At just 26 years old, Chris Nguyen achieved a dominant victory at the Triton Montenegro Grand Prix.
The 2026 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Montenegro crowned a new champion. 26-year-old German pro Chris Nguyen displayed astonishing dominance in the $50,000 NLH High Roller event, crushing his opponents to claim his first Triton title and a hefty $1,535,000 first-place prize.
This event attracted 132 participants and had a total prize pool of US$6,600,000, making it the first major event at this year's Triton Montenegro where both the champion and runner-up prizes exceeded one million US dollars.
Even more impressively, this marks Chris Nguyen's fifth seven-figure prize win in the past 18 months. This rising star, who transitioned from online cash games to live high-roller tournaments, is rapidly emerging as one of the most watched new talents in the international poker world.
Chris Nguyen's growth from online player to Triton champion is astonishing.
Despite his young age, Chris Nguyen displayed a maturity and composure beyond his years at the final table.
Nguyen was primarily active as an online cash game player, and only truly transitioned to live tournaments in the last two years. However, his adaptability to high-stakes tournaments is astonishing, especially on top-tier high-pressure stages like Triton, where he has maintained consistent performance.
In a post-match interview, Nguyen frankly stated:
"This was definitely one of the toughest final tables ever. In fact, all Triton tournaments are very tough, so I'm really happy to have won."
Even though he maintained a lead on the scoreboard for most of the time, he still said he was quite nervous.
"There were a few hands that were really crucial, and many times, the outcome was in my favor."
The final table erupted as Chris Nguyen eliminated a string of superstars.
When Chris Nguyen entered the nine-handed final table, he started with only a medium chip count. However, once the tournament began, he quickly entered "unstoppable mode".
First, Joao Simao, holding pocket Jacks, ran into Nguyen's pocket Queens, becoming the first player eliminated from the final table. Nguyen then went on to defeat Jason Koon and Patrik Antonius, eliminating two Triton legends in just a few hands.
The hand against Antonius, in particular, ignited the atmosphere in the entire room:
- Nguyen：A♥Q♣
- Antonius: A♣9♠
The flop came out with a Queen, and the river card even brought out a third Queen, allowing Nguyen to secure another kill.
After this surge, Nguyen officially topped the chip leaderboard and began to use his huge chip advantage to put ICM pressure on the entire table.
A crucial big pot defeat over Kiselev Nguyen completely put him in control of the game.
The hand that truly gave Nguyen complete control of the game came in a super big pot against Daniil Kiselev.
then:
- Nguyen：A♥6♣
- Kiselev：K♦Q♦
The flop of a Queen gave Kiselev a temporary lead, but the turn of an Ace allowed Nguyen to take the lead. The river of a King gave both players two pair, but Nguyen's A6 was still the stronger hand.
In the end, Nguyen went all in, and Kiselev had no choice but to be eliminated after calling.
After that hand, Nguyen had almost the total number of chips in the entire table, and the game completely fell into his control.
The 26-year-old rising star officially became a legend after defeating Kristen Foxen in a one-on-one match.
In the final heads-up match, Nguyen faced off against Kristen Foxen, one of Canada's top female poker players.
Nguyen had a huge chip advantage at the time, and the heads-up match ended after only four hands:
- Nguyen：9♣7♥
- Foxen: K♦9♦
Public signs issued:
8♣ 9♠ 6♦ 6♠ 5♥
Nguyen completed a straight, successfully reversing the score to defeat Foxen and officially secure the championship. Foxen finished as runner-up and took home a large prize.
This victory also put Chris Nguyen at the center of the world's highest-stakes tournament stage.
Chris Nguyen may become Triton's next legendary superstar.
Chris Nguyen's rise from an online cash game player to a Triton Super High Roller champion is astonishing.
More importantly, he didn't just win by "running hot," but truly demonstrated the skill, rhythm control, and mental fortitude of a top high roller player.
Many in the poker world even believe that this 26-year-old German rising star is likely to become one of the next generation of representatives of the Triton Poker Series.
Nguyen also offered his advice to all young poker players:
"Most importantly, you have to truly love poker and be willing to invest a lot of time in studying it. Stay curious, and you'll definitely keep improving."
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