A Triton Score That Changed the Whole Season

Some tournament wins pad a resume. Others rewrite an entire season’s narrative. Nick Schulman’s victory in the $100,000 NLH Main Event at the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju II belongs firmly in the second category. That win, worth $3,854,888, did more than deliver a career-best payday. It launched Schulman into one of the tightest Player of the Year races the game has seen in years, with the sport’s most prestigious high-stakes tour sitting right at the centre of the drama.

Schulman beat his career-high score, set all the way back in 2005, when he secured his second Triton title and a first-place prize of $3,854,888 in Jeju this September. That single result was worth 1,680 Card Player POY points on its own, and it has pushed Schulman into a virtual tie for the top of the sport’s overall standings heading into the final months of the year.

Punsri Clings to the Lead, Schulman Snapping at His Heels

According to Card Player’s latest rankings roundup, Punnat Punsri, the runner-up in the 2025 POY standings, leads going into one of the busiest stretches of the poker calendar, but his quest to improve upon last year’s close call is far from a sure thing. The margin at the top is razor thin, and Triton Poker results make up a meaningful chunk of both men’s point totals.

Punsri’s case for a second straight top finish leans heavily on his form at Triton’s Jeju stops, where he collected a string of deep runs including 3rd place in the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju $15,000 no-limit hold’em event worth 720 POY points, 5th place in the $100,000 no-limit hold’em Main Event worth 650 points, and a 1st-place finish in the $30,000 NLH/PLO event worth 504 points. It is exactly the kind of relentless final-table consistency that has defined his rise on the circuit.

Schulman’s path to the top of the leaderboard has been far more top-heavy, built almost entirely around that single, enormous Triton score. It is a reminder of just how much weight a Triton Main Event title carries in the modern points system, where one deep run at a six-figure buy-in can outweigh months of grinding smaller fields.

There are six players within striking distance of the lead, including Jesse Lonis, the player who narrowly beat out Punsri for POY honors in 2025, meaning the race is unlikely to be settled until the final events of the year have played out.

Triton’s Own Title Chase Adds a Second Storyline

While Card Player’s overall race captivates the wider poker world, Triton runs its own prestigious season-long competition in parallel. The Ivan Leow Player of the Year race currently has a different frontrunner entirely. After a historic run through Montenegro in which he won three titles across three different formats at a single festival, Dan Dvoress leads the Season 5 Player of the Year race heading into the year’s final festivals. Dvoress sits atop the standings with 3,181 points, and he leads second-placed Isaac Haxton by 664 points, with Danny Tang rounding out the top three.

Both chases now point toward the same destination. Triton’s remaining 2026 calendar runs through Northern Cyprus, where Triton ONE is coming to North Cyprus for 22 tournaments at Merit Royal Diamond starting November 5, with buy-ins ranging from $2,000 to $15,000 and $1,500 qualifiers available into the Main Event. That festival feeds directly into the flagship Super High Roller Series stop, which runs from November 15 through November 30 at the same resort.

For players such as Dvoress, Haxton, Tang, Punsri and Schulman, these final two festivals represent the last meaningful opportunity to bank points before the books close on the season. A deep run or a title at Merit Royal Diamond could flip either leaderboard in an instant, and with so many of the game’s biggest names expected on-site, neither race looks remotely settled.

Why It Matters Beyond the Numbers

Player of the Year races can sometimes feel like an accounting exercise reserved for circuit obsessives, but this year’s chase has genuine stakes attached. Triton’s own Ivan Leow race now carries a guaranteed prize for the winner, while a Card Player crown remains one of the most coveted individual honours in the sport, a marker of sustained excellence across an entire calendar year rather than a single lucky week. With Schulman, Punsri, Wilson and the rest of the contenders all converging on the same November festivals, Triton’s North Cyprus stop has effectively become a title decider for two separate championships at once.

For recreational players who would rather build a bankroll than chase POY points, Royal Gambit Poker’s own $500 monthly poker freeroll offers a no-cost way to get a taste of tournament play without any of the Triton-sized buy-ins.

FAQ

What did Nick Schulman win at Triton Poker?

Schulman won the $100,000 NLH Main Event at the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju II festival in September 2026, earning $3,854,888 and his second Triton title.

Who currently leads the 2026 Card Player Player of the Year race?

Punnat Punsri holds a narrow lead over Nick Schulman and several other contenders heading into the final stretch of the season.

Who leads Triton’s own Ivan Leow Player of the Year race?

Dan Dvoress leads that standings after winning three titles at a single festival in Montenegro, with Isaac Haxton and Danny Tang rounding out the top three.

When is the next Triton Poker festival?

Triton heads to Northern Cyprus with Triton ONE running November 5 to 15, 2026, followed immediately by the Triton Super High Roller Series from November 15 to 30, 2026.

Featured image: Triton Poker Series.