WPT Prime Korea (1,500,000 KRW)

After four days of intense poker action, the first of three main event trophies at the Jeju Poker Festival 2025 has been awarded to none other than Zengxiang Chen. The WPT Prime Korea Main Event gathered a total of 515 entries across three flights. With an initial guarantee of KRW 350,000,000 (~US$250,000), the prize pool nearly doubled to reach KRW 667,440,000 (~US$467,430). Chen began Day 2 as the chip leader among the remaining 66 players, all of whom were already in the money.

A new format was introduced for this WPT Prime Korea final table. Instead of the traditional time-based levels, the event featured a hands-per-level structure, with 25 hands played per level before the blinds increased.

When asked about his plans after this huge win, Chen revealed that he is already gearing up for his next challenge. “I’ll jump into the KPC Main Event tomorrow for Day 1D and 1E,” he said, showing his dedication and passion for the game. When asked how he will celebrate the victory, Chen laughed and said, “No celebration, I think I’ll just keep playing.”

Chen isn’t alone on this journey. He shared that he came to Jeju with his wife and a couple of friends, who will also join the action in upcoming events. Poker, it turns out, is something of a family pastime, though Chen was the first to get into the game. “I started first, and my wife joined me later. She only plays for fun as she’s still learning,” he said fondly.

Having played cash games for around four years, Chen is still relatively new to the tournament scene, with just six months of MTT experience under his belt. But his commitment to improvement is clear. “After playing the WSOP Online Main Event in September and getting knocked out, I looked for poker courses from the champion to learn and advance my skills,” he explained. That drive to study and adapt seems to have paid off handsomely in Jeju.

When asked about his experience at the Jeju Poker Festival 2025, Chen was full of praise. “I think it’s really well designed. Players can always find another event to join and have fun if they bust, and the different rules make each tournament exciting to play.”

Chen entered the final table with an average stack but quickly climbed the leaderboard. He scored an early knockout, eliminating Duy Thuc Nguyen in 9th place within just five hands. Despite Nguyen being ahead on the flop, Chen’s combination flush draw and open-ended straight draw completed on the river, ending Nguyen’s run.

Jia Xiao was next to exit in 8th place, losing an all-in confrontation against Chenxu Zhang’s big slick. Shortly after, Jingxuan Zhu fell in 7th place after consecutive losses to Changliang Sun, with his final hand ending in a dominated preflop all-in.

Sun maintained his aggression and chip lead during the mid stages of the final table, while Chen continued to close the gap by winning several key pots.

The next to go was Red Dragon player Zhang, who finished in 6th place when her pocket aces were cracked by Patrick Liang’s trip kings on the flop.

Daniel Lei suffered one of the day’s most brutal exits in 5th place. After being all in preflop in a flip for his tournament life, Lei hit a pair on the flop, leaving Sun with only one out. The turn delivered that miracle card, eliminating Lei in heartbreaking fashion.

Liang was next to bow out in 4th place. He lost most of his chips after Chen cracked his pocket queens, leaving him with just a single 25,000 chip. On the following hand, Sun finished the job and knocked Liang out. Earlier, Liang had also made a hero call gone wrong against Akihide Shimizu, calling with bottom pair into Shimizu’s full house.

With three players remaining, Chen continued to hold the lead and extended it further after eliminating Shimizu in 3rd place. Shimizu had managed a double-up earlier against Sun, but his run ended after moving all in with queen-ten against Chen’s king-four . The board ran out clean, giving Chen the winning hand.

The heads-up match featured Chen against Sun, the Day 2 chip leader against the Final Table chip leader. Chen started ahead and quickly took control. In a key hand, Sun’s straight on the river turned into disaster when Chen’s pocket nines improved to a full house, dropping Sun down to only 850,000 (7 BB).

Moments later, the tournament came to an end. Sun, down to his final chips, moved all in, and Chen made the call. Chen stayed ahead throughout the runout, securing the final pot and the title.

With that decisive moment, Zengxiang Chen was officially crowned the WPT Prime Korea Main Event Champion, claiming the trophy and the top prize of KRW 129,030,000 (~US$90,365).

