Red Dragon Championship (2,500,000 KRW)

The action has just concluded on one of the last hallmark events of the Jeju Poker Festival 2025. The Red Dragon Championship, spanning five days and attracting the most elite talent from across the globe, including WPT ambassador Patrik Antonius, has reached its dramatic finale here within the walls of Les A Casino in Jeju, South Korea.

Lifting the winner’s mantle and taking home a very handsome KRW 378,510,000 (~USD 360,000) payday is China’s Xiao Zhang. Not much is known about Zhang’s previous tournament history, but this win will be etched into the history books forever. Proving himself as one of Asia’s poker elite, he outlasted a field of more than 1,100 entrants, showing extraordinary skill, wit, and endurance across five gruelling days to come out on top.

Zhang’s Red Dragon Championship journey began on Day 1b, where he wasted no time showcasing his talent, ending the day second in chips. He carried that form into Day 2, starting comfortably near the top of the roster but still having to display his skill as the field was trimmed from 304 down to 36 players surviving into Day 3. Starting near the bottom of the counts, Zhang navigated an incredibly tough field during Day 3 with patience and precision, steadily building his stack until he emerged as the chip leader once the final table was set.

Taking second place for his impressive deep run, and cashing an equally-impressive KRW 257,520,000 (~USD 176,880), is China’s Tai Min Tian. This is not only his best-ever result, surpassing a third-place finish at APT Incheon a few weeks ago, but it also boosts his all-time live earnings by a factor of 10 to over USD 200,000.

Tian started Day 1d with an average stack and steadily climbed the counts, finishing Day 2 fifth in chips. Despite a relatively modest track record, he showed no signs of inexperience on Day 3, quickly building his stack. A key moment came when his flopped set of nines eliminated Huan Li in 16th place, giving him a virtual double-up. He continued adding to his stack throughout the day and ended as the second-largest stack at the final table.

Rounding out the podium, representing the ladies and giving a clean sweep to the Chinese is Yang Yang. A clear frontrunner for the win throughout a lot of the final table, Yang first made an impression on the Red Dragon Championship field when she popped the bubble during Day 2. Wenjie Sun open-shoved from the hijack with pocket aces and Yang called it off with a dominating stack holding ace-three. It looked like it would simply be a double for Sun, but Yang's ace of spades, combined with an all-spade flop, caused chaos as the queen of spades landed on the river, eliminating Sun and engraving her in the field as someone not to be messed with.

The final table kicked off at midday local time, with some of the most elite players from across the globe seated across from each other, all battling for one of the most prestigious titles on the Asian circuit calendar. Any advantage going into the battle would be fully utilised and leveraged.

Zhang started the day with an over 4:1 chip advantage over the lowest stack, Hung-Chen Chen, who had just over 2,000,000 in chips. Tian started the day around 2,000,000 behind Zhang. After a cautious first few hands, which included a chopped pot for both Zhang and Abhijith Cheruku holding ace-jack, the heat turned up with the first elimination. After getting somewhat pushed around for a few hands, Florian Duta and his dwindling stack went all-in against Jinguo Tao, who just happened to wake up with pocket aces. Tao’s hand held, sending Duta out in ninth place.

Zhang started getting more active in the pots, receiving an excellent payoff when he sniffed out Cheruku's bluff and took down a healthy pot with his rivered straight. Yang then began to throw her weight around and establish herself as the table chip leader, securing her position at the top when she sent Chen out in eighth. Chen jammed his pocket sevens into her aces, which held firm on the board.

From there, Cheruku tangled with tournament danger several times, winning multiple key double-ups to keep himself in the game, despite dropping to critical chip counts on more than one occasion. A flush on the board provided a chop for Zhang and Cheruku, keeping him at the table when his king-jack would have otherwise fallen to Zhang's Big Slick.

Yang made a point of showing the table who the boss was on multiple occasions during the day. Her elimination of Tao in seventh, where her pocket queens held against Tao's ten-eight suited, was just another one of those moments. It also kept building her stack and putting distance between her and the rest of the pack. Shortly after, Zehao Li dispatched the last remaining European at the table, Ivan Karatayeu, when his ace-eight fell to Li's pocket threes.

