button in SafariAdrian Mateos Eyeing Back-to-Back Triton Invitational Victories as 16 Return for Final Day
Only a few months ago, Adrian Mateos picked up the largest score of his illustrious career by winning the $200,000 Triton Invitational in Montenegro. Back then, Mateos bagged $6,370,000 for conquering the then-record-breaking field of 137 entries. However, that record was smashed to pieces at Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju II the past two days, as a massive field of 173 entries assembled at LES A Casino. And Mateos? He again finds himself at the business end, being one of only 16 players returning for Day 3.
With an unfathomable prize pool of $34,600,000 collected, the stakes are even higher than usual when the action gets underway at 1 p.m. local time. The gargantuan $7,250,000 first-place prize will be awarded at the end of the day, and if Mateos goes all the way for a second consecutive time, he will overtake Mikita Badziakouski on The Hendon Mob's all-time money list and close in on Jason Koon's third place.
With 3,575,000 in chips, Mateos will return with a slightly above-average stack worth 29 big blinds. Meanwhile, chipleader Yang Wang, having secured his fifth cash of the series already, has more than double Mateos' chips, starting the day with 7,130,000. Hannes Jeschka and Emilien Pitavy complete the podium with 5,840,000 and 4,180,000, respectively, and, like Wang, both are hunting their maiden Triton title.
Triton Invitational Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang Wang | China | 7,310,000 | 58 |
| 2 | Hannes Jeschka | Austria | 5,840,000 | 47 |
| 3 | Emilien Pitavy | France | 4,180,000 | 33 |
| 4 | Teun Mulder | Netherlands | 3,760,000 | 30 |
| 5 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | 3,580,000 | 29 |
| 6 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | 3,575,000 | 29 |
| 7 | Joao Simao | Brazil | 3,075,000 | 25 |
| 8 | Biao Ding | China | 2,950,000 | 24 |
| 9 | Winfred Yu | Hong Kong | 2,790,000 | 22 |
| 10 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 2,775,000 | 22 |
The rest of the field is filled to the brim with top poker talent as well. Four-time Triton champion Jesse Lonis rounds out the top ten, sitting just slightly below fellow Triton trophy winners Joao Simao, Biao Ding, and Winfred Yu.
Matthias Eibinger will be looking to turn his 2,390,000 into another Triton victory, as a win in the Invitational would break the current three-way tie for second place in all-time Triton trophies, which Eibinger shares with Daniel Dvoress and Mike Watson at seven each. Meanwhile, Eric Wasserson has locked up his third-ever Triton Invitational cash, but will have to spin up his short stack of 1,340,000 if he wants to improve on his fourth-place finish in Montenegro in 2025.
The 16 players will return with 35 minutes remaining in Level 23: 50,000/125,000 with a 125,000 big blind ante. Every subsequent level will be 50 minutes long, with a break scheduled after every two levels. The Triton live stream will follow the action cards-up on a 60-minute delay, and PokerNews will adhere to the same delay to prevent spoilers.
Meanwhile, the remaining contenders have all secured themselves a payout of $460,000 by making it to Day 3. They are only one elimination away from a pay jump to $512,000, while the final table of nine players will receive at least $749,000 each. Seven-figure payouts will start at seventh place, and the eventual champion will walk away with a staggering $7,250,000.
Triton Invitational Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $7,250,000 | 9 | $749,000 |
| 2 | $4,940,000 | 10-11 | $635,000 |
| 3 | $3,470,000 | 12-13 | $568,000 |
| 4 | $2,820,000 | 14-15 | $512,000 |
| 5 | $2,245,000 | 16 | $460,000 |
| 6 | $1,693,000 | ||
| 7 | $1,237,000 | ||
| 8 | $905,000 |
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PokerNews will be providing a live report of the biggest-ever Triton Invitational's thrilling conclusion, so stay tuned for all the action en route to a champion.