Main Event

KPC Main Event Day 2 has officially wrapped up following eight 60-minute levels, with only 20 players advancing onto Day 3. Taiwan's Wei Chen Lin leads the charge with a final chip count of 1,840,000 over the field, having began his ascent by the last three levels. Lin trailed behind day chip leader Cheng Yen Lo, and inched over the top spot in the last couple of hands after Lin called out his compatriot's bluff with a pair. Top three sees all Taiwanese runners holding down the healthiest stacks, with Lo and Chen An Lin, just about eleven big blinds behind.

Action resumes tomorrow, November 25th, 12 noon, with play set to close once the field is down to eight players

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)

Entries: 530 (247 unique)

Prize pool: KRW 1,000,000,000 (~USD 718,110)

ITM: 87 places

Day 1A: 195 entries, 45 qualified

Day 1B: 210 entries, 48 qualified

Day 1C Turbo: 125 entries, 42 qualified

Day 2: 135 players, 20 qualified

Day 3: 20 players

Day 4 /Final: Tuesday, November 26

The last five hands have been called out with action closing by the end of this level.

Wei Chen Lin defended his big blind against a 36,000 button open from Cheng Yen Lo. Both checked flop 2♥ 7♣ J♣ through to turn 7♥ , where Lin led 35,000. Lo called behind, and faced another 63,000 on river K♣ . This time, Lo raised to 175,000, yet booked the loss as Lin found the call with A♦ J♠ , exposing his bluff Q♣ 8♥ .

A pot of 420,000 brewed between Dongli Shen and Lin Chen An preflop, revealing Q♦ J♦ 2♥ on board. Both checked through to turn 9♥ where Shen led all-in. An tank called behind for his tournament life - 580,000, with top pair A♣ Q♥ , and was up against Shen's straight flush draw A♦ T♦ . River 7♠ bricked for Shen, shipping An the hefty pot.

Thijs Hilberts completed on the big blind vs Dongli Shen's early open and faced another 23,000 bet on flop 8♥ 5♣ 3♣ . Hilberts check raised to 75,000, and called off his remaining 275,000 after Shen moved all-in.

Shen K♣ 7♣

Hilberts Q♣ 2♣

Hilberts with a dominated flush draw, exited shortly as turn J♦ and river 3♥ completed the board.

Yipeng Yang defended his big blind against Jiang Pu's button open, and went on to check raise all-in for 163,000 on flop K♣ 4♣ 8♦ . Pu called with a club draw J♣ T♣ , and shipped the win against Yang's top pair K♥ T♠ , having filled up on runout 9♣ K♠ .

Xudong Zhang shoved 202,000 on the cutoff and was challenged by Jiang Pu on the big blind. A crucial flip, the board A♦ 3♦ 9♠ 8♦ 2♣ , instantly landed in Pu's favor, cutting Zhang's Main Event run short.

Jie Zheng open shoved 112,000 on the hijack and was called by Yi Ma right behind. Dominated, Zheng headed out shortly after missing board 9♣ 3♣ Q♣ 4♦ K♣ completely.

A three way raised pot led by Jinwoo Kim dealt flop A♦ K♣ 3♣ . Kim continued for 25,000, called by both Zhang Zhi and Suwei Yang on the big blind. Action on turn J♥ was checked to Zhang, who bet 110,000. Both opponents threw in the fold, shipping Zhang the boost.

Rong Long opened utg+1, called by Valeriy Pak behind. Big blind Wan Lo moved all-in for 38,000, and saw Long push likewise. Pak tanked, and eventually put in the call for his 192,000 stack.

Board A♥ K♦ T♠ 8♠ 2♠ quickly landed Lo the advantage, while Pak's kicker ran in play for the side pot, keeping him in the Main Event games.

Yong Li open shoved 188,000 utg and was called behind by Wei Chen Lin with a pocket pair. Gunning for overcards, the board 6♣ 8♠ J♦ J♥ T♣ instead, landed Lin a full house, leaving Li bound for the exit.

