Triton Jeju: $130 Million Changes Hands In South Korea

The Triton Poker Super High Roller Series has become such a staple of the high-stakes circuit over the last few years that it can be easy to forget just how massive these festivals are.

The latest stop, which ran from Sept. 8-23 at Landing Casino Jeju in South Korea, continued that tradition of excellence, with a staggering $130.2 million in total prize money awarded across 18 events. That amounts to an average prize pool of more than $7.2 million. In fact the winner walked away with a seven-figure payout in two-thirds of the events held at this festival, with six champions earning $2 million or more.

But it’s not just the unfathomable sums of money that make these series stand out. The top players have also bought into the prestige of the trident trophy, with many of the biggest names in the game coming back repeatedly to try to add to their collections.

This marked the second time that the tour stopped in Jeju, a popular vacation spot located on an island off the southwestern coast of South Korea. The high roller festivities were preceded for the first time by the new mid-stakes Triton One offering, which was covered in the previous issue of Card Player.

Christoph Vogelsang Wins Main Event For $4.1 Million

The largest tournament of the festival was the $100,000 buy-in main event. With 228 entries, the prize pool swelled to $22,800,000. Christoph Vogelsang, one of the most successful high roller regulars in the game, captured the title in the end. The German pro arrived in Jeju with $43 million in prior career tournament earnings, despite only capturing three titles on the live circuit since making his first cash nearly a dozen years ago.

The 40-year-old finally added a fourth title to his résumé, and did so in style. He earned $4,099,975 as the last player standing in this gigantic event, bringing his lifetime haul to more than $47.6 million.

This was the third-largest payday of Vogelsang’s career, trailing the $6 million that came with his 2017 Super High Roller Bowl win and the $4.5 million he earned for a third showing in the 2014 WSOP Big One For One Drop. He now has six multi-million-dollar cashes to his name.

“This win feels special because it’s a main event, it’s the biggest Triton event, and the Triton tour is easily my favorite place to play poker,” Vogelsang told reporters. “You really know people so well, both the players and the staff.”

This was Vogelsang’s second Triton victory. His first saw him win a $100,000 buy-in at the 2023 Monte Carlo stop for over $2.6 million.

The top 39 finishers earned a share of the eight-figure prize pool, including Latvian crusher Aleksejs Ponakovs, who finished fifth for $1,409,000. It was Vogelsang who did most of the damage thanks to a big bluff catch against the two-time bracelet winner.

Ben Heath took third, banking $2,223,000. This was the second-largest score of his career, trailing only the staggering $8.2 million he earned as the runner-up in the 2024 Triton Million Invitational at last year’s WSOP Paradise festival. He now boasts more than $35.4 million in total cashes.

Vogelsang had roughly a 2:1 chip lead over bracelet winner Samuel Mullur when heads-up play began. The Austrian pro soon hashed out a deal with Vogelsang to redistribute the remaining prize money a bit, locking up roughly $3.95 million and $3.5 million for the two contenders while leaving $150,000 and the trophy to play for.

Mullur ultimately walked away with the $3,509,025 payout he negotiated for, getting it all-in on a A♠K♠7♣4♦10♠ board with 7♥4♥ for sevens up. He was up against K♦10♥ for a higher two pair, however.

Mullur had taken down a Triton One event earlier this month and made two high roller final tables earlier in this series. The 1,600 POY points that came with his runner-up finish moved him into 25th place in the Card Player Player of the Year race, sponsored by Coin Poker.

Stephen Chidwick And Kayhan Mokri Triumph In Biggest Events Offered

While the main event’s mix of massive stakes and expansive turnout resulted in the largest single prize pool of the festival, two tournaments outstripped it in terms of buy in.

The first was the $200,000 short deck event, a late addition to the schedule that Stephen Chidwick ultimately won. The British superstar has accumulated more than $74.4 million in career tournament earnings, the second-largest total of any player on the circuit behind only Bryn Kenney’s $79.5 million.

