Triton Poker Series Jeju 2025: China’s Huang Wenjie Wins Biggest-Ever $100K NLH Main Event ($5.555 Million); Santhosh Suvarna Takes Fourth for Nearly ₹20 Crores!

The Triton Poker Super High Roller Series descended upon Landing Casino in Jeju, South Korea, packing a serious punch with 20 high-octane events running from February 26 to March 14, 2025. One of the crown jewels of the festival— Event #11: $100K NLH Main Event—didn’t just break records; it obliterated them. With 285 entrants (including 105 re-entries), it generated a mind-blowing $28.5 Million prize pool, becoming the biggest six-figure buy-in event in poker history!

After three days of intense, high-pressure poker, China’s Huang Wenjie (cover image – left), a relatively unknown name on the high-stakes circuit, conquered a field packed with legends. He claimed his first-ever Triton title, a life-altering $5.555 Million payday, and the exclusive Jacob & Co. Main Event timepiece.

🏆 Huang Wenjie Wins Event #11 $100K NLH Main Event! 🏆

🇨🇳 Huang Wenjie has conquered the record-breaking Event #11 $100K NLH Main Event at 🔱 Triton Poker SHRS Jeju 2025, the largest field ever for a six-figure buy-in event in poker history.

After cashing in Event #1, he now… pic.twitter.com/26sVDaiU4k

— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) March 9, 2025

Before this event, Huang’s documented live tournament earnings were less than $80,000. But he played with the cool confidence of a top pro, defying his lack of experience at this level. The 35-year-old from Hangzhou, China, who also happens to be a WSOP bracelet winner in an online heads-up event, displayed remarkable composure and skill, taking down some of the biggest names in the game, two-time Triton and WSOP bracelet champion Dan “Jungleman” Cates heads-up in a mere four hands. Cates, one of the most intimidating players in poker, had to settle for the runner-up spot but still walked away with a career-best $3.528 Million payday.

“It’s unbelievable,” Huang shared through an interpreter after his victory. “I’m super lucky. I was hitting every draw.”

Though Huang`s day job is in the tech world, this victory blasted his live tournament earnings into the stratosphere, reaching a staggering $5.633 Million

While Huang Wenjie grabbed the headlines with his historic Triton win, India had its own stake in the final table of this record-shattering event, courtesy of none other than Santhosh Suvarna (cover image – right)—the high-roller extraordinaire and the most successful live tournament player in the country!

A self-proclaimed Triton devotee, Suvarna has come a long way from his beginnings as a poker room operator in Bengaluru! Years of grinding long cash game sessions and his undeniable passion for the game have clearly paid dividends! Now residing in Dubai, this casino owner has the bankroll to compete in some of the highest-stakes tournaments and cash games globally, and a trip to Triton is always a priority for this globetrotting high-roller!

Suvarna entered Day 3 of the $100K Triton Jeju NLH Main Event as a big stack among the final 16 and proceeded to steamroll his way to the final table of nine, seizing the chip lead. With his trademark fearless aggression, he braved a volatile final table, finally finishing in fourth place for a staggering $2.14 Million (~₹19.68 Crores)—his second-largest live score, only surpassed by the mind-boggling $5.415 Million he won at the 2024 WSOP $250K Super High Roller in Las Vegas last summer.

This was also his third live cash of the year and his second in the series, following an 18th place finish in Event #8: $50K NLHE 7 Handed for $122,000, taking his series earnings to an eye-watering $2.262 Million (~₹19.75 Crores).

If 2023 was the year Suvarna announced his arrival, then 2024 was the year he took complete control. In the past 2.5 years, he has cemented his place as one of the most consistent and fearless high rollers, not just in India but globally. His dominance was on full display throughout 2024, where he not only claimed all of the top five live scores by an Indian player but went even further, locking down the top eight spots. At the 2024 WSOP, he solidified his status as India’s biggest poker star by ascending to the top of India’s all-time money list, a position held by Vivek Rajkumar for over a decade. His results turned him into an unstoppable force, earning him the 2024 GPI Player of the Year (India) title.

