Main Event

The second KPC Main Event flight on schedule, Day 1B, drew in a slightly higher turnout of 210 entries across nine levels of registration, and saw only 48 players survive the carnage. Taiwan's Cheng Yen Lo found the largest by bagging time, having landed a massive double by the last five hands in play. Lo managed to crack Kyungmin Lee's pocket aces with the nut flush, and collected a full 92 big blinds off of his opponent. Lo finished the day with a towering 491,000 chip count, surpassing initial chip leader Yita Choong's 401,000 stack. Joining Lo across the top ranks are China's Bohao Huang with 323,500 and Uzbekistan's Valeriy Pak with 290,500.

Action resumes tomorrow, November 24th, 12 noon, for nine 60 minute blind levels across Day 2.

Korea Poker Cup Main Event

Dates: November 22-26, 2024

Buy-in: KRW 1,600,000 (~USD 1,145)

Guarantee: KRW 1,000,000,000 (~USD 718,110)

Day 1A: 195 entries, 45 qualified

Day 1B: 210 entries, 48 qualified

Day 1C Turbo: Saturday, November 23

Day 2: Sunday, November 24

Day 3: Monday, November 25

Day 4 /Final: Tuesday, November 26

Cheng Yen Lo opened to 5,000 on the hijack, followed by a 15,000 three bet from Kyungmin Lee behind. Charles Pansoy on the big blind, and Lo came along on flop 3♦ 7♦ 6♥ , where Lee bet 25,000. Both continued to turn K♦ , checked by all three. Action on river 6♠ was checked to Lee once more, who bet 38,500. Pansoy folded, but Lo raised all-in for 191,000. Lee put in the call with A♣ A♥ , and booked the loss as Lo flipped over the nut flush A♦ J♦ .

Lee survived the damaged but is crippled down to 2 BB, while Lo shot up to the lead with a towering 500K chip stack.

Up against an open and a call, Yao Yao shoved for 58,000, and faced initial raiser Quanzhen Fang's monster pair. Drawing slim, Yao exited the Main Event arena shortly after board J♣ 8♥ 9♠ 5♠ Q♠ rolled on the felt.

Vying for 54,000 in the middle on flop J♦ 2♦ 5♥ , Cheng Yen Lo bet 15,000 on the button, and was met with a check raise to 40,000 from Xu Chen. Lo answered with an all-in for 132,500, and took down the pot as Chen folded.

With an open and two calls ahead, Bayar Saran squeezed all-in for 30,000, and was looked up by initial raiser Bohao Huang. In search of an ace, the board K♥ J♣ 7♦ 5♥ J♠ felted none, leaving Saran out right at the last level of play.

Valeriy Pak defended his big blind vs Yikai Fang's button open, and went on to check call another 6,000 on flop J♠ 9♦ 3♦ . Both checked turn Q♦ through to river 4♥ , where Pak led 13,000. Fang made the call, and mucked as Pak revealed straight K♣ T♦ .

An all-in preflop situation saw Xin Jiang risk his 20,000 stack with A♣ A♠ up against Valeriy Pak's K♥ Q♣ . A favorite to win, Jiang instead headed out shortly after board A♥ T♣ 2♦ J♥ 5♣ landed Pak a broadway straight.

With 28,000 in the pot across board K♣ T♠ 7♠ K♥ , Quan Jin on the big blind, check called a 13,500 bet from Christopher Shebat, revealing river 3♦ . Jin faced another 28,000 from his opponent, and found himself paying off, only to muck as Shebat turned over quads K♦ K♠ .

Gang Zhao defended his utg open and called a 13,000 three bet from Chun Man Pang two seats after. Pang continued for 18,000 on flop 4♦ K♦ 6♥ , check raised by Zhao to 40,000. Pang answered with an all-in for 88,000 total, and Zhao put in the call.

Pang A♠ A♣

Zhao A♦ 8♦

In for a flush draw, Zhao was in luck to find a diamond on runout 5♥ T♦ , earning him the 90 BB pot.

Mengmeng Sun opened 5,000 on the hijack and went on to fourbet 30,500 against Zihao Wang behind. On flop J♠ 8♠ 9♦ , Sun continued for 32,000, and called off his remaining 47,000 after Wang moved all-in.

Wang K♠ K♣

Sun A♣ A♥

A huge favorite, Sun was crushed to see the turn Q♠ and river T♠ land Wang a runner runner straight to turn the tables.

Chenxu Zhang opened to 4,000 on the hijack and was called behind by Yi Ma along with the big blind. Action on flop T♥ 7♥ 6♥ was checked to Ma, who bet 5,000. Zhang check raised to 11,000, yet folded after Ma bumped it up further to 28,000.