The 36-year-old bested an elite field of 61 entries to secure his third title on the tour. He banked $3,445,000 for the win, the second-largest score of his career behind only the $5.4 million that came with a fourth-place showing in the largest buy-in tournament ever held, the 2019 Triton Million Charity Invitational.

All three of Chidwick’s trident trophies have now been earned in short deck events. The two-time bracelet winner came out on top in both the $20,000 short deck event at the 2024 Jeju stop and the €100,000 short deck main event at the 2022 Triton Madrid festival.

“Obviously, tournament poker is so much variance, short deck especially, and I assume it’s mostly that that is the reason I’ve mostly been winning short deck tournaments and not no-limit hold’em or PLO,” said Chidwick after completing his hat trick. “It’s pretty funny, I didn’t really prepare for short deck this trip. There was only one $50K on the schedule, so I came in pretty rusty. When they kept adding tournaments, I was scrambling a bit to try and look up my notes and remember what I used to know.”

In addition to the money and the hardware, Chidwick also earned 720 POY points for the win. The two-time POY award winner (2019, 2022) has now made 14 final tables in 2025. His 5,821 total points are currently good for 14th place.

Kayhan Mokri made headlines as the first high-stakes poker regular to square off against Ossi ‘Monarch’ Ketola in the highly-publicized, multi-million-dollar heads-up matches that have surrounded the high-stakes tournaments in both Jeju and Cyprus.

While any profits from those clashes won’t count towards his career tournament earnings, the Norwegian pro’s recent mammoth win in the $150,000 buy-in eight-max event sure will. He outlasted 114 entries, earning a career-best tournament payday of $3,835,059. His total haul is now approaching $13 million after factoring in this massive victory.

This was the second Triton title for Mokri, who previously took down a $30,000 buy-in event at last year’s stop in Monte Carlo. He now has more than $6 million in cashes in Triton events alone.

Mokri was on the brink of an early elimination in this event, falling down to just a couple big blinds at one point during the final table before surging back up the chip counts and eventually closing out the win.

Jason Koon, the all-time Triton titles leader with 12, finished fifth for $1.2 million. He made two final tables during the festival, including a third-place finish in a $75,000 pot-limit Omaha event for $643,000. He now has over $69.2 million in lifetime cashes, the third highest total of any player in poker history.

Isaac Haxton Gets First Triton Title In PLO Main Event

Isaac Haxton first cashed in a Triton event back in 2017. In the years since then the high-stakes tournament star from New York had accumulated $16.7 million across 63 in-the-money finishes in tour events, but had never managed to close out a win.

It turns out the 64th time was the charm for Haxton, as he finally broke through in the $100,000 pot-limit Omaha main event for his first trident trophy and the massive top prize of $2,789,000.

“There’s a lot of noise in poker,” Haxton explained. “I’ve won in other places, obviously. I’ve made a lot of final tables. It was bound to work out eventually.”

The 40-year-old defeated a field of 116 entries on his way to the title and the second-largest payday of his career. A few days after his big win, Haxton tacked on another $392,000 thanks to a fifth-place showing in the $75,000 PLO six-max event. He now boasts total tournament earnings of $63 million, which is good for seventh place on poker’s all-time money list.

Other notables who put up strong performances included five-time Triton champion Danny Tang (6th), two-time bracelet winner Robert Cowen (4th), current POY race leader Jesse Lonis (3rd), and Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero (2nd).

Lonis pocketed $1,261,000 for his latest podium finish. The two-time bracelet winner and three-time Triton champion grew his career earnings to nearly $26.4 million with his sixth seven-figure score, while further increasing his lead in the POY race.

Klemens Roiter finished seventh for $489,000. This was his second final table of the series, having placed fourth for $628,000 in the $50,000 no-limit hold’em. The Austrian has made 14 final tables, with two victories, in 2025. As a result, he now occupies the eighth-place spot in the POY rankings.

