KPC High Roller (8,000,000 KRW)

After two days of intense action, Hong Kong’s Tsz Kin Heung emerged as the KPC High Roller champion, outlasting a field of 149 entrants (100 unique) to claim the KRW 260,680,000 (USD 182,565) top prize. The victory adds another strong result to Heung’s growing list of achievements, pushing his total live earnings past USD 1 million.

Ranked 29th on Hong Kong’s All-Time Money list, Heung is no stranger to high-stakes success. His win comes just months after finishing runner-up at the Triton One event here in Jeju. Abhijith Cheruku of India finished second for USD 119,055, marking his best live cash to date and taking his total live earnings beyond USD 300,000, while Quan Zhou, currently 4th on China’s All-Time Money list, claimed USD 78,435 for third place.

It was a measured and confident performance from Heung, who handled the final table with composure, surviving multiple all-in showdowns before sealing the win with pocket aces against Cheruku’s ace-eight.

The first three levels of Day 2 saw the field shrink from 49 to just 26 players in rapid succession, with the bubble arriving by Level 17. Yang Li, who began the day with 525,000, was absent for the early stages, and his stack steadily dwindled to around 180,000.

Punnat Punsri moved all in on the bubble, uncertain whether Li’s unattended hand was still in play. Thankfully for him, his ace-king held against Heung’s ten-seven, keeping him safely in the game.

Shortly after, Li returned just in time to shove his final 50,000 from under the gun. Both Joshua McCully and William Jia called and checked through the board, where McCully’s nine-deuce made two pair to send Li out as the bubble boy.

From 23 players down to the final nine, the field thinned quickly over the span of just three levels, roughly two hours of play. Cheruku scored a key knockout during this stretch when his ace-four flopped the nut straight, eliminating Hon Cheong Lee and boosting his stack at a crucial stage. Heung also picked up momentum after dispatching Iulian Blebea, whose pocket tens couldn’t hold against Heung’s nine-eight of diamonds, which completed a flush.

The final table bubble burst with the elimination of Yude Ma in 10th place. Ma, who began Day 2 sixth in chips with 1,260,000, saw his run end when his five-six offsuit lost to an opponent’s ace-queen, which paired on the board to seal his fate and lock in the final nine.

Quan Zhou entered the final table as the clear front-runner with 5,300,000. Indonesian veteran John Juanda found an early double through Heung when his pocket aces flopped a set. The first final table elimination came soon after, with Jinjiang Zhang’s ace-six unable to beat Peng Zhou’s ace-ten.

Benjamin Wu followed in eighth when his pocket tens fell to Guo Liang Wei’s queens. Juanda’s deep run ended in seventh as his queen-jack suited couldn’t find help against Wei’s ace-five, and Wei continued his strong form by knocking out Calvin Lee in sixth after flopping trip-tens, building his stack to a commanding 14,500,000.

Cheruku, who began the final table as the short stack with just 1,300,000, started his comeback with a double through Wei when his king-nine connected on the flop. A series of successful shoves helped him climb to around eight million. Momentum then shifted again as Wei, once in control, lost several key pots before bowing out in fifth when his ace-jack couldn’t top Heung’s pocket queens.

Four-handed play stretched across nearly three hours as the stacks evened out and players traded doubles. Eventually, short-stacked Peng Zhou moved all-in with king-four but couldn’t survive against Cheruku, who paired on the river to send him out in fourth. Moments later, Quan Zhou shoved and was called by Cheruku, who found another river pair, this time with a deuce, to eliminate Zhou in third and move into heads-up play with Heung.

Heads-up play began with both Heung and Cheruku remarkably even, each holding half the chips at 14,900,000. The battle was brief, lasting just a few hands. Heung edged ahead after taking down several small pots, then opened to 1,300,000 and quickly called when Cheruku moved all-in. Heung turned over pocket aces against Cheruku’s ace-eight, and the bullets held through the board to seal the victory and crown Heung as the KPC High Roller champion.

That concludes Somuchpoker's coverage of the KPC High Roller event. Come back tomorrow for more live coverage of the Jeju Poker Festival!

Tsz Kin Heung has been crowned the champion of the KPC High Roller Event after his bullets held against Abhijith Cheruku’s ace-eight to seal the title. Stay tuned for the full event recap coming shortly!

A few hands into heads-up play, Tsz Kin Heung edged ahead, taking a small chip lead.

After opening to 1,300,000, Heung quickly called when Abhijith Cheruku moved all in, and the crowd gathered to see if the High Roller would be decided right there.

Abhijith Cheruku: A♠ 8♦

Tsz Kin Heung: A♦ A♣

Cheruku faced a mountain to climb against Heung’s bullets and found no help on the K♥ J♥ 2♥ 3♠ Q♦ runout, bowing out in second place as Tsz Kin Heung was crowned the KPC High Roller champion.