Suvarna’s accomplishments over the past year have been nothing short of legendary. He won his first-ever EPT title, captured his second WSOP bracelet in the $250K Super High Roller, and consistently went deep in some of the most prestigious high-stakes tournaments worldwide.

With this score, Suvarna, already #1 on India’s all-time money list, has now blown past an astounding $17.29 Million (~₹151 Crores) in live tournament earnings, further solidifying his place as the most accomplished Indian poker player in history. And the truly wild part is he’s just getting started.

His $2.14 Million score at Triton Jeju is undeniable proof that his reign is far from over. With his aggressive style and ability to perform under immense pressure, Suvarna is on pace for an even bigger 2025. His latest deep run on the Triton stage is just another step in what promises to be another record-smashing year for Indian poker’s most celebrated high roller.

Event Highlights

The buzz surrounding the Triton Poker Series in Jeju had been electric from the get-go, with record-breaking numbers in multiple events. After Event #3: $25K NLH 8-Handed earlier in the festival had already set a new attendance record, the anticipation for the $100K NLH Main Event was off the charts. Players from across the globe descended upon the tournament room, shattering the previous record of 216 entries, then 250, and finally reaching an unbelievable 285 entries—firmly establishing this as the largest six-figure buy-in poker tournament ever.

This massive turnout created a monstrous $28.50 Million prize pool, with a life-changing $5.555 Million first-place prize awaiting the champion. Even a min-cash was worth a lofty $163,000 for the top 47 finishers, ensuring intense, high-stakes action as players fought for almost a day and a half just to make the money.

The unfortunate bubble boy was Gytis Lazauninkas, who fell agonizingly short of a payday.

With the money bubble burst, the field continued to shrink, eliminating some of poker’s biggest names. The payout list reads like a who’s who of poker royalty, including: Michael Soyza (21st for $265,000), Isaac Haxton (26th for $236,000), Stephen Chidwick (30th for $208,000), Paul Phua (33rd for $182,000), Kristen Foxen (36th for $182,000), Steve O’Dwyer (37th for $182,000), Seth Davies (40th for $163,000), and Andras Nemeth (47th for $163,000).

You can watch the replay of the Day 2 feature table action on Triton Poker’s YouTube channel below.

The original plan was to play down to a final table by the end of Day 2, but with the sheer size of the field, that plan was quickly scrapped. Instead, 16 players bagged up their chips and returned for Day 3, each guaranteed at least $336,000, but with their sights set on those multi-million-dollar payouts at the top.

You can watch the replay of the Day 3 action on Triton Poker’s YouTube channel below.

Leading the charge was Huang Wenjie, closely followed by Dan Cates and Santhosh Suvarna, all three perfectly positioned for a deep run.

Day 3 was a brutal elimination gauntlet. Seven players had to be eliminated before the official final table of nine could be set. Every elimination at this stage was excruciating, as the prize jumps represented life-altering sums of money.

The unlucky group that fell just short of the final table included Paulius Vaitiekunas (10th for $480,000), Anatoly Filatov (11th for $480,000), Vincent Huang (12th for $422,000), Murly Manokharan (13th for $422,000), Raul Manzanares (14th for $379,000), Aliaksandr Shylko (15th for $379,000), and Rokas Asipauskas (16th for $336,000).

Vaitiekunas, who had held the chip lead for extended periods on Day 2, suffered a gut-wrenching exit in tenth place, falling victim to Santhosh Suvarna. It was the second time in his career he had finished 10th in a Triton Main Event, a devastating result considering how tantalizingly close he was to the final table.

Meanwhile, Suvarna’s perfectly timed aggression propelled him to the top of the leaderboard, ensuring he would enter the final table as the chip leader—a commanding position in a tournament with such astronomical stakes.

🚨 Final Table Set for the Record-Breaking Main Event!

