Alin Ivan Wins Triton ONE Opener for $450,000 on Series Debut
The Romanian prevailed over 912 entries in North Cyprus after a queen-two hero call helped turn the final table.
- Alin Ivan won the $3,000 QQPK Genesis for $450,000 in his first Triton ONE appearance.
- The North Cyprus opener drew 912 entries and created a $2.44 million prize pool.
- The event required an unscheduled third day, with six players returning to play for the title.
- Ivan beat Viktor Kudinov heads-up after taking a crucial lead with a queen-two hero call.
Alin Ivan turned his first Triton ONE appearance into a title, winning the $3,000 QQPK Genesis opener in North Cyprus for $450,000. The 26-year-old Romanian beat Viktor Kudinov heads-up after a tournament that ran to an unplanned third day.
The event drew 912 entries across four starting flights and generated a $2.44 million prize pool, with 146 players paid. It was held at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Casino and awarded Ivan both a Triton ONE trophy and a special QQPK trophy.
Six players returned for the extra final day after Xuan Liu was the last elimination on Day 2. Ivan quickly removed two Chinese rivals, while Kudinov began the final session as chip leader.
At three-handed play, Kudinov held about 56 big blinds, Ivan had 42 and Ruslan Kasper had 15. Each had locked up at least $191,000, with $450,000 still available to the winner. Kudinov had already recorded four previous cashes worth more than $400,000 before reaching this stage.
Ivan took a pivotal lead with a queen-two hero call on an eight-queen-five-four-king board. Kudinov had moved all-in with six-two as a bluff. Kasper then departed in third for $191,000, leaving Ivan to face Kudinov for the trophy.
Ivan maintained the advantage in heads-up play and sealed the win when his ace-queen beat Kudinov’s ace-four. Kudinov collected $272,000 for second.
Pavel Ignatov finished fourth for $143,000, followed by Zhang Yang in fifth for $111,000 and Chen Peng in sixth for $82,000. Liu took seventh for $59,048, Aleksandr Kirichenko was eighth for $42,000 and Sardor Shagulyamov finished ninth for $33,000.
Ivan called the result “an unbelievable experience” that he had dreamed about since the beginning of his poker career. The QQPK Genesis was the opening event of the Triton ONE festival, which also included an $8,000 Main Event.
