Facts and Stats: The Field for Triton Million, Poker's Richest Event

A Close-Up Look at the 50 Triton Million Players

Cards will shortly be in the air in London for Triton Super High Roller Series, but the opening turbo is a mere appetizer compared to the titanic tournament on tap for Thursday. For the fifth time in the history of poker, a tournament with a 1 million buy-in will run, and this one will be bigger than all the rest.

After editions in 2012, 2014, and 2018 with a $1,000,000 buy-in in Las Vegas, and an edition costing €1,000,000 ($1,097,140) in 2016, it's now time for the most expensive poker tournament in the history of the game. The Triton Million costs £1,050,000 to enter, the equivalent of $1,283,324 at the current exchange rate. The event runs Aug. 1-3 at London Hilton on Park Lane. Triton Million Live Reporting updates can be found in the PokerNews Live Reporting section once action gets underway.

The Triton Million website has released a list of players who have signed up for this unique event. While it's not set in stone that all of them will actually take their seat, the list is impressive already. Some of the richest recreational players and the best professional poker players have made their deposit for a chance of what's likely to be the biggest first-place prize in poker history.

What's more, they'll be entering play in a format different than any used before in poker. The field is evenly split between invited players — typically businessmen and recreational players — and their professional-playing guests. Not only that, each side of the field will be segregated for the first six levels of play, with no late registration allowed. After that tournament staff will still do their best to keep the tables relatively balanced between invited players and guests. Finally, an invited player and his or her guests will be kept separate until the final table.

In advance of the start of play — Thursday at 1 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. EDT — we've taken a close-up look at all the players, with attention to their lifetime results, biggest cashes, ranking on the all-time money list and Global Poker Index. We've also checked which previous 1 million buy-in events they've played before.

Read on to get all the key facts and figures in advance of what promises to be the biggest 1 million event yet, with more than 50 players registered. In addition, PokerNews will post a seat draw when it's made available after 9 p.m. in London. UPDATE: Check out the seat draw here.

Highlights of the Triton Million Players

  • With 54 registered players, the Triton Poker Million is the biggest of all one million buy-in poker tournaments. The Big One for One Drop in 2012 attracted a field of 48, the 2014 edition saw 42 players sign up, 28 players bought in for the 2016 version, and last year's Big One for One Drop event in Las Vegas had 27 registrants.
  • Cary Katz, Rick Salomon, and Talal Shakerchi are the only three players who have played all four 1 million buy-in events so far. All three of them are registered for the Triton Million event.
  • None of the players participated in three of the 1 million buy-in events, but Dan Smith, Sam Trickett, Christoph Vogelsang, Paul Phua, Haralabos Voulgaris and Bobby Baldwin participated in two of them.
  • Rick Salomon cashed in 3 of the 4 one million buy-in events he played (4th in 2014 for $2,800,000, 3rd in 2016 for €3,000,000, and 4th in 2018 for $2,840,000.)
  • In the 2016 event in Monaco, Bobby Baldwin was the first player to bust. The WSOP Main Event champ and former casino executive, is participating in his third 1 million buy-in event after also playing the inaugural Big One for One Drop event in 2012.
  • 10 players have lifetime earnings lower than the buy-in of this event. Sosia Jiang, Liang Yu, Zang Shu Nu, Chin Wei Lim, Chow Hing Yaung, Qiang Wang, Pat Madden, Rob Yong, Alfred DeCarolis, and Ferdinand Putra will wager more entering this event than they've won in their lives playing live poker tournaments.
  • Besides the aforementioned 10 players, the £1,050,000 buy-in is bigger than they've ever earned in a single tournament for another seven players. Orpen Kisacikoglu, Tom Dwan, Winfred Yu, Andrew Robl, Antanas "Tony G" Guoga, Matthias Eibinger, Voulgaris and Talal Shakerchi have never cashed for $1,219,833 or more in a single tournament.
  • Several players have a GPI ranking in the thousands or lack a position on the list at all. This is an indication they're not as active in the live poker tournament scene (anymore) since the Global Poker Index only takes into account results from the last three years. Fedor Holz, Trickett, Richard Yong, Stanley Choi, Dan Cates, Tony G, Robl, Timofey Kuznetsov, Bill Perkins, and Tom Dwan are familiar names for any poker fan, but they haven't cashed a ton in recent years.
  • Elton Tsang's last cash is from 2016, when he won the €1,000,000 Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza for €11,111,111.
  • Trickett, Baldwin, Richard Yong, Vogelsang, Salomon, Katz, Tsang, Andrew Pantling, Justin Bonomo, Smith, and Holz have all cashed a 1 million buy-in event before. Salomon cashed three times, Katz twice.
  • Four of the five players that cashed in 2018's $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop event have signed up for the Triton Million. Byron Kaverman is the sole player who hasn't secured a spot in this week's £1,050,000 event.

