“RD Expedition Club” Red Dragon Team Event (2,000,000 KRW)

After a tough stretch of hands, Vitalii Kogai open-shoved and was called by Zizheng Huang:

Vitalii Kogai: T♦ 8♠

Zizheng Huang: Q♥ 6♦

Queen-high held on the J♥ 5♥ 7♦ K♦ 2♠ runout, eliminating Kogai in second place and giving Huang, and his team, Poker Mars, the win in Round 1 of the RD Expedition Club Event.

Kogai called on the button and Huang checked.

On the A♣ T♦ 3♥ flop Huang check-raised Kogai's 65,000 bet to 200,000, Kogai stuck around with the call.

The 2♥ landed on the turn and Huang led out for 270,000, forcing a fold from Kogai.

After a flurry of open-shoves and rapid hands, Zizheng Huang has battled back to nearly even in chips.

Vitalii Kogai raised to 135,000 from the button and Zizheng Huang called.

Huang checked the 4♥ 5♥ J♦ flop and Kogai checked behind.

The Q♣ landed on the turn and Huang check-folded Kogai's 115,000 bet.

Button Chang Liang Sun moved all in for his remaining 240,000, and small blind Vitalii Kogai called, looking to claim another bounty:

Chang Liang Sun: K♥ 6♦

Vitalii Kogai: A♥ Q♦

Kogai paired his ace on the A♠ 5♥ 2♠ flop and stayed in front as the 8♠ 5♦ runout confirmed Sun’s elimination in third place, leaving him and Zizheng Huang to battle it out for their team's glory0

Haohui Ma, Jiaming Li, Yinglei Chen, and Chang Liang Sun went into a four-way all-in, resulting in three eliminations and leaving only one survivor.

Ma shoved all in for 55,000 from under the gun, Li also jammed for 680,000 in the cutoff. Chen also joined the game with all 135,000, and Sun also committed all 36,000.

Chang Liang Sun: 7♣ 4♥

Yinglei Chen: K♦ Q♥

Jiaming Li: A♥ 5♥

Haohui Ma: 4♦ 4♣

Ma picked up the lead with his pocket fours, but Li took it over soon after as the flop revealed J♣ 5♣ 9♣, improving him to a pair of fives.

The deck sealed a double knockout for Li in brisk fashion with a 6♣ 3♦ runout, sending Chen and Ma out of the table.

Vitalii Kogai raised to 50,000 from the button before Wenwen Chen shoved her remaining 375,000 from the small blind. Kogai made the call:

Vitalii Kogai: 4♥ 4♦

Wenwen Chen: A♦ K♣

Chen looked set for a double, but the A♠ Q♠ 5♥ flop gave Kogai top pair and left her drawing thin. The 8♠ 7♣ runout changed nothing, sending Chen out in 7th place.

Zizheng Huang open-shoved from the hijack to 300,000, and Haohui Ma called for his last 30,000 in the small blind. Vitalii Kogai also joined the game with a shove for 1,000,000 in the big blind.

Zizheng Huang: A♣ J♣

Haohui Ma: A♠ J♦

Vitalii Kogai: A♦ 5♥

Kogai trailed with his weaker five kicker and found no help from the dealer on the A♥ T♠ T♥ flop. The 4♣ turn kept him searching for a miracle five to score a double knockout.

Unfortunately for Kogai, the 2♣ river bricked out, forcing him to ship a hefty portion of his stack to his two tablemates.

Hijack Wenwen Chen raised to 30,000, then called cutoff Chang Yu Zhai's three-bet shove for 170,000, putting himself at risk:

Chang Yu Zhai: 4♠ 4♦

Wenwen Chen: 8♦ 8♣

Zhai looked in danger once the Q♥ 4♥ 9♦ flop hit the felt, but the J♦ turn opened up a draw for him. No such luck came on the 6♥ river, and he was eliminated in 8th place.

Zizheng Huang raised from under the gun to 30,000 and Qidong He shoved all in for 35,000 from early position. Jiaming Li also moved all in for 125,000 from the big blind. Huang responded with the call to put his two opponents at risk.

Zizheng Huang: K♣ Q♦

Qidong He: 2♦ 2♣

Jiaming Li: K♦ K♥

Li’s pocket kings remained ahead on the 7♠ A♦ T♠ 7♣ 9♥ board, earning him a sizable pot and eliminating He from the field in 9th place.

With Weiran Pu’s elimination, the field is down to the final nine.

