Red Dragon Championship (2,500,000 KRW)

Just nine players remain from a total entry field of 1,108 in the Red Dragon Championship, the marquee event of the Jeju Poker Festival 2025 at Les A Casino in Jeju, South Korea. Each finalist has navigated a gauntlet of five starting flights and two full days of play to earn their seat at tomorrow’s final table, where the champion will be decided.

Leading the charge is China’s Xiao Zhang, who will take a commanding 8,675,000-chip stack into the finale. Zhang, who narrowly missed out on the Day 1b chip lead (trailing by around 30,000 to 32nd-place casher Tao Li) started the day low in the counts with just 615,000.

Zhang’s comeback began early, securing a crucial double when his pocket nines held against Hung-Chen Chen’s ace-jack. From that point, he steadily built his stack, winning pot after pot, and earned one of his biggest boosts of the day when he eliminated Binbin Wu in 13th, who shoved pocket aces into Zhang’s turned straight. Zhang carried that momentum all the way through to bagging at the end of the day.

Ranking second in the counts heading into tomorrow’s battle is another Chinese contender, Tai Min Tian, with 6,350,000 in chips. Tian, whose total live earnings currently sit at just over USD 17,000, has already guaranteed himself USD 20,875 for reaching the final nine, more than doubling his career total. With a strong stack and a healthy dose of confidence, he’ll be aiming to turn this deep run into a podium finish tomorrow.

Rounding out the top three and completing the Chinese trio is Yang Yang, the last female representative in the Red Dragon Championship. Yang began the day with the sixth-lowest chip stack, proving that all you need is a chip, a chair, and sharp instincts to thrive in tournament poker. Shortly after the dinner break, she scored a crucial elimination when she called off Zhaoxi Ma’s three-bet shove, dominating with ace-queen against ace-jack. Her hand held firm to send Ma out in 11th place, giving Yang a timely boost to her stack and keeping her hopes alive heading into the final day.

Just missing out on the final table spotlight was Chuer Ni, who spent much of the day personally thinning down the field. Starting with one of the larger stacks at 1,615,000, she scored an early knockout against Ngoc Huyen Quach when her ace-ten turned a straight to crack pocket tens. The hand also earned her a healthy side pot from Zehao Li, who folded after two streets of pressure.

Ni’s momentum continued as she eliminated Trung Hieu Nguyen, her pocket queens finding another lady on the flop to overcome Nguyen’s pocket kings. After taking a third player later in the day, her run finally came to an end when her pocket eights lost to Florian Duta’s queen-ten, as Duta paired his queen on the turn to send her out in tenth place, officially setting the stage for the final nine.

All players have locked up at least USD 20,875 for their efforts, but every eye will be on the top prize of USD 259,980, along with the Red Dragon Championship Trophy and the bragging rights that comes with claiming one of Asia’s most iconic titles.

Play resumes at 12:00 p.m. local time, with the action livestreamed from the start. Live updates will continue throughout the day until a winner is crowned. Stay tuned to Somuchpoker to find out who will lift the trophy and become the next Red Dragon champion.

Day 3 of the Red Dragon Championship has officially wrapped up. The field has been narrowed down to the final table, and the remaining contenders are now one step away from glory.

Stay tuned for the full recap, hand highlights, and the official final table chip counts coming up next.

With ten players remaining and one elimination away from the final table, action folds to the button where Chuer Ni shoves for 905,000. In the big blind, Florian Duta makes the call to put her at risk.

Chuer Ni: 8♥ 8♠

Florian Duta: Q♥ T♥

Ni is ahead before the flop 5♦ 4♠ 2♠ and stays safe through the first three cards, but the turn Q♦ brings a top pair for Duta, flipping the script and leaving Ni with just two outs. The river J♦ bricks out, sending Ni to the rail in 10th place. Duta claims the pot and officially locks in the Red Dragon Championship Final Table lineup.

Just moments after returning from the dinner break, action heats up fast. On only the second hand back, Yang Yang opens to 300,000, and from the big blind, Zhaoxi Ma moves all in for 2,300,000. Without hesitation, Yang snap calls to put Ma at risk.

