button in SafariNouira in Pole Position for Triton Invitational Title & $6.4 Million
It's the business end of the biggest buy-in event at the 2026 Triton Poker Series Montenegro, with the $200K NLH Triton Invitational set to play down to a winner inside Maestral Casino & Resort.
The tournament became the largest Triton Invitational in the tour's ten-year history after registration officially closed at 137 entries, creating a massive $27,400,000 prize pool. Just 12 players remain from the original field, all already guaranteed at least $466,000, while the eventual champion will walk away with a career-changing $6,370,000 top prize.
Tunisia's all-time money leader Maher Nouira returns as the chip leader with 9,900,000 (66 big blinds). Nouira has already secured the fourth-largest score of his career, but the payouts only get steeper from here. One more elimination will lock up $534,000, while seven-figure payouts begin from seventh place onward.
Nouira came close in this very event a year ago, finishing sixth for $1,423,000, and now has another deep run within touching distance of a Triton title.
Second in chips is Anatoly Zlotnikov with 7,250,000 (48 big blinds). Zlotnikov already captured a title earlier in the series after winning the $25K NLH 8-Handed, where he defeated Nouira heads-up. The Russian has been one of the standout performers of the stop, recording four cashes in six events, including a third-place finish in the $30K Turbo.
Eelis Parssinen sits third with 6,420,000 (43 big blinds) and is the only other player above the 40 big blind mark.
After that, there's a sizeable drop to Danilo Velasevic in fourth with 3,185,000 (21 big blinds). Adrian Mateos starts fifth with 2,450,000 (16 big blinds), but the stacks quickly flatten out from there. Even short stack Alexey Lozuyk, who begins with 1,105,000, still has seven big blinds and plenty of room to spin something up in a field where every ladder carries huge money implications.
End of Day 2 Chip Counts
Triton Debutant Eliminated on the Bubble
Triton newcomer Shaniel Stokes saw his impressive debut come to a painful end.
The real estate mogul and university professor looked well placed to lock up a payday with around 20 big blinds in play on the stone bubble, but his stack took a major hit after doubling up Ilya Nikiforov when ace-king held against his ace-queen.
By the next level, Stokes was down to just five big blinds and moved all in from the hijack with king-seven. Wai Kiat Lee called with ace-nine and held through the runout to send Stokes out one spot shy of the money.
Kiat Lee had also burst the bubble in the $50K NLH 8-Handed earlier in the Montenegro series after eliminating David D'Alessandro.
Once the money burst, the eliminations came quickly. Half of the remaining field fell before the end of play, including Jason Koon (13th - $466,000), husband-and-wife duo Kristen Foxen (16th - $384,000) and Alex Foxen (20th - $345,000), along with Triton co-founder Paul Phua, who bowed out in 23rd place for $318,000.
The field returns at 1 p.m. local time and will play to its winner. Blinds resume at 75,000/150,000 with a 150,000 big blind ante.
You'll be able to follow all the action on the Triton Poker YouTube channel.