Following the elimination of Quan Zhou, Abhijith Cheruku and Tsz Kin Heung are now heads-up for the KPC High Roller title. Remarkably, both start the battle with identical chip stacks:

Abhijith Cheruku shoved from the small blind, and Quan Zhou called to put himself at risk:

Quan Zhou: K♣ 6♥

Abhijith Cheruku: 5♥ 2♥

Disaster struck for Zhou on the river as Cheruku paired his deuce on the Q♥ Q♦ A♠ T♥ 2♣ board, sending Zhou out in 3rd place.

Small blind Peng Zhou got his ~1,100,000-chip stack into the middle, with big blind Abhijth Cheruku making the call:

Peng Zhou: Q♠ 2♥

Abhijith Cheruku: K♣ 4♥

Cheruku's king-high stayed ahead on the 3♣ 8♥ 6♦ 7♥ flop and turn, and then paired his four on the 4♠ river, sealing Zhou's elimination in 4th place.

Following Abhijith Cheruku’s double with pocket fours, UTG Tsz Kin Heung moved all in and big blind Quan Zhou called with the covering stack:

Tsz Kin Heung: 4♠ 4♣

Quan Zhou: A♠ Q♦

The same hand that worked for Cheruku moments earlier now did the same for Heung, as he doubled up with an ace-high flush on the 2♠ 2♣ 8♣ T♣ A♣ board.

Small blind Peng Zhou moved all in, and big blind Abhijith Cheruku went deep into the tank, using several minutes’ worth of timebanks before eventually tossing in the call:

Abhijith Cheruku: 4♠ 4♣

Peng Zhou: K♠ 7♥

Cheruku’s pocket fours held on the A♥ 5♥ 8♣ 3♣ 2♦ runout, securing a double through Zhou and establishing him as the new chip leader.

A short-stacked (~2,700,000) Tsz Kin Heung called small blind Quan Zhou’s shove, and they went to showdown:

Tsz Kin Heung: A♥ 3♣

Quan Zhou: J♥ 7♥

Heung stayed ahead with ace-high and a straight draw on the 5♣ 4♠ Q♣ flop, pairing his three on the river and securing a double through Zhou as the board ran out Q♠ 3♠.

UTG Quan Zhou moved all in for 4,900,000 and button Tsz Kin Heung called:

Quan Zhou: 5♣ 5♥

Tsz Kin Heung: A♥ Q♥

The 5♠ 2♦ 6♥ flop gave Zhou a comfortable lead, with the T♣ 9♦ runout securing him a full double through Heung.

Cutoff Peng Zhou raised to 600,000 and big blind Tsz Kin Heung made the call.

Heung check-called Zhou’s 450,000 bet on the T♥ T♣ 9♥ flop.

The same action followed on the 8♦ turn, this time for 800,000.

Heung checked a third time on the 5♠ river, and after using a timebank, Zhou fired 1,300,000 into the middle, prompting a quick fold from Heung.

On a board showing Q♠ Q♣ 4♣, short stack Quan Zhou moved all in for his last 1,575,000, and after a brief pause, Tsz Kin Heung made the call.

Quan Zhou: 4♦ 2♦

Tsz Kin Heung: A♠ T♠

Zhou improved to trips on the 9♥ 4♥ runout, scoring a crucial double through Heung to stay alive.

Abhijith Cheruku raised to 500,000 from the cutoff, and both blinds, Tsz Kin Heung and Peng Zhou, called.

Action checked through the J♣ Q♠ 6♣ Q♦ flop and turn.

On the K♣ river, Heung checked once more. Zhou fired 1,300,000, and only Cheruku called. Zhou tabled Q♣ 5♣ for a flush, and Cheruku’s cards hit the muck.

Button Tsz Kin Heung moved all in, and small blind Guoliang Wei called with a 5,400,000 short stack:

Guoliang Wei: A♦ J♦

Tsz Kin Heung: Q♥ Q♣

Heung’s ladies were good to him on the 4♠ T♠ T♥ 4♦ 5♥ runout, ending Wei’s run in 5th place.

Small blind Quan Zhou shoved with the covering stack of 6,800,000 and big blind Tsz Kin Heung called with 4,250,000:

Tsz Kin Heung: 8♥ 8♣

Quan Zhou: A♠ 8♦

Heung's snowmen didn't melt on the 3♣ Q♠ 7♦ K♣ T♠ runout, securing the full double through Zhou.

Over the last level, through a series of well-timed plays and well-judged shoves, Cheruku has built momentum and is now sitting behind a substantial stack.

Button Guoliang Wei raised to 450,000, and big blind Abhijith Cheruku called.

