Poker's Richest Tournament Gets Underway Soon
At 1 p.m. London time (8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT), cards will be in the air for the richest poker event the world has ever seen. Fifty-four of the world's best professional poker players and richest recreational players will square off in the Triton Million - A Helping Hand for Charity with a buy-in of £1,050,000.
The event is the brain child of Triton Poker co-founders Paul Phua and Richard Yong, as well as partypoker LIVE's Rob Yong. With the combined efforts of Triton Poker and partypoker LIVE, what started as a dinner conversation during the 2018 World Series of Poker Europe will become a reality today. All eyes of the poker world will be glued to the screen to see who will etch his or her name in the poker history books as the champion of the richest poker tournament ever held.
As the name suggests, the tournament's primary goal is to provide a helping hand for charity, with £50,000 of the £1,050,000 buy-in going to charitable initiatives. With 54 players confirmed, a total of £2,700,000 has already been raised for charity. For a complete oversight of the beneficiaries, check the official Triton Million website.
Professional and Recreational Players Start Separately
A unique tournament like the Triton Million comes with an exceptional set of rules. The tournament consists of 27 businessmen/recreational players ("Invitation Holders") who were each allowed to invite a professional poker player ("Guests") of their choosing to bring the field to 54 total. The "rec's" have been separated from the "pro's," as the table draw shows. They will remain apart from one another for the first six levels of play.
After the dinner break (Level 6), there will be a new seat draw; merging the two groups. After the conclusion of Day 1, another redraw is to take place. Each Invitation Holder will be separated from their Guest until the final table.
Dress Code
Players will not be allowed to cover any part of their body from the neck up. This includes, but is not limited to, wearing scarves, funnel neck sweatshirts, turtle neck jumpers, hats, and caps. The only exception exists for sunglasses and hats that don't obscure any part of the face at any time due to stage lighting. Hoodies are not recommended to follow the rules above.
The nine players to make the final table will be required to wear a formal suit, something earlier seen at the final table of the 2016 Big One for One Drop.
PokerNews will be on the floor in the Hilton Hotel on Hyde Park to cover all the action of the biggest poker tournament of all time! In addition, the Triton live stream will be running continuously throughout the day with English, Chinese, Norwegian, Danish, and Russian commentary. Ali Nejad, Nick Schulman, Lex Veldhuis, Randy Lew, and Jeff Gross will be on commentary duties while, Marle Cordeiro, Liv Boeree, and Pete Latham will all be hosting.
Triton Million Day 1 Blind Structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 min. | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| 2 | 60 min. | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| Break | 15 min. | |||
| 3 | 60 min. | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| 4 | 60 min. | 2,500 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Break | 15 min. | |||
| 5 | 60 min. | 3,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 |
| 6 | 60 min. | 4,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| Dinner Break* | 60 min. | |||
| 7 | 60 min. | 5,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| 8 | 60 min. | 6,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 |
| Break | 15 min. | |||
| 9 | 60 min. | 8,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 |
| 10 | 60 min. | 10,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
* Color up 500 chips, redraw to 50/50 Recreational & Professional players
Notes
- The tournament plays in a freeze-out format.
- Players are starting with 1,000,000 in chips.
- All chips will be put in play at the start and players will be required to take their seats at the very beginning of the tournament.
- The registration will close at the start of Level 2.
- A dynamic shot clock will be in play: 20 seconds preflop, 25 seconds on the flop, and 30 seconds on the turn and river.
- Players will receive twelve Time Bank cards at the beginning of the tournament.
- At the end of Day 1, each player will receive five extra Time Bank cards.
- Players receive an additional five Time Bank cards upon reaching the final table.
Photos: ©Joe Giron / PokerPhotoArchive.com