Champion Zhou Quan!

There was a clear sense of deja vu on the Triton Poker Series on Thursday when one of poker's breakout stars, Spain's Ander Vallinas, found himself heads-up at the end of a long, three-day tournament squaring off against a hugely talented Chinese opponent.

And for the second time, Vallinas was the runner-up.

This time, it was the long-standing Super High Roller reg Zhou Quan who did the damage, landing himself a second title on the series and $1,303,000. Zhou, who is known as "The King" in the Chinese poker community, was in formidable form as he ploughed through the last six players on the final day of this 262-entry $25,000 Jupiter Event.

"I'm very happy to be playing here again," Zhou said as he collected his trophy. "The players, the stage, the exposure, it's one of the biggest stages in the world."

Zhou Quan celebrates a huge pot at the final

Named for the Super High Roller Series new title sponsor, the Jupiter tournament was agreeably vast, with a prize pool of $6.55 million. It assembled an appropriately star-studded final table too, with Zhou and Wu Kuisong carrying Chinese hopes, Vallinas aiming to finally get his hands on a trophy, and regs Jean-Noel Thorel and Jamil Wakil also hoping to land a first.

There were also two Brazilian pros, Kelvin Kerber and Pedro Padilha, the Lithuanian former champ Paulius Vaitikunas, plus Triton Ambassador Mario Mosböck.

But none could catch Zhou, who added a NLH crown to the PLO title he won Jeju in 2024. It put his career Triton earnings close to $6.5 million, and continued a rich vein of form. Zhou was also at the same Triton ONE Main Event final table where Vallinas lost heads-up to Zhao Wenjie, and cashed twice more at the Triton ONE festival.

Ander Vallinas was runner up again

And after he took over the chip lead in this tournament thanks to a massive collision with eventual third-placed finisher Wakil, there was no looking back.

Zhou said the chip lead allowed him to be calm going into the heads-up stage, having ridden the roller coaster of emotions before that point. He also revealed that he had brought seven or eight of his students along to Jeju to sample Triton ONE and to learn how to take the step up to the top stage.

They couldn't have a better master than Zhou, the King of Jeju

The King celebrates

TOURNAMENT ACTION

The second hold'em event on the Jeju schedule officially welcomed the "everything exchange" Jupiter as the new title partner of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series. And as is always the case, the $25,000 NLH - Jupiter Event brought a healthy field of 262 entries to build a $6.55 million prize pool.

We're immune to these kinds of figures by now on the Triton Poker Series, but the champion would turn $25K into more than $1.3 million, and it's often worth stopping and thinking about that for a moment.

There was little time to think for the players involved, however, as they quickly got down to the important matter of making the money. The bubble was hovering as Day 1 ended, then a drawn-out period to start Day 2 drew us closer. There were 41 places paid, and someone always has to finish 42nd.

In this instance it was Ukrainian two-time champion Igor Yaroshevskyy, who was sent packing in the least sought-after spot by Ren Lin. Lin opened under the gun with Q10 and Yaroshevskyy called in the big blind, holding AJ. He hit top pair after the 23J flop.

Ren Lin gathered an enormous stack, but was out before the final

Yaroshevskyy check-called Lin's bet, and similarly check-called after the 7 turn. The Q fell on the river and Yaroshevskyy checked again. Lin jammed and asked Yaroshevskyy to risk his last eight blinds.

After a while, Yaroshevskyy called and Lin tapped him on the shoulder, saying, "GG." They had to wait until hands were finished on all other tables before Lin could show that he had rivered Yaroshevskyy. The Ukrainian made his way out and the rest of the field was in the money.

Igor Yaroshevskyy goes out on the bubble

Payouts grew considerably as they played the remainder of Day 2, but all eyes remained fixed on the final. When Johannes Straver was knocked out in 10th, that line-up was fixed and the following earned a place on the grandest stage:

Wu Kuisong - 12,475,000 (62 BBs)

Ander Vallinas - 11,450,000 (57 BBs)

Jean-Noel Thorel - 9,125,000 (46 BBs)

Jamil Wakil - 7,575,000 (38 BBs)

Zhou Quan - 6,875,000 (34 BBs)

Pedro Padilha - 6,100,000 (31 BBs)

Kelvin Kerber - 5,050,000 (25 BBs)

Mario Mosböck - 4,925,000 (25 BBs)

Paulius Vaitiekunas - 1,925,000 (10 BBs)

Event 2 final table players (clockwise from back left): Paulius Vaitiekunas, Pedro Padilha, Mario Mosböck, Wu Kuisong, Jamil Wakil, Kelvin Kerber, Jean-Noel Thorel, Zhou Quan, Ander Vallinas.

There was heaps of Triton experience at this final, as well as two hotshot Brazilian talents making waves on the grandest stage. The leader, Wu Kuisong, perhaps wasn't as widely known as some of his opponents, but he made the Main Event final last year in Jeju, and was showing that that was no fluke.

The plan for the remainder of Day 2 was to play down to six, before bringing those survivors back for the finale on Day 3, and so they settled back to play after official introductions.

Lithuania's Paulius Vaitiekunas was the shortest stack, but he sat back and watched in delight as the coolest of coolers descended on Pedro Padilha to bust the Brazilian first. Ander Vallinas opened from under the gun, and then Kelvin Kerber three-bet from two seats along. Padilha looked down at AK in the small blind and sensed an excellent squeezing opportunity. He jammed.

But this was a tough break for Padilha as Vallinas was not only at the top of his range, he was at the top of anybody's range. He had AA. Vallinas called, Kerber folded, and the dealer did the rest with five unconnected cards.

Padilha's second Triton final ended in ninth for $134,000.