Tsz Hin Cheung limp jammed utg for 26,000 and was called by raiser Tia Nai Chen. In for a race, the flop Q♣ A♣ Q♦ connected with both, but left Chen ahead as turn 7♦ and river J♠ completed the board.

Kyungmin Lee defended his cutoff open and called a 12,000 three bet from Shiina Okamoto on the small blind. On board 7♠ 4♠ 4♣ Q♦ , Okamoto double barreled 8,000 and 9,500, with Lee putting a 20,000 raise by the turn. Okamoto raised all-in for 39,000 total, snap called by Lee.

Okamoto K♠ K♣

Lee A♦ 4♦

Drawing to two outs, no king arrived on river 7♣ , sending Okamoto to the rails.

A preflop back and forth between Tsz Hin Cheung and Gang Zhao saw Cheung make the final call against Zhao's 87,000 all-in. Up against a monster, no help on board T♠ 9♦ 8♦ 7♥ 3♥ arrived for Cheung, shipping Zhao the full double up.

Jieming Xu fired a 13,000 three bet from the small blind against an open and a call, and saw only Suwei Yang continue to flop 7♦ 6♦ 5♣ . Xu check called a 19,000 bet from his opponent, and went on to bet all-in on turn 6♣ . Yang snap called with a boat 7♠ 6♠ , crushing Xu's J♣ J♠ all the way through river 5♥ .

A three way all-in saw Xudong Jin make the final call for his 36,000 against Chen Yu Hung and Che Chun Chu. A great spot for Jin, his rockets held on board J♥ 5♣ 6♣ 9♥ K♥ , shooting him back up to 100K.

Chan Tat Yiu risked his last 25,000 with A♠ Q♦ and was up against Xudong Jin's premium K♠ K♣ . Whilst behind, Yiu was in luck to find an ace on board 3♦ 7♠ T♣ A♣ 9♣ , saving him from his demise.

Korea Poker Cup Main Event players are off to a 30-minute break, with registration deemed to close right before the start of Level 10. Quan Jin currently holds down the lead, with a chip count of nearly three times the average stack over the remaining 97-player field.

Day 1B is set to close following three more levels, with action wrapping up by the end of Level 12.

A preflop back and forth saw Zhong Wang make the final call for his 25,100 stack against Jian Zheng. Running another flip, Zheng's overcards won it this time across board K♠ 4♠ 4♦ J♠ 8♣ , eliminating Wang entirely.

Xiao Liu opened on the hijack, and went on to jam his 14,800 stack against Tsz Hin Cheung's three bet. Cheung made the call, putting Liu at risk.

In for a flip, the flop A♣ 5♥ 7♦ quickly paired up Cheung's overcards for the advantage, but was crushed as the runout 4♥ 8♦ landed Liu a runner runner straight to survive through.

A three way three bet pot led by Nengyue Chen saw 20,500 in the middle before flop 7♠ 4♠ 3♥ even landed on the felt. Chen continued for 10,000, raised by Zeyu Sun behind to 30,000. Chen answered with an all-in, and Sun snap called for his tournament life.

Chen A♠ 8♠

Sun J♦ J♥

In search of a third spade, none arrived on either turn 5♦ or river 3♦ for Chen, shipping Sun the full double up.

With 5,500 in the middle across board 4♣ 4♥ 7♣ 9♥ , Kyosuke Nagami on the big blind led out 3,800, called behind by William Teoh. Both checked down river 6♣ , revealing Nagami's A♥ 6♥ good for the pot.

Facing an open and a call, Yao Zhao pushed his 12,100 stack in and was looked up by initial raiser Shen Syu Ho. Zhao in rough shape, exited shortly having failed to improve on board 4♦ 2♦ 6♣ 4♣ T♦ .

Dong Li opened utg, and four bet 9,000 against Wei Hong's raise behind. Wei called to see flop 8♥ 7♠ 4♠ , but immediately folded as Li continued for 5,000.

Brett Bader defended his big blind against Ye Li's cutoff open, and went on to check raise 7,000 on flop 7♠ 5♠ Q♥ . Li didn't continue, and Bader is awarded the pot.

Wei Hong sent out a 6,700 three bet against an open and a call, and saw Nengyue Chen continue to flop 8♣ 5♣ 6♥ . Chen called a 5,600 cbet, revealing turn Q♣ . Both checked it through to river A♠ , where Hong led a final 16,500, to which Chen folded.

Jiale Li opened 2,000 on the cutoff, and called 11,400 more following a jam from Zihao Wang. In for a race, the board K♠ 6♠ 2♥ 8♥ 9♥ quickly leaned in favor of Li, knocking out Wang from the games shortly after.

Jun Li on the big blind, fired a 5,000 three bet against Chien Yu Lin's button open, and saw the latter continue to flop K♥ 5♣ 4♠ . Li bet 4,000, and followed with an all-in on turn A♣ . Lin called one street but eventually let it go after seeing Li prepared to risk it all.

