Xu Yang & Artur Martirosian
• Wang Yang & Samuel Mullur
• Lun Loon Kiat Lee & Aaron Zang
• Isaac Haxton & Sosia Jiang
• Seth Davies & Jean-Noel Thorel
• Christoph Vogelsang & Philip Sternheimer
• Ben Heath & Elton Tsang
• Teun Mulder & Ramin Hajiyev
• Mikita Badziakouski & Leonardo Drago
• Bryn Kenney & Jules Dickerson
• Mehdi Chaoui & Du Qiao
• Tony Ren & Lin
• Ethan Yau & Justin Saliba
• Paul Phua & Phil Ivey
• Li Yang & Kayhan Mokri
• Yu Zhang & Danny Tang
• Ilya Nikiforov & Eelis Pärssinen
• Xu Liang & Jesse Lonis

Results and Trends from the First 10 Editions of the Triton Invitational

Analyzing the first ten Invitational Tournaments, a tight competition is observed between VIPs and pros. Although, in theory, professionals should dominate due to experience, VIPs have achieved a 40% podium participation (12 of 30 positions). In all events, at least one VIP has reached the podium, and on two occasions, they occupied two of the three top spots: Aleksa Pavicevic and Javid Ismayilov in Montenegro 2024; followed by Alejandro Lococo and Sinan Unlu in the Bahamas the same year.

Only four professionals have achieved more than one podium: Bryn Kenney, Dan Smith, Patrik Antonius, and Ben Heath. Among these, Kenney, Smith, and Antonius later won an edition after having been runner-ups or thirds previously.

Prizes and Key Figures in the Triton Invitational

Throughout the ten previous editions, professionals have taken home $101.5 million in prizes from podiums, while VIPs accumulate $69.3 million. However, the average prize per podium for a VIP is higher: $5.8M compared to $5.6M for the pros. Aaron Zang and Alejandro Lococo stand out among the VIPs, collectively accounting for nearly 42% of all VIP podium earnings.

Among professionals, Bryn Kenney stands out with $27.4M earned in these tournaments, approximately 27% of the total won by pros on the podium. Notably, Gabriel Andrade from the VIPs turned his only cash in Triton into a second-place finish worth $5.2M in the Bahamas 2025.

Triton Poker SHRS Invitational Results History (2019–2026)

Here are the highlighted results from previous Invitationals:

• London 2019 (£1,050,000): Aaron Zang (£13.7M, VIP), Bryn Kenney (£16.8M, Pro), Dan Smith (£7.2M, Pro). Prize pool: £54M.
• Cyprus 2022 ($200,000): Sam Grafton ($5.5M, Pro), Linus Loeliger ($3.9M, Pro), Karl Chappe-Gatien ($2.6M, VIP). Prize pool: $23M.
• Cyprus 2023 ($200,000): Ramin Hajiyev ($4.1M, VIP), Tobias Duthweiler ($3.6M, Pro), Patrik Antonius ($2.1M, Pro). Prize pool: $17.2M.
• London 2023 ($250,000): Bryn Kenney ($6.8M, Pro), Talal Shakerchi ($4.6M, VIP), Punnat Punsri ($3.1M, Pro). Prize pool: $29.5M.
• Monaco 2023 ($200,000): Dan Smith ($3.8M, Pro), Mario Mosbock ($2.6M, Pro), Elton Tsang ($1.7M, VIP). Prize pool: $14.6M.
• Montenegro 2024 ($200,000): Aleksa Pavicevic ($6.1M, VIP), Seth Davies ($4.1M, Pro), Javid Ismayilov ($2.7M, VIP). Prize pool: $26.6M.
• Monaco 2024 ($200,000): Patrik Antonius ($5.1M, Pro), Vladimir Korzinin ($3.4M, VIP), Espen Jorstad ($2.2M, Pro). Prize pool: $20.4M.
• Bahamas 2024 ($500,000): Alejandro Lococo ($12M, VIP), Ben Heath ($8.1M, Pro), Sinan Unlu ($5.3M, VIP). Prize pool: $48M.
• Bahamas 2025 ($250,000): Kayhan Mokri ($7.7M, Pro), Gabriel Andrade ($5.2M, VIP), Albert Daher ($3.4M, Pro). Prize pool: $33.25M.
• Montenegro 2026 ($200,000): Adrian Mateos ($6.3M, Pro), Alexey Lozuyk ($4.3M, VIP), Ben Heath ($2.8M, Pro). Prize pool: $27.4M.

(In London 2019, a deal was made in the heads-up; the prize figures for that year are shown converted to USD for comparative purposes.)

New Broadcast Alliance: The Triton Poker Channel Comes to Roku

Triton Poker Series has recently distinguished itself for the quality of its live broadcasts, available on YouTube, Twitch, and its own platform. Since August 18, thanks to an agreement with C15 Studio, the Triton channel is also available in the Live TV section of The Roku Channel for the United States and the United Kingdom.

Andy Wong, CEO of Triton, valued the importance of this agreement to expand the audience, stating that their mission is "to grow poker through quality content and reach those who still do not know us."

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