Philippines National Cup (12,000 PHP)

Ryosuke Ikari open-shoved for 430,000 from the hijack and Mingchen Zhang defended from the big blind to put his opponent at risk.

Ryosuke Ikari: A♠ 8♥

Mingchen Zhang: A♦ T♣

Zhang picked up the lead with kicker ten. A runout filled out 3♥ Q♦ J♥ Q♣ 4♦ , setting the tone for Ikari’s elimination in 12th place for a reward of PHP 54,000 (~$928).

Dongjae Kim just experienced the full spectrum of tournament poker — ecstasy, agony, and everything in between!

With just 5,000 left in his stack, Kim tossed in his last blue chip from under the gun. Sangyeol Jeon, sitting in the hijack, shoved for around 250,000, and the rest of the table got out of the way.

Jeon then turned over A♠ A♣ , causing Kim to drop to his knees as he revealed K♦ K♥ — a brutal cooler at the worst possible time. The 3♦ 9♣ 5♥ flop did him no favors, and it looked like the end of the road. But then, the K♣ landed on the turn, flipping the script and putting Kim in the lead! A harmless 6♣ river sealed his unlikely comeback, turning his last 5,000 into 70,000.

In the very next hand, Ryosuke Ikari moved all in from the button, and Kim, still riding the high of his double-up, called off his remaining 20,000 from the big blind — without even looking at his cards!

Ikari showed 4♠ 4♣ , while Kim, one by one, peeled A♦ 5♥ .

The 3♠ T♠ 8♥ flop kept Ikari ahead, but the 5♣ turn sent Kim into another celebration as he paired his five to take the lead. However, as the saying goes, it’s not over until it’s over — and the 4♦ river delivered a set for Ikari, slamming the door shut on Kim’s wild rollercoaster ride.

What a run, what a heartbreak!