From the largest field ever for a six-figure buy-in event, only 9 players remain in Event #11 $100K NLH Main Event at 🔱 Triton Poker SHRS Jeju 2025. The champion will take home $5,555,000 and an exclusive Jacob & Co. Main… pic.twitter.com/7MNzIG7uFq

— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) March 9, 2025

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Santhosh Suvarna – 12,000,000
2. Sam Greenwood – 11,225,000
3. Huang Wenjie – 10,850,000
4. Artur Martirosian – 10,375,000
5. Dan Cates – 9,925,000
6. Clemen Deng – 8,925,000
7. Alex Boika – 4,275,000
8. James Hopkins – 2,800,000
9. Nacho Barbero – 875,000

Final Table Recap

The final table was a pressure cooker, and the first casualty was James Hopkins. Short-stacked and desperate, Hopkins moved all in with . Santhosh Suvarna, holding pocket tens, made the call. The board offered no salvation for Hopkins, and he departed in ninth place, pocketing $570,000.

Clemen Deng‘s tournament hopes took a brutal turn. He found himself in a dream scenario, holding pocket rockets, only to see them brutally cracked by Dan Cates’ . The board, a cruel mistress, delivered , giving Cates two pair and sending Deng spiralling. He exited shortly after, unable to recover from the devastating blow, finishing in eighth place for $695,000.

Argentina’s Nacho Barbero, the table’s short stack entering the final fray, managed a couple of clutch double-ups, providing a glimmer of hope. But his resurgence was short-lived. His clashed with the pocket aces of Dan Cates. The cards offered no miracle, and Barbero’s run ended in seventh place, good for $946,000.

https://twitter.com/tritonpoker/status/1898661255034130842

The field narrowed to six, and the tension was thick. Aliaksei Boika‘s tournament life ended next when his failed to hold against Artur Martirosian’s . A ten appeared among the community cards , sealing Boika’s fate, although he walked away with a $1.288 Million consolation prize.

Sam Greenwood, a former Triton champion, was the next to fall. His pocket jacks were no match for the pocket kings of the surging Huang Wenjie. The community cards offered no help to the Canadian pro. He exited in fifth place, adding $1.687 Million to his already impressive resume, which now boasts over $39 Million in live earnings.

India’s poker titan, Santhosh Suvarna, who entered the final table as the chip leader, experienced a dramatic shift in fortune. Down to just six big blinds, he pushed all in from the small blind with . Huang Wenjie, in the big blind, called with . Suvarna initially connected, pairing his ten on the flop. But the on the turn gave Wenjie the lead with a higher pair, and a blank on the river sealed Suvarna’s fate. He finished in a respectable, yet undoubtedly disappointing, fourth place, taking home a colossal $2.14 Million. This deep run, nonetheless, further extended his lead atop India’s all-time money list.

Artur Martirosian, Russia’s all-time money leader, found himself in a blind-versus-blind confrontation that would decide his tournament fate. He limped in with , and Huang Wenjie raised with . Martirosian called, and the flop came down , giving Martirosian top pair and a flush draw but delivering a set to Huang. After a series of calls, Martirosian faced an all-in shove on the river with the board completed. He made the call, only to see Huang tabling a full house, fives full of tens. Martirosian’s impressive run concluded in third place for a hefty $2.644 Million.

Heads-up play began with Huang Wenjie holding a significant chip advantage over Dan Cates. After a brief feeling-out period, the decisive hand arrived. Cates limped from the button holding , Wenjie shoved all in, and Cates, with a significant portion of his stack already committed, made the call. Wenjie tabled . The community cards ran out [, improving both to a full house, but Wenjie`s queens-over-jacks earned him the victory. Though falling short of the title, Cates still locked up a career-best $3.528 Million for his runner-up finish.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Huang Wenjie – $5,555,000
2. Dan Cates – $3,528,000
3. Artur Martirosian – $2,644,000
4. Santhosh Suvarna – $2,140,000
5. Sam Greenwood – $1,687,000
6. Alex Boika – $1,288,000
7. Nacho Barbero – $946,000
8. Clemen Deng – $695,000
9. James Hopkins – $570,000

Content & Images Courtesy: Triton Poker

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