Pedro Padilha ran into a cooler

Vaitiekunas had successfully laddered one spot, but the comeback never gathered any significant pace. He got one three-bet through pre-flop, but lasted only about an orbit more before he three-bet jammed from the big blind holding A3 and couldn't persuade Wu to let go of his K4.

Vaitiekunas was ahead, but Wu hit a king on the flop and an unnecessary four on the turn. That was too much for Vaitikunas, whose eighth place earned him $164,000. Vaitikunas is in good form, though. He came fifth in the Triton ONE High Roller, and cashed both two events on the Super High Roller Series this time.

Paulius Vaitiekunas continued some good form

Triton Ambassador Mario Mosböck similarly meant business here in Jeju, and was his customary composed self en route to this final. Tracked faithfully by the team behind his superlative vlogs, Mosböck did everything needed to gather material for the latest episode, mixing with plenty of characters along the way.

However, Mosböck's final table was sparse on highlights, unfortunately, and he too fell victim to Wu. The Chinese player opened 98 from the button, then called Mosböck's 11-blind jam from the small blind, holding AJ.

As before, the all-in player was ahead, but could not stay that way. There was an eight on the flop, and that was all Wu needed. Mosböck perished in seventh for $223,000 and the day was done.

Triton Ambassador Mario Mosböck has hit the ground running in Jeju

Vallinas led the last six when they returned to play to a winner on Thursday, and things only got better for the Spanish dynamo in the early going on the last day. Wu slipped a little when he doubled his countryman Zhou Quan with Zhou's jacks holding against Wu's AQ, but Wu still had 32 blinds when he got into it against Vallinas.

Wu limped his small blind holding A7, and Vallinas looked down at pocket 10s and raised out of the big. Wu called and saw the kind of flop he probably thought he liked: 766. Wu check-raised his top pair, and Vallinas called again.

After the Q turn, the same check-raise pattern got all of Wu's chips in the middle, and Vallinas called with what was now second pair. It was still better than Wu's sevens, however, and the 9 river was a brick. Wu was out, picking up $304,000 for sixth.

Wu Kuisong was chip leader before busting in sixth

Vallinas now had a stack of more than 100 blinds, with Zhou's stack of 43 blinds in second place. All the others were in danger, and Kelvin Kerber, with 18 blinds, tried to get moving. He three-bet shoved when he found pocket nines following Jean-Noel Thorel's opening raise, but likely sensed he may be in trouble when Zhou over-shoved from the big blind.

Thorel folded and Zhou showed pocket jacks once again. Zhou flopped a set to seal the deal, with Kerber's run ending in fifth. Like his countryman Padilha, Kerber had enjoyed a good run in the Paradise Main Event last December, and made his first final here. He took $398,000 from this one.

A first Triton final for Kelvin Kerber

Zhou was now charging, and Jean-Noel Thorel became his next victim. Thorel's presence at any table adds a captivating degree of unpredictability, and he'd been at his best in this event during another spectacular run. But Thorel had the misfortune now to pick up A4 and ship his last 14 blinds into the middle, then see Zhou look down at pocket queens in the big blind and call.

Again, Zhou flopped a set and Thorel couldn't catch up. The French No 1 banked another $510,000, taking his Triton earnings past $10 million. He is long overdue his first Triton win.

The living legend that is Jean-Noel Thore

Zhou was creeping up on Vallinas, leaving Jamil Wakil as the short stack. But Wakil went on the kind of tear that poker players dream of: doubling with A7 through Vallinas' K10, then winning pot after pot to surge further. Eventually, his three-handed aggression took him into the lead, with all three players having only 10 blinds separating their stacks.

By the standards of this fast-action tournament, the three-handed stage saw a comparative slowdown. But with the pressure building, and Wakil still marginally ahead, a huge pot suddenly went down to shake up everything.

Zhou opened his button and Wakil found the solver-favourite A5 in the small blind. He ripped in his entire 46 blind stack. Zhou loved it. He was sitting with pocket kings, made the call, and held on a low board. Zhou found himself with 62 blinds, while Wakil had only four. Vallinas was sandwiched between them with 16.

Wakil doubled quickly to boost his stack to nine blinds. Then his got them in on the next hand and chopped with Zhou. He stole blinds and antes on the next deal, and was back level with Vallinas already. But then he was out.

Wakil had 16 blinds when Vallinas folded his button and Zhou jammed the covering stack from the small blind, holding 87. Wakil ad K9 and called all-in from the big blind, and it was looking good as the first four cards off the deck were J4J4. However, the dealer then put the 8 on the river to make Zhou's two pair better than Wakil's.

Wakil had to settle for $632,000 for third, his biggest score to date on the Triton Series. But Wakil's day will surely come.

The solver powerhouse accounted for Jamil Wakil

For the second time in just a few days, Vallinas now sat to play heads-up against a spirited Chinese opponent. The difference this time was that he was a big underdog, holding 13 blinds to Zhou's 69. But having seen Zhao Wenjie come from behind to defeat Vallinas in the Triton ONE Main Event, the Spaniard will have known anything was possible. They prepared to play this one out straight, with no mention of a deal.

Unfortunately for Vallinas, he couldn't do anything to halt Zhou's march. On only the seventh hand of heads-up play, the first major pot played out, which turned out to be the last. Vallinas jammed with Q3 from the small blind and Zhou snapped with A6.

Vallinas and Zhou go heads up

The flop changed nothing. It came 4K4. But the 3 turn put Vallinas into the lead. Zhou was drawing to an ace, a six or a king. And the 6 was just what he needed.

With that, Zhou finds his way onto the list of multiple champions on the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series. Vallinas was bridesmaid again.