button in SafariPoker Player Flops Straight Flush to Kick Off Triton Jeju II
The 2026 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju II is underway, with the tour returning to South Korea for its second visit to Jeju this year.
The $15K NLH 8-Handed got proceedings started on Friday, and it didn't take long for the first fireworks of the festival.
One player flopped a straight flush during the early stages of play, and if that wasn't enough for opening day, Phil Ivey also made his arrival, with the Poker Hall of Famer looking to add to his five Triton titles over the coming fortnight.
Chang Starts Triton Jeju II With a Straight Flush
As reported by Eliot Thomas and captured on the Triton live stream, Chang enjoyed about as good a flop as you can ask for shortly after the cards got in the air.
Nevan Chang raised to 4,500 from the cutoff with 7♥5♥, with Li Yiming the only caller from the big blind with K♥Q♣.
The 6♥8♥9♥ flop gave Chang a straight flush, while Yiming had plenty of reason to stick around with a draw to the king-high flush.
Yiming checked and Chang disguised the strength of his hand, checking behind. The 2♥ on the turn completed Yiming's flush, and he check-called a bet of 6,500 from Chang.
The 6♠ river completed the board, and Yiming took the lead with a bet of 9,000. Chang responded with a huge overbet to 66,000.
Yiming quickly called, only to see Chang turn over the straight flush. All Yiming player could do was offer a wry smile after falling into Chang's trap.
It wasn't the only cooler to hit the tables on the opening day. Triton champion Aleksejs Ponakovs looked in danger of an early exit after flopping two pair against Wang Yang, who turned the nut straight.
The board then paired on the river to improve Ponakovs to a full house, allowing him to escape disaster and instead secure an early double-up.
Phil Ivey Hits the Tournament Streets in Jeju
Poker's biggest names haven't exactly been short of screen time over the past week. Daniel Negreanu made his Hustler Casino Live debut last Friday during an up-and-down session, while another high-stakes livestream produced the biggest pot in High Stakes Poker history.
Now it is Ivey's turn to get in on the action, although the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner is back on more familiar tournament territory in Jeju.
Ivey has become a regular on the Triton circuit since making his debut in the Philippines in 2016. He has since collected five Triton titles and 46 cashes, putting him among the tour's most successful players.
His latest Triton campaign didn't get off to the smoothest start though. Ivey lost a sizable pot to Artur Martirosian, who caught the poker legend running a bluff with pocket threes.
Ivey steadied himself from there but proceeded to bow out just before the money bubble.
$642K Awaits First Champion
The opening day of the $15K 8-Handed drew 204 entries, generating a $3,090,000 prize pool, with 28 players bagging up for Saturday's final day.
The bubble burst late in the day when Alisson Piekazewicz ran top pair into the two pair of Alex Theologis. His exit locked up at least $25,500 for the remaining players, with $642,000 awaiting the first Triton champion of the festival.
Wai Kiat Lee leads the way into Day 2 with 3,500,000, narrowly ahead of Punnat Punsri (3,465,000) and Theologis (3,215,000). Bernhard Binder (2,785,000) and Adrian Mateos (2,225,000) round out the top five, while Nick Petrangelo, Jesse Lonis, Daniel Dvoress and Xuan Liu are among the other names still in contention.
Play resumes at 1 p.m. local time, with the tournament playing down to a champion.
$15K NLH 8-Handed Chip Counts
$15K NLH 8-Handed Payouts
| Place | Payout | Place | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $642,000 | 10-11th | $56,000 |
| 2nd | $431,000 | 12-13th | $50,000 |
| 3rd | $302,000 | 14-15th | $44,500 |
| 4th | $248,500 | 16-17th | $40,000 |
| 5th | $194,500 | 18-20th | $35,500 |
| 6th | $147,000 | 21-23rd | $32,000 |
| 7th | $108,000 | 24-27th | $28,500 |
| 8th | $79,000 | 28-34th | $25,500 |
| 9th | $65,000 |
Follow Triton Jeju II With PokerNews
The action is only getting started in Jeju, and PokerNews will be on the ground at Les A Casino throughout the festival.
Our Daily Highlights Blog will keep you across everything happening around the room, including the biggest hands and pots, standout performances, player arrivals and all the stories that emerge away from the feature table.
We'll also have live reporting from three of the biggest tournaments on the schedule, starting with the $200,000 Triton Invitational from September 12-14. The $100,000 NLH Main Event follows from September 14-16, before the $150,000 10th Anniversary Special brings Triton's decade celebrations to the tables from September 16-17.
Fans can also watch the action on the Triton Poker livestream, while the free-to-play Triton Fantasy adds another way to follow the players throughout the series.
2026 Triton Poker Series Jeju II Full Schedule