Cheruku check-shoved to 1,300,000 over Wei’s 300,000 bet on the K♦ Q♥ 8♦ flop. Wei called, and they went to showdown:

Abhijith Cheruku: K♦ 9♥

Guoliang Wei: Q♣ J♦

Cheruku was ahead with top pair and stayed there as the 5♥ T♠ completed the board, with Wei losing another chunk of chips and Cheruku securing the double.

Tsz Kin Heung moved all in for his last ~2,450,000 chips, and Guoliang Wei called once more, chasing another elimination:

Tsz Kin Heung: K♥ T♥

Guoliang Wei: J♦ J♥

A strong flop came for Heung, showing A♥ 6♥ K♠. The K♦ turn improved him to trips, and the Q♥ river gave him a flush, securing a crucial double through Wei.

Button Calvin Lee got his ~2,300,000 stack in against Guoliang Wei in the big blind, marking Wei’s third all-in battle in quick succession:

Calvin Lee: A♦ 6♦

Guoliang Wei: A♥ T♣

Disaster for Lee, who was out of his seat as the T♠ T♦ 3♣ flop hit the felt. The 8♣ Q♦ runout changed nothing, and he was sent out in 6th place.

Small blind Guoliang Wei moved all in against John Juanda in the big blind, marking Wei’s second all-in showdown in back-to-back hands:

John Juanda: Q♥ J♥

Guoliang Wei: A♠ 5♦

The 4♦ 7♠ K♦ 4♥ K♠ runout kept Wei’s ace-high kicker ahead, sending Juanda to the rail in 7th place.

UTG Benjamin Wu moved all in, and covering stack Guoliang Wei made the call:

Benjamin Wu: T♠ T♦

Guoliang Wei: Q♠ Q♥

Wu picked up a straight draw on the 7♣ 8♣ 9♥ flop but failed to complete it on the 4♥ 9♠ runout, sending him out in 8th place.

Button Benjamin Wu raised to 250,000 and was called by big blind Peng Zhou.

Zhou check-called Wu's 150,000 bet on the A♦ 7♣ 2♥ flop.

On the 9♣ turn, Zhou check-shoved when Wu bet 500,000, prompting a fold from Wu.

Jinjiang Zhang got his 815,000 short stack in against Peng Zhou, and they went to showdown:

Jinjiang Zhang: A♠ 6♠

Peng Zhou: A♥ T♣

Zhang failed to connect on the K♥ 2♠ 3♣ 9♠ 4♦ runout, sending him to the rail in 9th place.

John Juanda got his stack in against covering Tsz Kin Heung, and they went to showdown:

John Juanda: A♦ A♥

Tsz Kin Heung: 8♦ 8♥

Juanda couldn’t have asked for a better flop on the A♣ T♦ 6♣ board. To add insult to injury, Heung also made a set as the 2♠ 8♣ completed the board.

During the first few hands of the final table, Peng Zhou has been pretty active. In the first hand, he raised to 200,000 from middle position and received a call from big blind Tsz Kin Heung.

Heung check-called Zhou's 100,000 bet on the 9♥ J♠ K♣ flop.

On the J♣ turn, Heung led out for 225,000, prompting a fold from Zhou.

In the next hand, Zhou raised again to 200,000, finding a call from hijack Quan Zhou.

Peng check-called Quan's 280,000 bet on the 3♦ 4♣ 5♠ flop.

Both checked the T♥ turn and the 9♥ river, where Peng tabled 8♦ 8♣, good for the pot as Quan mucked.

Day 1 chip leader Quan Zhou has maintained his lead through Day 2 and into the final nine, holding a commanding stack of 5,300,000.

Yude Ma’s 6♣ 5♥ failed to connect when his opponent’s A♦ Q♣ paired on the A♣ 7♦ 6♦ 4♠ 4♦ board, eliminating him in 10th place and officially taking play to the final nine.

William Jia was all in against Calvin Lee:

William Jia: K♥ 8♥

Calvin Lee: A♥ 8♣

Lee's ace-high held on the 7♥ 3♥ J♠ 9♦ J♣ runout, ending Jia's run.

At the same table a few hands later, Iulian Blebea's pocket tens fell to Tsz Kin Keung's 9♦ 8♦ when the 7♦ 3♦ 5♣ 4♦ 7♠ runout gave him a flush.

Hand 1

Cutoff Quan Zhou raised to 175,000, then folded to button Peng Zhou’s 440,000 three-bet.

Hand 2

Hijack Chuning Tan raised to 260,000, then moved all in after Peng Zhou three-bet to 400,000. Zhou made the call:

Chuning Tan: Q♠ Q♣

Peng Zhou: A♣ 2♥

Tan’s queens were looking good for a double, but the A♠ 5♠ T♣ flop changed that quickly. He was out of his seat and eliminated in 13th place as the 7♥ T♠ completed the board.

Hand 3

UTG Guoliang Wei raised to 175,000, with folds around the table.