Zhaoxi Ma: A♠ J♣

Yang Yang: A♦ Q♣

Ma is dominated from the start and needs a jack to survive. The board K♠ 8♣ 3♠ 9♦ 6♦ runs out clean for Yang, offering Ma no help at any street. In a quick and unfortunate turn of events, Ma is eliminated in 11th place, ending his deep run just two hands into the restart.

The remaining 11 players are now back from the dinner break and ready to resume the action. Play will continue tonight until the field is down to the final nine players.

Players are now on their scheduled 60-min dinner break. Play will resume shortly.

On a board showing 5♣ J♣ 7♥ 6♦ and around 1,500,000 in the middle, big blind Xiao Zhang shoved after Binbin Wu raised him from 525,000 to 1,300,000. Wu made the call to put himself at risk:

Binbin Wu: A♦ A♥

Xiao Zhang: 9♦ 8♥

Disaster for Wu, as Zhang had turned a straight, and he was already gathering his belongings by the time the 4♦ hit the river.

UTG Zehao Li opens to 200,000, and from the hijack, Feng Xiao 3-bets to 700,000. Li wastes no time and announces a 4-bet shove. Xiao makes the call for his remaining 1,300,000, and the cards go on their backs.

Feng Xiao: K♥ Q♣

Zehao Li: Q♠ Q♥

Xiao is in trouble with only three outs to survive, but the board A♥ 2♠ 6♦ 9♣ T♥ runs clean for Li. No king appears, and Xiao’s deep run comes to an end in 14th place.

Small blind Ivan Karatayeu and big blind Arkadii Okulov got all their chips in preflop, with Okulov at risk with only 475,000:

Arkadii Okulov: K♥ 6♣

Ivan Karatayeu: Q♠ 8♦

Disaster for Okulov as Karatayeu paired twice on the 8♠ 9♣ Q♣ flop. Okulov still had backdoor flush outs, but the 3♣ K♠ runout offered no help, sending him out in 15th place and giving Karatayeu a healthy boost to his stack.

Facing an early position raise, Huan Li 3-bet shoves from the button for 1,450,000. In the big blind, Taimin Tian quickly announces all in for 2,225,000, forcing the initial raiser to fold and setting up a heads-up showdown.

Huan Li: 4♣ 4♠

Taimin Tian: 9♥ 9♦

Tian’s pocket nines dominate Li’s small pair, and the flop A♦ T♦ 9♣ seals it as Tian spikes a set, leaving Li almost drawing dead. With no miracle runner-runner, the turn 8♠ and river 3♦ change nothing, and Li exits the tournament in 16th place.

Binbin Wu shoved from middle position, and hijack Jinguo Tao called to put himself at risk:

Jinguo Tao: A♦ A♥

Binbin Wu: A♣ K♠

Tao’s bullets held firm despite Wu pairing his king on the 5♠ 4♦ K♥ flop, with the 6♦ 5♣ runout securing Tao the double through Wu.

Players are now on their second scheduled 15-minute break. During this pause in the action, tournament staff will conduct a chip race to remove the 5,000-denomination chips from play.

UTG Zhaoxi Ma opens to 160,000 and calls the 3-bet of Florian Duta from the small blind worth 560,000. Duta fires a 375,000 continuation bet on the flop 4♥ 3♥ 3♣ , which Ma calls.

On the turn 8♣ , Duta keeps the pressure on with a 750,000 bet, but Ma takes his time, using two time banks before moving all in for 1,765,000. With the clock ticking down, Duta eventually lays it down, conceding the pot to Ma, who scoops up a big one to climb back into contention.

Action folds to the button where Zehao Li opens to 160,000. In the small blind, Florian Duta responds with a 3-bet to 560,000. Li isn’t backing down and comes back with a 4-bet to 1,200,000.

Duta takes a moment, then moves all in for 3,230,000. After a long tank, Li eventually lays it down, giving Duta the pot and a momentum boost.

Cutoff Florian Duta opens and calls the 3-bet shove of Mengqin Wu from the small blind for 590,000.

Mengqin Wu: A♠ T♠

Florian Duta: 8♥ 8♦

It’s a classic race for Wu’s tournament life. Wu pairs her ten on the flop T♦ 9♦ 8♣ , but Duta hits bottom set at the same time. Wu gains a brief glimmer of hope for a possible chop on the turn J♠ , yet the river 9♠ seals her fate as Duta improves to a full house. Wu’s deep run ends in 17th place.