The action will be live-streamed with a 30-minute delay to ensure poker fans don’t miss a single thrilling moment.

To watch the stream: Click here.

Qidong He open-shoved for 260,000 on the button and Weiran Pu called off his 225,000 from the big blind.

Weiran Pu: J♣ 2♠

Qidont He: 2♥ 2♦

He held the lead with his pocket deuces, but Pu took it over soon after as the flop came Q♠ J♥ 5♦, improving Pu to a pair of jacks.

The dealer sent a K♦ on the turn, leaving He drawing very thin. The 3♥ river sealed a tournament-saving double-up for Pu.

In the very next hand, Pu found himself in another critical hand against Chang Linag Sun, but this time the luck wasn't on his side.

Sun open-jammed for 195,000 in the hijack and was put at risk by Pu from the small blind.

Weiran Pu: 7♥ 2♠

Chang Liang Sun: A♣ 8♦

Sun picked up the lead with ace-high against Pu's seven-high. The dealer revealed the 4♠ 7♣ 8♠ flop, improving both players to a pair, but Sun still maintained his dominance.

The deck sealed a double-up for Sun with the Q♣ J♠ runout, forcing Pu to return the chips he had taken from He earlier.

Cutoff Chang Liang Sun raised to 25,000 and was called by big blind Weiran Pu.

Pu check-folded to Sun’s 20,000 continuation-bet following the Q♣ 8♦ 3♥ flop.

In the next hand, Sun raised to 25,000 once more, with Hao Tian defending from the big blind.

Tian check-called Sun’s 13,000 continuation-bet after the K♣ J♦ 4♣ flop. He then led for 25,000 on the Q♣ turn, and instantly called when Sun shoved with the covering stack:

Hao Tian: 6♣ 3♣

Chang Liang Sun: K♥ J♣

Tian’s flush held as the 4♠ landed on the river, giving him a much-needed double.

With 50,000 chips already in the middle, the flop came 5♥ K♥ 7♣, and Andy Chen moved all in for 157,000 following Vitalii Kogai’s 25,000 raise. After thinking for a while, Kogai responded with the call to put his tablemate at risk.

Andy Chen: 6♠ 4♦

Vitalii Kogai: A♥ T♥

Kogai's ace-high held the lead with a flush draw, while Chen picked up an open-ended straight draw. The turn revealed a Q♥, completing Kogai's flush and leaving Chen drawing dead already.

The 7♠ river came as a formality, officially locking up one more knockout for Kogai and showing Chen the exit.

In a whirlwind of two all-in hands, Andy Chen boosted his stack by around 25%, eliminating three players in quick succession.

Zhengshi Wang three-bet shoved for roughly 25,000 after Chen limped, and Chen called:

Zhengshi Wang: K♠ 4♣

Andy Chen: J♣ T♥

Chen paired his ten on the T♠ A♦ 6♦ A♥ 2♦ runout, sending Wang to the rail.

On the very next hand, Derek Leung shoved from under the gun for about 20,000, which Chen called, and then big blind Tianjun Shen moved all-in for around 28,000:

Derek Leung: 6♦ 5♦

Tianjun Shen: 9♠ 2♣

Andy Chen: T♦ 4♦

Chen flopped a dream with K♣ 4♣ 4♣, holding through the 9♣ and A♥ to eliminate both opponents and push his stack close to 400,000.

One three-way all-in pot just unfolded and ended with one knockout.

Zhengshi Wang open-shoved for 80,000 from the hijack. Hao Tian called off his last 43,000 on the button, and Zhiqiang Zhang joined from the big blind for his remaining 25,000.

Hao Tian: J♦ J♥

Zhengshi Wang: 2♦ 2♥

Zhiqiang Zhang: 8♦ 3♦

Zhang was far behind as his eight-high ran headfirst into Tian's jacks and Wang's deuces. The dealer sent little help to Zhagn on the T♥ Q♦ 7♥ flop.

The board-pairing T♣ landed on the turn, leaving Zhang drawing thin. The 8♠ river improved him to a pair of eights, but it couldn’t save him from his impending downfall.

Chunguang Zhang has burst the “bubble” for Round 1 of the RD Expedition Team Event, leaving 32 players still in contention.

All remaining players can re-enter their full team into tomorrow’s Resurrection Round, keeping a total of 8 teams alive.

Play continues today as the field battles down to a winner.

Hui Ma limped from middle position, Jun Sun completed in the small blind, and Tianjun Shen checked in the big.