After four days of intense action and just four hands of heads-up play, we have our first champion of the Jeju Poker Festival. Zengxiang Chen captures the WPT Prime Korea Main Event title, earning KRW 129,030,000 (~US$90,365) and the prestigious WPT Prime trophy.

Stay tuned for the complete recap, exclusively at Somuchpoker, reporting live from the Jeju Poker Festival 2025.

In just four hands of the heads-up battle, we have our new champion!

Changliang Sun, down to his last 650,000, shoved all in, and Zengxiang Chen made the quick call.

Changliang Sun: 7♥ 4♦

Zengxiang Chen: K♦ 2♦

The flop K♥ 8♦ 8♣ was a disaster for Sun, as Chen hit top two pair, leaving him almost drawing dead. The turn 4♣ gave Sun a glimmer of hope, but the river J♠ missed all his outs.

Zengxiang Chen eliminated Changliang Sun in second place to claim the WPT Prime Korea title!

After losing a big pot in the previous hand, Changliang Sun Q♣ T♥ limped and then called Zengxiang Chen’s 9♥ 9♣ raise to 400,000. On the flop J♣ J♥ T♣ , Chen continued with a 250,000 c-bet, which Sun called. Both players checked the turn K♠ , taking it to the river.

The river 9♠ turned out to be a beautiful disaster for Sun, he improved to a straight, but Chen hit his two-outer to make a full house. Chen fired a 2,000,000 bet, and Sun made the call, only to see the bad news.

Sun is now down to 850,000 after back-to-back brutal hands, while Chen tightens his grip on the heads-up match.

It all comes down to this — the heads-up battle for the WPT Prime Korea title is set! Zengxiang Chen vs. Changliang Sun.

On the last hand before the blinds went up, Zengxiang Chen limped from the small blind, and Akihide Shimizu raised to 200,000. Chen then min-raised to 425,000, sparking a bit of commotion at the table about the correct raise amount. Unfazed, Shimizu made a bold move, shoving all in for 3,400,000. Chen quickly called.

Akihide Shimizu: Q♣ T♠

Zengxiang Chen: K♣ 4♣

Shimizu was behind but had two live cards. The flop A♠ 9♠ 9♣ brought no help, though the turn 6♠ gave him a flush draw. Unfortunately, the river J♦ bricked out, ending his run.

Zengxiang Chen scored the knockout, eliminating Akihide Shimizu in 3rd place, and the stage is now set for the heads-up battle!

Action began with Zengxiang Chen K♣ 4♣ opening to 150,000, and Patrick Liang Q♠ Q♥ defending his big blind holding pocket queens. Both players checked the flop 5♥ 9♣ T♦ , and on the turn K♥ , Liang checked again. Chen, who paired his top card, fired 350,000, and Liang made the call.

On the river 3♣ , Chen fired again for 450,000. Liang checked and called, leaving himself with just a single 25,000 chip.

On the very next hand, Changliang Sun limped from the button, while Liang, already all in for his last 25,000, was in the small blind. Chen checked his option in the big blind.

The flop J♦ J♥ 8♠ brought trips for Sun, who bet one big blind, and Chen folded.

Patrick Liang: 6♦ 5♥

Changliang Sun: J♠ 7♦

Liang was almost drawing dead on the flop and saw no help as the board A♥ 8♥ ran out, marking his elimination in 4th place.

A tough finish for Patrick Liang, who fought hard but couldn’t recover after that brutal hand against Chen.

Fresh off a double-up, Akihide Shimizu 7♠ 7♦ opened to 150,000, and Patrick Liang 5♥ 2♥ defended his big blind. On the flop 8♥ 8♣ 2♣ , Shimizu fired a 100,000 continuation bet, which Liang check-called. Both players checked the turn Q♠ , taking it to the river.

The river 7♥ gave Shimizu a full house, but before he could act, Liang led out for 175,000. Shimizu used a time bank and then announced a raise to 1,400,000. Liang went deep into the tank, using three time banks before making the call, only to see the bad news as Shimizu tabled his full house to scoop the pot.

A massive hand for Shimizu, who continues his surge at the final table.

On Hand 13 of the level, Changliang Sun opened to 150,000 from under the gun. After shoving all in the previous hand with no caller, Akihide Shimizu moved all in again from the big blind for 1,600,000. This time, Sun made the call.

