The History of the Triton Poker Series from 2016 to 2024

How Paul Phua And Richard Yong Came To The Triton Brand

No poker event is born from the void — it is always the product of a creative mind. Triton is no exception. This brand was the brainchild of two friends and businessmen from Malaysia, Wei Seng “Paul” Phua and Seng Chen “Richard” Yong.

They are connected not only by business but also by a unique history that came to light in 2014. That year, the public learned that Phua and Yong, along with their sons, were arrested for running an illegal gambling ring. Over the course of one month, they were held in custody, first by Malaysian law enforcement and then by the FBI in Las Vegas.

Interestingly, both times they were freed on bail paid by well-known poker pros:

• Phil Ivey: Spent $500K to free Yong and his son.
• Tom Dwan: Spent $1.5M to free one of their alleged conspirators, Tang Hui.
• Andy Robl: Spent $1.5M to free Paul Phua.

What is even more interesting is that during one of the arrests, Tom Dwan was present but was released after an interview without any charges.

In the end, both cases went to court and resulted in acquittals.

By 2015, Phua and Yong — already well-known and respected in the poker high-roller scene — began planning to create their own independent brand and events. Their goal was simple and somewhat noble: to create a legal, exclusive space for players who loved high-stakes poker and wanted to compete against top opponents.

By this time, they had already gained significant poker experience, playing recreationally in various live tournaments and private cash games since 2012.

Triton Poker: From The First Series to COVID-19

The inaugural Triton Poker Series was held in January 2016 in Parañaque City, Philippines.

The HK$200K Cali Cup drew 52 entries and was won by Fedor “CrownUpGuy” Holz, who made a deal with David Peters to take the title and $3,072,748.

For the next six events, from September 2016 to July 2017, the Philippines remained Triton’s primary location. Later, the series began to “travel” to different countries.

From 2017 to 2019, players had the chance to participate in some of the most expensive events in the poker industry across locations like Montenegro, Macau, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic. The event schedule expanded significantly, from five tournaments in 2016 to 28 in 2019.

The biggest prize during these years was $16,810,979, won by Chinese player Aaron Zang in the £1,050,000 Triton Million for Charity event in the UK in August 2019.

By then, Triton was only beginning to reach its peak. It had introduced Short Deck and Omaha events, explored new venues, and formed partnerships. Everything indicated that 2020 would be a monumental year for the series. But the COVID-19 pandemic brought all Triton activities to a halt, canceling or postponing events for two full years.

Post-Pandemic History of Triton SHRS up to 2024

Triton’s return was not without challenges. Initially, organizers planned to host an event in Bali, but strict border rules made this impossible. Next, they considered Russia, but the war with Ukraine rendered this option not only dangerous but also unethical.

Finally, North Cyprus was approved to host Triton events in April 2022.

The first post-pandemic series featured four events with buy-ins of $50K, $75K, $100K, and $125K. This series also introduced two new features: a heavy shot clock and an online app to track action during each event.

From May 2022 to November 2024, Triton hosted nine additional series:

In September 2022, during the Cyprus series, Triton held its first $200K Coin Rivet Invitational in partnership with Coin Rivet. The event had 90 entries and was won by English poker player Sam Grafton, who took home $5,500,000.

In March 2023, during the Vietnam series, Triton partnered with GGPoker to add the $25K GG Super Million$ Event to its schedule. The tournament drew 166 entries and awarded $965,000 to Malaysian poker pro Chin Wei Lim.

During this same series, Triton introduced a $20K Mystery Bounty Event, which attracted 125 entries. Turkish poker player Orpen Kisacikoglu pulled the biggest $250K bounty, while English poker pro Mark “Weazel_1991” Rubbathan won the event, earning $636K including bounties.

In July — August 2023 on Triton Poker SHRS London, the brand changed its partner for the Invitational Event to Luxon Pay.

The first ever $275,500 Luxon Invitational had 91 entries, its winner was U.S. poker player Bryn Kenney who took $6,860,000.

This partnership was active only for two iterations. In October 2023 on Triton Poker Monte Carlo, the brand presented the new The Special Triton Invitational that wasn’t changed as of November 2024.

But another thing was changed: after a two whole years of partnership with GGPoker as a main partner, from Triton Poker Series Monte Carlo in November 2024 the brand declared the new WPT Global room the main partner. They even held a new event together — $26.5K WPT Global Ultimate Slam that technically replaced previous GG Million$.

Multiple Winners Of Triton Poker From 2016 to 2024

The Triton Poker team regularly updates its list of multi-title winners.

Jason Koon is the only ten-time champion, with victories spanning No-Limit Hold’em, Short Deck, and Pot-Limit Omaha from 2018 to 2023.

Other multiple champions include:

The two-time champions list is the most extensive, featuring 31 players from various backgrounds, including Chris Brewer and Tom Dwan.