Cheruku's luck finally ran out after losing a key pot to Tian during the last hand of Level 32, when Tian's ace-queen connected on the flop to best Cheruku's king-ten, leaving him just 2.5 big blinds to work with. After the break, he shoved with ace-four and failed to overcome Li's pocket fours, ending his tournament run in fifth place.

By the time there were four players remaining, the stacks had somewhat evened out, with just a few million in chips separating them. That balance swung in Yang's favour once again when she dispatched Li in dramatic fashion. Li shoved his two pair into her rivered flush, taking him out in fourth and almost doubling her stack, giving her a huge advantage over the remaining two opponents.

Despite enjoying the lead for much of the day, much of the three-handed play saw Yang's chips chipped away. A key moment came when Tian stood up to the relentless aggression Yang had been showing all day. His jack-five flopped two pair and called off a big river bluff from Yang, vaulting Tian into the lead and abruptly stopping Yang's momentum. She was later sent to the rail in third place when she got her six-million-chip short stack in with pocket tens against Tian, whose king-jack connected with two pair on the flop. She failed to improve, and play moved to heads-up.

With multiple eliminations under his belt, the most recent being Yang, Tian entered heads-up play with an almost 5:1 chip advantage. The first hand looked like it might be over when Zhang shoved his ten-nine suited straight into Tian's kings, but a turned two-pair shifted the momentum, levelling the stacks slightly and changing the course of the game.

Zhang was a man who could not be stopped from there. Whether holding the better cards or not, he was simply locked in, winning pot after pot, grinding away at Tian until he finally took the chip lead with a well-timed check-raise on the flop, forcing Tian to fold.

The battle continued with Zhang steadily building his stack, chip by chip, until a flush over flush and a large river bet paid off, leaving Tian just over 3 million behind. A few hands later, Zhang moved all in with jack-eight, which held against Tian's jack-six, officially bringing the event to its conclusion.

That concludes Somuchpoker's coverage for the Red Dragon Championship. Stay tuned for more information on this series plus more live coverage in the future!

After his jack-eight held against Tai Min Tian's jack-six, Xiao Zhang has officially been crowned the Jeju Poker Festival 2025 Red Dragon Champion. For his victory, he takes home the two prestigious Red Dragon Trophies, approximately USD 260,000, and a host of RDPT benefits for use in future series. Stay tuned for a full recap of the final day’s action.

Button Xiao Zhang moved all in for 41,000,000, and big blind Tai Min Tian snap-called.

Tai Min Tian: J♠ 6♠

Xiao Zhang: J♥ 8♦

Tian was dominated, and the 5♠ 4♥ 4♣ Q♥ 2♦ board changed nothing, keeping Zhang’s higher kicker in front. With that, Tian bowed out as the runner-up, and Xiao Zhang was officially crowned the Red Dragon Champion.

Button Tai Min Tian limped in and Xiao Zhang checked in the big blind.

Action checked through the 2♠ 3♠ 9♠ flop to the 8♥ turn where Tian called Zhang's 800,000 bet.

The 4♠ landed on the river and Zhang fired 3,800,000, Tian put in the call to see him table K♠ 5♣, beating out his own flush of T♠ 8♣.

Tian is now severely short stacked.

Tai Min Tian limped in and Xiao Zhang checked.

Action checked on the A♥ 9♦ 8♦ flop to the 3♠ turn, where Zhang led out for 800,000 and Tian made the call.

Both players checked the K♠ river, with Zhang tabling 4♦ 3♦ for bottom pair, enough to beat Tian's Q♣ 7♦ for queen-high.

Button Tai Min Tian limped in and Xiao Zhang checked his option.

Tian led for 500,000 on the J♥ 7♣ K♦ flop, but Zhang check-raised to 2,000,000. Tian looked deflated as he faced the raise and eventually let his hand go.

With the pot sliding his way, Zhang picked up some momentum and moved slightly ahead for the first time in the heads-up match.

Button Xiao Zhang moved all in for his remaining 8,500,000 and was quickly called by Tai Min Tian.

Xiao Zhang: T♣ 9♣

Tai Min Tian: K♦ K♣

Zhang was in trouble, running his suited ten-nine into Tian’s kings, and it looked like the title might be decided right there. The flop brought some hope with 9♦ 7♥ J♣, giving Zhang a pair and an open-ended straight draw.