Punnat Punsri And Michael Watson Join Five-Time Champions Club

Speaking of that $50,000 event, the eventual champion was Punnat Punsri. With this triumph, he grew his Triton title total to five. That added him to a growing list of elite players such as Phil Ivey, Danny Tang, Mikita Badziakouski, and Bryn Kenney.

The win came one week after Punsri finished second in the inaugural Triton One main event, striking a heads-up deal that saw him earn $1.2 million. Three of Punsri’s five Triton victories have come in 2025. In Montenegro, Punsri took down a $25,000 pot-limit Omaha event. Back in March, during Triton’s first Jeju stop of the year, Punsri won $2,594,555 in a $125,000 buy-in event. It’s also Punsri’s third title in Jeju, having bested another $50,000 buy-in event back in 2024.

Punsri’s successes in Jeju are a significant contributor to his status as the no. 1 player on Thailand’s all-time tournament poker leaderboard with $30.4 million. He pocketed $1,697,000 for his latest win, topping a field of 146 entries on his way to the title. He made a total of four final tables during the festival, including a fourth-place finish in the $75,000 PLO event for $495,000. With 18 final-table finishes, Punsri now sits in second place on the 2025 POY leaderboard.

It didn’t take long after Punsri’s victory for another player to join the five-time champions club. Michael Watson took down the $125,000 no-limit hold’em event, outlasting 69 entries to lock up $2,130,812 and his latest piece of hardware on the circuit. The Canadian poker pro from Toronto, Ontario now sits in a six-way tie for second on the tour’s title leaderboard. Jason Koon remains alone on top with 12 Triton wins.

The 41-year-old is not only one of the most decorated Triton players ever. He is also one of just 10 players to have ever completed poker’s triple crown, which entails winning a World Series of Poker bracelet along with a World Poker Tour main event and a European Poker Tour championship. Watson ticked the final box with an online bracelet win in 2024.

Watson, understandably, had plenty of tough competition down the stretch. After the elimination of 12th-ranked POY contender Jun Obara in fourth place, he still had to square off against women’s bracelet leader Kristen Foxen and Stephen Chidwick.

Foxen’s third-place finish for $1,104,000 in this event extended her advantage on top of the women’s all-time money list. With more than $13.9 million in career earnings, she leads second-ranked Vanessa Selbst by almost $3 million. Chidwick, meanwhile, added another $1,927,000 to his already impressive haul in Jeju for finishing runner up.

Big Names Expand Their Trophy Collections

There were several other Triton champions who added to their collections with wins in Jeju. The very first winner of the series was tour co-founder Richard Yong. He earned $705,000 and his third trophy as the last player standing from a field of 47 entries in a $50,000 short deck event.

It was both Yong’s first win and first Triton final-table appearance since a victory in Cyprus back in 2023. During that festival, Yong took down a $25,000 no-limit hold’em short deck event. Yong’s first career Triton title came in Montenegro back in 2018 in a six-max no-limit hold’em event.

Aleksa Pavicevic emerged victorious in the $50,000 no-limit hold’em Quattro turbo bounty event, picking up $1,261,000 and his second Triton title. He topped a field of 87 to claim more than 25 percent of the $4,350,000 prize pool. His earlier win saw him earn nearly $6.2 million as the champion of a $200,000 invitational event on his home turf in Montenegro.

Mikita Badziakouski fell just short of his sixth title, earning $536,000 as the runner-up. He’s made 11 final tables in 2025, with one victory in a EPT Monte Carlo high roller. The Belarusian crusher now sits in 16th place in the POY race after adding four final tables to his tally in Jeju.

A familiar face won a new event for the tour when Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero took down the $30,000 mixed no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha tournament, earning his fourth Triton title and $646,000. Barbero defeated Phil Ivey heads-up, and a field of 81 entrants overall.

