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The $200,000 Triton Invitational at the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju II set new benchmarks for the tournament, drawing 173 entries and building a $34,600,000 prize pool. After three days of play, Brazil’s Joao Simao emerged victorious, earning $7,250,000 for his second Triton title and the largest score ever recorded by a Brazilian player.
Simao described the win as unforgettable, telling PokerNews he felt fortunate to experience such a rare career milestone. His first Triton title came last year at WSOP Paradise, where an all-Brazilian trio topped the final table. This time, the field was far more international, with eight countries represented among the finalists.
In heads-up play, Simao defeated China’s Biao Ding, who took home $4,940,000 after the two declined to negotiate a deal. American pro Seth Davies finished third for $512,000 less than that… actually his exact payout wasn’t specified, but his result marked a milestone as the first player to reach three Triton Invitational final tables.
Simao’s road to victory was far from smooth. After bubbling into the money on Day 2, he was reduced to just two big blinds following an unfortunate preflop hand, yet fought back to reach the final day with 25 big blinds in his stack.
Defending champion Adrian Mateos exited early on Day 3, while Simao continued to build his stack, eventually eliminating Matthias Eibinger to reach the final table as chip leader. He then dispatched Triton co-founder Winfred Yu and Yang Wang before Ding eliminated Davies, setting up the heads-up finale.
Despite early swings, including a moment when Simao himself faced elimination, he steadied his game and ultimately closed out the two-and-a-half-hour duel. Reflecting on the win, Simao said he now hopes to return home and celebrate with his family after nearly two weeks away.