KPC Main Event players have been sent off for a 60-minute dinner break, with action set to resume at 6:48 pm local time. Only 32 runners remain in contention for the title and KRW 190,000,000 (~USD 136,410) top prize, with Taiwan's Cheng Yen Lo remaining in the lead. All contenders are now guaranteed KRW 4,600,000 (~USD 3,300) in cashes.

Day 2 action will wrap up by the end of Level 20.

Top Chip Counts

Zhang Zhi opened on the cutoff, and was met with an 80,000 three bet from big blind Suwei Yang. Zhang answered with another raise to 170,000, yet gave it up as Yang moved all-in for 492,000 total.

Up against a hijack open, Changyang Liu shoved for 208,000 and found a call from Zhang Zhi behind. In for a flip, the board 2♥ 5♦ 2♣ A♦ A♣ ran in favor of Liu's overcards, earning him the full double up.

Chenxu Zhang opened 20,000 on the hijack, called by both the button along with Jianwei Lin on the big blind. On flop 9♠ 9♣ 5♠ , Lin check raised to 90,000, and saw only Zhang continue to turn K♥ . Lin barreled all-in, and Zhang tank folded, opting to save her 14 BB behind.

Xian Xiao pushed all-in for 116,000, called behind by Cheng Yen Lo. Joris Michl on the button, raised to 330,000, yet tank folded after Lo moved all-in for 968,000.

Lo delivered the bust shortly after his ladies held on board 8♦ 8♠ 3♥ 7♣ T♠ .

Following a failed attempt at a bluff, Bohao Huang pushed his last 150,000 in, and was called behind by Jie Zheng. At risk, Huang flopped the nut straight on board A♥ T♣ Q♥ T♥ J♣ , but was left drawing dead as soon as the turn hit a full house for Zheng.

Wei Chen Lin defended his big blind against Wenwen Chen's hijack open, and check called another 18,000 on flop A♣ K♠ 4♥ . Turn T♦ went check check, prompting Lin to lead 41,000 on river Q♣ . Chen called, yet mucked as Lin flipped over two pair Q♥ T♣ .

Heng Qiao opened on the button and called off Shiina Okamoto's 65,000 all-in. Outpipped, Okamoto bowed out shortly after board K♥ 3♦ 6♣ 8♥ 8♦ cut her hopes of a chop.

Zihao Wang defended his cutoff open and called a 40,000 three bet from Changyang Liu on the small blind. Wang called another 23,000 on flop A♦ J♥ 5♠ , peeling turn 4♥ . Both checked it through to river J♠ , where Liu checked once more. Wang bet all-in for 127,000, and left Liu unable to continue even after using up all of his three time banks.

Vying for 200,000 in the middle on board T♣ A♣ 8♦ 3♣ , Yi Ma check called a pot sized bet from Bohao Huang behind, and headed to river 6♠ . Ma checked once more, urging Huang to bet for the rest of Ma's stack - 330,000. Ma, out of time banks, had only 2 seconds left on the clock before making the call with top pair A♥ J♣ , good against Huang's busted draw K♣ Q♥ .

Ho Chung Yi opened utg, and went on to four bet jam 181,000 against Jianwei Lin's raise behind. Lin snap called with the best hand, and cruised to victory across board J♦ 9♣ T♦ T♣ 4♣ .

Zhang Zhi sent out a 55,000 three bet against Changyang Liu's early open, and saw the latter continue to flop K♥ Q♠ 5♦ . Both checked it through to turn A♣ , where Liu led 40,000. Zhang called, and demanded a final 80,000 on river 3♥ , to which Liu surrendered.

Jianting Cai opened on the button and tank called off for his entire 200,000 after Yita Choong moved all-in. In for a flip, the flop J♥ 7♣ 9♦ connected with both, Choong with a set against Cai's up and down straight draw, but bricked for Cai as runout came T♦ 5♥ , busting him in the process.

