Aaron Zang
Aaron Zang is a Chinese high-stakes poker player best known for winning the 2019 Triton Million for Charity in London. Playing under the name Aaron Shu Nu Zang in tournament databases, he defeated Bryn Kenney heads-up in an event with a 1.050.000 £ entry fee and collected 13.779.491 £ after a deal.
His career has developed largely around Asian high-stakes poker rather than a full-time international tournament schedule. That background makes his public results distinctive: a relatively small collection of recorded cashes includes one of the largest payouts in tournament history.Zang later won the 2023 Triton Vietnam 100.000 $ Short Deck Main Event for 1.544.000 $. The second title extended his record beyond the extraordinary London result and established major victories in both standard No-Limit Hold’em and Short Deck.
Early Life and Date of Birth
Aaron Zang was born on June 21, 1982, in China. His Chinese name is Zang Shu Nu, and his tournament records also use the English-language form Aaron Shu Nu Zang.
Before becoming known in poker, he played Magic: The Gathering during his school years. Biographical accounts describe competitive success in the game, providing an early connection to strategic card play.
He graduated from university in 2005 and later became involved in business as well as poker. Published accounts report that he founded a Bitcoin-related company in Shenzhen in 2013. Public information about his personal finances remains limited.
Discovering Poker and Building a Bankroll
Zang discovered poker during his university years and played online at partypoker. His early experience included losing deposits before he developed a more sustainable approach to the game.
According to published biographical accounts, a 1.000 yuan contribution from his uncle in 2006 became the starting point for a bankroll that grew to approximately 400.000 yuan. He began pursuing poker professionally in Macau in 2007.
This early history belongs to the development of his poker career rather than his recorded live tournament winnings. Private games and online sessions are not fully represented by tournament databases.
Macau and the High-Stakes Scene
Macau became central to Zang’s poker life. He was familiar to participants in its cash games before the 2019 Triton Million introduced him to a much larger international audience.
After the London victory, Triton co-founder Paul Phua discussed having played cash games with Zang over many years. His comments placed the new champion within an established high-stakes community even though his tournament name was less familiar to many viewers.
The distinction is important when interpreting his career. A player can have extensive experience against strong opponents without accumulating hundreds of publicly recorded tournament cashes.
Early Live Tournament Results
Zang’s first listed tournament cash dates to the 2007 APPT Macau festival, where he finished fourth in a 3.770 HK$ No-Limit Hold’em event. The result was worth 13.880 HK$.
Further recorded results included third place in a 10.300 € Turbo Six-Max event at the 2014 EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final for 84.300 €, and second place in a 100.000 HK$ APPT Macau High Roller in 2015 for 1.711.000 HK$.
In 2016, he placed fifth in the 500.000 HK$ ACOP Super High Roller for 1.925.000 HK$. These finishes preceded the much larger London payouts that would dominate his tournament record.
The 2019 Triton Million for Charity
The Triton Million for Charity took place in London in August 2019. Each participant paid 1.050.000 £: 1.000.000 £ went into the prize pool and 50.000 £ was allocated to charity.
The event attracted 54 entries, generating a 54.000.000 £ prize pool and 2.700.000 £ for charitable causes. Its invitational format brought businesspeople and recreational participants together with leading poker professionals.
Zang reached the final table alongside players including Kenney, Dan Smith, Stephen Chidwick and Timothy Adams. The lineup placed him in direct competition with some of the most successful tournament professionals of the era.
The Heads-Up Deal with Bryn Kenney
Kenney entered heads-up play with a chip advantage of more than five to one. Before continuing, the finalists agreed to redistribute the remaining prize money according to a deal.
Kenney secured 16.890.509 £ and Zang secured 13.779.491 £. They then continued playing for the championship, with Zang recovering from his disadvantage and winning the title.
The outcome is frequently misunderstood. Zang was the tournament champion, while Kenney received the higher payout because of the agreement reached before the final duel. The trophy and the largest cash therefore went to different players.
| Finish | Player | Country | Payout after deal |
| 1st | Aaron Zang | China | 13.779.491 £ |
| 2nd | Bryn Kenney | United States | 16.890.509 £ |
The Comeback and the Historical Payout
Zang’s recovery turned a difficult heads-up position into the defining win of his career. It was a striking result for a player more closely associated with cash games than the global tournament circuit.
The Hendon Mob records his winning payout as 16.775.820 $ after converting the original sterling prize. Historical dollar equivalents can vary between reports because different exchange rates were used; 13.779.491 £ remains the original event-currency amount.
