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Triton Jeju II's opening day was full of excitement: Chang flopped a straight flush, Phil Ivey entered the game, and the $15K eight-handed table attracted 204 entries. The first event's champion prize was $642,000, and 28 players advanced to the final day.
Triton Jeju II's opening day was full of excitement: Chang flopped a straight flush, Phil Ivey entered the game, and the $15K eight-handed table attracted 204 entries. The first event's champion prize was $642,000, and 28 players advanced to the final day.
The 2026 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju II has officially begun, marking the second time this year that the tour has visited Jeju Island, South Korea.
The series kicked off on Friday with the $15K NLH eight-player event, and the first wave of excitement on opening day quickly followed.
One player flopped a straight flush early in the tournament. If that wasn't exciting enough, the opening day also featured Phil Ivey—the Poker Hall of Famer who will be aiming for his fifth Triton title over the next two weeks.
Chang started Triton Jeju II with a straight flush.
According to Eliot Thomas's report and Triton's live stream footage, Chang had almost the perfect flop shortly after the start of the match.
Nevan Chang raised to 4,500 from the cutoff position with 7♥ 5♥, and Li Yiming in the big blind called with K♥ Q♣.
The flop of 6♥ 8♥ 9♥ gives Chang a straight flush, and Yiming has a good reason to stay – he has a chance to make a King-high flush.
Yiming checked, and Chang, concealing his hand strength, also checked. The turn card, a 2♥, completed Yiming's flush, and he checked and called Chang's 6,500 bet.
The river card is a 6♠, and Yiming bets 9,000. Chang responds with an overbet of 66,000.
Yiming quickly called, only to see Chang reveal a straight flush. Yiming could only smile wryly, for he had fallen into Chang's trap.
This wasn't the only nemesis on opening day. Triton champion Aleksejs Ponakovs faced a crisis after flopping two pair when Wang Yang made the nut straight on the turn. But the river paired the board, allowing Ponakovs to upgrade to a full house, not only averting disaster but also securing an early double-up.
Phil Ivey appears at the Jeju Stadium
Over the past week, poker stars have had no shortage of exposure. Daniel Negreanu made his Hustler Casino Live debut last Friday, experiencing a rollercoaster of events; while another high-stakes livestream produced the largest pot in High Stakes Poker history.
Now it's Ivey's turn—although the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner has returned to his more familiar tournament arena, Jeju Island.
Since his debut in the Philippines in 2016, Ivey has become a regular on the Triton Tour. He has won five Triton titles and 46 prizes to date, making him one of the tour's most successful players.
However, his latest Triton campaign didn't get off to a smooth start. Ivey lost a significant pot to Artur Martirosian, who caught the poker legend bluffing with pocket threes.
Ivey then regained his composure, but was eliminated just before the prize money bubble burst.
The first champion's prize money is $642,000
The opening day of the $15K eight-player tournament attracted 204 entries, with a total prize pool of $3,090,000. A total of 28 players successfully advanced to the final day on Saturday.
The bubble burst later that day, eliminating Alisson Piekazewicz with top pair against Alex Theologis's two pairs. His elimination ensured that the remaining players would receive at least $25,500, while the first Triton champion of the series would take home $642,000.
Wai Kiat Lee leads into Day Two with 3,500,000 chips, slightly ahead of Punnat Punsri (3,465,000) and Theologis (3,215,000). Bernhard Binder (2,785,000) and Adrian Mateos (2,225,000) are in fourth and fifth place respectively. Nick Petrangelo, Jesse Lonis, Daniel Dvoress, and Xuan Liu are among those still in contention.
The competition will resume at 1 p.m. local time until a champion is determined.
$15K NLH 8-Player Chip List
| Ranking | player | country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wai Kiat Lee | Malaysia | 3,500,000 | 58 |
| 2 | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | 3,465,000 | 58 |
| 3 | Alex Theologis | Greece | 3,215,000 | 54 |
| 4 | Bernhard Binder | Austria | 2,785,000 | 46 |
| 5 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | 2,225,000 | 37 |
| 6 | Nick Petrangelo | United States | 2,200,000 | 37 |
| 7 | Ehsan Amiri | Australia | 2,170,000 | 36 |
| 8 | Joao Simao | Brazil | 2,105,000 | 35 |
| 9 | Daniel Rezaei | Austria | 2,015,000 | 34 |
| 10 | Yin Tao | China | 1,680,000 | 28 |
| 11 | Victor Chong | Malaysia | 1,490,000 | 25 |
| 12 | Justin Saliba | United States | 1,365,000 | 23 |
| 13 | Ryuta Nakai | Japan | 1,275,000 | 21 |
| 14 | James Mendoza | United States | 1,275,000 | 21 |
| 15 | Huang Hongbiao | China | 1,260,000 | 21 |
| 16 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | Latvia | 1,110,000 | 19 |
| 17 | Li Yuan | China | 1,105,000 | 18 |
| 18 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 1,090,000 | 18 |
| 19 | Manuel Fritz | Austria | 1,080,000 | 18 |
| 20 | Liu Qiang | China | 910,000 | 15 |
| 21 | Wang Yang | China | 880,000 | 15 |
| 22 | Winfred Yu | Hongkong | 815,000 | 14 |
| 23 | Foo Tuck Wai | Malaysia | 580,000 | 10 |
| 24 | Vladas Tamasauskas | Lithuania | 510,000 | 9 |
| 25 | Daniel Dvoress | Canada | 490,000 | 8 |
| 26 | Xuan Liu | Canada | 480,000 | 8 |
| 27 | Ethan Yau | United States | 340,000 | 6 |
| 28 | Xu Yang | China | 90,000 | 2 |
$15K NLH 8-player table prize distribution
| Ranking | bonus | Ranking | bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | $642,000 | 10th-11th place | $56,000 |
| 2nd place | $431,000 | 12th-13th place | $50,000 |
| 3rd place | $302,000 | 14th-15th place | $44,500 |
| 4th place | $248,500 | 16th-17th place | $40,000 |
| 5th place | $194,500 | 18th-20th place | $35,500 |
| 6th place | $147,000 | 21st-23rd place | $32,000 |
| 7th place | $108,000 | 24th-27th place | $28,500 |
| 8th place | $79,000 | 28th-34th place | $25,500 |
| 9th place | $65,000 |
Tracking Triton Jeju II through PokerNews
The tournament in Jeju has just begun, and PokerNews will be providing live coverage from Les A Casino.
