WPT Prime Korea (1,500,000 KRW)

The final table of the WPT Prime Korea is set! Stay tuned for the chip counts plus a recap of the day's action.

Chi Zhang shoved the button for 815,000, and Chenxu Zhang looked down at her cards in the big blind before sticking in the chips with a slightly covering stack.

Chi Zhang: A♣ J♣

Chenxu Zhang: T♠ T♣

It was a flip that would determine which of the two would make the final table, and it was Chenxu who remained in the lead as her pocket tens held through the 2♠ 8♣ 9♦ flop.

Chi picked up a flush draw on the 4♣ turn to make things a bit sweatier, but the K♥ river didn't deliver for him, meaning he was out in tenth.

Changliang Sun on the button and Amano Haruo in the small blind took it to a flop of 9♣ 4♦ 6♥ , where Haruo's remaining stack of around 350,000 found its way into the middle.

Amano Haruo: K♥ K♣

Changliang Sun: Q♦ Q♣

Haruo was on the brink of a double-up, but a brutal Q♥ on the turn put him one card away from the rail as Sun turned a set. No king arrived on the 6♥ river, and Haruo had his marching orders.

Under the gun Andrew Han open-shoved his remaining 305,000. It looked like he would get no callers, until big blind Jingxuan Zhu quickly snap-called.

Andrew Han: A♣ 6♣

Jingxuan Zhu: A♦ Q♦

Han was dominated and couldn’t find a six on the board K♥ 8♣ 7♠ 9♠ 4♣ , ending his run in 12th place as Zhu extends his stack with the knockout.

After successfully defending his big blind earlier, Caiming Pan once again found himself up against the player who took most of his chips — Patrick Liang.

Pan open-jammed his remaining 160,000, and Liang made the call from the big blind.

Caiming Pan: K♦ 4♦

Patrick Liang: A♣ 4♠

Pan was dominated and couldn’t find a king on the board Q♠ 7♦ 4♥ 6♣ T♥ , sealing his elimination in 13th place. Liang continues his climb with another knockout.

Caiming Pan opened to 80,000, and big blind Patrick Liang made the call. The action kicked off on the flop 5♠ 4♠ 3♣ when Pan fired a continuation bet of 110,000, only to face a check-shove from Liang for his remaining 595,000. Pan quickly called.

Patrick Liang: J♠ T♠

Caiming Pan: 8♠ 8♣

Liang had a flush and overcard draw, and he connected on the turn J♥ to make a pair, leaving Pan with just two outs. The river A♥ missed, securing Liang the double-up while Pan dropped to just 100,000 in chips.

Action began when cutoff Andrew Han opened to 80,000. Small blind Chiyuan You moved all in for his remaining 60,000, and big blind Duy Thuc Nguyen made the call. With one player all in, Han also called, setting up a side pot.

Both active players checked the flop K♥ 4♠ 5♦ to the turn 9♣ , where Han fired a continuation bet of 80,000. Nguyen check-raised to 200,000, and Han called.

On the river 2♦ , Nguyen overbet to 375,000. Han, left with just 205,000 behind, went into the tank and eventually folded.

Chiyuan You: 6♥ 6♣

Duy Thuc Nguyen: 4♦ 4♣

Nguyen had flopped a set of fours, which held through to eliminate Chiyuan You in 14th place.

14 players remaining, today will play until the end of level 27 or final 9

The last 14 players are now on their 60-minute break. Play will resume shortly after the break.

Daniel Lei open-shoved for 755,000, and in the big blind, Chiyuan You woke up with pocket jacks and made the call.

Daniel Lei: A♦ A♥

Chiyuan You: J♥ J♦

It was bad news for You as the board Q♥ 5♣ 7♣ 8♠ 9♦ brought no jack, leaving him with just 35,000. Lei secured a much-needed double-up to stay in the game.

Facing a raise, Mengqi Chen 3-bet shoved for 615,000, and from the small blind, Zengxiang Chen re-shoved for 1,300,000. The initial raiser folded, leaving the two to battle it out.

Mengqi Chen: A♥ Q♠

Zengxiang Chen: A♦ K♥

Dominated by Zengxiang, Mengqi couldn’t find a queen on the board A♣ T♣ 5♠ 7♥ 5♣ and was eliminated in 15th place.

Folded to the button, George Tomescu opened to 295,000, leaving just 25,000 behind. From the small blind, Patrick Liang shoved for 915,000, and after using all of his time bank, Tomescu made the call.

George Tomescu: A♦ 5♥

Patrick Liang: A♠ Q♦

Tomescu was dominated and couldn’t find any help on the board 8♦ 2♣ T♠ 7♠ 3♠ , ending his run in 16th place.

Chao Ting Cheng, down to his last 280,000, pushed all in and found one caller in Duy Thuc Nguyen from the big blind.

