Ivey, Kenney and Rampage Among Stars Set for Triton Invitational’s Asia Debut

Eliot Thomas
Editor, Poker & Casino
3 min read
Triton Invitational

Triton Poker's upcoming stop in Jeju, South Korea will be a history-making one, after the high-stakes tour announced the Super High Roller Series Jeju II will see the Asian debut of its flagship $200K Triton Invitational tournament.

Running from September 12-14, the Invitational will be one of the marquee events at Triton's biggest stop of the year, which returns to the Les A Casino at Jeju Shinhwa World from September 4-17 for the second time in 2026.

Offering a format that is unique to the rest of tournament poker, the Invitational pairs recreational invitees with the game's elite pros, separating them on Day 1 before the field converges on Day 2 to play down to a winner.

With 18 pairs already confirmed and plenty more to come, Triton are advising Jeju's tournament has the potential to be the biggest in the series' history. The current record-holder is the 137-runner field set in Montenegro in May of this year, in which generational talent Adrian Maetos topped the lot to receive the trophy and $6,370,000.

A 'Significant Milestone' for Triton

"Bringing the Triton Invitational to Asia for the first time marks a significant milestone for our series," said Triton Poker Series CEO Andy Wong.

"Given the strong community of high-stakes poker enthusiasts across the region, we look forward to introducing new players to the Invitational field."

Wong continued, “The structure separates Invitees from professionals on day one for a balanced experience. Enthusiasts interested in this premier competitive event should apply."

While it'd be natural to assume a $200k event would be dominated by the game's super pros, previous iterations of the Triton Invitational have proven that not to be the case.

Four of the previous ten editions of the event have been won by Invitees, with Aaron Zang, Ramin Hajiyev, Aleksa Pavicevic, and perhaps most famously of all, Argentinian rapper Alejando Lococo all hoisting Triton gold in the tournament.

And, with the Asian poker scene booming and Triton's twelve biggest tournaments by field size in history all coming in Jeju, organizers are quietly optimistic the event will feature over 50 pairs for the first time since the Invitational's inaugural event in 2019.

18 Pairs Confirmed, With More to Come

pairs

Triton Poker has already announced a host of world-class pairings in the lead-up to the Super High Roller Series Jeju II, and will announce more in the coming weeks across its social channels.

There is no shortage of star power among the first 36 names confirmed. Poker GOAT Phil Ivey will take his seat after being invited by Triton co-founder Paul Phua, while poker's all-time money leader Bryn Kenney has been paired with Leonardo Drago.

Kenney recently became the first player in poker history to surpass $90 million in live tournament earnings, and another haul in Jeju could push him closer to an almost unthinkable next milestone: $100 million.

Another familiar face is Ethan "Rampage" Yau, who arrives fresh from winning the second WSOP bracelet of his career this summer. Yau has selected Justin Saliba as his pro, who was on the vlogger's rail when he defeated Adrian Mateos in Las Vegas.

And the big names don't stop there. Isaac Haxton, Artur Martirosian, Seth Davies, Ben Heath, Danny Tang and Kayhan Mokri are among the high-stakes regulars already confirmed.

The current full list of pairs are:

InviteePro
Javid IsmayilovAleks Ponakovs
Xu YangArtur Martirosian
Wang YangSamuel Mullur
Lun LoonKiat Lee
Aaron ZangIsaac Haxton
Sosia JiangSeth Davies
Jean-Noel ThorelChristoph Vogelsang
Philip SternheimerBen Heath
Elton TsangTeun Mulder
Ramin HajiyevMikita Badziakouski
Leonardo DragoBryn Kenney
Jules DickersonMedhi Chaoui
Du QiaoTony 'Ren' Lin
Ethan 'Rampage' YauJustin Saliba
Paul PhuaPhil Ivey
Li YangKayhan Mokri
Yu ZhangDanny Tang
Ilya NikiforovEelis Parssinen

You can find more information on the Triton Invitational, include pairings, tournament structure, the history of the tournament, and how to apply, on the Triton Plus Poker App.

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Eliot Thomas
Editor, Poker & Casino

Eliot Thomas is an Editor at PokerNews, specializing in casino and poker coverage. He was most recently on the ground in Las Vegas covering the 2026 World Series of Poker and has previously worked at the European Poker Tour and Triton Super High Roller Series.

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