Triton Poker has quickly become one of the most popular and prestigious poker tournament series in the world. But who owns Triton Poker? In this article, we will take a closer look who owns Triton Poker, and the people behind the prestigious high-stakes poker series.
Triton Poker was founded in 2015 by Richard Yong, a wealthy businessman and avid poker player from Malaysia. Yong had been playing high-stakes poker for many years and had developed a passion for the game. He wanted to create a tournament series that would attract the biggest names in poker as well as wealthy businessmen and high rollers.
The first Triton Poker tournament was held in Manila in 2016, and it featured a HKD 200,000 (approximately $25,000) buy-in. The tournament attracted some of the biggest names in poker, including Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, and Daniel Colman.
Since then, Triton Poker has grown in popularity and has become known for its high buy-ins, luxurious events, and focus on philanthropy. The series has also played a significant role in the rise of Short-Deck Poker (also known as Six-Plus Hold’em), a variation of Texas Hold’em that has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Triton Poker is owned by Triton Poker Group, a company based in Hong Kong. Richard Yong serves as the chairman of the company, while Paul Phua, a Malaysian businessman and high-stakes poker player, serves as the CEO.
Phua is a well-known figure in the poker world and has been involved in several high-profile poker scandals. In 2014, he was arrested in Las Vegas on charges of running an illegal sports betting operation. The charges were later dropped, and Phua has continued to play poker and run various poker-related businesses.
The Triton Poker Team
In addition to Richard Yong and Paul Phua, Triton Poker has a team of professionals who help run the tournament series. This team includes:
The team also includes several other professionals who help with various aspects of the tournament series, including event planning, media, and marketing.
One of the unique features of Triton Poker is its focus on philanthropy. The series has partnered with several charitable organizations over the years and has raised millions of dollars for various causes.
In 2018, Triton Poker partnered with the Hong Kong-based charity Caring for Children Foundation to raise money for children in need. The tournament series raised HKD 30 million (approximately $3.8 million) for the charity through a combination of player donations and a portion of the tournament buy-ins.
In 2019, Triton Poker partnered with the charity Project Pink to raise money for breast cancer research. The series raised over $2.7 million for the charity through a combination of player donations and a portion of the tournament buy-ins.
With its focus on philanthropy, high buy-ins, and luxurious events, Triton Poker shows no signs of slowing down. The tournament series is set to continue hosting high-stakes events around the world, and it will likely continue to attract some of the biggest names in poker and wealthy businessmen.
Triton Poker has also been at the forefront of promoting Short-Deck Poker, a variation of Texas Hold’em that has become increasingly popular in recent years. The game has fewer cards in the deck (36 instead of 52), and the lower cards (2-5) are removed. This creates a faster and more action-packed game, with more opportunities for big hands.
In addition to hosting live events, Triton Poker has also ventured into the world of online poker. In 2020, the series partnered with partypoker to launch a series of online events, including a $1 million guaranteed Main Event.
The partnership with partypoker has allowed Triton Poker to reach a wider audience and to continue providing high-quality events during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted live poker events around the world. As of 2023 that partnership has ended and Triton Poker has now teamed up with GGPoker.
Triton Poker has quickly become one of the most popular and prestigious poker tournament series in the world, attracting some of the biggest names in poker and wealthy businessmen from around the world. The series is owned by Triton Poker Group, a company based in Hong Kong, and is run by a team of professionals who are passionate about the game and about giving back to society.
Triton Poker’s focus on philanthropy, high buy-ins, and luxurious events has set it apart from other poker tournament series, and its promotion of Short-Deck Poker has helped to popularize a new and exciting variation of the game.
With its continued success and its expansion into online poker, Triton Poker is poised to remain a major player in the world of poker for years to come.