Triton Poker Invitational 2026: All Pairings Revealed

The wait is over. The Triton Poker Invitational 2026 kicks off tomorrow – May 19 – at the Maestral Resort in Montenegro .
Forty-three confirmed pairs so far – and more are still being announced. One $200,000 buy-in event that doesn’t play by normal tournament rules.
This page is your complete guide to every confirmed pairing and the official blind structure. We’re updating it as new pairs are added – bookmark it and check back.
Triton Invitational 2026 – Key Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Event | Triton Poker Invitational 2026 |
| Buy-in | $200,000 |
| Dates | May 19-21, 2026 |
| Venue | Maestral Resort & Casino, Budva, Montenegro |
| Total confirmed pairs | 43+ (list still growing) |
| Format | Invitees + pros play separately, then merge |
| Live stream | Triton Poker YouTube (30-min hole card delay) |
| Series | Part of Triton High Roller Poker Series – Montenegro 2026 (May 13-28) |
| 10th anniversary | Milestone year for the Triton Poker brand |
What Is the Triton Invitational?
The Triton Invitational is unlike anything else in tournament poker. It’s built on a simple but powerful concept: each invited amateur – typically a wealthy businessman or high-stakes recreational player – personally selects a professional player to accompany them in the event.
That relationship is the whole point. The invitee holds the power. They choose their pro. The pro doesn’t pick them.
The format works like this:
- Invitees and pros begin play in separate pools
- After a set number of levels, the field merges into one tournament
- Everyone competes for the same prize pool from that point forward
- Buy-in: $200,000 per player
All Confirmed Pairings – Triton Invitational 2026
Below is the full list of confirmed pairings. The invitee is on the left. The pro who invited them is on the right.
| # | Invitee (Amateur) | Pro Invited |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Cokaliong | Danny Tang |
| 2 | Paul Phua | Patrik Antonius |
| 3 | Jean-Noel Thorel | Christoph Vogelsang |
| 4 | Javid Ismayilov | Aleks Ponakovs |
| 5 | Alfred Decarolis | Stephen Chidwick |
| 6 | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau | Jesse Lonis |
| 7 | Gabriel Andrade | Ben Tollerene |
| 8 | Ramin Hajiyev | Mikita Badziakouski |
| 9 | Mateo Klapstein | Christopher Nguyen |
| 10 | Maher Nouira | Mehdi Chaoui |
| 11 | Ilya Nikiforov | Igor Yaroshevskyy |
| 12 | Ethan Yau (Rampage) | Alex Foxen |
| 13 | Jonathan Brooks | Jason Koon |
| 14 | Sameh Elamawy | Isaac Haxton |
| 15 | Jason Mo | Samuel Mullur |
Show all remaining pairings (#16 – 43+)
| # | Invitee (Amateur) | Pro Invited |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Yong Wai Kin | Michael Soyza |
| 17 | Diana Kalietina | Bernhard Binder |
| 18 | Jessica Teusl | Fedor Holz |
| 19 | Anatoly Zlotnikov | Paulius Plausinaitis |
| 20 | Haralabos Voulgaris | Mario Mosböck |
| 21 | Alexey Lozuyk | Bryn Kenney |
| 22 | Kakhi Jordania | Paulius Vaitiekunas |
| 23 | Rafael Mota | Joao Simao |
| 24 | Ilkin Garibli | Jonathan Jaffe |
| 25 | Selahaddin Bedir | Dan Dvoress |
| 26 | Steve Enriquez | Alex Kulev |
| 27 | Sinan Unlu | Matthias Eibinger |
| 28 | Aleksa Pavicevic | Dejan Kaladjurdjevic |
| 29 | Ding Biao | Punnat Punsri |
| 30 | Shaneil Stokes | Nick Petrangelo |
| 31 | Cong Pham | Leon Sturm |
| 32 | Jules Dickerson | Dan Smith |
| 33 | Chad Deberry | Sean Winter |
| 34 | Santhosh Suvarna | Michael Watson |
| 35 | Richard Yong | Kiat Lee |
| 36 | Alejandro Lococo | Adrian Mateos Diaz |
| 37 | Gilles Morihain | Kayhan Mokri |
| 38 | Louis Gabriel | Artur Martirosian |
| 39 | Rui Cao | Wiktor Malinowski |
| 40 | Rob Yong | Andrew Robl |
| 41 | David D’Alessandro | Thomas Boivin |
| 42 | Yu Zhang | Linus Loeliger |
| 43 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Danilo Velasevic |
| 44+ | More pairings being confirmed |
The pairings list is still growing. We update this table as new pairs are confirmed.
Five Pairings to Watch
With 43+ pairs in the field, here are the five exciting pairs worth following from Day 1.

Rob Yong Invites Andrew Robl
Rob Yong , the founder of Dusk Till Dawn and one of poker’s most outspoken personalities, chose Andrew Robl as his pro. That tells you everything about Yong’s ambition walking into this event. Robl is a proven performer and one of the sharpest high-stakes minds in the game. Yong isn’t here to make up the numbers.

Chase Cokaliong Invites Danny Tang
Danny Tang sits at #7 on the Triton all-time list – five titles, 66 cashes, $27.2 million in series earnings. Chase Cokaliong didn’t just pick a good pro. He picked one of Triton Poker’s most decorated players. Tang is a consistent deep-runner who rarely makes big mistakes and knows this format inside out. If Cokaliong can bring chips into the merge, this pairing has the firepower to go the distance.

