Christopher Nguyen Wins Triton Montenegro $50,000 Title For $1.5 Million

Christopher Nguyen’s first half of 2026 has been nothing short of impeccable. The Austrian won his first career World Series of Poker bracelet in Prague, and now he can also boast a Triton Super High Roller Series trophy as well.

Nguyen claimed victory in a $50,000 no-limit hold’em event at the Triton Montenegro festival presented by CoinPoker, taking home a first-place prize of $1,535,000. Between WSOP Europe, Triton Montenegro and his exploits on the European Poker Tour, the 26-year-old Nguyen now has over $4.9 million in live tournament earnings thus far in 2026.

“I think I had a big chip lead for most of the [final table], but I was definitely stressed,” Nguyen told Triton Poker’s Henry Kilbane following his win. “There were some big spots for me, and a lot of them went my way.”

His win, capped off by a heads-up victory over Kristen Foxen, earned Nguyen 1,122 Card Player Player of the Year points. That pushes him all the way up to sixth place on the yearlong leaderboard.

Foxen, for her part, earned $1,039,000 for second place. Her third career seven-figure score expanded her already sizable lead on the women’s all-time money list. The five-time bracelet winner from Canada now has more than $18.5 million in career cashes, giving her a lead of more than $7.6 million over second-ranked Vanessa Selbst in that regard. Foxen earned 935 POY points, and she now sits just behind Nguyen in the POY standings, in seventh place.

A Day 2 Bubble

Both Nguyen and Foxen battled through two long days of poker in Montenegro to reach their heads-up battle. A tournament that saw 132 entries was reduced to just 27 heading into day 2. That put the field four spots off the money at the start of the day, and the bubble burst early on in the day.

Nick Petrangelo (17th), recent EPT Monte Carlo high roller winner and two-time Triton champion Orpen Kisacikoglu (16th), four-time Triton winner Daniel Dvoress (14th), three-time Triton champion Kiat Lee (13th), and Triton and WSOP champion Santhosh Suvarna (10th) each made the money but fell short of the final table.

While the field was combined onto a single table, nine-handed action still technically represented an unofficial final table. Joao Simao, who won a long-awaited first Triton title at World Series of Poker Paradise in December, was the next to fall. Simao ran his pocket jacks into Nguyen’s pocket queens, starting Nguyen’s surge into a massive chip lead. Simao settled for 9th place ($153,000) in his second cash of the series thus far.

The Official Final Table Begins

Twelve-time Triton champion Jason Koon made his second push in less than a week towards extending his all-time record for victories on the tour. But Koon also fell victim to Nguyen’s accumulation of chips. Koon got all-in with K♠J♣ against Nguyen’s A♦7♦. A J♠6♥3♦ flop gave Koon top pair, but the 10♦ turn gave Nguyen outs to the nut flush.

The K♦ on the end filled that flush, ending Koon’s run in eighth place ($192,000). He now has more than $38.7 million in Triton cashes across 76 in-the-money finishes on the tour.

Nguyen then made it three straight eliminations at the expense of Patrik Antonius. Nguyen picked off the Poker Hall of Famer when Daniil Kiselev min-raised on the button, Nguyen called in the small blind, and Antonius shoved for 13 big blinds. The action played out perfectly for Nguyen. After Kiselev folded, Nguyen called with A♥Q♣, which had Antonius’ A♣9♠ in trouble. A queen on the flop and a queen on the river was more than enough to earn Nguyen another knockout. Antonius went out in seventh place ($261,000).

Nguyen’s Rush Continues

Six-handed play carried on for a while before Alisson Piekazewicz got chopped down. Piekazewicz lost more than 90% of his stack with pocket sevens against Daniel Rezaei’s pocket tens. He survived one all-in, but Piekazewicz wasn’t long for this final table. His last few chips went in with Q♣4♠, and Foxen had the honors of finishing the job with K♣8♠ in the big blind. She turned an eight, and Piekazewicz was eliminated in sixth place ($353,000).

Thomas Muehloecker soon found himself as the next player on the chopping block. He put all but one 25k chip into the middle, raising to 1.8 million under the gun with a 250,000 big blind. Foxen was on the button and called with A♠9♠. That last chip got in on a 9♥6♥2♣, and Muehloecker, with pocket fives, was well behind. Foxen hit another nine on the turn, which technically changed nothing, and there was no five to be had. Muehloecker, still in search of his first career Triton win, earned his best cash on the tour to date, finishing in fifth place ($456,000).

After a series of preflop all-ins, one of the most consequential hands of the final table didn’t get all of the chips in until the river. Nguyen, under the gun, min-raised, and Kiselev called in the big blind. Kiselev check-called a small bet on a Q♥6♠2♥ flop, and then check-called a three-quarters pot bet from Nguyen on an A♣ turn.

On the K♠ river, Kiselev checked once more, and Nguyen shoved. Kiselev called with K♦Q♦ for kings up, but Nguyen had a better two pair with A♥6♣. Kiselev, who had only two previous Triton cashes for less than $100,000 total earlier this series, finished fourth for $568,000.

Nguyen Averts Disaster

Nguyen held a commanding lead against a pair of short stacks. But Rezaei and Foxen both dug their heels in. They each managed to double up and remain in contention until Rezaei put himself in a position to wrest the chip lead from Nguyen. Nguyen shoved the button with pocket sevens, and Rezaei called all in in the small blind with K♣10♣. Rezaei picked up additional outs on the J♥9♠5♦ flop, and even more on the 9♦ turn. But the 4♠ river kept Nguyen’s pair of sevens best, and Rezaei went out in third ($693,000).

And that’s how you win your first Triton title.

Christopher Nguyen takes care of business. pic.twitter.com/aLsPClV2Qv

— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) May 18, 2026

Nguyen had a 3:1 lead going into heads-up play, and there was no discussion of a deal. Both players had seven-figure cashes locked up, with it being the first such Triton result for Nguyen. Foxen secured her third career seven-figure result by getting heads up. It appeared that Foxen was poised to double and pull even with Nguyen’s stack. Nguyen got caught stealing on a button shove with 9♣7♥. Foxen’s K♦9♦ was well ahead, but Nguyen picked up a world of new outs on the 9♠8♣6♦ flop. The 6♠ turn added additional chop outs, as a nine, six, or ace would split the pot.

But the 5♥ river gave Nguyen a nine-high straight and the title. Foxen’s second-place finish is her best in seven Triton final table appearances. The result pushed her over $6 million in total Triton earnings. But her hunt for a trident trophy continues. On this day, Nguyen would be the one claiming a first-time victory on the tour.

Final Table Result

Photo credits: Triton Poker.