Chao Ting Cheng: Q♣ J♣

Duy Thuc Nguyen: A♣ 6♣

Cheng found a jack on the flop A♦ J♦ 3♥ , but Nguyen paired his ace to stay ahead. The turn 8♥ and river 5♠ brought no help, and Cheng was eliminated from the tournament.

Current chip leader Changliang Sun added even more to his massive stack after picking up pocket aces and eliminating Abhijith Cheruku.

Cheruku open-shoved for 280,000 and was called instantly by Sun.

Abhijith Cheruku: 5♦ 5♠

Changliang Sun: A♥ A♣

No sweat for Sun as the board K♦ 2♠ 2♥ 6♣ 8♣ ran clean, sending Cheruku to the rail. Sun now soars to 2,570,000, more than double the next closest player.

After Jingxuan Zhu’s aces were cracked, he didn’t plan on slowing down. Zhu opened from UTG and called the 3-bet to 120,000 from Chiyuan You. On the flop 6♠ 5♥ 3♦ , Zhu checked, and You fired a 90,000 continuation bet. Zhu responded by announcing all in for 435,000.

Action went back to You, who used a time bank before eventually laying it down.

Folded to the button, Daniel Lei raised to 280,000, leaving just a single 5,000 chip behind. From the small blind, Jingxuan Zhu called.

Zhu, thinking Lei was already all in, exposed his hand, and the dealer proceeded with the flop Q♠ J♦ 5♣ . Lei joked that he might fold after seeing Zhu’s monster, but when Zhu tossed in the extra 5,000, Lei said he still had outs and put in his last chip.

Daniel Lei: 3♦ 3♠

Jingxuan Zhu: A♠ A♣

Down to just two outs, Lei watched the turn 7♦ come blank, but the miracle river 3♣ hit one of his threes, stunning the table.

After the break, here are your current chip leaders:

The last 23 players are now on another 15-minute break. Play will continue for 10 levels or until the final 9 players remain, whichever comes first.

We’re down to the last three tables here at the WPT Prime Korea Main Event. A redraw is in progress, and play will resume shortly.

Zengxiang Chen added more to his growing stack after eliminating Yue Sun.

Action folded to the small blind where Sun shoved for 200,000, and on her left, Chen made the call.

Yue Sun: A♠ 4♦

Zengxiang Chen: K♠ 9♥

Sun was ahead preflop, but Chen paired his king on the flop K♥ Q♣ J♠ , leaving her with just seven outs. The turn 4♠ and river 3♣ brought no help, sending Sun to the rail.

After a rough start, Tony Ren Lin is back at it again, getting maximum value with his pocket aces.

Hijack Yizhou Nie opened to 40,000, and on his left, Lin made the call. Both blinds folded. Nie fired a 70,000 continuation bet on the flop Q♠ 3♣ 2♥ , which Lin called. The real action came on the turn 4♠ when Nie shoved and Lin snap-called for 125,000.

Tony Ren Lin: A♣ A♦

Yizhou Nie: K♣ Q♦

Nie paired his queen but it wasn’t enough to crack Lin’s aces. He still needed a king or another queen, but the river 4♣ missed, giving Lin a much-needed double-up. Nie was left with just one big blind and was eliminated in the following hand.

Early position Baicun Li open-shoved for 280,000, nearly stealing the blinds, but big blind Amano Haruo woke up with a monster and snap-called.

Baicun Li: Q♦ Q♠

Amano Haruo: K♥ K♠

Haruo’s kings held firm against Li’s queens as the board A♠ A♣ 6♠ 9♣ 3♥ ran clean, sending Li to the rail.

Day 2 chip leader Zengxiang Chen was on the move. Chen opened from the button for 30,000, the small blind called, and big blind Zhaoyi Lin raised to 110,000. Chen was the only caller.

On the flop A♥ 2♥ 5♣ , Lin fired a 55,000 continuation bet which Chen called. The turn J♦ saw Lin slow down with a check, prompting Chen to take a shot at the pot with a 135,000 bet. Lin used a time bank before eventually laying it down, giving Chen the pot.

Hijack Abhijith Cheruku open-shoved for 275,000, and small blind Chuan Shu Chen joined the action for his remaining 200,000. Two players were all in before the flop.

Chuan Shu Chen: A♦ J♣

Abhijith Cheruku: A♥ 7♥

Although dominated preflop, the flop K♥ 8♦ 7♣ favored Cheruku, and by the turn 2♦ and river T♦ , Chen was left stunned as Cheruku scooped the pot eliminating him.

Players are now on their first scheduled 15-minute break. During the break, the tournament staff will conduct a 1,000 chip race as play prepares to move to higher blinds.

Players crossing the 1 million mark this early are sitting comfortably with nearly three times the average stack, setting the pace for the rest of the field.

Folded action to Akihide Shimizu on the cutoff who shoved for 191,000. Small blind Thi My Phuong, recently moved to Table 6 after her failed bluff, made the call.