Small blind Zehao Li limped, and Florian Duta checked in the big blind.

On the A♦ K♠ J♦ flop, Li fired 80,000 into the middle, with Duta sticking around for the call.

The 8♥ landed on the turn, and Li raised to 200,000. Duta thought for a moment before flicking his cards back to the dealer.

Cutoff Ding Biao raised to 120,000 and was three-bet shoved by button and covering stack Jinguo Tao. It folded around to Biao who stuck in the call:

Ding Biao: A♦ Q♦

Jinguo Tao: 9♦ 9♥

Tao's nines were ahead as the king-studded K♦ K♣ K♠ flop fell, giving him a boat. No ace or queen came to save Biao on the 4♠ 5♦ runout, and he was eliminated in 18th place.

Facing an early position raise, Feng Xiao 3-bet shoves for 870,000 from the cutoff. On his left, Hung Chen Chen moves all in over the top, forcing the initial raiser to fold.

Feng Xiao: 8♥ 8♣

Hung Chen Chen: A♠ Q♣

It’s a classic race, but Xiao’s pocket eights hold firm through the board J♣ 3♣ 9♠ 7♥ 8♠ and even improve to a set on the river, earning him a crucial double-up.

Zhehao Li raised to 120,000 and was called by Zhaoxi Ma a couple of seats over.

On the Q♦ 9♦ 8♥ flop, Ma check-folded when Li fired 80,000 into the middle.

In the next hand, button Florian Duta raised to 120,000 and called Ma's 360,000 three-bet.

The dealer laid out the A♦ 6♠ 8♠ flop, and Ma continued the aggression, firing 225,000 into the middle. Duta took a moment before sending his cards back to the dealer.

The last two Taiwanese players clash, and only one survives.

From the button, Hung Chen Chen moves all in for 870,000, and in the big blind, Chieh Chih Weng calls for her remaining 600,000.

Chieh Chih Weng: A♥ 4♥

Hung Chen Chen: 8♠ 8♦

Weng pairs her four on the flop J♣ 9♥ 4♣ to spark some hope, but the turn 3♣ and river 5♣ offer no further help. Chen’s pocket eights hold firm, sending Weng to the rail and leaving Chen as the last Taiwanese standing.

Hijack Zehao Li opens to 120,000, and on his left, Yamada Kozo makes the call to see the flop A♣ 6♠ 2♦ . Li fires an 80,000 continuation bet, then calls Kozo’s raise to 220,000.

Both players slow down on the turn J♣ and check to see the river J♥ . Li leads again for 350,000, only to snap-call when Kozo shoves for 810,000.

Yamada Kozo: K♥ J♦

Zehao Li: 6♥ 6♦

Kozo hits runner-runner trips but runs straight into Li’s full house, leaving him drawing dead on the turn. The Day 2 chip leader’s deep run comes to an end as Kozo bows out in 20th place.

UTG +1 Xiao Zhang opens to 500,000, leaving just 50,000 behind. On the button, Hung Chen Chen raises to 1,000,000, and Zhang makes the call to put himself all in.

Xiao Zhang: 9♠ 9♥

Hung Chen Chen: A♠ J♠

It’s a classic flip for Zhang’s tournament life, and his pocket nines hold strong through the board T♥ 5♥ 4♣ T♣ 7♥ , earning him a crucial double-up to stay in the game.

Small blind Chao Li limped in and Chien-Chih Weng checked from the big blind.

Li fired 60,000 on the T♣ 4♣ 5♣ flop and Weng folded instantly.

In the next hand, button Li raised to 120,000 and was called by big blind Jinguo Tao.

Tao check-raised when Li bet 110,000 up to 320,000 on the 2♠ 9♦ Q♠ flop. Li thought for a moment before folding, conceding the pot

On the very first hand after the break, Qingbo Gao moves all in for around 800,000 and gets a call from Abhijith Cheruku on his right.

