Joshua Gebissa Wins Historic First Triton ONE Main Event for $975,225

The Triton ONE Main Event made its first-ever appearance at the Landing Casino in Jeju Shinhwa World, attracting an incredible 1,046 entries to the $8,000 buy-in tournament. The result was a massive $7,607,558 prize pool, cementing Triton’s new mid-stakes series as an instant success.

The final day promised fireworks, with top international professionals battling alongside relative newcomers. Among them was former professional footballer Joshua Gebissa, who would ultimately capture the inaugural trophy.

The tournament ended with an unlikely matchup: Thai entrepreneur and Triton veteran Punnat Punsri versus ex-footballer Joshua Gebissa, who once played as a defensive midfielder in Germany’s lower divisions before retiring from the sport in 2019 at age 24.

In a back-and-forth duel, Gebissa stayed composed under the bright lights and clinched victory for $975,225. His previous biggest live score was just $40,099, making this a career-defining breakthrough.

Punsri, Thailand’s all-time money leader with more than $26.2 million in cashes (including four Triton titles), added $1,205,775 to his résumé as runner-up.

Gebissa entered the final day near the top of the leaderboard but stayed under the radar until the late stages. His strategic approach was clear:

Despite being new to the high-stakes scene, Gebissa showed remarkable calmness and precision in chip-counting and decision-making. He also credited his limited live experience with helping him stay focused.

Gebissa won his seat through a satellite from QQPK, the title sponsor of Triton ONE, and also earned an additional $100,000 in tournament coins for the QQPK app.

Sixteen players returned for the final day. Early eliminations came quickly, with Ming Juen Teoh doubling twice before busting later, while Ruogo Wen and Dajie Zhuo scored multiple knockouts to shrink the field.

By the time the final table was set, Artur Martirosian and Punsri had staged double-ups, while Michael Zhang fell just short of the last nine.

At the final table:

• Sergei Petrushevskii was the first casualty, running into Punsri’s pocket aces.

• Igor Yaroshevskyy exited next after a cruel runout gave Wen a full house.

• Kaoru Kishimoto followed in 7th place after losing an ace-king flip to Daiki Shingae.

Shingae surged into the lead with several big pots, but a disastrous bluff against Punsri flipped the script. Soon after, Gebissa doubled through him, then eliminated him with ace-queen vs. kings, making Broadway on the river.

Heads-up play began with Punsri holding the advantage, but Gebissa rallied with two doubles, seized momentum, and never looked back. Punsri’s comeback efforts fell short, leaving Gebissa to lift the historic first Triton ONE Main Event trophy.

*Denotes heads-up deal before play resumed

Gebissa’s fairytale win is the kind of story poker thrives on: from satellite qualifier and retired athlete to Triton champion in just one week. With the Triton ONE tour already proving its potential, the poker world will be watching closely as more events unfold in Jeju.