Wei Hong sent out a 4,800 three bet from the big blind against an open and a call, and saw initial raiser Nengyue Chen complete. On board J♣ 9♥ 6♠ K♦ 8♦ , Hong led all three streets - 4,500, 11,500, and a final 26,200, with Chen calling down the initial two. Chen eventually let it go by the river, surrendering the pot to Hong.

A fourway raised pot led by Suwei Yang dealt flop A♦ T♥ 7♠ . Yang continued for 1,800, which didn't deter any from continuing to turn 8♣ . Action was this time, checked to Yin Liu on the button, who bet 5,200. Lante Zhang on the big blind put in the call, followed by an all-in from Yang for 26,700. Both Liu and Lante commit their lesser stacks for a three way showdown.

Yang J♥ 9♣

Liu T♦ 8♦

Zhang A♥ 9♠

Yang with the nut straight, scooped it all shortly after river 6♣ completed the board.

Three players vied for 8,000 in the middle on flop K♣ 9♦ 7♠ . Changyang Liu on the small blind, led 4,000, followed with an all-in for 9,000 total from Weiran Pu. Ziyue Zheng behind, called, along with Liu to turn 7♦ . Both checked it through to river 8♠ where Liu bet all-in. Zheng opted out, revealing Liu's straight J♣ T♥ for the win. Pu exited after his two pair K♥ 9♥ failed to hold up.

A three way raised pot dealt flop A♦ 2♣ 2♠ . Action was checked to Wanyu Zhang on the button, who bet 2,000. Both opponents continued to turn K♣ , and faced another 3,000 from Zhang. Tsz Hin Cheung on the blinds, put in another call, and arrived shortly at showdown after Zhang checked back river 9♦ . Cheung tabled two pair K♦ J♦ , and won the pot as Zhang mucked.

Beng Hong Ker defended his open and called a 3,000 three bet from Zan Chen behind. On flop J♣ 8♠ 2♠ , Ker check raised to 5,000, and saw Chen put in the call. No more bets went in on both turn 4♦ and river 2♥ , revealing Ker's 5♥ 5♠ for the win.

Ruoxi Li opened to 1,100, called by two players behind. Jun Li sent out a three bet to 6,500, and went on to reshove against the initial raiser's fourbet. Ruoxi Li risked his entire 27,400 stack, and was in for a flip for his tournament life.

At risk, Ruoxi Li secured the double up as his pocket pair held on board 8♠ 7♦ 2♦ 5♥ 3♦ .

A multiway raised pot dealt flop J♣ 9♥ 3♦ . Action checked round to turn 8♥ where Xudong Jin led for 2,700. Liu Kui behind, put in the call, and called for another 1,100 on river Q♥ . Jin revealed pair of nines 9♠ 7♠ , no good against Kui's runner runner straight A♣ T♥ .

Facing a late position open and a call, Jieming Xu put in a raise to 6,000 on the big blind, and was called by Feng Yu on the button. On flop K♦ 4♦ T♥ , Xu check jammed, called by Yu for his 16,000 stack.

Jieming Xu K♣ 3♠

Feng Yu J♦ 9♦

Gunning for a third diamond, none unfortunately for Yu, came on either turn 6♠ or river 9♠ , eliminating him entirely.

Up against an open and a call, Wenbin Zhao fired a 3,300 three bet on the button, and saw initial raiser Xiaoyun Li continue to flop 7♠ 5♠ 5♦ . Li called for another 2,200 , yet folded after Zhao pulled another 5,000 on turn A♥ .

Shanghao Xie sent out a 2,700 three bet from the small blind against Zhengshan Hao's cutoff open, and saw the latter complete. On board Q♥ J♣ 5♦ 9♥ T♣ , Xie double barreled - 2,000 and 5,000, with Hao calling behind both streets. Both checked back river, revealing Xie's straight K♠ T♦ for the pot.

A three way three bet pot led by Xiao Liu rolled flop A♠ T♦ 6♦ . Liu led 3,000, called by both Tsz Hin Cheung and Cheng Yen Lo behind. All three checked turn T♣ through to river T♠ . Action checked to Lo, who bet all-in for 20,700. Liu folded, but Cheung happily put in the call, exposing Lo's bluff Q♣ J♣ . Cheung tabled full house A♦ 5♦ , and delivered the bust.

Vying for 10,300 in the middle across board 7♦ 8♦ 5♣ T♦ , action was checked to Zhengshan Hao on the button, who bet 2,600. Initial raiser Hongshuang Hu made the call, and was met with a raise to 12,700 from Yikai Fang behind. Both opponents gave it up, shipping Fang the pot with no showdown.