Qingbo Gao: J♦ J♥

Abhijith Cheruku: A♦ T♣

Gao smashes the flop Q♣ J♠ 6♣ with a set of jacks, but Cheruku picks up a gutshot draw. The turn 4♥ changes nothing, leaving Cheruku needing one of four outs. Then the river K♣ lands perfectly to complete Cheruku's straight, sending Gao to the rail as the table erupts in disbelief.

Players are now on their first scheduled 15-minute break.

After getting an earlier shove through, Yamada Kozo moved all in again from the hijack, and this time button Chen Chen called, unwilling to let him get away with it twice:

Yamada Kozo: 5♣ 5♠

Chen Chen: 8♥ 8♦

The K♥ A♦ Q♦ K♦ runout looked grim for Kozo, who was all but out the door, until the 5♥ landed on the river to give him a full house and leave Chen severely short-stacked.

Early position Haibin Yan, down to just 400,000, moves all in and almost gets away with stealing the blinds until Chuer Ni makes the call.

Haibin Yan: K♠ J♣

Chuer Ni: A♠ 5♦

Yan has two live cards but can’t find any help on the board 5♥ 2♠ 4♥ 7♠ A♥ . Ni’s ace high holds, sending yet another player to the rail as she continues her knockout streak.

Following the elimination of Han Xiao at the feature table, just 24 players now remain. Below is the three table redraw:

All the chips go in preflop on the feature table as Han Xiao shoves for 1,600,000 and gets called by Abhijith Cheruku.

Han Xiao: A♦ Q♣

Abhijith Cheruku: A♥ K♥

Xiao is dominated before the flop K♠ Q♠ 3♥ but finds some hope when a queen lands on the board, only for Cheruku to hit a king at the same time. Down to just two outs, Xiao finds no miracle on the turn A♣ or river 3♦ and exits in 25th place. The field now redraws for the final three tables.

Hijack Jinlin Shi opens to 100,000, and action folds to the small blind where Ivan Karatayeu fires back with a 3-bet to 365,000. Shi takes a moment, burns a time bank, then announces a 4-bet to 900,000. Karatayeu pauses, uses his own time bank, and then moves all in. Shi snap calls for his remaining 1,700,000 total, and the cards are revealed.

Jinlin Shi: A♣ K♠

Ivan Karatayeu: K♥ K♣

It’s a classic cooler as Big Slick runs into pocket kings. The board 2♣ 5♣ T♠ 6♠ 4♦ runs clean, keeping Karatayeu’s kings intact as he scoops another monster pot to extend his already massive chip lead.

In the first hand, under the gun Hung-Chen Chen raised to 100,000 only to be three-bet by Ivan Karatayeu in the hijack. Chen thought on it for a moment before eventually sticking in the call.

The dealer fanned A♠ 7♦ Q♥ for the flop and Chen checked; Karatayeu slid out 125,000 to a swift fold from Chen.

In the second hand, Karatayeu raised to 100,000 from middle position and Chen made the call from the big blind.

4♠ 4♦ 3♣ landed on the flop and Chen carefully counted out 180,000 and placed it into the middle; Karatayeu used a timebank before ultimately deciding on a fold.

Cutoff Binbin Wu min-raised, then called when small blind Chung-Tang Lin three-bet shoved for around 400,000:

Chung-Tang Lin: 8♥ 8♠

Binbin Wu: A♥ T♠

Lin’s snowmen melted as the Q♣ J♠ 5♣ K♥ J♥ runout gave Wu a straight, sending Lin to the rail.

After eliminating Vietnamese poker influencer Gemmy, the last remaining Vietnamese player in the field, Trung Hieu Nguyen, also meets his end at the hands of Chuer Ni in a brutal bad beat.

Action begins with Nguyen opening, then 4-bet shoving for 1,490,000 after Ni 3-bets to 250,000. Ni snap-calls, setting up a massive 3 million pot.

Trung Hieu Nguyen: K♥ K♠

Chuer Ni: Q♠ Q♥

Nguyen has Ni dominated, but fate takes a cruel turn as the flop Q♦ 9♦ 6♦ delivers one of Ni’s two outs, giving her top set. The table erupts in disbelief. The turn 2♠ and river T♦ bring no help for Nguyen, who can only smile and say, “Nice hand,” as Ni apologetically replies, “Sorry for the bad beat.”