Jean-Noel Thorel Invites Christoph Vogelsang
This is a reunion. Jean-Noel Thorel – the 78-year-old French skincare mogul and serial Triton runner-up – chose Christoph Vogelsang as his pro partner at Montenegro 2025, too. He’s doing it again. With $28.6M in live earnings and a Triton title still eluding him, Thorel arrives in peak form. Vogelsang is a two-time Triton champion chasing Fedor Holz on Germany’s all-time list. Both have everything to play for.

Ethan Yau (Rampage Poker) Invites Alex Foxen
Ethan Yau , better known as Rampage Poker, is one of the most-followed poker creators in the world. Sitting down in a $200K Triton Invitational is a statement. Picking Alex Foxen as your pro is an even bigger one. Foxen is a former GPI world number one and one of the most technically precise players in the game. This pairing brings serious mainstream attention to the field.

Paul Phua Invites Patrik Antonius
Paul Phua is one of Triton’s co-founders. He built this series. Choosing to play in the Invitational himself – in the 10th anniversary year – and picking Patrik Antonius as his pro is a full-circle moment. Two legends of the high-stakes poker scene in the event Phua helped create.
Official Blind Structure – $200K Triton Invitational 2026
The Triton Invitational runs 50-minute levels with a starting stack of 300,000 chips.
Here’s the full blind structure across all three days.
Day 1
| Level | Ante | Blinds | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 | 500 / 1,000 | |
| 2 | 1,000 | 500 / 1,000 | 15 min break |
| 3 | 1,500 | 1,000 / 1,500 | |
| 4 | 1,500 | 1,000 / 1,500 | 15 min break |
| 5 | 2,000 | 1,000 / 2,000 | |
| 6 | 2,500 | 1,000 / 2,500 | 15 min break |
| 7 | 3,000 | 1,500 / 3,000 | |
| 8 | 4,000 | 2,000 / 4,000 | 15 min break |
| 9 | 5,000 | 2,500 / 5,000 | |
| 10 | 6,000 | 3,000 / 6,000 | End of Day 1 |
Day 2
| Level | Ante | Blinds | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 8,000 | 4,000 / 8,000 | |
| 12 | 10,000 | 5,000 / 10,000 | 15 min break |
| 13 | 12,000 | 6,000 / 12,000 | |
| 14 | 15,000 | 10,000 / 15,000 | 15 min break – color up 500s |
| 15 | 20,000 | 10,000 / 20,000 | |
| 16 | 25,000 | 10,000 / 25,000 | 15 min break |
| 17 | 30,000 | 15,000 / 30,000 | |
| 18 | 40,000 | 20,000 / 40,000 | 45 min break |
| 19 | 50,000 | 25,000 / 50,000 | |
| 20 | 60,000 | 30,000 / 60,000 | 15 min break |
| 21 | 80,000 | 40,000 / 80,000 | |
| 22 | 100,000 | 50,000 / 100,000 | 15 min break – color up 1,000s |
| 23 | 125,000 | 50,000 / 125,000 | |
| 23* | 125,000 | 50,000 / 125,000 | Resumed after the break |
| 24 | 150,000 | 75,000 / 150,000 | 15 min break |
| 24* | 150,000 | 75,000 / 150,000 | End of Day 2 |
Day 3 – Final Day
| Level | Ante | Blinds | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 200,000 | 100,000 / 200,000 | |
| 26 | 250,000 | 125,000 / 250,000 | 15 min break |
| 27 | 300,000 | 150,000 / 300,000 | |
| 28 | 400,000 | 200,000 / 400,000 | 15 min break |
| 29 | 500,000 | 250,000 / 500,000 | |
| 30 | 600,000 | 300,000 / 600,000 | 15 min break |
| 31 | 800,000 | 400,000 / 800,000 |
* Levels 23 and 24 each span across a day break – play resumes at the same blind level the following day.
Starting stack of 300,000 gives each player 300 big blinds at Level 1. That’s a deep, slow structure by design – Triton builds the Invitational to play for three full days.
How to Watch the Triton Invitational 2026
You can follow all the action on the Triton Poker YouTube channel. Coverage runs with a 30-minute hole card delay on live streams. Day 2 and final table coverage are streamed in full. Replays go up the following day.
For the full Triton series history and results, see our Triton Poker Series hub .
About the Triton Poker Series
Triton Poker was founded in 2016 by Richard Yong, Winfred Yu, and Andy Wong. The debut event – a $200,000 NLH tournament in the Philippines – was won by Fedor Holz, who pocketed $3 million. That set the tone for everything that followed.
In 2026, the series marks its 10th anniversary. Montenegro has been one of its spiritual homes – the Maestral Resort and its surrounding coastline have hosted some of the most memorable moments in high-stakes poker history.
The Invitational format was introduced to bring the game’s two worlds together: the ultra-wealthy amateurs who fuel the action and the elite professionals who define the standard. When it works – and it usually does – it creates poker that no regular tournament can replicate.
Want to play deep-stack tournaments, not just watch them? CoinPoker , the official sponsor of this event, runs regular high-stakes tourneys with similar structures. Use our CoinPoker promo code SMPBONUS for your welcome bonus and play along with the Triton High Roller Series.
Responsible Gambling
Poker at this level is an elite sport. For most people watching at home, gambling should stay fun and within their limits.
Set a budget before you play, never chase losses, and take breaks regularly. If gambling stops feeling like entertainment, it’s time to step back.
Free support is available 24/7. BeGambleAware.org and the National Council on Problem Gambling (1-800-522-4700) offer confidential help whenever you need it. Most licensed poker rooms also offer deposit limits, cooling-off periods, and self-exclusion tools – use them.
Must be 18+ (24+ in some regions) to play.



