Action checked through 4♠ 8♦ 2♣ K♦ A♦, with Ma showing A♣ 7♣ to take the pot. Sun had 9♥ 7♥, and Shen mucked.

In the next hand, Shen completed in the small blind and Ying Song checked her option in the big.

Action checked through 9♦ A♦ 5♣ 7♣ 2♦, with Shen showing K♥ Q♥, but Song took it down with 7♦ 6♦ for middle pair.

In one of the next hands, Jun Sun was eliminated.

Vitalii Kogai raised to 10,000 from the cutoff, only to face a shove for around 82,000 from Chunhao Zhang on the button. Kogai dropped in the call to put his tablemate at risk.

Chunhao Zhang: K♣ Q♠

Vitalii Kogai: A♣ A♥

Zhang's king-high ran headfirst into Kogai's bullets, but he received some help from the dealer on the T♠ T♦ J♣ flop, giving him a straight draw.

The board-pairing J♥ landed on the turn, leaving Zhang still looking for a nine to stay alive. Unfortunately for Zhang, the deck revealed a dry 7♥ river, sending him to the rail.

Hijack Chunguang Zhang raised to 8,000 and was called by cutoff Derek Leung and big blind Heming Wang, taking them three-ways to the flop.

Wang check-folded, and Leung called Zhang’s 14,000 continuation bet on the 3♦ A♠ 8♣ flop.

The 8♦ hit the turn and Zhang shoved his remaining 31,000. Leung called instantly with the covering stack:

Chunguang Zhang: A♣ J♦

Derek Leung: 5♦ 4♦

Leung was chasing his draws, but the 3♣ on the river didn’t help. Zhang scooped a big pot, giving his stack a huge boost and leaving Leung short.

Bingxin Li shoved the button for 20,000 and was called by Jiaming Li from the hijack.

Jiaming Li: Q♣ 3♣

Bingxin Li: A♦ T♠

Bingxin Li's ace-high picked up the lead against Jiaming Li's queen-high. The dealer then spread the J♦ 9♠ 8♦ flop, giving Bingxin a straight draw.

The K♦ hit on the turn, leaving Jiaming Li drawing to a three only. Luck was on Jiaming Li’s side when the 3♥ fell on the river, giving him a pair of threes and eliminating Bingxin Li from the field.

Cutoff Xun Yang shoved his last 12,500 into the middle and was re-shoved by small blind Jianlun Hu. The big blind folded, and the hands were shown:

Xun Yang: 6♥ 6♠

Jianlun Hu: A♣ Q♠

Hu paired his queen on the 8♣ 4♠ Q♥ flop and stayed ahead through the T♣ 7♦ runout, sending Yang to the rail.

Zhiqiang Zhang opened the cutoff to 6,000 and Yang Yang defended her big blind.

Yang check-called on the 7♥ 8♥ 9♣ flop after Zhang continued for 4,000.

The turn brought a board-pairing 9♠, and Yang bet 5,000, prompting a snap-fold from Zhang.

In the next hand, Jiajin Hao raised to 6,000 from under the gun and Vitalii Kogai three-bet the button to 14,000. Hao dropped in the call.

On the 8♣ 9♣ 3♥ flop, Hao checked to Kogai, who continued for 4,000. Hao randomly grabbed on pile of green stack as a raise, and Kogai instantly shoved for 25,500. Hao made the call to put his opponent at risk.

Jiajin Hao: J♦ J♥

Vitalii Kogai: Q♥ Q♣

Hao’s pocket jacks ran straight into Kogai’s queens, and the dealer offered no relief on the 4♦ turn.

When the 7♣ hit the river, the sizable pot was pushed to Kogai.

Cutoff Yunchao Yu raised to 4,000 then called when big blind Vitalii Kogai shoved for 21,500:

Vitalii Kogai: A♦ T♠

Yunchao Yu: A♠ 4♦

The Q♥ K♦ J♣ flop nailed it for Kogai, securing his double as the 7♠ 8♣ completed the board.

Cutoff Chang Yu Zhai raised to 4,000 and was called by Ying Song in the big blind.

Both checked J♣ J♦ 2♠ to see the 4♠ turn, where Zhai called Song’s 4,000 bet.

Song checked the K♥ river, then folded when Zhai slid 4,000 into the middle.

Yin Liu shoved all in from early position for 13,000 and was called by Weiran Pu from the small blind.