Hand 1

Zehao Li raised to 80,000 from the button, then folded when big blind Roman Hrabec three-bet to 300,000.

Hand 2

Tao Li raised to 80,000 from under the gun, then called Jinguo Tao’s three-bet shove for 410,000:

Jinguo Tao: A♣ K♥

Tao Li: A♥ J♦

Tao’s Big Slick held on the 9♦ 2♦ 9♥ 4♠ 6♣ runout, giving him a double through Li.

Hand 3

Jinguo Tao raised to 80,000 from early position, and cutoff Abhijith Cheruku three-bet to 200,000. Big blind Wei Liu then four-bet, but there was some confusion over whether Cheruku had moved all in or simply raised. Liu moved all in regardless, and Cheruku made the call once Tao got out of the way:

Wei Liu: A♣ K♦

Abhijith Cheruku: J♣ J♥

Liu had less luck with Big Slick, as Cheruku’s jacks held on the T♣ 2♥ 2♠ T♦ 2♦ board, giving Cheruku the superior full house and sending Liu to the rail.

Hand 4

Zehao Li raised to 80,000 and took it down uncontested.

Hand 5

Zehao Li raised to 80,000 from under the gun, and Chuer Ni called from the button. Big blind Ngoc Huyen Quach then three-bet shoved, saying “It’s time to triple up!” Both Li and Ni called with covering stacks,

creating a side pot.

On the Q♥ 5♦ J♣ flop, Li check-called Ni’s 200,000 bet.

Action repeated on the K♥ turn, this time for 300,000.

The 8♦ completed the board and Li checked again. Ni shoved her remaining stack, and Li folded quickly.

The cards were revealed:

Ngoc Huyen Quach: T♣ T♦

Chuer Ni: A♣ T♠

Ni’s turned straight not only knocked out Quach but gave her a massive boost to her stack as she raked in the mountain of chips.

After Quach’s elimination with 32 players remaining, the table broke.

UTG +1 Jin Wang opens and the cutoff calls before button Jinguo Tao shoves for 480,000. Wang uses one time bank then pushes all in, forcing the cutoff out of the way to set up a heads-up showdown.

Jinguo Tao: A♦ Q♣

Jin Wang: K♦ Q♦

Tao has Wang dominated and strengthens his lead immediately by flopping A♣ 6♠ 6♣ top two pair. The turn 4♠ seals the deal, leaving Wang drawing dead as the river 3♥ falls harmlessly. The Baby Dragon Champion scores a much-needed double to stay in contention.

Action folds around to the small blind, where Mengqin Wu shoves all in. Big blind Qiangqiang Lyu makes the call for his remaining 210,000, and the cards go on their backs.

Qiangqiang Lyu: A♣ T♦

Mengqin Wu: A♦ K♠

Lyu finds himself dominated and in trouble. The board 7♥ 2♣ 2♥ 4♠ 8♣ runs out clean for Wu, sealing Lyu’s fate as one of the early casualties of Day 3.

UTG Chen Chen opens and picks up one caller before big blind Ivan Karatayeu comes along for the ride. The flop Q♠ 5♠ 3♦ goes three-way and checks through, keeping the pot modest.

When the turn 2♦ hits, Chen takes a stab for 105,000, but the massive chip leader Karatayeu springs into action with a sharp check-raise to 385,000. Chen quickly surrenders as Karatayeu flexes his stack early

The cards are in the air and the hunt for the Red Dragon title is underway here at Les A Casino (formerly Landing Casino) inside Jeju Shinhwa World. Blinds open at Level 23 (20,000/40,000) with 60-minute levels, and players will battle through until the final table hit.

Day 3 of the Red Dragon Championship kicks off at 12:00 p.m. local time, with just 36 players remaining from the massive 1,108-entry field. Each player now has their eyes set on a seat at the final table and a shot at the title.

Leading the pack is Belarus’ Ivan Karatayeu, who ended Day 2 with an impressive 4,435,000 in chips. Starting the day with just 257,000, Karatayeu built his stack steadily before surging ahead in the final levels to bag the overnight lead.

Play resumes at Level 23 (20,000/40,000/40,000) with 60-minute levels, and the plan for the day is to play down to the final nine contenders who will return tomorrow to battle for the Red Dragon Championship trophy.