All Triton Million Players Data

PlayerCountryStatusEarningsATMLGPIBest Cash2012201420162018
Justin BonomoUnited StatesPRO$45,014,705145$10,000,000   
Bryn KenneyUnited StatesPRO$34,942,30644$3,062,513   
David PetersUnited StatesPRO$33,146,06858$2,699,752   
Fedor HolzGermanyPRO$32,556,37766,435$6,000,000   
Jason KoonUnited StatesPRO$28,915,360822$3,579,836   
Dan SmithUnited StatesPRO$27,921,9419215$4,000,000  
Mikita BadziakouskiBelarusPRO$25,169,3631516$5,257,027   
Stephen ChidwickUnited KingdomPRO$25,166,430162$1,618,417   
Sam TrickettUnited KingdomPRO$20,924,0522126,607$10,112,001  
Christoph VogelsangGermanyPRO$20,181,4752374$6,000,000  
Cary KatzUnited StatesREC$19,904,0592448$1,929,203
Sam GreenwoodUnited StatesPRO$18,753,2132712$1,853,387    
Igor KurganovRussiaPRO$18,429,46929189$1,559,373   
Nick PetrangeloUnited StatesPRO$17,318,9833246$2,910,227   
Timothy AdamsCanadaPRO$15,070,6543723$3,536,550    
Elton TsangHong KongPRO$12,752,98949-$12,248,912   
Richard YongMalaysiaREC$12,254,112561,734$2,130,848   
Paul PhuaMalaysiaREC$11,437,32467650$2,178,871  
Rick SalomonUnited StatesREC$9,906,28387-$3,307,206
Martin KabrhelCzech RepublicPRO$8,150,450111301$2,990,088    
Stanley ChoiHong KongREC$7,768,8741225,564$6,465,574   
Rui CaoFrancePRO$7,753,8641241,601$3,351,130    
Ivan LeowMalaysiaREC$7,597,279129127$1,422,140    
Talal ShakerchiUnited KingdomREC$7,354,464136790$1,188,000
Matthias EibingerGermanyPRO$7,162,46914059$1,006,060    
Dan CatesUnited StatesPRO$6,882,8791484,827$1,774,145   
Wai Leong ChanMalaysiaPRO$6,797,407152296$3,252,348    
Danny TangHong KongPRO$6,310,79917211$1,796,498    
Antanas "Tony G" GuogaLithuaniaREC$6,094,18218211,515$552,239    
Andrew RoblUnited StatesPRO$5,780,8902006,574$1,055,699   
Michael SoyzaMalaysiaPRO$5,542,53420713$1,420,581    
Timofey KuznetsovRussiaPRO$5,428,09921211,201$2,150,000    
Vivek RajkumarIndiaPRO$4,427,667282-$1,424,500   
Wai Kin YongMalaysiaREC$4,259,8482982,945$2,080,556    
Andrew PantlingCanadaREC$4,055,43831712,465$1,653,603   
Winfred YuHong KongREC$3,906,0783342,172$1,172,727    
Leon TsoukernikCzech RepublicREC$3,545,1753973,236$1,800,000    
Tan XuanChinaPRO$3,425,0354234,096$2,308,384    
Tom DwanUnited StatesPRO$3,166,25347872,770$447,844   
Haralabos VoulgarisCanadaREC$3,091,797492119,754$1,158,883  
Orpen KisacikogluTurkeyREC$3,066,48449592$271,118    
Bill PerkinsUnited StatesREC$2,711,0865689,370$1,965,163   
Bobby BaldwinUnited StatesREC$2,354,179708-$1,408,000  
Sosia JiangNew ZealandREC$1,177,5841,6331,434$498,073    
Liang YuMarshall IslandsREC$1,100,6181,75151,580$453,243    
Zang Shu NuChinaREC$857,4132,31233,866$248,200    
Chin Wei LimMalaysiaREC$806,6352,471839$200,908    
Chow Hing YaungMalaysiaREC$772,8252,5857558$336,383    
Qiang WangChinaREC$745,5142,68018,561$726,170    
Pat MaddenUnited StatesREC$677,6401,577-$185,310   
Rob YongUnited KingdomREC$330,3496,389-$111,518    
Alfred DeCarolisUnited StatesREC$290,6227,300-$290,622   
Ben WuUnited StatesREC$35,19554,74544,890$30,453    
Ferdinand PutraIndonesiaREC$46,41839,17516,077$20,200    

* PRO = professional poker player, REC = recreational poker player - status defined by Triton Poker
* The buy-in of the One Drop events in Las Vegas in 2012, 2014, and 2018 was $1,000,000
* The buy-in of the One Drop event in Monaco in 2016 was €1,000,000
* All earning stats via TheHendonMob.com. GPI status via GlobalPokerIndex.com.
* We're unsure of the accuracy of the stats for the latest addition to the list of players, Ben Wu from the United States.
* ATML = All-Time Money List

Triton Million Live Updates on PokerNews

PokerNews will be on the ground for the Triton Million in London. We'll bring you live updates from the tournament floor for the £1,050,000 event, and the £100,000 Main Event and £100,000 Short-Deck events.

