button in SafariDamir Gabdullin Leads as Bubble to Burst on Day 2 of Triton ONE North Cyprus Main Event
Three starting flights. 1,006 entries. An eye-watering $7,316,600 prize pool. And only 191 remaining contenders. Those are the numbers the Triton ONE North Cyprus $8,000 Main Event boasts on the festival's first-ever trip to Europe. The 191 possible champions will converge at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Spa today at noon local time as Day 2 kicks off.
While the exact payouts have not yet been announced, it is expected that only a few dozen players will depart empty-handed on Day 2. While some may start today fearing missing the money, the looming bubble presents an excellent opportunity for Damir Gabdullin, who starts today as chipleader with the 4,515,000 he bagged back on Day 1a. With 113 big blinds to his name, Gabdullin has plenty of room to pressure the smaller stacks and grow his mountain of chips even more.
Day 1b chipleader Jingyao Yan was the only other player to cross the four-million mark, while Day 1c leader Yue Zhao follows at a considerable distance with 3,475,000. Meanwhile, Triton Super High Roller Series regulars Isaac Haxton, Manuel Fritz, Juan Pardo, and Mikita Badziakouski all start Day 2 within the top ten, eyeing their first Triton ONE title.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | 4,515,000 | 113 |
| 2 | Jingyao Yan | China | 4,130,000 | 103 |
| 3 | Yue Zhao | China | 3,475,000 | 87 |
| 4 | Isaac Haxton | United States | 3,440,000 | 86 |
| 5 | Benjamin Winsor | United Kingdom | 3,390,000 | 85 |
| 6 | Kursad Bayrakci | Turkey | 3,300,000 | 83 |
| 7 | Manuel Fritz | Austria | 3,125,000 | 78 |
| 8 | Maksim Shornikau | Belarus | 3,090,000 | 77 |
| 9 | Juan Pardo | Spain | 3,065,000 | 77 |
| 10 | Mikita Badziakouski | Belarus | 2,965,000 | 74 |
Dozens of poker's most familiar names have made their way to Day 2. A small selection includes Dimitar Danchev (2,815,000), Ren Lin (1,995,000), Joao Vieira (1,860,000), Wai Kiat Lee (1,750,000), Punnat Punsri (1,560,000), Sergio Aido (1,450,000), Ognyan Dimov (1,255,000), Andras Nemeth (1,220,000), Leon Sturm (1,140,000), Emilien Pitavy (1,070,000), Nacho Barbero (945,000), Leo Margets (895,000), Renji Mao (790,000), Samuel Mullur (695,000), Klemens Roiter (435,000), Daniel Dvoress (380,000), and Danny Tang (285,000).
If that was not enough, two of Triton Poker's co-founders will retake their seats today: Paul Phua (1,565,000) and Winfred Yu (580,000). Fresh Triton ONE trophy winner and Player of the Year Leader Jon Vallinas Santos will start with 1,550,000, joined by fellow Triton ONE champions such as Chengxu Hu (1,305,000), Yoko Sasaki (1,190,000), Johan Schultz-Pedersen (730,000), and the only person to have two Triton ONE victories: Khoa Anh Ngo (690,000).
The exact structure for Day 2 has yet to be officially announced, but what is certain is that the levels will increase to 60 minutes in length. Furthermore, the day will kick off with blinds at 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 big blind ante, and a break will take place after every two levels. The action will also be streamed live on Triton Poker's YouTube and Twitch, with a 60-minute delay. The live reporting will match the delay to prevent spoilers.
PokerNews will be live on the floor to cover the entirety of Day 2, including the exciting bubble. Stay tuned as the Triton ONE Main Event will resume shortly.