Akihide Shimizu: A♣ T♣

Changliang Sun: A♦ J♦

Shimizu was dominated, but the flop T♠ 6♥ 2♦ brought him help, and he managed to hold through the runout 9♣ 5♦ to score a much-needed double-up.

Shimizu breathes new life into his stack as play continues with five remaining.

After just one hand, another elimination took place here at the WPT Prime Korea Final Table.

Action folded to the small blind, Daniel Lei, who limped in, and Changliang Sun in the big blind responded by shoving all in. Lei used a time bank before making the call for 1,800,000.

Daniel Lei: K♣ Q♦

Changliang Sun: 5♠ 5♥

It was a classic flip for Lei’s tournament life. The flop K♥ T♥ 7♣ brought help for Lei, leaving Sun with just one out after Zengxiang Chen folded a 5♦ .

But fate had other plans — the turn 5♣ delivered that miracle one-outer, giving Sun a set of fives and the check mark. The river 9♠ was just a formality.

Daniel Lei exited the final table in 5th place, taking the beat with a bittersweet smile and a fist bump to the remaining players.

From the cutoff, Patrick Liang K♠ Q♦ opened to 150,000 and then called a 3-bet to 400,000 from Chenxu Zhang A♠ A♦ . The flop K♥ K♣ 5♠ brought trips for Liang, putting Zhang’s pocket aces in trouble, but both players opted to check.

On the turn 9♥ , unaware of the danger, Zhang fired 500,000, and Liang made the call. With just 325,000 left, Zhang checked the river T♠ , and Liang moved all in for 525,000. Already pot-committed, Zhang made the call and was shown the bad news, Liang’s trips were good.

Chenxu Zhang was eliminated in 6th place holding pocket aces — a brutal exit for the Red Dragon player.

The remaining six players are now on their first 15-minute break of the day. A chip race of the 5,000-denomination chips is currently underway.

Here are the updated chip counts at the break:

From under the gun, Changliang Sun A♣ T♣ opened to 125,000, with Patrick Liang Q♥ J♥ and Zengxiang Chen 4♦ 4♣ making the call to see a three-way flop. The flop K♠ 7♦ 7♣ didn’t connect much, but Sun continued with a 150,000 continuation bet. Chen, sitting on two pair, was the only caller.

On the 3♦ turn, Sun slowed down with a check, and Chen seized the moment, firing 250,000 to take control of the hand. Sun folded, sending the pot to Chen.

With that, Chen snatches the chip lead from the long-time leader Sun.

On the very next hand, Zengxiang Chen A♠ T♠ opened to 120,000, and Akihide Shimizu A♦ 3♦ 3-bet to 340,000. Chen made the call, and the two went to the flop. Both players checked the flop J♣ 9♦ 8♥ , taking it to the turn 8♦ , where Chen led out for 300,000. Shimizu called to see the river Q♣ .

Both were chasing draws, but it was Chen who got there, completing his straight on the river, while Shimizu missed his flush draw. Chen moved all in, and Shimizu, left with air, quickly folded.

From under the gun, Changliang Sun opened to 125,000, and Jingxuan Zhu moved all in from the cutoff for his remaining 345,000. Sun quickly made the call, and the two players went to showdown.

Jingxuan Zhu: A♥ 5♥

Changliang Sun: A♦ J♥

Zhu was dominated going to the flop 9♦ 7♣ 2♦ and was left with just three outs to survive. The turn A♣ gave both players a pair, but it wasn’t enough for Zhu, as the river 4♦ sealed his fate.

Jingxuan Zhu was eliminated in 7th place, while Sun continued to build his commanding chip lead at the final table.

Jingxuan Zhu K♣ J♠ opened to 120,000, and Changliang Sun T♦ 8♥ defended his big blind. On the flop K♥ Q♥ 5♥ , Zhu fired a one big blind continuation bet, which Sun check-raised to 200,000 holding a one-card flush draw. Zhu made the call with top pair.

The turn 6♥ completed Sun’s flush, and he led out for 155,000. Zhu took a moment to look back at his cards before deciding to fold, preserving his remaining 495,000 stack.

