Alin Ivan Wins Triton ONE North Cyprus QQPK Genesis for $450,000

Triton ONE North Cyprus has its first major champion. Alin Ivan, from Romania, turned a $3,000 buy-in into $450,000 at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Casino in Kyrenia, winning the QQPK Genesis that opened the festival.

It’s the third Genesis since Triton launched its mid-stakes ONE brand last year. It’s also the first held outside Asia, and the first Triton ONE on European soil.

How the Final Day Played Out

Six players came back for Day 3, and the final table didn’t last long.

Chen Peng went out first. He moved in with K♦7♥ and ran into Ivan’s A♥K♠, finishing sixth for $82,000. Shortly after, Zhang Yang got his pocket fives in against Ivan’s pocket aces and was eliminated in fifth for $111,000.

Russia’s Pavel Ignatov was badly short. He got his last chips in with pocket queens, but Ruslan Kasper hit a king with K♦3♠, and Ignatov left in fourth for $143,000.

Kasper’s run ended soon after. Also short, he couldn’t improve his ace-rag against Ivan’s pocket fives and finished third for $191,000.

Heads-up was over almost before it began. Viktor Kudinov shoved with A♣4♣, Ivan called with A♦Q♦, and the board didn’t help Kudinov. He took $272,000 for second.

Ivan won all four of his all-ins on the final day, and he had the best hand going in every time. When you have the chips, you can wait for spots like that and let shorter stacks come to you.

What Ivan Said After the Win

In his winner’s interview, Ivan explained that a hero call earlier in the event changed everything. That call made him the chip leader, but it also left him fighting his emotions. He referred to Kobe Bryant’s famous line, “The job’s not done”, to explain how he kept himself focused until the last hand. Only once the trophy was his did he let himself celebrate.

For players working their way up the stakes, that’s a useful reminder. Big pots don’t win tournaments by themselves. Staying calm after them does.

QQPK Genesis Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Alin Ivan	Romania	$450,000
2	Viktor Kudinov	Russia	$272,000
3	Ruslan Kasper	Russia	$191,000
4	Pavel Ignatov	Russia	$143,000
5	Zhang Yang	China	$111,000
6	Chen Peng	China	$82,000
7	Xuan Liu	Canada	$59,048
8	Aleksandr Kirichenko	Russia	$42,000
9	Sardor Shagulyamov	Switzerland	$33,000

Event #1: $3,000 QQPK Genesis at a Glance

Detail	Information
Buy-in	$3,000
Entries	912
Prize pool	$2,443,248
Places paid	146
Min-cash	$4,500 (1.5x buy-in)
Winner	Alin Ivan (Romania) – $450,000
Venue	Merit Royal Diamond Hotel & Casino, Kyrenia
Starting stack	250,000
Format	Four Day 1 flights, then Days 2 and 3

Ivan’s $450,000 is 150 times his buy-in and about 18% of the total prize pool.

Genesis Comparison: North Cyprus vs Jeju

Edition	Date	Entries	Prize Pool	Winner	First Prize
Triton ONE Jeju I	September 2025	1,185	$3,174,614	Chengxu Hu (China)	$564,000
Triton ONE Jeju II	March 2026	1,236	$3,311,244	Nguyen Huu Dung (Vietnam)	$586,000
Triton ONE North Cyprus	November 2026	912	$2,443,248	Alin Ivan (Romania)	$450,000

The North Cyprus field is about 26% smaller than the record set in Jeju in March. That isn’t surprising. Jeju draws a huge player pool from China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan, all within a short flight. North Cyprus pulls mainly from Russia, Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. Even so, more than 900 entries for a $3,000 event in Northern Cyprus is a strong turnout.

The player mix also changed. In Jeju, Asian players dominated both final tables. In Cyprus, Russia took four of the top eight spots, and only two Chinese players made the final six.

Payout Structure: What You Needed to Cash

Places	Payout
10–11	$27,500
12–13	$24,500
14–15	$22,000
16–17	$19,500
18–20	$17,000
21–23	$14,500
24–27	$12,200
28–31	$10,700
32–39	$9,300
40–55	$7,900
56–71	$6,600
72–91*	$5,700
99–119	$5,100
120–146	$4,500

*Places 92–98 weren’t in the results we received.

Making the money gets you 1.5x your buy-in. Reaching the last 39 roughly triples it, and making the final table is worth at least 11x. The big jumps only start in the last 15. That’s why survival late in Day 2 matters so much in these flat payout structures.

Familiar Names in the Money

Place	Player	Country	Prize	Why You Might Know Them
45	Nguyen Thi Xoa	France	$7,900	Finished 7th in the Jeju Genesis in March
49	Wu Jun Hao	Singapore	$7,900	Won $969,000 at Triton ONE Jeju 2025
54	Aleksandr Kropotov	Russia	$7,900	Led Flight 1A in this event
61	Erik Eisen	Germany	$6,600	Led Flight 1B in this event
62	Eugene Katchalov	USA	$6,600	Veteran high roller pro
72	Aren Bezhanyan	Armenia	$5,700	Played the first-ever Genesis in Jeju
101	Ander Vallinas	Spain	$5,100	Runner-up in the Triton ONE Jeju Main Event

Nguyen Thi Xoa is worth a mention. She has now cashed in Genesis events in both Jeju and Cyprus, a sign that the ONE series is building its own group of regulars.

What’s Next at Triton North Cyprus

Series	Dates	Buy-ins	Events
Triton ONE North Cyprus	5–15 November 2026	$2,000 – $15,000 (satellites from $1,500)	22, including satellites
Triton Super High Roller Series North Cyprus	15–30 November 2026	$25,000 – $200,000	16

The headline Triton ONE event is the $8,000 Main Event, running from 10 to 15 November. In Jeju, the Main Event drew 1,230 entries and a prize pool of almost $9 million, so expect another big field.

At the high roller end, the Ivan Leow Player of the Year race will be decided in Cyprus. Daniel Dvoress leads with 4,376 points, more than 1,100 ahead of Isaac Haxton, and $200,000 goes to the winner.

For a full rundown of the ONE Main Event, see our Triton ONE North Cyprus 2026 Main Event guide.

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