The T♥ on the turn improved Zhang to two pair, vaulting him into the lead, and the 4♣ river kept him there for a much-needed double, narrowing the gap and slightly levelling the heads-up battle.

Play is now heads-up between Tai Min Tian and Xiao Zhang. Here’s how the stacks look as they battle for the Red Dragon Championship title:

After slipping down to the short stack, Yang Yang snap-called from the big blind when small blind Tai Min Tian shoved for 29,000,000:

Yang Yang: T♥ T♣

Tai Min Tian: K♠ Q♣

Disaster struck for Yang, once the dominant chip leader, as Tian paired his king on the J♣ 6♦ K♥ flop. The 7♥ 6♣ runout brought no help, ending Yang’s impressive run in third place and setting up the final heads-up duel between Tian and Xiao Zhang.

Tai Min Tian limped from the small blind and Yang Yang checked her option.

On the 2♣ 5♥ J♠ flop, Tian led out for 400,000 and Yang made the call.

Tian fired again for 1,000,000 on the 4♠ turn, and Yang quickly called once more.

The 9♥ completed the board, and Tian bet 2,500,000. Yang paused, asked for a count of the pot, then raised to 8,500,000. Tian checked his cards briefly before making the call.

Tian revealed J♣ 5♣ for two pair, while Yang showed A♦ 2♥ for a missed straight draw bluff, sending a big pot Tian’s way, catapulting him into the chip lead.

Button Xiao Zhang raised to 800,000 and big blind Yang Yang defended.

On the 5♣ 5♠ 2♠ flop, Yang check-folded to Zhang's 600,000 continuation-bet.

A couple of hands later, button Tai Min Tian raised to 800,000 and big blind Zhang defended.

The dealer fanned the J♦ K♥ 5♥ flop and Zhang check-folded to Tian's 900,000 continuation-bet.

Button Xiao Zhang raised to 800,000 and big blind Yang Yang defended.

Action checked through the K♥ 6♥ 2♥ 3♦ flop and turn, through to the Q♥ river where Yang checked again. Zhang fired 1,200,000 into the middle, and after a brief pause, Yang put in the call, seeing Zhang table T♥ T♣ for a flush, beating her Q♣ 9♣ for second pair on the river.

Small blind Zehao Li limped in and big blind Yang Yang checked.

The dealer spread the 4♥ 6♥ 8♦ flop, and Li led for 400,000. Yang called to see the turn.

The K♥ arrived, and Li fired again for 1,200,000. Yang raised to 2,600,000, and after some thought, Li made the call.

When the J♠ landed on the river, Li checked, and Yang instantly moved all in, putting Li to the test for his tournament life. After a long tank, he called to see the bad news:

Zehao Li: K♣ 4♦

Yang Yang: J♥ 3♥

Li’s two pair were crushed by Yang’s turned flush, ending his run in fourth place. The hand pushed Yang well out in front as play moved three-handed.

After being left with just 900,000, Abhijith Cheruku moved all in from the cutoff on the second hand of Level 33. Zehao Li three-bet to 1,400,000, forcing big blind Yang Yang out of the way, and the cards went on their backs:

Abhijith Cheruku: A♦ 4♥

Zehao Li: 4♦ 4♣

Cheruku found no help on the T♣ K♠ 7♣ 3♦ 7♠ board, and his run ended in fifth place, taking home a payday worth ~USD 65,000. Li added a few more chips to his stack as play moved four-handed.

Small blind Abhijith Cheruku moved all in and was called by big blind and short-stack Tai Min Tian:

Tai Min Tian: A♣ Q♦

Abhijith Cheruku: K♥ T♦

Cheruku picked up a gutshot on the 7♥ Q♠ 9♠ flop, but the 3♠ 9♦ turn and river changed, nothing, doubling Tian up and leaving Cheruku with just 900,000 behind.

UTG Yang Yang opened to 600,000 and called after button Abhijith Cheruku moved all in for 3,000,000.

Abhijith Cheruku: 9♥ 9♣

Yang Yang: Q♥ T♦

The K♣ K♦ 4♦ flop kept Cheruku well ahead, but after someone at the table jokingly called for the jack of spades, the J♠ actually appeared on the turn, giving Yang extra outs and drawing a few laughs. The 4♥ river bricked out, though, securing Cheruku the double through Yang.