Another well-timed move by Sun, continuing to show his command of the final table.

On the third hand of the new level, short stack Jia Xiao A♦ 8♦ opened to 150,000, and big blind Chenxu Zhang woke up with Big Slick A♥ K♣ , shoving all in. Xiao went deep into the tank, using three time banks before calling for his tournament life with 640,000 behind.

Zhang was ahead and held through the flop J♥ 7♦ 3♥ , though the turn T♠ gave Xiao extra hope with a gutshot straight draw. But the river J♠ sealed the deal for Zhang, eliminating Jia Xiao in 8th place.

Akihide Shimizu J♥ J♦ opened to 100,000, and Changliang Sun 8♣ 7♠ defended his big blind. Both players checked the flop 7♣ 4♣ 3♣ and went to the turn J♠ , where Shimizu hit a set and bet 100,000. Sun made the quick call.

The river 7♥ brought trips for Sun, but it also improved Shimizu to a full house, locking up the hand. Sun checked, and Shimizu fired 225,000. After a short pause, Sun tossed in a single chip to call.

Shimizu confidently tabled his hand, revealing the full house, and Sun looked stunned before mucking his cards.

Action folded to the button where Daniel Lei opened to 100,000. From the small blind, Changliang Sun decided to 3-bet to 360,000, and Lei made the call to see the flop J♦ 9♥ 6♠ . Sun continued with a 275,000 c-bet, which Lei called holding an overpair and a gutshot draw.

Undeterred, Sun kept the pressure on, shoving the turn A♦ to put Lei to the test. After a brief pause, Lei opted to fold.

A bold move from the chip leader, using his big stack to apply maximum pressure and maintain control of the table.

After 10 hands of final table action, here are the updated chip counts:

On the very next hand, Chenxu Zhang opened to 100,000, and the short stack Jia Xiao moved all-in for his remaining 320,000. Zhang made the quick call.

Jia Xiao: 8♣ 6♥

Chenxu Zhang: A♣ T♣

Xiao missed the flop 7♠ 3♦ 2♣ completely, and after the turn 2♠ , he was down to just six outs to survive. Then, the river 8♥ delivered one of them, giving Xiao the crucial double-up he desperately needed to stay alive at the final table.

Xiao breathes new life into his run, while Zhang takes a small hit to her stack.

After just five hands of play at the WPT Prime Korea Final Table, we already have our first elimination.

Vietnam’s Duy Thuc Nguyen J♥ J♣ opened to 100,000, and Zengxiang Chen 6♥ 5♥ made the call from the big blind.

The flop 8♥ 4♥ 3♦ brought Chen a monster draw — both a flush draw and an open-ended straight draw. Chen check-raised to 475,000 after Nguyen fired a 175,000 continuation bet with an overpair. Nguyen quickly shoved for 1,100,000, and Chen took a brief moment before making the call.

Nguyen managed to fade the turn A♣ , but the river 7♣ brought a lucky seven, completing Chen’s straight. All of Nguyen’s chips slid across the table, and he stood up, exiting the final table in 9th place.

The wait is over — action has resumed here at Les A Casino, Jeju, Korea for the final day of WPT Prime Korea!

After three days of non-stop action here at the Jeju Poker Festival 2025, the first of three main events, WPT Prime Korea, is now down to its final table of nine. From a total of 515 entries, 66 players advanced to Day 2 and all made the money.

With an initial guarantee of KRW 350,000,000 (~US$250,000), the prize pool soared to nearly double at KRW 667,440,000 (~US$467,430). Every finalist is now guaranteed KRW 12,410,000 (~US$8,690), but all eyes are on the top prize of KRW 129,030,000 (~US$90,365) and the prestigious WPT Prime title.

Leading the pack is Changliang Sun with 3,455,000 (70 BB) after a dominant run. Once he claimed the chip lead, he never let it go and carried it through the night.

The final day kicks off at 12:00 p.m. local time, resuming at Level 25 (25,000/50,000) and switching to a hand-per-level format, where 25 hands will be played in each level.

Follow Somuchpoker for real-time updates and all the exciting action here at the Jeju Poker Festival, Les A Casino, Jeju, Korea.