Barbero followed up this win with a runner-up showing in the $100,000 PLO main event won by Isaac Haxton, adding nearly $1.9 million to his career totals. The Argentinian poker pro now has over $28.5 million in lifetime earnings. With two titles and 13 final tables this year, he’s now in sixth place in the POY standings.

Artur Martirosian defeated 60 entries in the $25,000 PLO six-max event, earning $421,000 and his third Triton title. The EPT champion and three-time bracelet winner now has nearly $33.9 million in career cashes to his name, with over $13.4 million coming from his 46 in-the-money finishes in Triton events.

The Russian poker pro’s victory helped him secure this season’s Ivan Leow Player of the Year award. He recorded 28 cashes, 11 final tables, and all three of his wins on the tour this past season, accruing more than $7.7 million in earnings.

“It means a lot for me,” Martirosian told Triton staff. “When I started to play PLO, my first goal was to win POY. I said on at the first stop of this series that I would win POY. It means more than any titles.”

A total of 64 entries were made in the $50,000 six-max PLO, building a prize pool of $3.2 million. The largest share of that money was ultimately awarded to Ding Biao, who walked away with $880,000 and his third Triton title. The Chinese player now boasts nearly $18.8 million in lifetime earnings, with over $14.6 million of that coming from his success on this tour. In fact, his six largest scores have all come in Triton events.

More Huge Winners From Jeju

James Mendoza outlasted 311 entries in the $25,000 buy-in WPT Global Slam to earn his largest payday ever. The California resident, originally from the Philippines, walked away with $1,515,000 and his first title on the high-stakes tour. Mendoza now boasts more than $4 million in career tournament earnings, with nearly $2.6 million coming from his seven final-table finishes recorded so far this year. The 1,680 POY points that came with this victory increased his total to 4,561, which places him just outside the top 25.

Elton Tsang became a two-time Triton winner thanks to his triumph in the $100,000 short deck event. The 2016 €1,000,000 Big One For One Drop Invitational bracelet winner defeated 58 entries to earn $1,697,000 for the win. He now has 20 cashes on this high-stakes tour, accounting for just over half of his $26.6 million in lifetime earnings.

Like Tsang, Jonathan Jaffe also joined the elite ranks of multi-time Triton winners in Jeju. The WPT champion took down the $30,000 buy-in, navigating his way through a field of 183 to earn $1,061,672. This was the third career seven-figure score for Jaffe, who now has more than $17.2 million in scores to his name.

Japan’s Jun Obara is having a breakout year on the live circuit, with two titles and nine final-table finishes. His five largest scores have all been recorded this year, including his $1,739,000 win in the $40,000 mystery bounty event at this stop. He beat out a field of 148 entries to get his first Triton title. With 5,939 points, he has claimed the 12th-place spot on the POY leaderboard heading into the final few months of 2025.

Cash game stream star Peter Wang emerged victorious from a field of 154 entries in the $60,000 eight-max tournament. In recent years, the Chinese high roller has been involved in several viral hands featured on Hustler Casino Live and High Stakes Poker. In this event, he proved that his skills translate well to the tournament game. He earned $2,046,000 and his first title. Before this, his best tournament score had been the $52,100 that came with a 12th-place showing in the mystery bounty won by Obara.

This festival concluded with a handful of PLO tournaments. The penultimate event cost $75,000 to play, with 67 entries made before registration closed. Joni Jouhkimainen dragged the last pot, earning $1,381,000. The Finnish four-card crusher topped a stacked final table that included Isaac Haxton (5th), Punnat Punsri (4th), Jason Koon (3rd), and Danny Tang (2nd).

The last winner of the series was Anonymous, who defeated 54 entries in the $30,000 pot-limit Omaha turbo bounty quattro event. He took home $310,000 from the main prize pool and another $200,000 in bounty payouts to bring his total to $510,000.

The next Triton events will be held this December as part of the WSOP Paradise festival in the Bahamas. Six Triton-branded high rollers are on the schedule, with buy-ins ranging from $75,000 to $250,000.

• Photos by Triton Poker