Triton Jeju II Opens with Flopped Straight Flush in $15,000 NLH Event
TL;DR — Triton Jeju II opened with Nevan Chang flopping a straight flush against Li Yiming in the $15K NLH 8-Handed. Phil Ivey joined but exited before the bubble. The event drew 204 entries for a $3.09M prize pool, paying $642K to the winner.
SCCG Take — Strong field and early action confirm high-stakes live poker retains pull in Asia. Operators monitoring tournament circuits should track how such events sustain player engagement.
The 2026 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju II is underway, with the tour returning to South Korea for its second visit to Jeju this year, with an immediate standout hand. Nevan Chang flopped a straight flush in the $15,000 NLH 8-Handed tournament, according to reporting by PokerNews.
Nevan Chang raised to 4,500 from the cutoff holding 7♥ 5♥. Li Yiming called from the big blind with K♥ Q♣. The flop came 6♥ 8♥ 9♥, giving Chang the straight flush while Yiming held a king-high flush draw. Chang checked behind. The 2♥ turn completed Yiming’s flush. Chang bet 6,500 and received the call.
On the 6♠ river Yiming bet 9,000. Chang overbet to 66,000. Yiming called, then saw the straight flush. The hand set an early tone for the festival.
Phil Ivey Returns to Triton Action
Phil Ivey entered the Jeju event seeking a sixth Triton title. The Poker Hall of Famer holds five Triton victories and 46 cashes since his 2016 debut. In this opening event Ivey lost a sizable pot to Artur Martirosian after running a bluff with pocket threes. He exited just before the money bubble.
The $15,000 NLH 8-Handed drew 204 entries and generated a $3,090,000 prize pool. 28 players bagged for day two. The bubble burst when Alisson Piekazewicz ran top pair into the two pair of Alex Theologis. His exit locked up at least $25,500 for the remaining players, with $642,000 awaiting the first Triton champion of the festival.
Wai Kiat Lee leads with 3,500,000 chips, ahead of Punnat Punsri (3,465,000) and Theologis (3,215,000). Other contenders include Bernhard Binder, Adrian Mateos, Nick Petrangelo, Jesse Lonis, Daniel Dvoress and Xuan Liu. Play resumes at 1 p.m. local time to determine the first champion of the series.
Reporting: PokerNews
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
High-stakes live poker still draws elite fields and engagement in Asia — operators should watch tournament models that work.
We've worked both sides of the tournament economy — operators trying to build loyalty loops and suppliers trying to activate whales. Triton's model proves premium live events create the kind of sustained player engagement that translates to digital traffic and cross-platform value. That matters when you're building retention strategy in regulated markets.
- 204 entries generated $3.09M prize pool in opening $15K NLH event
- Phil Ivey exited before bubble; 28 players advanced to day two
- Wai Kiat Lee leads with 3.5M chips; winner takes $642K
SCCG angle: We connect operators exploring tournament-driven engagement models with live event operators, platform providers, and Asian market specialists who understand how premium circuits convert to digital loyalty. If you're building retention or targeting high-value players, we know who's doing it right and can make the introductions.
Gaming, betting and prediction markets — the desk’s read, every weekday.
Subscribe →