What Happened to Triton Poker?

Triton Poker first burst onto the scene in 2015 with a star-studded lineup of professionals and some of the biggest buy-ins ever seen. The brainchild of Malaysian businessman Richard Yong, the live tournament series attracted the likes of Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Jason Koon, and Fedor Holz.

But after four successful events in Asia, Triton Poker suddenly ceased operations. The last event was held in Jeju, South Korea in early 2019, and since then there’s been no word from Yong or any of the other Triton Poker executives. So what happened?

The most likely explanation is that Yong simply ran out of money. The buy-ins for Triton Poker events were always sky-high, often reaching $1 million or more.

PRO TIP:Triton Poker, a popular live cash game series, ceased operations in 2020 after the cancellation of its planned London event. Despite its success in Europe, the brand never gained traction in the U.S., and its eventual demise was caused by a combination of pandemic-related regulations and financial difficulties.

And with a limited number of events per year, it’s possible that Yong simply ran out of funds to keep the operation going.

Another possibility is that Yong ran into legal trouble. Gambling is illegal in Malaysia, so it’s possible that Yong was facing criminal charges related to his involvement with Triton Poker.

This would explain why he suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that Triton Poker is no more. It was a brief but bright moment in the poker world, and we may never know exactly what happened to its founder Richard Yong.