Yin Liu: A♠ T♣

Weiran Pu: A♥ J♠

Pu picked up the lead with a stronger jack kicker and held control on the 2♠ 7♥ 5♣ flop. The dealer sent an 8♠ on the turn, giving little help to Liu.

The deck sealed Liu's fate with a 9♥ river, shipping the pot Pu's way.

In the very first hand after redraw, Tiangxing Jiang open-shoved from under the gun for 19,000 and was put at risk by Tianjun Shen from the big blind.

Tianjun Shen: A♠ J♥

Tiangxing Jiang: T♠ T♦

Jiang picked up the lead with pocket tens, but Shen took it over soon after as the flop came 7♦ A♦ A♣, improving Shen to trip aces.

The dealer sent more help to Shen with a J♦ turn, blooming his trips to a full house and leaving Jiang drawing dead.

The T♣ river was a little needle for Jiang as his rivered full house still couldn't save his tournament life.

With 73 players remaining, a redraw has taken place, and action will resume at Level 8 (1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 big blind ante).

Jianlun Hu raised from under the gun to 3,000 and Yuhan Liu defended his big blind.

The duet checked through the 8♥ J♦ J♥ flop to the board-pairing 8♠ turn, where Liu check-called after Hu fired 2,000.

When a 9♦ rolled off on the river, the two checked to a free showdown. Liu flipped over K♦ Q♥ for king-high, while Hu revealed ace-high with A♣ 7♣.

Jingxuan Zhu opened to 3,500 and got a call from Heming Wang in the big blind. Wang check-folded to Zhu’s 3,000 continuation bet on the 3♦ Q♦ K♣ flop.

On the next hand at Table 6, Youkan Li raised to 3,000 from middle position. Xi Xiang Luo three-bet to 8,000 and then called Li’s covering shove for ~27,000:

Xi Xiang Luo: Q♣ Q♥

Youkan Li: A♠ K♣

Luo’s queens held through the 3♥ J♣ 8♣ 5♦ 6♥ runout, doubling him up through Li.

Haonan Tian limped from early position, and both blinds, Zhiqiang Zhang and Xiaoshan Li, checked.

The flop came 5♦ 5♠ K♦. Zhang check-called Li’s 2,000 bet, while Tian folded.

The 6♥ hit the turn, Zhang checked again, and Li fired 10,000, putting himself all-in. Zhang folded, sending the pot to Li.

With 3,000 chips in the middle, the dealer delivered a 3♣ A♥ J♥ flop, and Haonan Tian checked from the big blind. Xiaoshan Li led out for 3,000 on the button. Tian stuck around.

Both players checked through the 8♣ turn to see a 4♥ hit on the river, where Tian checked again. Li fired 10,000. Tian dropped in the call after thinking for a while.

When seeing Li table a rivered flush with 6♥ 5♥, Tian tossed his cards into the muck.

Ningyuan Wu opened to 2,000 from under the gun and called Yilu Yuan’s shove for 3,500 chips.

Yilu Yuan: A♥ T♣

Ningyuan Wu: A♦ 3♦

Yuan looked set for a double, but the flop of 9♠ A♣ 3♥ gave Wu the lead. The 6♥ 4♣ runout brought no change, sending Yuan to the rail.

The action was picked up when Mengqi Chen shoved all in from the hijack for 3,500, and Chunguang Zhang also moved all in for 13,500 on the button. After a string of folds from the table, Chen was left at risk against Zhang.

Mengqi Chen: Q♥ 8♥

Chunguang Zhang: A♠ K♥

Zhang picked up the lead with ace-high against Chen's queen-high and extended his dominance on the 5♥ 6♦ K♠ flop, improving him to top pair of kings.

The deck sealed Chen’s fate with a J♦ 7♥ runout, sending him to the rail shortly after Level 6 began.

You Kan Li raised to 2,000 and found one caller in small blind Ying Lei Chen.

On the 4♣ 4♦ 8♦ flop, Chen check-called a 1,500 continuation bet from Li. Both players checked the 7♣ turn and saw the A♥ river, where Chen checked a third time. Li then fired 8,000 into the middle, forcing a fold from Chen and collecting the pot without showdown.

Wenjie Wang opened the button to 3,000 and Xiongwei Huang defended his big blind.

Huang checked the monochrome A♠ 6♠ 4♠ flop to Wang, who continued with a 1,500 bet. Huang then cranked it up to 4,500. Wang stuck around.

The two checked through the 2♣ turn to the A♦ river, where Huang checked and Wang fired 3,500. It was enough to force a fold from her opponent.

