Triton Poker Invitational 2026: All Pairings Revealed

Live Poker
News
Adam
AdamAuthor
I fell in love with poker during the poker boom when I was 14 years old. My friends and I immediately started playing No Limit Texas Hold 'em sit-and-gos. When I turned 18, I began playing live cash games. Later, I dived into online multi-table tournaments, and following some success there, I ventured into live tournaments as well. Here at Somuchpoker, I write about my favourite game (the world’s most popular card game), including best poker moments, news, and the best online poker sites and deals.
Triton Poker Invitational 2026 Montenegro - All Pairings and Blind Structure
Triton Poker Invitational 2026 – Montenegro

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

DetailInfo
EventTriton Poker Invitational 2026
Buy-in$200,000
DatesMay 19-21, 2026
VenueMaestral Resort & Casino, Budva, Montenegro
Total confirmed pairs43+ (list still growing)
FormatInvitees + pros play separately, then merge
Live streamTriton Poker YouTube (30-min hole card delay)
SeriesPart of Triton High Roller Poker Series – Montenegro 2026 (May 13-28)
10th anniversaryMilestone 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
1Chase CokaliongDanny Tang
2Paul PhuaPatrik Antonius
3Jean-Noel ThorelChristoph Vogelsang
4Javid IsmayilovAleks Ponakovs
5Alfred DecarolisStephen Chidwick
6Mikalai VaskaboinikauJesse Lonis
7Gabriel AndradeBen Tollerene
8Ramin HajiyevMikita Badziakouski
9Mateo KlapsteinChristopher Nguyen
10Maher NouiraMehdi Chaoui
11Ilya NikiforovIgor Yaroshevskyy
12Ethan Yau (Rampage)Alex Foxen
13Jonathan BrooksJason Koon
14Sameh ElamawyIsaac Haxton
15Jason MoSamuel Mullur
Show all remaining pairings (#16 – 43+)
#Invitee (Amateur)Pro Invited
16Yong Wai KinMichael Soyza
17Diana KalietinaBernhard Binder
18Jessica TeuslFedor Holz
19Anatoly ZlotnikovPaulius Plausinaitis
20Haralabos VoulgarisMario Mosböck
21Alexey LozuykBryn Kenney
22Kakhi JordaniaPaulius Vaitiekunas
23Rafael MotaJoao Simao
24Ilkin GaribliJonathan Jaffe
25Selahaddin BedirDan Dvoress
26Steve EnriquezAlex Kulev
27Sinan UnluMatthias Eibinger
28Aleksa PavicevicDejan Kaladjurdjevic
29Ding BiaoPunnat Punsri
30Shaneil StokesNick Petrangelo
31Cong PhamLeon Sturm
32Jules DickersonDan Smith
33Chad DeberrySean Winter
34Santhosh SuvarnaMichael Watson
35Richard YongKiat Lee
36Alejandro LococoAdrian Mateos Diaz
37Gilles MorihainKayhan Mokri
38Louis GabrielArtur Martirosian
39Rui CaoWiktor Malinowski
40Rob YongAndrew Robl
41David D’AlessandroThomas Boivin
42Yu ZhangLinus Loeliger
43Orpen KisacikogluDanilo 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 and Andrew Robl Triton Poker Invitational 2026 Montenegro
Rob Yong Invites Andrew Robl – Triton Invitational 2026

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 and Danny Tang Triton Poker Invitational 2026 Montenegro
Chase Cokaliong Invites Danny Tang – Triton Invitational 2026

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 and Christoph Vogelsang Triton Invitational 2026 Montenegro
Jean-Noel Thorel Invites Christoph Vogelsang – Triton 2026

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 and Alex Foxen Triton Invitational 2026 Montenegro
Rampage Poker Invites Alex Foxen – Triton Invitational 2026

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 and Patrik Antonius Triton Poker Invitational 2026 Montenegro
Paul Phua Invites Patrik Antonius – Triton Invitational 2026

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

LevelAnteBlindsNote
11,000500 / 1,000
21,000500 / 1,00015 min break
31,5001,000 / 1,500
41,5001,000 / 1,50015 min break
52,0001,000 / 2,000
62,5001,000 / 2,50015 min break
73,0001,500 / 3,000
84,0002,000 / 4,00015 min break
95,0002,500 / 5,000
106,0003,000 / 6,000End of Day 1

Day 2

LevelAnteBlindsNote
118,0004,000 / 8,000
1210,0005,000 / 10,00015 min break
1312,0006,000 / 12,000
1415,00010,000 / 15,00015 min break – color up 500s
1520,00010,000 / 20,000
1625,00010,000 / 25,00015 min break
1730,00015,000 / 30,000
1840,00020,000 / 40,00045 min break
1950,00025,000 / 50,000
2060,00030,000 / 60,00015 min break
2180,00040,000 / 80,000
22100,00050,000 / 100,00015 min break – color up 1,000s
23125,00050,000 / 125,000
23*125,00050,000 / 125,000Resumed after the break
24150,00075,000 / 150,00015 min break
24*150,00075,000 / 150,000End of Day 2

Day 3 – Final Day

LevelAnteBlindsNote
25200,000100,000 / 200,000
26250,000125,000 / 250,00015 min break
27300,000150,000 / 300,000
28400,000200,000 / 400,00015 min break
29500,000250,000 / 500,000
30600,000300,000 / 600,00015 min break
31800,000400,000 / 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.

Frequentlyaskedquestions

SMP logo

SOMUCHPOKER is the #1 news site for the Asia-Pacific poker community. Founded by poker players in 2014, our main goal is to deliver the latest poker news from around the world, with an emphasis on the Asian market. We cover live news from tournaments, conduct interviews with top players and provide guides on local poker regulations, venues and services. We also offer exclusive welcome bonuses and rakeback deals to our loyal readers.

About us
Subscribe to our newsletter
Follow Us
youtubexfacebookinstagram
We have everything you need!

Check out our poker room and casino reviews, where we cover the latest promotions, bonuses, and rakeback deals. We also provide guides on various poker variants, including Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and more. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, we have something for everyone.

Copyright © 2026 Albafinis FZCO All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
18+Gamble Aware