Seven players remain in the record-breaking $200,000 Triton Invitational in Jeju, with $7.25 million waiting for the eventual champion. The tournament attracted 173 entries and generated a $34.6 million prize pool, making it the largest Triton Invitational field to date.
Joao Simao leads the final seven with 16.2 million chips as the tournament moves deeper into its final table. Biao Ding sits second with 11.2 million, while Seth Davies is close behind on 10.7 million.
The remaining players are already guaranteed at least $1.237 million.
Simao Leads Final Seven in Jeju
The Invitational has produced one of the biggest prize pools of the current Triton Jeju II festival, with the $200,000 buy-in attracting many of the strongest high-stakes players in the game.
Simao has emerged with a clear advantage as the field has been reduced to seven. Ding and Davies remain within striking distance, while Emilien Pitavy, Yang Wang, Winfred Yu and Hannes Jeschka complete the surviving lineup.
Latest Triton Invitational Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joao Simao | 16,200,000 |
| 2 | Biao Ding | 11,200,000 |
| 3 | Seth Davies | 10,700,000 |
| 4 | Emilien Pitavy | 5,750,000 |
| 5 | Yang Wang | 5,100,000 |
| 6 | Winfred Yu | 2,825,000 |
| 7 | Hannes Jeschka | 2,250,000 |
Davies is again deep at Triton Jeju after already reaching another final table earlier in the festival. He finished fifth for $226,000 in the $30,000 event won by Alex Boika, and another seven-figure score is now guaranteed.
Biao Ding also remains firmly in contention after climbing into second place. With blinds continuing to rise, the gap between the leaders and the shorter stacks could quickly become significant.
Final Nine Quickly Becomes Seven
Triton announced earlier on Monday that the official final table of nine had been set, with invitees and professional players competing for a single trophy and the $7.25 million first prize.
Eric Tsai was the first player eliminated from the final table. He had been reduced to just two big blinds before moving all-in with queen-seven, with Ding eventually winning the pot holding jack-ten after pairing his ten.
Tsai collected $749,000 for ninth place.
Thomas Boivin has since also disappeared from the list of remaining players, reducing the tournament to seven. Eighth place was worth $905,000, while every remaining player has now crossed the seven-figure mark.
Jesse Lonis Falls Short of Final Table
Jesse Lonis had begun the day 10th from the final 16 and entered play with more than the prize money on his mind.
Before the action resumed, Lonis wrote that he was playing for $7.25 million and described the payouts as “mind-blowing.” He also revealed that it was his oldest daughter Harley’s fifth birthday, adding: “This one’s for you Harley.”
Lonis initially kept his run alive with a short-stack double through Yang Wang. His comeback eventually ended in 11th place after he moved all-in from the small blind with ace-six against Emilien Pitavy’s king-queen.
Pitavy flopped two pair on a queen-eight-king board before another king arrived on the turn to complete a full house. Lonis collected $635,000, adding another major result to a year in which he has already won tournaments both live and online.
Lonis also reached the final table of the $20,000 event earlier at Jeju, finishing eighth in the tournament won by Klemens Roiter.
Eibinger Misses Final Table
Matthias Eibinger followed Lonis in 10th place, also receiving $635,000.
Eibinger moved all-in for 3.7 million with ace-deuce after Simao three-bet from the small blind. Simao called with ace-king and remained ahead after the board ran out eight-ace-queen-nine-queen.
The pot pushed Simao into the chip lead and simultaneously set the official final table of nine.
Tsai’s subsequent elimination and the departure of Boivin have now reduced that table to seven.
$7.25 Million Awaits the Winner
The numbers underline the scale of the tournament. A field of 173 entries created a $34.6 million prize pool, comfortably surpassing the 137-entry Invitational held in Montenegro earlier in 2026.
The winner will receive $7.25 million and one of the biggest tournament payouts of the year. With seven remaining, the next elimination is worth $1.237 million, and the payouts continue to increase sharply as the tournament approaches its final stages.
Simao currently has the advantage, but Ding and Davies have enough chips to apply immediate pressure. Further eliminations could quickly reshape the race for the biggest prize of Triton Jeju II.
