Over the past several years, there has been a consistent rise in Asian attendance at the World Series of Poker as players from various countries across the region fervently compete for the highly sought-after bracelets. Although a number of them have triumphantly claimed the prestigious gold, it remains an elusive dream for others. Among the Day 1B survivors of the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship aka WSOP Main Event are four players with hopes of finally turning that dream into a reality.
Abhishek Goindi
Unlike Kono, online player from India, Abhishek Goindi, first made his mark at the 2012 Macau Poker Cup – Red Dragon event where he placed 2nd for a USD 136K payday. It wasn’t until 2017 did he start frequenting the WSOP, returning in 2019 and every year since. He is the founder and coach of Poker Boot Camp India. In April, Goindi received the Instagram Blue Tick Meta Verified.
Flag: India
Major accomplishment: Poker Boot Camp India
Largest live tournament cash: USD 136,245
WSOP cashes: 5 cashes
Deepest WSOP run: 47th / 9,399 entries at 2021 WSOP $400 COLOSSUS NLH
Yohwan Lim
In 2014, the poker world was thrilled at the arrival of StarCraft pro BoxeR who resumed his real name, Yohwan Lim, after retiring from gaming. His poker skills quickly advanced and in 2017 he attended the WSOP where he cashed minimally in two events. He returned in 2019 and again cashed lightly, this time in three events. In 2021, Lim’s cashes increased to four with a deep run at the $3K NLH event, finishing 18th out of 720 entries for USD 12,795.
Flag: South Korea
Major accomplishment: Back to back APT Championships victories
Largest cash: USD 88K
WSOP cashes: 15
Deepest WSOP run: 18th / 720 entries at 2021 WSOP $3K NLH
Quan Zhou
High roller Quan Zhou is one of the most highly achieved players from China and is the most decorated in this lineup. His long list of cashes and victories span all the way back to 2011 however his WSOP journey began in 2015 with just two small cashes.
Returning on 2016, Zhou picked up four cashes with a deep run at the $5K NLH (30 min. levels) for USD 27.8K. In 2019, he was on fire with 13 cashes which included a 14th place finish out of 2,477 entries at the $1K NLH event for USD 17.5K.
Today, Zhou sits at the Main Event seeking his first bracelet. He already has 8 cashes with a deep run at Event 57: $25K PLO High Roller 8-Handed for USD 370.5K.
Flag: China
Major accomplishment: PokerStars Championship Macau
Largest cash: $469,009
WSOP cashes: 40 (mixes LV, WSOPE, and Online)
Deepest WSOP run: 6th out of 4490 entries at Event $25K PLO High Roller 8-Handed
John Tech
Filipino player John Tech may not be a frequent flyer of the WSOP but has been spotted today. Two years ago, he earned his first WSOP cash, albeit a small one, then returned this year to bump up that number. He is well on his way with two cashes already under his belt. In the Asian circuit, Tech has been running well since last year with multiple five-figure payouts. In May 2023, he crossed over $1.5 Million in tracked live earnings after taking down the APT Taipei Superstar Challenge for $111K.
Flag: Philippines
Major accomplishment: 2017 MBP Summer Showdown – 1st place
Largest cash: $594.6K
WSOP cashes: 3
Deepest WSOP run: 224th out of 2,076 entries at Event 62: $1,500 Mixed NLH / PLO 8-Handed
Tricia David
Tricia David has long experience as a recreational poker player and has been covering poker events since 2010 for numerous outfits in Asia. She spent one year working part time with Poker Portal Asia then became editor and lead writer for all event coverage of the Philippine Poker Tour (PPT). Under the PPT, she overlooked content for their website, and produced live updates on all their events. In addition, she served as the live and online events website content writer for the Asian Poker Tour. Currently, she does live events reporting in Asia for online news site Somuchpoker and is also one of their news contributors.
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