The Eight Biggest Stories from Triton Poker Series Jeju 2026
The Triton Poker Series Jeju wrapped up this week, with twenty titles awarded during just over a fortnight of high-stakes poker action.
Twenty champions were crowned during the Super High Roller Series, including familiar names, new faces, and some of the best poker players in the world. Looking ahead, Triton next heads to Montenegro in May, with further events in Jeju (September 2026) and Northern Cyprus (November 2026) confirmed.
Until then, and in no particular order, let's take a look at eight of the biggest stories that came out of South Korea.
From Triton ONE to the Super High Roller Series
Aren Bezhanyan spent the majority of his early poker career grinding tournaments in Sochi, Russia. But in 2025, he traveled to South Korea to play in the inaugural Triton One Genesis.
He finished eighth, with his final table finish netting him $54,100, whilst also cashing in the Triton WPT Global Slam a week later.
However, this year has been a breakout year for the Armenian, with three final tables, three six-figure cashes, and a maiden Triton title all coming in Jeju.
He defeated Aleksejs Ponakovs heads-up to win $990,000 in Event #1 of the Super High Roller Series, extending his lead at the top of the Armenian All Time Money List, and showing the transition that players can make from Triton One to the SHRS. Perhaps, the first of many?
Six of The Best for Punsri and Eibinger
While PokerStars Ambassador Jason Koon may lead the all-time rankings with 12 Triton titles, there's a battle developing behind him in the chasing pack.
With six players having won a handful of shiny Triton trophies, both Punnat Punsri and Matthias Eibinger took their tallies to six in Jeju, inching closer to the seemingly insurmountable Koon.
Punsri has now won four of his six titles in South Korea after defeating Quan Zhou heads-up in Event #13 - $30,000 PLO/NLH for $504,000, denying Zhou a second title of the trip.
But there was an even bigger win for Eibinger, who won the $100,000 PLO Main Event, less than four months after his first Triton title in PLO at WSOP Paradise.
He had narrowly missed out in the $50,000 PLO Mystery Bounty, which was won by Artur Martirosian, but took home $1,787,000 after topping a 65-player field.
First Triton Titles
While some players were adding more accolades to their mantelpiece, others were just starting on their collection of Triton trophies. Congratulations to nine players who won their first, the largest of which went the way of Bernhard Binder in Event #8 - $125,000 NLH (more on him later).
Others winning seven-figure scores and their first Triton titles included Ming Chen ($1,143,000) in the $30,000 NLH and Sebastian Gaehl in the $50,000 NLH. Gaehl had previously won an online qualifier to a Triton event in Vietnam three years ago, but now he's catapulted himself into the German All-Time Money List Top 50 with a $1.39 million score.
Congratulations as well to Rene van Krevelen, Daniel Rezaei, Mehdi Chaoui, Alisson Piekazewicz, Wai Chan and Robert Cowen.
New Triton Tempo
During the Jeju series, Triton introduced a brand-new timing system called Triton Tempo, designed to solve poker's long-standing "tanking" problem.
Unlike traditional shot clocks that provide a fresh 30 seconds for every decision, Triton Tempo utilizes a personal time bank that depletes as players think. High-stakes legends Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth both praised the system as a "game changer," noting that it creates a more fair and equitable pace of play while ensuring the game remains fast-paced for viewers.
Piekazewicz Makes Triton History
Over the course of its ten-year history, the Triton Poker Series has seen its fair share of firsts, but another came from Alisson Piekazewicz en route to his victory in Event #5 - $40,000 NLH Mystery Bounty.
Holding A♣A♥ with a shove and a re-shove in front of him, Piekazewicz just called and set the trap for Anatoly Zlotnikov, who moved all in from the small blind as well.
