Kayhan Mokri Steamrolls His Way to $250,000 Triton Invitational Victory
Some tournament victories are hard-fought slogs that last until the small hours of the morning. Kayhan Mokri's victory in the $250,000 Triton Invitational was not one of them.
It was as if the table had tilted and the chips — amassed by some of the world's best poker players — had simply dropped into his lap. By the time he had dispatched Gabriel Andrade in second place, he was still in time for the WSOP Player's Party.
And with $7,725,000 in prize money, there were no questions who the drinks were on tonight...
$250,000 Triton Invitational Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kayhan Mokri | Norway | $7,725,000 |
| 2 | Gabriel Andrade | Ecuador | $5,240,000 |
| 3 | Albert Daher | Lebanon | $3,490,000 |
| 4 | Jonathan Jaffe | United States | $2,860,000 |
| 5 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | $2,290,000 |
| 6 | Tyler Stafman | United States | $1,780,000 |
| 7 | Sergio Aido | Spain | $1,320,000 |
| 8 | Cong Pham | United States | $967,000 |
| 9 | Monika Hrabec | Poland | $771,000 |
Winner's Reaction
That being said, a maiden WSOP bracelet, third Triton title and the prize money was reward enough for three hard days of effort that saw him outlast a field of 133 — the joint-largest Triton Invitational in history.
"If I went back ten years and told myself I would be doing this right now, I would not believe myself"
"I love this format," said Mokri. "I think both sides enjoy it a lot. I think the Invitees have a format where they get to talk and play among themselves, and then face stiff competition afterwards!
"It levels the playing field a little bit, which also makes it more fun for them. I think they enjoy both parts."
The result also sees Mokri overtake former WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad at the top of the Norwegian all-time money list
"If I went back ten years and told myself I would be doing this right now, I would not believe myself. I am very fortunate to be able to compete in these tournaments, and just to be invited is a big honor in itself. I'm thrilled. I'm over the moon."
This is Mokri's sixth tournament win of 2025, ranging from EPT Super High Roller titles to a maiden Triton title in Jeju just three months ago.
"You get immune to the happiness and adrenaline that comes with winning, but this one was really special. It reminded me of the good old days when I felt good about winning, like, really good. And this felt just like that. This one felt great."
Final Day Action
Fifteen players returned for Day 3, led by Mokri, who had amassed his stack thanks in part to an elongated bubble period on Day 2, and started the final day with more than double his nearest rival.
At the other end of things was Brazil's Joao Simao, who started with just 50,000 — half a big blind. Despite running it up to 550,000 in the opening 15 minutes, he became the first elimination of the day.
Also sent to the rail were Joseph Oren and Tom Heung, both eliminated in quick succession by Gabriel Andrade to move him up the counts, before Mokri reinforced his position at the top of the counts by sending high roller regular Mikita Badziakouski home in tenth, one short of the final table.
With Mokri well clear at the head of the counts, the question became who — if anyone — could apply pressure to the chip leader.
Tyler Stafman was making moves early and eliminated Monika Hrabec in ninth place. Also active was Cong Pham (pictured), who ran into the worst luck at an even worse time, as Mokri's two outer shattered Pham and only served to reinforce his position at the top of the counts.
A flurry of eliminations followed as Albert Daher eliminated both Sergio Aido and Tyler Stafman before Andrade sent Thomas Boivin to the rail. However, no sooner had Daher and Andrade added to their stacks, back came Mokri. His elimination of Jonathan Jaffe in fourth place reinforced once again an almost 2:1 chip lead at the top of the counts, and in the blink of an eye, the tournament was three-handed.
The tournament took a much-needed breather, with both Daher and Andrade eyeing a way back into the contest and a way to battle back against Mokri. It looked as if Andrade had blinked first after paying off a hefty river bet from the Norwegian, only for Mokri to table a flush. However, Andrade would double back Daher, leading to Daher's eventual elimination.
It's worth remembering that throughout the whole tournament and the final table, Daher and Mokri were partners in this edition of the Triton Invitational. But there was no love lost between the pair under the bright lights of the feature table. Daher would double through Mokri, but was still left on life support with just ten big blinds. Those would eventually go the way of Mokri, as he went heads-up against Andrade for the title.
There aren't many nicer places than to be holding a 5:1 chip lead heads-up for a poker title, let alone one with a $2.5 million pay jump between first and second. However, heads-up play lasted less than an hour. Andrade had battled, but, like many in the tournament over the last two days, failed to make an impactful dent in Mokri's chip stack.
If he couldn't win it slowly, then Andrade must have decided he needed to win it quickly. Flopping middle pair on a Q♦9♣7♦ board, Andrade wagered it all. This time, Mokri didn't need the river to eliminate his opponent. Holding 9♥7♣ he'd flopped two pair and after the board bricked, he could only sit back and receive the plaudits from the high roller community and beyond.
Third-place finisher Daher congratulated him. Triton Poker Ambassador Jason Koon gave him a big hug. The Triton poker community is full of winners, and crowns multi-million dollar winners more often than any other poker tour. But this win elevates Mokri to a different level, something that he says won't influence his future plans.
"I'll probably still do the Tritons and some of the EPTs. Apart from that, I don't know. I haven't planned that far. I don't plan until I get there.
"So let's see what else. Maybe I'll consider going to the WSOP now with my new motivation."
Well, I'm sure $7.7 million can be quite motivating indeed.