Our daily focus blog will bring you all the happenings on and off the field, including the most exciting hands, standout performances, player appearances, and all the stories unfolding beyond the live table.
We will also be providing live coverage of the three biggest events in the tournament schedule. First, there's the $200,000 Triton Invitational from September 12th to 14th. Next, there's the $100,000 NLH Main Event from September 14th to 16th, and finally, the $150,000 10th Anniversary Special from September 16th to 17th, held to celebrate Triton's 10th anniversary.
Fans can also watch the tournament via Triton Poker Live, while the free Triton Fantasy offers another way to follow players throughout the series.
2026 Triton Poker Series Jeju II Full Schedule
| Date | Time | Buy-in | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 4th (Friday) | 1:00 PM | $15,000 | Event #1: Triton 8-Handed Day 1 |
| 9/5 (Saturday) | 1:00 PM | — | Event #1: Triton 8-Player Final Day |
| 9/5 (Saturday) | 3:00 PM | $20,000 | Event #2: Triton 8-Player Day 1 |
| 9/6 (Sunday) | 1:00 PM | — | Event #2: Triton 8-Player Final Day |
| 9/6 (Sunday) | 3:00 PM | $25,000 | Tournament #3: Triton Golden Decade Day 1 |
| September 7 (Monday) | 1:00 PM | — | Tournament #3: Triton Golden Decade Day 2 |
| September 7 (Monday) | 3:00 PM | $25,000 | Event #5: Triton 8-Handed Day 1 |
| 9/8 (Tuesday) | 12:00 noon | — | Tournament #3: Triton Golden Decade Final Day |
| 9/8 (Tuesday) | 1:00 PM | — | Event #5: Triton 8-Player Final Day |
| 9/8 (Tuesday) | 3:00 PM | $30,000 | Event #6: Triton 8-Handed Day 1 |
| 9/9 (Wed) | 1:00 PM | — | Event #6: Triton 8-Player Final Day |
| 9/9 (Wed) | 3:00 PM | $40,000 | Event #7: Triton Seven-Handed Mystery Bounty Day 1 |
| 9/10 (Thursday) | 1:00 PM | — | Event #7: Triton Seven-Player Mystery Bounty Final Day |
| 9/10 (Thursday) | 3:00 PM | $50,000 | Event #8: Triton 8-Handed Day 1 |
| September 11 (Friday) | 12:00 noon | — | Event #8: Triton 8-Player Final Day |
| September 11 (Friday) | 4:00 PM | $30,000 | Event #9: Triton Turbo Race |
| September 12 (Saturday) | 12:00 noon | $200,000 | Tournament #10: Triton Invitational Day 1 |
| 9/13 (Sunday) | 12:00 noon | — | Tournament #10: Triton Invitational Day 2 |
| 9/13 (Sunday) | 5:00 PM | $50,000 | Event #11: Triton 7-Man Table Day 1 |
| September 14 (Monday) | 12:00 noon | — | Tournament #10: Triton Invitational Final Day |
| September 14 (Monday) | 1:00 PM | — | Event #11: Triton Seven-Player Final Day |
| September 14 (Monday) | 3:00 PM | $100,000 | Event #12: Triton JEJU 2026 NLH Main Event Day 1 |
| September 15 (Tuesday) | 1:00 PM | — | Event #12: Triton JEJU 2026 NLH Main Event Day 2 |
| September 15 (Tuesday) | 5:00 PM | $50,000 | Race #13: Turbo Bounty Quattro |
| September 16 (Wednesday) | 1:00 PM | — | Event #12: Triton JEJU 2026 NLH Main Event Day 3 |
| September 16 (Wednesday) | 2:00 PM | $150,000 | Tournament #15: Triton 10th Anniversary Special Day 1 |
| September 17 (Thursday) | 12:00 noon | — | Tournament #15: Triton 10th Anniversary Special Final Day |
| September 17 (Thursday) | 4:00 PM | $30,000 | Event #16: Triton Turbo Race |
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