Hand 1

UTG Zehao Li raised to 600,000, then folded when button Xiao Zhang three-bet to 1,700,000.

Hand 2

Small blind Tai Min Tian limped in and big blind Li checked.

Tian check-folded on the A♥ 2♠ 6♠ flop when Li fired 300,000 into the middle.

Hand 3

Small blind Li limped in, then called big blind Yang Yang's three-bet to 750,000.

The 4♣ 2♣ 6♠ flop fell and Li checked; Yang slid 450,000 in, which was met with a raise to 1,100,000 from Li. Yang then three-bet to 3,000,000, a price too high for Li to pay, who let his hand go.

Hand 4

Big blind Xiao Zhang got a walk.

Hijack Ivan Karatayeu moved all in for his 1,400,000-chip short stack, and was called by big blind Zehao Li. Event host Grant instructed both players to show their hands:

Ivan Karatayeu: A♣ 8♥

Zehao Li: 3♠ 3♦

Li's pocket threes held on the K♣ J♥ 4♦ 2♦ T♠, sending Karatayeu out in 6th place and adding a small boost to Li's stack.

After losing a modest pot to her a few hands prior, Jinguo Tao's 2,700,000 shove had just been called by small blind Yang Yang, and they tabled their hands:

Jinguo Tao: T♣ 8♣

Yang Yang: Q♦ Q♣

Tao was dominated from the offset, and found no help on the 2♠ A♥ 9♥ 5♣ 9♦ runout, eliminating him in 7th place and adding another boost to Yang's stack.

UTG Xiao Zhang raised to 500,000 and was called by button Zehao Li.

Zhang made a 375,000 continuation-bet on the 4♥ T♦ 5♣ flop, with Li sticking around.

The 6♥ landed on the turn and Zhang fired again for 900,000, not enough to push Li off, who called.

Both checked the 5♠ river, both tabling ace-high, but Li's A♥ Q♠ out-kicked Zhang's A♦ J♠ with the better kicker to take down the hefty pot.

UTG Ivan Karatayeu opened to 500,000 and was called by big blind Yang Yang.

Both players checked the Q♠ 7♥ 7♣ flop to see the 9♦ turn, where Yang led out for 350,000.

On the 5♦ river, Yang upped it to 1,100,000, enough to throw Katarayeu off the pot as she raked in the chips.

Small blind Xiao Zhang raised to 675,000 then snap-called when Abhijith Cheruku shoved for 3,000,000 in the big blind:

Abhijith Cheruku: K♦ J♠

Xiao Zhang: A♣ K♣

Cheruku was looking like the 7th place elimination, however the A♥ 6♥ 3♥ flop offered chop opportunities with runner-runner outs.

The 5♥ T♥ did indeed provide a chop for both players, keeping Cheruku's dreams alive with a flush on the board for both players.

Hijack Xiao Zhang raised to 500,000 and was called by big blind Zehao Li.

Li check-called Zhang's 300,000 bet on the T♣ T♥ 5♣ flop.

The T♠ landed on the turn and Li checked again; Zhang counted out 550,000 and slid it into the middle, prompting a swift fold from Li.

Shortly after winning against Yang Yang for a double, big blind Abhijith Cheruku was debating making the call after button Ivan Karatayeu moved all in for 2,100,000. After using about five timebank cards, he eventually tossed in the call:

Ivan Karatayeu: K♠ T♠

Abhijith Cheruku: 5♥ 5♦

Disaster for Cheruku on the A♣ K♣ 5♥ flop, with Karatayeu surging ahead, and staying there on the K♥ 4♠ runout to improve and double up through Cheruku.

Abhijith Cheruku raised to 400,000 from middle position, only to be faced with a three-bet shove from small blind and table chip leader Yang Yang. Cheruku snapped it off and they tabled their hands:

Abhijith Cheruku: K♦ K♥

Yang Yang: A♦ J♦

Cheruku had Yang left with just a handful of outs after the 7♥ J♣ T♥ flop hit the felt, failing to connect with any as the 5♠ 6♠ runout completed the board, earning a much-needed double for Cheruku.

Hand 1

Cutoff Xiao Zhang raised to 400,000 then folded to button Abhijith Cheruku's three-bet shove for 2,400,000.