Anatoly Zlotnikov: Q♠J♥
Du Qiao: 10♥10♦
Jun Obara: Q♣10♣
Alisson Piekazewicz: A♣A♥
Piekazewicz had the chance at the triple knockout — never before seen on the Triton Poker Series, and he duly did so, picking up a $40,000 bounty for each of his eliminated opponents, after the board ran out 5♥4♣5♣K♠9♠. He would go on to win the tournament for $709,000 and his first Triton title.
Binder on a Tear
Austrian phenom Bernhard Binder proved his $10 million WSOP Paradise victory was no fluke by capturing his first Triton title in the $125,000 NLH 8-Handed event.
Navigating a field of 84 elite entries, Binder secured a $2,137,953 payday following a three-way deal. His transition from an "unknown quantity" to a seemingly dominant force in high-stakes poker has been one of the fastest in history, as he continues to "crush" the toughest fields in the world just three years into his poker career.
Tollerene at the Double
Ben Tollerene solidified his status as one of the best high-roller poker players today by winning the $100,000 NLH Main Event for $3,766,000.
The victory marked Tollerene's fourth Triton trophy and his second Main Event title. The final table was also a historic site for Kristen Foxen, who finished 4th for a career-best $1.45 million, setting a new record for the highest cash by a woman in Triton history.
Second Title for the Boss
In the most emotional result of the festival, Triton co-founder Paul Phua captured the $150,000 NLH 10th Anniversary Special, banking $3,226,000.
It was Phua's second career Triton title, coming exactly a decade after he helped launch the tour. Defeating a field of the world's most elite pros and close friends, Phua's victory served as the perfect celebration for the series' 10-year milestone in Jeju.
Triton Poker Series Jeju 2026 Full Results
| Event | Prize Pool | Winner | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event #21 - $25,000 Short Deck | $975,000 | Rene van Krevelen | $308,000 |
| Event #22 - $50,000 Short Deck | $3,000,000 | Wai Kiat Lee | $840,000 |
| Event #23 - $100,000 Short Deck | $4,600,000 | Aren Bezhanyan | $990,000 |
| Event #1 - $20,000 NLH | $4,940,000 | Daniel Dvoress | $1,380,000 |
| Event #2 - $25,000 NLH | $6,550,000 | Quan Zhou | $1,303,000 |
| Event #3 - $30,000 NLH | $5,160,000 | Ming Chen | $1,143,000 |
| Event #5 - $40,000 NLH Mystery Bounty | $3,200,000 | Alisson Piekazewicz | $709,000 |
| Event #6 - $60,000 NLH | $8,340,000 | Daniel Rezaei | $1,939,000 |
| Event #7 - $50,000 NLH | $5,800,000 | Sebastian Gaehl | $1,392,000 |
| Event #8 - $125,000 NLH | $10,500,000 | Bernhard Binder | $2,137,953 |
| Event #9 - $30,000 NLH | $2,969,999 | Mehdi Chaoui | $747,000 |
| Event #10 - $100,000 NLH | $17,800,000 | Ben Tollerene | $3,766,000 |
| Event #11 - $50,000 NLH Turbo Bounty Quattro | $1,580,000 | Jesse Lonis | $474,000 |
| Event #12 - $150,000 NLH 10th Anniversary Special | $12,150,000 | Paul Phua | $3,226,000 |
| Event #13 - $30,000 PLO/NLH | $1,800,000 | Punnat Punsri | $504,000 |
| Event #15 - $50,000 PLO Mystery Bounty | $1,825,000 | Artur Martirosian | $494,000 |
| Event #16 - $100,000 PLO Main Event | $6,500,000 | Matthias Eibinger | $1,787,000 |
| Event #17 - $25,000 PLO | $1,325,000 | Wai Chan | $387,000 |
| Event #18 - $75,000 PLO | $4,500,000 | Alex Foxen | $1,260,000 |
| Event #19 - $30,000 PLO Turbo Bounty Quattro | $770,000 | Robert Cowen | $242,000 |
Pictures Courtesy of Triton Poker
