The Triton Poker Series is the world’s premier super high roller tour, where a small field of billionaires, businessmen and elite professionals play buy-ins that run from $15,000 into the millions. It matters to Asia for a simple reason: it was built here. Founded by Malaysian businessmen in 2016 and now a fixture in Jeju, Triton is the closest thing the region has to its own Super Bowl of high-stakes poker.
This guide covers where Triton came from, its 2026 schedule in Korea, what it really costs, and how you can follow every hand for free without ever posting a $100K entry.
Born in Asia, not Vegas
Triton is one of the few global poker brands with genuinely Asian roots. It was conceived in 2016 by Malaysian businessmen Paul Phua and Richard Yong, who wanted an exclusive home for ultra-high-stakes play in exotic locations. The very first Triton event ran in Parañaque, near Manila, in January 2016 — a $200,000 buy-in Hold’em tournament won by Germany’s Fedor Holz. Stops in Macau and then Montenegro followed, and the tour has since crossed Europe, Cyprus and the UK while keeping an Asian heartbeat.
Triton also gave the poker world short deck — the stripped-down format (deuces through fives removed) that Asian high rollers popularised because it creates more action and lets rich amateurs gamble on closer terms with the pros. Short deck was obscure before Triton built marquee events around it; today it is a staple alongside No-Limit Hold’em on every schedule. Asian players have carried that home-field advantage to the felt, with names like Hong Kong’s Danny Tang racking up multiple titles and eight-figure earnings on the tour.
Triton in Korea: the 2026 Jeju stops
2026 is Triton’s 10th anniversary, and the tour has planted itself firmly in South Korea. Both of the year’s flagship stops run at Les A Casino inside Jeju Shinhwa World — the same resort island complex that hosts a busy live circuit year-round (see our Jeju poker rooms guide).
The spring stop bundled the accessible Triton ONE festival (March 5–15, buy-ins from $1,500 to $15,000, including the tour’s first-ever women’s events) with a Super High Roller Series carrying $20,000 to $150,000 tickets. The headline act lands in autumn: the Triton Super High Roller Series returns to Jeju from September 4–17, 2026, a 14-day festival of 16 tournaments with buy-ins from $15,000 up to $200,000. Marquee events include a $200,000 Triton Invitational on September 12, a $100,000 Jeju Main Event on September 14, and a $150,000 10th Anniversary Special. Full details sit on the official Triton site and were laid out by PokerNews.
What it actually costs — and who gets to play
Let’s be honest about the money. A Triton “cheap” event is $15,000; the Main Events sit at $100,000 and the Invitational at $200,000. There is no online satellite pipeline feeding recreational grinders into these fields the way there is for the Asian Poker Tour or WSOP. Entry is effectively open to anyone who can post the buy-in, but in practice the room is filled by touring pros and self-made businessmen who treat six figures as a comfortable gamble.
The exception is the accessible Triton ONE series, whose $1,500–$3,000 events are the one realistic on-ramp for a serious amateur who wants to say they played a Triton table. For everyone else, Triton is aspirational — the tour you build a bankroll toward, not the one you jump into on a whim.
How to follow every hand from Asia
Here’s the good news: watching Triton costs nothing and the production is world-class. Final tables are streamed with hole cards on Triton’s own channel and produced for GGPoker’s YouTube, usually on a short delay, with commentary that explains the short-deck spots as they happen. Because the events run on Korea Standard Time, APAC viewers get the rare treat of a major poker broadcast in prime evening hours rather than at 4am. If you want to understand elite ranges, pot geometry and short-deck strategy, a Triton stream is a free masterclass — and a reminder of just how far the game has travelled since that first Manila event a decade ago.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Triton Poker Series?
Triton is a global super high roller poker tour founded in 2016, known for small fields, buy-ins from $15,000 into the millions, and a mix of No-Limit Hold’em and short deck played by billionaires and elite pros.
Where did Triton Poker start?
The first Triton event was held near Manila in the Philippines in January 2016, a $200,000 Hold’em tournament won by Fedor Holz. The tour was created by Malaysian businessmen Paul Phua and Richard Yong.
How much does it cost to play a Triton event?
Buy-ins start around $15,000 for Super High Roller Series events and climb to $100,000 for Main Events and $200,000 for the Invitational. The separate Triton ONE festival offers cheaper tickets from roughly $1,500.
Can a regular player enter a Triton tournament?
Yes in theory — most events are open to anyone who pays the buy-in — but there are no online satellites feeding these fields, so the realistic entry point for an amateur is the lower-cost Triton ONE series.
Where is Triton being held in 2026?
Triton’s 2026 flagship stops are both at Les A Casino in Jeju, South Korea: Triton ONE and a Super High Roller Series in March, and a second Super High Roller Series from September 4–17.
How can I watch Triton from Asia?
Final tables are streamed for free with hole cards on Triton’s and GGPoker‘s YouTube channels, and because events run on Korea time, APAC fans can watch in the evening rather than overnight.
What is short deck and why is it tied to Triton?
Short deck (or Six Plus Hold’em) removes the deuces through fives from the deck, creating a higher-action game popularised by Asian high rollers. Triton built the first major short-deck tournaments and it remains a signature format on the tour.
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