Hand 4

Hijack Peng Zhou raised to 160,000, with folds around the table.

Hand 5

Small blind Wei limped in, then folded when big blind Quan Zhou moved all in. Zhou showed A♦ 9♥ as he collected the pot.

Hand 6

Jinjiang Zhang limped from early position and called when button Wei shoved for around 800,000:

Guoliang Wei: A♥ 7♥

Jinjiang Zhang: K♥ K♦

Wei caught a strong start, pairing his ace on the A♣ 4♥ Q♥ flop and improving to a flush as the 9♦ T♥ completed the board, securing a double through Zhang.

Hand 7

UTG Yude Ma raised to 160,000, with folds around the table.

Small blind Calvin Lee limped in, then called when big blind Abhijith Cheruku raised to 225,000.

Lee check-called Cheruku's 175,000 bet on the 5♠ J♠ A♥ flop.

Action repeated on the 2♦ turn, this time for 550,000.

Both checked the T♥ river, with Lee tabling Q♠ 7♠ for a missed flush draw, losing out to Cheruku’s top pair A♠ Q♦.

Cutoff Xiaochun Shi got his short stack in, and small blind Calvin Lee made the call:

Xiaochun Shi: J♣ 3♣

Calvin Lee: Q♣ Q♠

Despite finding a jack on the 6♣ 8♥ J♥ flop and picking up a backdoor flush draw, Lee’s queens held through the 2♠ 2♥ runout, eliminating Shi and adding a modest boost to Lee’s stack.

Small blind Abhijith Cheruku moved all in, and Hon Cheong Lee called in the big blind, putting himself at risk:

Hon Cheong Lee: A♥ Q♣

Abhijith Cheruku: A♦ 4♥

Lee looked set for a double preflop, but when the dealer fanned 2♠ 3♠ 5♥, giving Cheruku the nut straight, he rose from his seat with a mix of shock and amusement at the table.

The 9♣ K♣ runout changed nothing, and he was eliminated.

After being absent for the first three levels of play, Yang Li arrived on the bubble to find his stack reduced from 180,000 to 50,000. After folding hand after hand, the action got around to him and he shoved from under the gun. Small blind William Jia and Joshua McCully called, checking through the 5♥ 2♠ 9♦ 7♠ 6♠ runout.

"I have a good hand," McCully quipped.

The floor asked them to turn over their cards:

Yang Li: K♠ 2♥

William Jia: 9♠ 2♣

Joshua McCully: 9♠ 7♦

Both covering stacks made two pair, officially eliminating Li as the KPC High Roller bubble boy.

John Juanda shoved for around 275,000 and Abhijith Cheruku called. Before the floor came over, they were discussing their hands.

"You have this card?" Juanda asked, showing Cheruku an ace.

"Yes," Cheruku said.

"That's good for me. Good equity." The floor then came over and asked them to reveal their hands:

John Juanda: A♠ J♠

Abhijith Cheruku: A♣ 6♥

The board ran well for Juanda, coming 9♣ J♣ Q♦ J♦ 5♠, securing a full double.

Not realizing that short-stacked Yang Li hadn't turned up yet and would likely be blinded out as the bubble approached, Punnat Punsri got his stack in against Tsz Kin Heung, and they went to showdown.

"Oh, he's not here?! Fold!!" he joked, as they revealed their hands:

Punnat Punsri: A♣ K♦

Tsz Kin Heung: T♥ 7♥

Punsri's Big Slick kept him in the game, narrowly avoiding draws from Heung when the board ran out 5♣ 5♥ 6♥ 9♦ 4♠.

With 24 players remaining, hand-for-hand play has now started.

On a board reading J♣ 2♣ J♠ 2♠, big blind Peng Zhou had check-raised button Yanghao Fu's 425,000 bet to put him all in. With 25 players still remaining on the soft bubble, he mulled over the decision for some time before eventually putting in the call:

Yanghao Fu: 9♦ 9♠

Peng Zhou: J♥ 7♥

The 2♦ completed the board, improving Zhou to a full house but sending Fu out in 25th place.

With only 25 players left and 23 spots paying, these players narrowly missed out on a cash in the KPC High Roller Event.

Day 2 of the KPC High Roller is set to get underway at 1 p.m. local time inside Les A Casino, where 41 players return to chase the title. With registration now closed, the prize pool has been confirmed at KRW 1,052,180,000 (~USD 726,800), and just 23 players will make the money.

Leading the way is China’s Quan Zhou, who bagged 2,090,000 after a composed and consistent showing on Day 1. The remaining field is packed with experience and proven talent, setting the stage for another competitive day of play.

Action resumes at Level 13 with blinds at 10,000/20,000/20,000 and 40-minute levels. Stay tuned right here at Somuchpoker as we play down to a champion in Jeju.