There is no better way to celebrate the final festival of the Triton Poker Series' landmark 10th year than with the magnificent Triton Invitational X, scheduled for November 20-22 at the Merit Resort and Casino, North Cyprus.

With Triton returning to Cyprus for the first time in three years, the Invitational X will offer everything players and fans have come to love and expect from this special tournament, with the location offering the perfect setting for an "East versus West" showdown.

The island of Cyprus sits in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in easy reach of Southeast Asia, home to many of Triton's most dedicated players. It's also easily accessible from all of western Europe and North America, the base for many more of the tour's most decorated stars. 

The luxurious Merit Resort will provide the sumptuous setting for a $200,000 buy-in event that continues to attract the game's elite alongside a selection of high-rolling recreational players, keen to test their mettle on the grandest stage.

Remember, this is the tournament in which one side of the draw comprises official Invitees, i.e., players officially invited by Triton Poker to compete, who play for a full day entirely separate from the pros. These players are often extremely good poker players, but it's not their principal focus: they are business people, entrepreneurs, entertainers and content creators, whose presence in the field has the potential to attract even more people to the game.

The pros are not shut out, of course. They need to pair up with an official Invitee and get themselves into the tournament that way. After a day where the two halves of the field are separate, they then merge on Day 2 and play to a winner.

It is a tried and tested format, debuted in London in 2019 at the Triton Helping Hand for Charity event, which had a buy-in of £1 million. There have since been another 10 Triton Invitational tournaments, including a record-breaking renewal in Jeju in September, with a spectacular 120 entries. Brazil's Joao Simao won $7.25 million for beating the biggest ever Invitational line-up.

The specially curated field offers the most complete overview of Triton's player base and offers an intriguing balance between players who have dedicated their lives to the game of poker, and those who relish it more as a hobby. The clash of styles had led to some of Triton's most memorable moments, with the return to Cyprus certain to change things up once again.

The biggest ever Invitational field assembled in Jeju

THE HISTORY OF THE TRITON INVITATIONAL

Back in 2019, the Triton Helping Hand for Charity event was special in more ways than one. It wasn't just that it had a £1 million buy-in, making it the biggest buy-in poker tournament of all time, nor even that it raised more than $3 million for various global charities.

It was its format that took the poker world by storm: an event in which pros were paired with non-pros (billed as "businessmen" at the time) and separated for the opening stages of the tournament. It gave the recreational players a chance to play for stakes at which they were comfortable, but without having the sharks immediately swarming to ruin their fun.

The pros couldn't complain. They knew that anything that brought more recreational players to poker was a good thing. And when the tournament created a buzz far beyond the usual poker circles, it was clear that Triton had hit on a winning formula.

The tournament's climax could not have been scripted any better: the leading American pro Bryn Kenney squared off against the Chinese businessman and cash game regular Aaron Zang. They arranged a deal that gave Kenney the most money — £16.9m ($20.5m) to Zang’s £13.8m ($16.8m) — but Zang won heads-up and took the trophy.

The first Triton Invitational champion, Aaron Zang, receives his trophy from Paul Phua

Triton had to wait a long three years until the Invitational format could return, but with the Covid pandemic now passed, the Coin Rivet Invitational took place in North Cyprus in September 2022. The buy-in was now $200,000 and the tournament attracted 90 entries, won by the UK pro Sam Grafton for $5.5 million.

Through the next four years, Invitational tournaments became a more regular fixture on the Triton Super High Roller Series schedule. There was one more in Cyprus and London, and two each in Monte Carlo and Montenegro. The Invitees continued to hold their own, regularly reaching the final tables and, in the cases of Ramin Hajiyev and Aleksa Pavicevic, even taking it down.

Similarly, when the Invitational formed the centrepiece of Triton's first trip to the Bahamas — and the buy-in was raised to $500,000 apiece — the Argentinian battle rapper Alejandro Lococo emerged victorious, winning a spectacular $12.1 million top prize.

Though each of these first 10 Invitational events had been huge, the bar raised even higher when the tournament finally made its debut in Asia in 2026. The location, of course, was the Triton favorite Jeju, in South Korea, and for the first time it seemed likely that the number of pairings would pass 50. Incredibly, by the time registration closed, there were actually 60 confirmed partnerships, who added a further 53 re-entries.

The field of 173 entries was the biggest so far, and demonstrated that even 10 years since Triton unveiled this tournament format, the appetite among players remains keen.

In discussing the genius of the Triton Invitational, Luca Vivaldi, Senior Director of Live Events for the Triton Poker Series, and one of its architects, told The Triton Times: “What started as just a concept became, in my eyes, something iconic within the super high roller scene. Most importantly, it’s something that continues to attract fresh faces to the field.”

Vivaldi is not alone in relishing every renewal of this special event.

The Invitational has become an ‘iconic’ event, according to Luca Vivaldi

WHAT MAKES THE INVITATIONAL SO SPECIAL?

In short, the Triton Invitational offers something for everyone. The Invitees love it because the stakes are high and the field is split, meaning a full day of spirited competition in an environment that suits them best. 

Make no mistake, none of the Invitees is exactly a rookie. They can all hold their own in any poker game, and many have a long string of high-profile results. But it's a relief to be able to play on the Triton Poker Series, where the hospitality is second-to-none, without being surrounded by the majority of the world's top 50 players (at least for one day).