With a pot of 12,800 centered around flop 8♣ 5♦ 6♥ , initial raiser Xiaoyun Li led 3,000, raised by Quanzhen Fang behind to 8,000. Aleksei Sei on the big blind, joined in along with Li to turn K♣ . Action checked to Fang, who bet all-in for 19,400, convincing both to throw in the fold.

Facing a late position and a call, Jieming Xu lodged a three bet to 3,300 on the button, and saw both continue to flop J♦ 9♠ 5♥ . Initial raiser Naoki Yashiro led a chunky 13,700, and picked up the pot uncontested.

Ryusei Muroya defended his early open and called a 1,500 three bet from button Xuejian Li. On flop 5♥ 7♥ 3♠ , Muroya check called for another 1,100, peeling turn 2♦ . Both checked it through to river 4♦ , where Muroya led for 1,500. Li surrendered and slipped his hand in the muck.

A three way three bet pot led by Cheng Chen saw the aggressor continue for 1,200 on flop A♦ Q♥ 8♣ . Initial raiser Valeriy Pak check called one street, yet laid it down as Chen barreled another 2,300 on turn K♣ .

With 10,900 in the pot across board 7♥ K♣ 8♣ 7♣ , Hongwei Li led a pot sized bet, called behind by Nengyue Chen. River 6♠ saw both stacks rush to the middle, revealing Chen's boat 8♦ 8♠ for the win against Li's two pair A♥ K♥ .

Preflop action saw 7,100 in the pot before flop A♦ K♦ 7♦ landed on the felt. Big blind Tianyu Wang led 2,800, and went for another 7,000 on turn 2♠ . Initial raiser Qingbo Gao called one street, yet gave it up as Wang proceeded with aggression.

Bohao Huang opened 500 on the hijack, called behind by Cheng Yen Lo along with big blind Aghayev Farhad. Action on flop Q♥ 9♥ 9♦ was checked round to turn 5♦ . Farhad led 1,500, called by Huang. Lo bumped it up to 4,500, and saw both continue to river T♠ . Led all-in for 17,100, and shipped the pot as both threw in the fold.

Wan Chun Kit defended his cutoff open and called a 1,400 three bet from Ziyue Zheng on the small blind. Zheng double barreled on board K♥ 4♥ Q♦ 4♣ , and found Kit pushing all-in for 17,000 total by the turn. Zheng made the call with A♦ K♦ , and sent Kit's A♣ J♦ towards the muck as the river K♣ further improved his top pair to trip kings.

Jian Zheng opened 300 utg, joined by both players on the blinds to flop 4♠ J♠ 9♣ . Both stuck around as Zheng continued for 400, revealing turn T♣ . Small blind led 500 yet opted out after Ryusei Muroya and Zheng went at it for their tournament lives.

Muroya T♥ 4♣

Zheng J♥ T♦

A two pair battle, Zheng's better holdings remained ahead through river 7♠ , eliminating Muroya right on the first level.

Three players vied for 9,600 in the middle across board 5♦ T♠ 2♠ 4♥ . Cheng Yen Lo led 7,000 out of the small blind, called by Jieming Xu behind. Bohao Huang on the button reshoved for 25,700 total and was challenged by Xu.

Huang 8♦ 6♦

Xu 9♦ 9♥

A gutsy shove with only an inside straight draw, Huang's aggression paid off as the river 7♠ completed his straight, earning him the full double up.

A pot of 10,500 was already in the middle across board 9♦ J♣ Q♠ 4♦ when Jieming Xu led out a bet of 6,700. Xiaokun Qi behind put in the call, but tank folded after Xu bet all-in (8,800) on river 2♠ .

With 1,600 in the pot on flop Q♥ 3♣ 8♣ , Kim Andrei took a stab for 400, and was called by Ye Li behind. On turn 9♥ , Andrei check called 800 from his opponent followed by a final 2,000 on river 5♠ , only to muck as Li revealed rivered set 5♥ 5♦ .

Shuffle up & deal, good luck to all the players!

Today sees the final two flights of the Korea Poker Cup Main Event on schedule, the first one being Day 1B slated at noon, running 40 minutes all throughout. Day 1C follows later in the evening, geared to run faster paced 20 minute levels. Both starting heats will play through twelve levels, with all survivors advancing onto tomorrow's Day 2.

Day 1B registration remains open through Level 9 @19:30.

Korea Poker Cup Main Event

Dates: November 22-26, 2024

Buy-in: KRW 1,600,000 (~USD 1,145)

Guarantee: KRW 1,000,000,000 (~USD 718,110)

Day 1A: 195 entries, 45 qualified

Day 1B: Saturday, November 23

Day 1C Turbo: Saturday, November 23

Day 2: Sunday, November 24

Day 3: Monday, November 25

Day 4 /Final: Tuesday, November 26