Zhao Wenjie Becomes Second-Ever Triton ONE Main Event Champ in Jeju
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Zhao Wenjie became the second-ever Triton ONE Main Event champion on Sunday, after the man from China reeled in runaway chip leader Jon Vallinas in a thrilling heads-up encounter.
Zhao, who enjoyed a stunning debut on the Triton tour, cashed in every tournament he played across the festival, finished 63rd on both occasions in the $3K QQPK Genesis and $5K NLH Mystery Bounty, before taking down the series' showpiece event in the shape of the $8K Triton One Main Event for $1,160,000.
The score represents a breakthrough moment for Zhao, whose previous best recorded live cash was collecting $23,400 at WSOPC Cyprus in the $5,300 WSOPC Main Event in October of last year.
Despite the record score, Zhao did not bank the lion's share of the prize pool generated by this March's record-breaking 1,230-entry field, after a heads-up deal with Vallinas saw the Spaniard add $1,337,000 and a 6th Triton final table appearance to his resume.
However, the honor of being crowned only the second Triton ONE Main Event champion in history is Zhao's, who joins an exclusive club including only himself and Joshua Gebissa, who claimed the inaugural title in September 2025.
Triton ONE Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhao Wenjie | $1,160,000* |
| 2 | Ander Vallinas | $1,337,000* |
| 3 | Shota Nakanishi | $641,000 |
| 4 | Liu Xiaohu | $475,000 |
| 5 | Kai Yang | $371,000 |
| 6 | Issey Maeda | $279,000 |
| 7 | Zhou Quan | $213,000 |
| 8 | Eguchi Takumi | $151,000 |
| 9 | Jimmy Guerrero | $116,990 |
*Denotes a heads-up deal struck.
Women Make Headlines as Successful Triton ONE Wraps
Including the record-breaking Triton ONE Main Event, the second edition of Triton Poker's new mid-stakes tour enjoyed another successful stop in Jeju, with huge fields and prize pools a feature right across the entire festival.
In many ways, the story of 2026's Triton ONE series was that of female players, including Elizabeth Chen's success in the first-ever ONE-W Championship on International Women's Day, no less, and Triton newcomer Yuna Kanaizumi's sensational victory in the $5,000 Mystery Bounty Event.
Kanaizumi's remarkable series would see her finish 7th in the newly-minted “Player ONE” Race, which offers $66,000 in rewards to the most successful Triton ONE player at the end of the season.
However, no one in Jeju could match the relentless pace set by Vallinas, who, after relinquishing the chip lead in the Triton ONE Main Event, would at least have the recompense of taking the Player ONE lead, after making 4 final tables and banking over $1.5m in cashes.
Super High Roller Series Now Up
With Triton ONE wrapped, attention is now turning to the real nosebleed action, as the Super High Roller Series got underway at Les A Casino, Jeju on Sunday.
Running until April 1st, the schedule will deliver some of the best players in the world going head-to-head for monster prize pools, with the early events already delivering some high drama.
Short Deck-specialist Rene Van Krevelen has already shone, putting on a giant-killing display at the final table to defeat both Stephen Chidwick and Jason Koon to win the $25k Short Deck Single Day Event for $308,000, and capture his maiden Triton title after several agonizing near-misses.
Meanwhile, there was a real celebration of Malaysian poker in the $50k Short Deck PLPF, as Kiat Lee topped an all Malaysian-podium, with poker icon Paul Phua in 2nd, and Lun Loon in 3rd.
Lee captured his 3rd Triton title and $840,000, joining the likes of Alex Foxen, Jesse Lonis, and Kayhan Mokri in the process, becoming one of the elite few to have raised a hat-trick of trophies on poker's most-famed high stakes tour.