Before returning her cards to the dealer, Wang revealed rivered trip aces with her A♥ K♠, confirming there was no bluff in sight.

Wenjie Wang opened to 1,700 from middle position and picked up calls from both blinds, Changyong Yu and Zhengshi Wang.

Yu check-folded after the K♣ 6♦ Q♠ flop, leaving Zhengshi and Wenjie to battle it out. Zhengshi check-called Wenjie’s 1,200 continuation bet, then checked again on the T♠ turn. Wenjie kept up the pressure with a second barrel of 2,500, which Zhengshi also called.

The river brought the 8♦, and after another check from Zhengshi, Wenjie fired a final 4,000. This time it was enough as Zhengshi folded, conceding the pot.

Changyong Yu opened to 1,600 from middle position and Xiongwei Huang defended his big blind.

Both players checked through the 3♠ 3♥ 2♠ flop to see a J♣ fall on the turn, where was another check round.

When a board-pairing 2♣ filled out the board, Huang fired 4,000. It was good for the pot as Yu laid it down.

With roughly 11,500 in the middle, the dealer spread the K♥ 7♦ T♦ flop. Action checked through from Yang Yang under the gun, Chunguang Zhang in the hijack, and Yunlai Chen on the button.

Yang then fired out 4,000 when she saw the Q♥ turn, and only Chen dropped in the call.

The 5♠ rolled off on the river, and Yang shoved all in for around 25,000, sending her opponent into the tank. After burning two time bank cards, Chen eventually let go of his cards.

Yunlai Chen limped from early position and was joined by Yang Yang on the button, Jinguo Tao in the small blind, and Chunguang Zhang in the big blind.

There was a brief moment of confusion on the 3♠ T♥ 7♥ flop as players confirmed whether Zhang had checked, but once settled, Tao led out for 700, and only Chen called.

Both players took a cautious approach on the K♠ 6♣ runout, and Tao revealed 8♦ 7♠ to claim the pot.

Changyong Yu opened to 800 from early position and received a call from Jun Wei Sun in the cutoff, along with both blinds, Xiongwei Huang and Deen Sun, making it four to the flop.

The dealer spread 6♣ 8♠ 2♥, and all four players checked. The turn brought the J♥, and after checks from Huang and Sun, Yu fired 1,800 into the middle. Sun called, but Huang raised to 7,000, forcing both Yu and Sun to fold.

Sun went deep into the tank, burning through several timebanks before eventually shoving his remaining 13,000. Huang snap-called, and the cards went on their backs.

Jun Wei Sun: A♥ J♦

Xiongwei Huang: 8♣ 8♦

It was bad news for Sun, as Huang had flopped a set. The K♥ on the river changed nothing, sending Sun to the rail and pushing Huang’s stack even higher.

Wenjun He opened to 900 from under the gun and got herself two callers from the blinds: Yi Lu and Chunhao Zhang.

A flop came 7♦ 2♥ 9♥, and Lu checked to Zhang, who led out for 1,000. He and Lu stuck around.

The turn brought a 2♦, and action checked to Zhang again. He then fired out another barrel of 3,000, which He cranked it up to 7,000. Lu stepped aside, and He check-called.

When a 9♣ filled out the board, Zhang sent his third barrel, prompting a snap-fold from He.

With one of the signature team events of the series, Round 1 of the KRW 2,000,000 RD Expedition Club – Red Dragon Team Event, kicking off today at 12:00 p.m. local time inside the LES A Casino (formerly Landing Casino), the atmosphere is heating up quickly for the Jeju Poker Festival 2025, as only eight teams out of 36 will advance through Round 1 and Round 2 to survive the day.

Each team is made up of four players, including two new faces, as part of the event’s mandatory lineup rule. This unique structure challenges participants to compete both individually and cooperatively, as they aim not only for personal glory but also for their team’s survival. Contenders begin with a 20,000 starting stack and play through 15-minute levels in Round 1, with a 10-second shot clock in effect from the very start.

After Round 1 wraps up, Round 2 kicks off at 18:00 p.m. local time, ramping up the intensity with 10-minute levels that put every player’s decision-making and quick stack-building skills to the test.

Stay tuned to Somuchpoker as the Jeju Poker Festival 2025 unfolds today, promising electrifying action, dramatic moments, and unforgettable highlights all the way until the final four teams emerge and advance to Day 2.

Event starts 12:00 local time.