Akihide Shimizu: A♣ J♦

Thi My Phuong: 4♣ 4♦

Shimizu survived the flip after hitting a runner-runner flush on the 9♣ 5♣ 3♥ 6♣ Q♣ board.

A three-way all in unfolded before the flop with the dealer ready to spread the board. The shortest stack, Mao Chen, was all in for 50,000, Yuming Poon was also all in for 384,000, while Day 1B chip leader George Tomescu had them both covered.

Mao Chen: A♦ 5♠

Yuming Poon: A♠ J♣

George Tomescu: 8♦ 8♣

The flop K♣ 5♣ 4♦ favored Tomescu as no ace appeared, but the turn 3♣ brought tension when Poon picked up a flush draw and Chen added a gutshot. The river 5♦ saved Chen as he improved to trips for a triple up, but Tomescu still scooped the larger side pot, eliminating Poon in the process. Tomescu now seats at the top.

Early position Xinze Li opened and was close to taking down the blinds uncontested when big blind Yipeng Ye announced all in for 152,000. Li snap-called.

Yipeng Ye: A♣ J♣

Xinze Li: J♠ J♥

Ye needed an ace but the flop T♥ 8♦ 4♥ brought no help. The turn K♠ didn’t improve his hand but added a gutshot draw, and the miracle ace landed on the river A♥ to keep Ye alive with a full double-up.

One of the biggest pots this early saw nearly 720,000 in the middle as Daniel Lei caught the bluff of Thi My Phuong Nguyen.

Lei 3-bet to 55,000 after Nguyen’s open. On the flop 8♥ 7♦ 5♠ , Lei fired a 75,000 continuation bet, and Nguyen check-shoved. After a brief tank and chip count, Lei made the call for his remaining 293,000.

Daniel Lei: A♦ 8♠

Thi My Phuong Nguyen: A♣ J♥

Though dominated preflop, Lei paired his eight on the flop while Nguyen pushed through with her bluff. Nguyen needed a jack to recover but failed to connect on the runout K♦ 3♣ , and Lei scooped the massive pot.

Australia's Andrew Han opened to 20,000 from the hijack, and on his left Mengqi Chen 3-bet to 45,000. Action went back to Han who answered with a shove, and Chen quickly put all of his chips in the middle for 235,000.

Mengqi Chen: Q♠ Q♥

Andrew Han: A♦ K♠

Chen survived the flip after the board 6♠ 4♣ 4♥ 7♦ 5♥ drew numbers.

Both players had their cards tabled as Dylan Wayne Foster was all in for 85,000 and Iurii Lednev for 96,000.

Dylan Wayne Foster: T♠ T♥

Iurii Lednev: A♠ Q♠

It was a flip for their tournament lives. Foster held through the flop 7♦ 5♥ 3♦ , but the tides turned on the turn Q♣ when Lednev paired his ace, leaving Foster with just two outs. The river K♣ bricked, sending Foster to the rail.

Action folded to the cutoff where Alexandru Cinca moved all in for 74,000. From the small blind, Yue Sun made the call, putting two players all in before the flop.

Alexandru Cinca: K♠ 4♠

Yue Sun: A♥ T♣

Cinca still had live cards but couldn’t connect on the board Q♠ Q♥ 5♥ 8♥ A♣ , and was sent to the cashier as Sun scooped the pot.

In just the first hand, four players have already been eliminated from Day 2 of the WPT Prime Korea Main Event. The action doesn’t stop there as the KPC Main Event Day 1A kicks off today at 1 PM local time with a KRW 1,300,000 (~US$930) buy-in and a massive KRW 880,000,000 (~US$630,000) guarantee.

Day 2 of the WPT Prime Korea Main Event starts now! Somuchpoker is on the floor bringing you the latest action, updates, and all the key moments as the field battles for the KRW 129M top prize!

The WPT Prime Korea Main Event Day 2 kicks off today at 12:00 PM local time with 66 players returning, all already in the money and guaranteed KRW 2,540,000 (~US$ 1,780). From a total of 515 entries, the field has been trimmed down, and every remaining contender now has their eyes set on the ultimate glory and the top prize of KRW 129,030,000 (~US$ 90,365).

With an initial guarantee of KRW 350,000,000 (~US$ 250,000), the event has far exceeded expectations, building a total prize pool of KRW 667,440,000 (~US$ 470,000). Leading the way into Day 2 is Zengxiang Chen with 775,000 (97 BB), followed by a strong lineup of contenders including Thi My Phuong Nguyen, Wei Guoliang, Tony Ren Lin, Kwan Chun Kit, Joshua McCully, and reigning KPC Main Event Champion Joris Michl.

Play resumes at Level 17 with blinds at 4,000/8,000, featuring 60-minute levels. The action continues for 10 levels or until the final table, whichever comes first. The chase for the WPT Prime Korea title begins now.

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