Invitees also get an additional optional re-entry, allowing them to stay involved deep into Day 2 if they wish. By the time the pros are unleashed, there are typically more chips entering the tournament from the Invitees' side.

For the pros, the incentive is similarly clear: no other high-stakes tournament in the world has such a high concentration of recreational players. When it's all about the bottom line, this is the perfect scenario. If they can get through the tough opening day, there is no other tournament in the world with such a high expected value.

Over and above all of that, and the reason the Invitational remains such a firm fan favorite, is simply that it is so prestigious, so highly-anticipated, and so much fun to watch. The atmosphere inside the tournament room crackles with excitement, and the game is played with the emphasis firmly on enjoyment.

Remembering her first Triton Invitational, Jessica Teusl said: "From the very beginning, the whole concept felt different from anything I had experienced in poker before. The mix of Invitees and some of the best players in the world creates such a unique atmosphere at the tables. It is competitive, of course, but at the same time much more relaxed, personal, and fun than all other high-stakes tournaments I have played."

Jessica Teusl says the Triton Invitational creates a unique atmosphere

Teusl added: "What stood out to me most was how comfortable and welcome the Invitees were made to feel. The pros really contribute to that atmosphere, and you quickly understand why the Invitational has become such a special format. For me, that first experience is still one of the moments I connect most strongly with Triton."

Malaysian pro Michael Soyza has been similarly impressed. “It showcases the beauty of the game of poker in all its glory, on the largest stage possible," Soyza said. "It features the perfect blend of the best players in the world against some of the most passionate poker enthusiasts in the world.”

WHAT TO EXPECT IN CYPRUS

The Triton Invitational X in November will not be the first time this format has been played in North Cyprus. In both September 2022 and May 2023, the Merit Royal Diamond hosted such events, sponsored first by Coin Rivet and then Luxon.

These were the second and third Invitationals Triton ever hosted and attracted 115 and 83 entries, respectively. While Grafton became the first player from the pro side to win, it was Ramin Hajiyev, from the Invitees' side of the draw, who struck back in the second event. He took $4.1 million after a heads-up deal with Tobias Duthweiler.

So what can we expect this time? The short answer is "more of the same", with almost all of the Invitational's usual suspects already confirmed to play again this time. But the "X" in the name of the Triton Invitational X not only stands for 10 (i.e., the 10th year of Triton). It also represents the coming together of the two major Triton Poker Series' geographical player bases.

The Invitational stage will be set once again in Cyprus

With Asian players enthused for the Invitational format after the cracker in Jeju, and the western players drawn inevitably to this luxurious slice of Mediterranean life, expectations are high for another superb event, and another outstanding winner.

Be sure to watch all the action unfold on the Triton Poker Plus app and the various streaming platforms.

TRITON INVITATIONAL TRIVIA

• Five players have played every single Triton Invitational: Paul Phua (Invitee), Mikita Badziakouski (Pro), Stephen Chidwick (Pro), Nick Petrangelo (Pro), Aleks Ponakovs (Pro).
• Prize pools through 11 Triton Invitationals is more than $340 million.
• The 11 Triton Invitational champions have won close to $82 million between them.
• Punnat Punsri, Kayhan Mokri and Elias Talvitie all started life on the Invitee side of the draw, but now play with the pros.
• Paul Phua and Phil Ivey have played eight Triton Invitationals as a pairing, a record shared only with Ramin Hajiyev and Mikita Badziakouski.
• Alejandro Lococo won the Triton Million in the Bahamas in 2024 when his pro partner was Adrian Mateos. Two years later in Montenegro, Mateos won the Invitational, when his partner was again Lococo. They are the only regular pairing to have both won the tournament.
• No one has won more than one Triton Invitational. Bryn Kenney has come closest, with one win and one runner-up finish.

Alejandro Lococo and Adrian Mateos have both won Invitational titles

THE TRITON INVITATIONAL LIST OF CHAMPIONS

London 2019

AARON ZANG (China)

£13.8 million

54 entries

£1m buy-in

£54 million prize pool

North Cyprus 2022

SAM GRAFTON (UK)

$5.5 million

115 entries

$200,000 buy-in

$23 million prize pool

North Cyprus 2023

RAMIN HAJIYEV (Azerbaijan)

$4.1 million

86 entries

$200,000 buy-in

$17.2 million prize pool

London 2023

BRYN KENNEY (USA)

$6.9 million

118 entries

$250,000 buy-in

$29.5 million prize pool

Monte Carlo 2023

DAN SMITH (USA)

$3.9 million

73 entries

$200,000 buy-in

$14.6 million prize pool

Paradise 2024

ALEJANDRO LOCOCO (Argentina)

$12.1 million

96 entries

$500,000 buy-in

Montenegro 2025

ALEKSA PAVICEVIC (Montenegro)

$6.2 million

133 entries

$200,000 buy-in

$26.6 million prize pool 

Paradise 2025

KAYHAN MOKRI (Norway)

$7.7 million

133 entries

$250,000 buy-in

$33.3 million prize pool

Montenegro 2026

ADRIAN MATEOS (Spain)

$6.4 million

137 entries

$27.4 million prize pool

Jeju 2026

JOAO SIMAO (Brazil)

$7.25 million

173 entries

$34.6 million prize pool