Wai Kin Yong

Malaysia’s Wai Kin Yong is a high-roller specialist and a 4-time Triton title holder, one of only six professional poker players to hold the distinction. The 37-year-old Wai Kin Yong also happens to be the son of Richard Yong, a Malaysian entrepreneur and co-founder of the Triton Super High Roller Series launched in 2016. To say the father is also an accomplished poker professional himself is an understatement. The father and son actually rank in the top 5 of the Malaysian All-Time-Money list with former at number 2 and the latter, number 5.

Wai Kin Yong’s interest in poker began in college, playing cash games. Interestingly, Yong started his professional career a year ahead of his father Richard. Yong’s first recorded tournament was at the Macau Poker Cup – May Special Red Dragon Event, finishing deep and cashing already his first 5-figure prize money of $11,769. He made an immediate impact on the live felt with significant runs at the European Poker Tour London, World Poker Tour Jeju and two World Series of Poker tournaments in France and Las Vegas, building over $135,000 in early winnings. The Malaysian would then train his sights at the high stakes poker and cash at every live tournament he entered and remarkably never go lower than five figures.

In 2016, Wai Kin Yong announced his arrival as a high roller specialist and genuine contender when he won his first title coincidentally at his father’s newly established Triton Super High Roller Series. In only his sixth live tournament, Yong bagged the first of four Triton titles at its second edition, a charity event in September at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Manila.

He immediately followed that up with a second Triton title in November shipping the Main Event of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Philippines, Parañaque City. To be sure, Yong’s win had no special favors as he had to run through the gauntlet of poker heavyweights. At the final table, Yong eliminated Spain’s Sergio Aido, his country’s second at the All-Time-Money List and American super nova Bryn Kenney, poker world’s number 1 tournament cash king. Yang’s reward for this was a career first million dollar pay-off at $ 2,080,556.

After this achievement, it seemed that Wai Kin Yong was playing more for the challenge than the money although he never crashed out with small cashes even if he played only once in 2017 and entered three tournaments in 2018. All of them high roller events, banking a combined total of nearly $600,000.

Wai Kin Yong takes Triton London Main Event Title; Carrel and Loeliger also lift trophies

Wai Kin Yong shipped his third Triton title winning the Main Event of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series London and in the process banking a career best live cash of an astronomical $3,154,064. Making matters more memorable was that Yong’s victory was secured after a heads up play with his father’s business partner and Triton co-founder, Paul Phua.

As if Yong was out to prove that his win was not a fluke, a few days later, he finished second in the Short Deck Main Event cashing another whopping $ 2,232,740. The Malaysian continued to scorch the live felt with a non-Triton championship in March 2020, clinching the Short Deck NLH Event of the partypoker MILLIONS Sochi Super High Roller Series with a career third high best cash of $800,000.

Yong’s fourth Triton trophy came in August 2023, when the hot-handed pro bagged the $30,000 Short Deck Ante Only event of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series London adding $350,000 to his career earnings. The title came again with another highlight with Yong finishing the final table game in a Triton record-breaking time of 100 minutes. Wai Kin Yong’s latest success came in May 2024, making a table finish in the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro and matching his third best cash of $800,000.

In his 13 years as a pro, Yong has played in less than 30 live tournaments but has earned $13,468,598 to put him just 3 notches below his father in Malaysia’s All-Time-Money List. For Yong, it seems to be quality over quantity play and the Triton series is home, figuratively and literally.

*Profile by Mike Alcazaren