Triton $250k Invitational: Bubble Bursts, But Who Can Stop Mokri?
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It was a long day, and a crucial one for those still holding out hope on winning the $7.7 million top prize in Event #5: $250,000 Triton Invitational.
With late registration closing at the start of the day, the final entrant tally stood at 133 entries — tying the record for the largest Triton Invitational.
And by the end of a day elongated by the money bubble, just 15 players remain as Kayhan Mokri sits with more than double the stack of second-in-chips Jonathan Jaffe.
$250,000 Triton Invitational Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kayhan Mokri | Norway | 9,245,000 | 92 |
| 2 | Jonathan Jaffe | United States | 4,450,000 | 45 |
| 3 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | 3,080,000 | 31 |
| 4 | Sergio Aido | Spain | 3,055,000 | 31 |
| 5 | Tyler Stafman | United States | 2,660,000 | 27 |
| 6 | Joseph Oren | United States | 2,615,000 | 26 |
| 7 | Albert Daher | Lebanon | 2,580,000 | 26 |
| 8 | Philip Sternheimer | United Kingdom | 2,040,000 | 20 |
| 9 | Cong Pham | United States | 1,990,000 | 20 |
| 10 | Mikita Badziakouski | Belarus | 1,920,000 | 19 |
Mokri began the day near the top of the counts and quickly built on that momentum, helped by cracking Ye Wang's aces and later finding a fortunate river to eliminate Nick Schulman. From there, he used his growing stack effectively, applying pressure and adding chips throughout the long bubble period.
Rounding out the top three is Thomas Boivin, giving the pros a clean sweep at the top of the leaderboard heading into Day 3.
Day 2 Action
Shortly after Day 2 began, the prize pool was officially announced, confirming that 23 players would make the money and earn a min-cash of $389,000, with the first-place prize set at a staggering $7,725,000.
Before that announcement even arrived, two of the biggest names in the game found themselves in a massive flip, as Bryn Kenney’s pocket tens went up against Daniel Negreanu’s ace-king. Negreanu managed to find an ace on the turn, denying the all-time money leader a chance to extend his record on the very first hand of the day. Negreanu then climbed near the top of the leaderboard and carried that momentum into the money, before ultimately bowing out in 18th place—ironically losing with pocket tens to Cong Pham’s ace-king, who turned a king.
Some other notable players to find early exits on Day 2 include Patrik Antonius, Jesse Lonis, Alex Foxen, Kristen Foxen, and Adrian Mateos.
The Bubble That Never Wanted to End
After a double knockout brought the field to the stone bubble, play tightened considerably as the 24 remaining players tried to lock up the $389,000 min-cash. Several short stacks were at risk, but the bubble refused to burst. First, Eric Wasserson held with pocket aces, and shortly after, Philip Sternheimer also doubled up with aces. It wasn’t aces the third time, but Vinny Lingham found a much-needed double with pocket queens to keep the bubble going even longer. Cong Pham, who had been down to just a few big blinds, managed to stay alive with back-to-back double ups—first making a flush with ace-king, then winning a flip against Thomas Boivin.
Then finally, nearly three hours after the 25th-place elimination, the bubble came to an end. Aleksandr Zubov was forced all in from the big blind with 8♣7♦ and faced Jonathan Jaffe’s K♠Q♣. Zubov couldn’t improve past Jaffe, making him the unfortunate bubble boy and confirming that the remaining 23 players were officially in the money.
What to Look For on the Final Day
Day 3 was scheduled to have 16 players return, but after back-to-back knockouts ended the night, only 15 players will be coming back. Among them is the defending champion from the 2024 Triton Million, Alejandro Lococo. He’ll enter the final day with some work ahead of him if he hopes to defend his title, as he sits 13th with just 15 big blinds.
Another storyline to watch is the lone woman left in the field, Monika Hrabec, who comes into Day 3 in 12th position looking to take down one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year.
