Joao Simao staged a remarkable comeback from two big blinds to win the record-breaking $7.25 million Triton Invitational.

Joao Simao staged a remarkable comeback in the Triton Jeju II $200,000 Invitational, winning the $7,250,000 title with only two big blinds remaining, setting a new record for the highest prize money in Brazilian tournament poker history. He defeated Ding Biao heads-up.

The Triton Super High Roller Jeju II $200,000 Triton Invitational broke all records.

This tournament, which has become a signature event for Triton poker, attracted 173 entries, creating a total prize pool of $34,600,000. After three days of intense competition, Brazilian player Joao Simao emerged victorious, winning a staggering $7,250,000. This is his second Triton title, not only the largest poker prize in Simao's career but also the highest prize ever won by a Brazilian player in tournament poker history.

"It's unreal, really. Words can't describe it, you know? I feel so, so lucky, so blessed. This is something that only happens once in a lifetime," Simao excitedly told PokerNews shortly after lifting the trophy at LES A Casino.

Simao's first Triton title came at last year's WSOP Paradise $150K event, where the top three finishers were all Brazilian players, a truly remarkable achievement. This time, however, the scene was much more international, with the final table representing eight different countries. After a long and back-and-forth heads-up battle, Simao defeated Chinese player Biao Ding, the all-time leader in Hendon Mob's money list.

Ding Biao won $4,940,000 – a career high – and the two players decided not to split the prize money. Meanwhile, American player Seth Davies also set a new record, finishing third and becoming the first player in history to reach the Triton Invitational final table three times.

2026 Triton Invitational Jeju II Final Table Results

 

Ranking	player	country	bonus
1st place	Joao Simao	Brazil	$7,250,000
2nd place	Ding Biao	China	$4,940,000
3rd place	Seth Davies	United States	$3,470,000
4th place	Wang Yang	China	$2,820,000
5th place	Emilien Pitavy	France	$2,245,000
6th place	Winfred Yu	Hongkong	$1,693,000
7th place	Hannes Jeschka	Germany	$1,237,000
8th place	Thomas Boivin	Belgium	$905,000
9th place	Eric Tsai	Taiwan	$749,000

Simao's Cinderella Story

After winning the championship, all of this seemed like a distant memory, but shortly before being crowned champion, Simao faced a very difficult situation in the tournament. Shortly after entering the money bubble on the second day, a pre-flop battle left him with only two big blinds, but he fought back and advanced to the final day with 25 big blinds.

"Of course (I felt it was unlikely I would win). When you play in a tournament, you hope to win, but I've been playing for 20 years, and I know that first place doesn't happen that often. It felt amazing to be the winner," Simao said, reflecting on his eventual comeback.

When Adrian Mateos (14th place – $512,000), the most recent Triton Invitational champion, was quickly eliminated on Day 3, Simao continued his Day 3 performance, slowly accumulating chips. Ultimately, Simao had the honor of being the one to close the bubble at the final table, sending Matthias Eibinger to 10th place. Eibinger received $635,000, while Simao entered the final table as the chip leader.

With almost every opportunity, Simao extended his lead over the other players at the table. When Simao eliminated Winfred Yu—one of the founders of Triton Poker—in sixth place, the Brazilian prodigy had about half the chips on the table. Simao then eliminated Wang Yang in fourth place, while Ding Biao took down Davies in third, setting the stage for a classic heads-up match.

One-on-one duel

Simao started heads-up with a roughly 2-1 lead and quickly extended it to 4-1. Ding Biao seemed to be in dire straits, but Simao launched several failed bluffs, rapidly reversing the tide. In fact, Simao was the first player to face elimination in heads-up play, his A4 facing Ding Biao's AJ pre-flop, teetering on the brink of elimination. Fortunately, the community cards split the pot between the two opponents, allowing Simao to continue his fight for the championship.

After a brilliant Q-high hero call, Simao regained the lead and never relinquished it. Ultimately, Ding Biao found himself in danger on the turn with top pair against Simao's overpair. The river was harmless for Simao, securing the championship, the trophy, and a huge prize for him.

"I think we both played very well," Simao said, reflecting on his approximately two-and-a-half-hour one-on-one duel with Ding Biao. "But I bounced back, readjusted my strategy, performed brilliantly, and was fortunate enough to become the champion."

Simao's final thoughts

With this victory, Simao adds another seven-figure prize to his No-Limit Texas Hold'em resume. However, the Brazilian player is also known for his prowess in four-card poker, having recently won $1,368,700 in the WSOP $50K PLO event.

“To be honest, throughout my career, I’ve always oscillated between loving PLO more and loving Texas Hold’em more. For the past 15 months, I’ve completely fallen in love with Texas Hold’em and played very little PLO. Then winning $50K PLO in the Super High Roller Series brought in a huge prize, which was fantastic, and my passion for PLO returned. But now, this prize tells me it’s time for me to enjoy Texas Hold’em more,” Simao explained his love for both forms of poker.

Finally, despite having just won a life-changing prize, once the adrenaline subsided, Simao's top priority was: "I want to enjoy every second and see my family. I can't wait to see them—I've been here for about 12 days and I miss them terribly. At times like these, you really want your loved ones around. What I really want to do is go home and celebrate with them."

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