Previous One Million Reporting on PokerNews

PokerNews has been present for all four previous 1 million buy-in events:

Everyone Who Ever Cashed in a 1 Million Buy-In Event

PositionPlayerCountryPrizeTriton Million?
     
 2012 $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop   
1Antonio EsfandiariUnited States$18,346,673 
2Sam TrickettUnited Kingdom$10,112,001
3David EinhornUnited States$4,352,000 
4Phil HellmuthUnited States$2,645,333 
5Guy LalibertéCanada$1,834,666 
6Brian RastUnited States$1,621,333 
7Bobby BaldwinUnited States$1,408,000
8Richard YongMalaysia$1,237,333
9Mike SextonUnited States$1,109,333 
     
 2014 $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop   
1Daniel ColmanUnited States$15,306,668 
2Daniel NegreanuCanada$8,288,001 
3Christoph VogelsangGermany$4,480,001
4Rick SalomonUnited States$2,800,000
5Tobias ReinkemeierGermany$2,053,334 
6Scott SeiverUnited States$1,680,000 
7Paul NeweyUnited Kingdom$1,418,667 
8Cary KatzUnited States$1,306,607
     
 2016 €1,000,000 Big One For One Drop   
1Elton TsangChina€11,111,111
2Anatoly GurtovoyRussia€5,427,781 
3Rick SalomonUnited States€3,000,000
4James BordUnited Kingdom€2,100,000 
5Cary KatzUnited States€1,750,000
6Andrew PantlingCanada€1,500,000
     
 2018 $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop   
1Justin BonomoUnited States$10,000,000
2Fedor HolzGermany$6,000,000
3Dan SmithUnited States$4,000,000
4Rick SalomonUnited States$2,840,000
5Byron KavermanUnited States$2,000,000 

Seat Draw Day 1 Triton Million - A Helping Hand for Charity

TableSeatPlayerCountryStarting Stack
11Hing Yang ChowMalaysia1,000,000
13Richard YongMalaysia1,000,000
15Alfred De CarolisUnited States1,000,000
16Rick SalomonUnited States1,000,000
17Sosia JiangNew Zealand1,000,000
18Qiang WangChina1,000,000
19Andrew PantlingCanada1,000,000
     
21Stephen ChidwickUnited Kingdom1,000,000
22Michael SoyzaMalaysia1,000,000
23Jason KoonUnited States1,000,000
25David PetersUnited States1,000,000
26Sam TrickettUnited Kingdom1,000,000
27Bryn KenneyUnited States1,000,000
28Matthias EibingerGermany1,000,000
     
31Ferdinand PutraIndonesia1,000,000
32Tony GLithuania1,000,000
33Stanley ChoiHong Kong1,000,000
36Pat MaddenUnited States1,000,000
37Bobby BaldwinUnited States1,000,000
38Bill PerkinsUnited States1,000,000
39Talal ShakerchiUnited Kingdom1,000,000
     
51Paul PhuaMalaysia1,000,000
52Rob YongUnited Kingdom1,000,000
53Leon TsoukernikCzech Republic1,000,000
55Orpen KisacikogluTurkey1,000,000
57Winfred YuHong Kong1,000,000
58Zang Shu NuChina1,000,000
     
62Justin BonomoUnited States1,000,000
63Dan SmithUnited States1,000,000
66Martin KabrhelCzech Republic1,000,000
67Andrew RoblUnited States1,000,000
68Fedor HolzChina1,000,000
69Tan XuanChina1,000,000
     
71Cary KatzUnited States1,000,000
72Yu LiangMarshall Islands1,000,000
73Wai Kin YongMalaysia1,000,000
75Ivan LeowMalaysia1,000,000
76Haralabos VoulgarisCanada1,000,000
77Chin Wei LimMalaysia1,000,000
78Benjamin WuUnited States1,000,000
     
81Christoph VogelsangGermany1,000,000
82Danny TangHong Kong1,000,000
83Rui CaoFrance1,000,000
86Nick PetrangeloUnited States1,000,000
87Mikita BadziakouskiBelarus1,000,000
88Daniel CatesUnited States1,000,000
89Sam GreenwoodCanada1,000,000
     
101Elton TsangChina1,000,000
102Timothy AdamsCanada1,000,000
103Igor KurganovRussia1,000,000
105Timofey KuznetsovRussia1,000,000
107Wai Leong ChanMalaysia1,000,000
108Tom DwanUnited States1,000,000
109Vivek RajkumarIndia1,000,000
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  • Learn all there is to know about the upcoming Triton Million, poker's biggest buy-in tournament.

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