In the database’s biggest-cashes ranking updated in October 2026, that result stands third, behind Kenney’s payout from the same tournament and Antonio Esfandiari’s 2012 Big One for One Drop victory.
Another Major London Result in 2019
Zang followed the Triton Million with third place in the 250.000 £ Short Deck Ante Only Les Ambassadeurs Private Event during the same London festival. He earned 2.243.000 £, recorded as 2.712.016 $ by The Hendon Mob.
The result showed that his London trip included substantial success outside the charity invitational. It also foreshadowed the Short Deck championship he would win in Vietnam four years later.
Winning the 2023 Triton Vietnam Short Deck Main Event
Zang won the 100.000 $ Short Deck Main Event at Triton Vietnam in March 2023. Played at Hoiana Resort & Golf, the tournament attracted 49 entries and produced a 4.900.000 $ prize pool.
He defeated Michael Zhang heads-up to collect 1.544.000 $, together with a Triton trophy and a Jacob & Co timepiece. Zhang received 1.115.000 $ for second place.
The final table included Kiat Lee, Phil Chiu, Mikita Badziakouski, Paul Phua and Jason Koon. Winning the event gave Zang a second Triton title in a different poker format from his London victory.
Why Short Deck Matters in His Career
Short Deck uses a reduced deck with the low cards removed, changing hand frequencies and the relative strength of many starting hands. Players familiar with conventional Hold’em must adjust their decisions to the format and the event’s specific rules.
Zang’s significant Short Deck results include the 2019 London third place and the 2023 Vietnam championship. Together, they make the variant a substantial part of his published tournament record.
The two Triton titles demonstrate success in separate formats. They do not provide a complete measurement of his private cash-game performance, but they are clearly documented competitive achievements.
Major Tournament Results
The selection below preserves original currencies for events played outside the United States. Dollar equivalents are historical figures reported by The Hendon Mob, rather than conversions at current exchange rates.
| Year | Event | Place | Prize |
| 2019 | Triton London: 1.050.000 £ Triton Million for Charity | 1st | 13.779.491 £ / 16.775.820 $ |
| 2019 | Triton London: 250.000 £ Short Deck Les Ambassadeurs Private Event | 3rd | 2.243.000 £ / 2.712.016 $ |
| 2023 | Triton Vietnam: 100.000 $ Short Deck Main Event | 1st | 1.544.000 $ |
| 2016 | ACOP Macau: 500.000 HK$ Super High Roller | 5th | 1.925.000 HK$ / 248.200 $ |
| 2015 | APPT Macau: 100.000 HK$ High Roller | 2nd | 1.711.000 HK$ / 220.681 $ |
| 2018 | Jeju Red Dragon: 60.000.000 KRW Super High Roller | 6th | 175.560.000 KRW / 156.848 $ |
| 2014 | EPT Monte Carlo: 10.300 € Turbo Six-Max | 3rd | 84.300 € / 116.938 $ |
Live Earnings and the China Money List
The Hendon Mob lists Zang with 21.920.818 $ in live tournament earnings in the snapshot checked for this profile on October 14, 2026. His largest cash remains the 16.775.820 $ Triton Million payout.
The same database places him second on China’s All Time Money List. Older profiles that describe him as the country’s leader reflect an earlier ranking and should not be treated as current.
Tournament winnings are gross cashes rather than net profit or personal wealth. The figures do not deduct buy-ins, expenses or shares sold to other people, and they do not represent a complete account of private cash-game results. A reliable public estimate of Zang’s net worth is not established by these totals.
Cash Games and Continued Triton Appearances
Zang’s connection to Triton extends beyond his tournament titles. He has also appeared in the series’ high-stakes cash-game coverage, maintaining a presence in the community where he was established before the Triton Million.
Official coverage of Triton’s 2024 cash-game invitational in Jeju included hands involving Zang and other familiar participants. These appearances help explain why a sparse tournament record does not equate to a lack of activity at the highest stakes.
Place in Poker History
Aaron Zang’s career is defined publicly by an unusual combination: a limited volume of recorded tournament results, an exceptionally large charity-invitational victory and a later Short Deck championship.
The 2019 Triton Million remains the central milestone. His comeback against Kenney produced both a memorable sporting result and a lasting example of how tournament deals can separate finishing position from payout size.
The Vietnam title added a second major achievement to that record. Taken together, the two victories place Zang among the most recognisable Chinese names associated with the Triton high-stakes circuit.