Hand 2

Ivan Karatayeu raised to 1,100,000 to folds around the table.

Hand 3

Button Jinguo Tao raised to 450,000, then faced a three-bet shove for 3,700,000 by small blind Zehao Li. Tao made the call and they went to showdown:

Zehao Li: A♠ K♦

Jinguo Tao: A♦ J♣

Li's Big Slick was dominating preflop, and stayed ahead as it paired on the 8♥ K♠ 8♦ 2♦ 5♥ runout, securing a double for Li through Tao.

Hand 4

Small blind Yang Yang's shove got through.

Hand 5

Small blind Karatayeu called then folded to big blind Xiao's 575,000 raise.

Button Yang Yang raised to 400,000 then called small blind Hung-Chen Chen's three-bet to 1,100,000.

On the 6♥ 5♠ 9♠ flop, Chen bet 1,100,000. Yang looked at Chen's stack before moving all-in for around 5,900,000, sending Chen deep into the tank.

After using around 3 timebanks, he eventually put in the call:

Hung-Chen Chen: 7♠ 7♣

Yang Yang: A♥ A♦

Chen could only laugh in disbelief as he saw the bad news, with a mountain to climb to overcome Yang's bullets. No help came on the J♥ A♠ runout, only adding insult to injury to improve Yang to a set, sending Chen out in eighth place.

Small blind Xiao Zhang limped and Abhijith Cheruku checked in the big.

Action checked through the 3♥ 9♣ 6♦ 7♣ flop and turn, through to the 8♣ river where Zhang checked one more time. Cheruku fired in 300,000, and Zhang popped in the call, turning over J♠ 5♣ for a rivered straight, good for the pot as Cheruku held Q♥ 2♥ for a bluff.

After folding a few three-bets and shoves following his opens, Florian Duta, now under the gun, raised once more to 300,000 and faced a 750,000 three-bet from hijack Jinguo Tao. Duta responded with a four-bet to 1,500,000, only for Tao to five-bet shove his remaining 4,300,000. Duta made the call, putting himself at risk:

Florian Duta: A♦ K♦

Jinguo Tao: A♥ A♣

Disaster for Duta, running his big slick straight into Tao’s pocket aces. The flop of 7♥ 3♣ Q♦ left him needing a miracle, and when the 5♣ landed on the turn, his run was over. The J♥ on the river changed nothing, sending Duta to the payout desk in ninth place for KRW 30,390,000 (~USD 21,000), while Tao soared into the chip lead.

Zehao Li raised to 300,000 from early position then called small bldin Abhijith Cheruku's three-bet to 850,000.

On the 8♦ A♥ J♥ flop, Cheruku bet 600,000 and received a swift call from Li.

After using two timebanks on the 8♣ turn, Cheruku moved all in for his remaining stack, which was snap-called by Li:

Abhijith Cheruku: A♠ J♦

Zehao Li: A♣ J♣

Both were amused and perhaps slightly annoyed to see they had matching hands, resulting in a chopped pot as the Q♦ completed the river.

In one of the first hands of the final table, small blind Ivan Karatayeu limped in and big blind Florian Duta checked in the big.

On the 6♦ 6♣ Q♠ flop, both players checked.

Action checked all the way through the 3♦ turn and T♦ river, for Karatayeu to flip over A♦ J♦ for the rivered nut flush, to Duta's surprise, almost, whilst he mucked J♣ 9♣ as seen in his hole cards on the stream.

The opening ceremony has wrapped up, and the host has given the cue to shuffle up and deal, officially kicking off the final day of the Red Dragon Championship.

The stage is set for the final day of the Red Dragon Championship, the headline event of the Jeju Poker Festival 2025. From a field of 1,108 entries, just nine players remain, each guaranteed USD 20,875 but with their sights firmly set on the top prize of USD 259,980, the Red Dragon Trophy, and one of the most prestigious titles in Asian poker.

Play gets back underway at 12:00 p.m. local time with blinds resuming at Level 29 and 25 hands per level. China’s Xiao Zhang leads the way with 8,675,000, trailed by fellow countrymen Tai Min Tian and Yang Yang. With a mix of experienced pros and emerging talents at the table, and the Red Dragon title within reach, an exciting day of poker lies ahead.