Triton Invitational Breaks Records in Jeju as Simao Seals Victory
The latest Triton Poker Series event in Jeju saw records tumble as the overall attendance record for Invitational events was smashed in South Korea. With 173 entries, the previous record, set earlier this year in Montenegro by the 137 entrants who took part in the $200,000-entry event, was broken in spectacular style. When the chips settled in this event, Brazil’s Joao Simao became the most successful player his country has ever produced.
A New Attendance Record
Numbers have been super-strong in Jeju this Autumn, setting records in previous events. Invitationals, however, are different. They don’t only rely on great footfall in the venue, but word of mouth and a clientele with a bankroll to match the ambition of the event organisers.
In Jeju, it is clear that players are embracing the super high roller aspect of the Triton Poker Series. With a mammoth 173 total entries, 36 more than in Montenegro earlier in the year, that event’s champion, Adrian Mateos, was one of 16 players who reached the final day of the drama here. All-in with pocket jacks, the Spaniard was unable to hold when flipping against the ace-king of Emilien Pitavy, however, as the Frenchman hit a king on the flop and river to send Mateos to the rail with $512,000.
Outside the final table, both the Dutchman Teun Mulder (12th for $568,000) and American Jesse Lonis (11th for $635,000) bowed out before the Austrian Pokercode co-founder Matthias Eibinger moved all-in with ace-deuce. Simao called with ace-king and rode out the board to bring about the nine-handed final table, sending the seven-time Triton title holder Eibinger home with $635,000 in 10th place.
That pot propelled Simao into the lead at exactly the right time, with the nine-handed final table confirmed with the exit of Eibinger.
Boivin Among Final Table Winners
When the final table began, Eric Tsai was the first casualty, finishing ninth for $749,000. Tsai moved in pre-flop and was checked down to the river by Yang Wang and Biao Ding. The Taiwanese player had just queen-high, and both Chinese players made a pair, with Ding’s flopped second pair of tens enough to end Tsai’s chances.
Next to go was the Belgian player Thomas Boivin. Calling off his stack with ace-jack, he was in horrible shape to survive, with Seth Davies’ ace-king way ahead. That stayed the case across the eight-high board and Boivin was bounced for a score of $905,000 in eighth place. An exit for GGMillion$ regular and German pro Hannes Jeschka followed, as he shoved under-the-gun with king-seven and ran into Winfred Yu’s king-ten, a ten on the river overkill for the hand as Jeschka claimed the first seven-figure score of the event for $1,237,000.
Despite winning that hand, Yu was still short and ended up busting in sixth place for $1,693,000. All-in with ace-seven, he ran into the pocket tens of Joao Simao, and with a queen-high board pairing neither man’s cards, Simao’s tens went with the fours on board to eliminate the Hong Kong player.
Ding Falls Short as Simao Sees It Out
After the French player Emilien Patavy busted for $2,245,000 in fifth place to Biao Ding, his king-jack being shot down by Ding’s ace-eight, Yang Wang lost out with pocket fives as Joao Simao’s ace-ten rivered Broadway as a board of J-9-4-K-Q gave the eventual champion a runner-runner straight to bust Wang for $2,820,000.
Three-handed play lasted some time before Seth Davies departed in third place for $3,470,000. Calling off not even handful of blinds pre-flop with queen-nine, Davies couldn’t get there against Ding, meaning the Chinese player had a foothold for the mountain he needed to climb heads-up.
Leading 2:1 in chips, Simao survived a rollercoaster heads-up match to triumph, initially being pegged back to level then falling behind. A hero call from each man put the chips almost level, but Ding fell behind again, and when a nine-high board by the turn gave him the chance to make a move with ten-nine, and he pushed all-in. Simao had been trapping with pocket kings and made the call instantly to leave Ding drawing to a miracle. None came and Joao Simao was the champion, the Brazilian earning $7,250,000, with Biao Ding winning $4,940,000 as runner-up.
Simao Speaks on His Poker ‘Passion’
“This score shows me it’s a moment where I want to enjoy Hold’em more.”
Winning the biggest slice of the $34,600,000 prize pool, Simao’s stunning win makes him not only the most successful Triton player during this latest $200,000 Invitational but the biggest Brazilian winner in live poker tournament history, overtaking Yuri Dzivielevski. In the summer, Simao’s $50,000 PLO High roller win earned him over $1.3m and his fourth WSOP bracelet. Today, his sense of history was poignant.
“I think we both played very well,” Simao said of the heads-up match. “I came back, readjusted my strategy, did well, and got lucky to be the champion.”
Asked about whether he loved PLO or No Limit hold’em better, Simao sat on the fence.
“I’m always swinging between loving PLO or Hold’em more,” he said. “For the last 15 months, I’ve been completely in love with Hold’em and playing very little PLO. Then came a massive score during the Super High Roller Series where I won the $50K PLO, which was amazing, and my passion for PLO came back. But now, this score shows me it’s a moment where I want to enjoy Hold’em more.”
Whichever variant game he plays, Joao Simao always proves that he is the man to stop if you want to bag the title. Once again on the Triton tour, Simao has shown he has the game to win in any given event.
| Triton Poker Series Jeju II 2026 $200,000 Invitational Final Table Results: | |||
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1st | Joao Simao | Brazil | $7,250,000 |
| 2nd | Biao Ding | China | $4,940,000 |
| 3rd | Seth Davies | United States | $3,470,000 |
| 4th | Yang Wang | China | $2,820,000 |
| 5th | Emilien Pitavy | France | $2,245,000 |
| 6th | Winfred Yu | Hong Kong | $1,693,000 |
| 7th | Hannes Jeschka | Germany | $1,237,000 |
| 8th | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | $905,000 |
| 9th | Eric Tsai | Taiwan | $749,000 |