Button opened, called by Cheng Lo on the small blind. Xudong Zhang on the big blind, raised to 36,000, and saw only Lo continue to flop 4♠ 8♠ T♠ . Both checked it through to turn 4♣ , where Lo led 35,000. Zhang called behind, and paid another 40,000 on river 2♠ , only to muck as Lo revealed nut flush A♠ J♠ .

Shen Enzhi opened 12,500 utg+1, and was joined by both Dong Li and Wei Chen Lin to flop K♣ 4♣ 9♠ . Shen continued for 12,000, weeding out none onto turn 7♦ . Action this time checked to Li, who bet 34,000. Only Shen put in the call, and arrived at showdown shortly after river J♥ was checked through. Li showed pair of nines T♦ 9♥ for the win, sending Shen's ace-high A♥ Q♠ towards the muck.

Jinhui Liu shoved his 66,000 stack in against an early open and a call, and faced initial raiser Xudong Zhang's monster pair. Drawing slim, Liu headed out shortly as board K♦ Q♥ 9♦ Q♣ 4♦ landed on the felt.

A three way all-in saw Yi Ma put both Yi Qin (126,000) and Chris Shebat (156,500) at risk simultaneously, covering as well as dominating both opponents. Ma quickly landed a pair on flop Q♥ K♠ 2♣ 3♣ 2♥ and cruised to victory shortly after the runout completed.

Haoran Hu went with J♦ T♦ for his last 53,000 and was happily called by Chen An Lin on the button with A♦ A♠ . Hu in rough shape, managed to flop top pair on 3♦ T♠ 9♣ , but was left in pieces after no further help arrived on either turn 7♦ or river K♠ .

Quanzhen Fang defended his big blind against Joris Michl's hijack open, and went on to battle on board K♠ 9♥ J♥ K♥ . Michl barreled 10,000, followed by another 20,000, with Fang check calling both streets.

On river 2♠ , Fang led 35,000, and called a raise for 90,000 more from Michl, only to find his flush 4♥ 3♥ , entirely behind Michl's higher flush Q♥ 7♥ for the pot.

Erdun Xu shoved all-in for 53,000 against an early open, and found Cheng Yen Lo push behind likewise. Initial raiser opted out, and the two ran board K♣ 7♠ 3♦ 8♦ J♥ . Lo landed top pair for the win, sending Xu bound for the exit.

Jin Boxin open shoved 57,000 in on the hijack, and was called by Chen An Lin on the big blind. Dominated, Jin failed to catch up on board 6♦ A♦ 9♥ 7♣ 3♦ , cutting his Main Event run short.

Three players set their sights on a 42,500 pot across board 2♠ 6♣ T♠ 9♠ . Action checked to Jie Zheng, who bet 11,500. Jinwoo Kim on the big blind, check raised to 34,500, and was met with another raise to 85,000 from Yunchao Yu behind. Both opponents threw in the fold, earning Yu the boost.

On the feature table, an all-in preflop situation was seen with Haoyu Huang in rough shape, having ran Q♦ Q♣ smack into Xiaohui Wang's A♥ A♣ . Board 7♣ 8♥ 9♠ T♠ 4♥ delivered no bad beats, busting Huang just shy of the money.

With 86,000 in the middle across board T♥ 2♣ 5♥ 7♣ , Ziqing Tang bet 50,000 and was check called by Joris Michl on the small blind. On river 9♦ , Michl led 135,000, and revealed straight J♥ 8♥ for the pot after Tang paid the price.

Cheng Chao Ting opened with half his stack at 15,000, and called off for the rest following a raise from Joris Michl. Cheng at risk, missed to connect with board J♣ 7♥ 2♥ 6♠ 7♦ , sending him out two spots short of the money.

Changyang Liu opened on the cutoff, and called 21,500 more following an all-in from Chan Tat Yiu behind. Chan came in late for the day, risking his tournament life right on his first hand of the day.

A favorite to win, Chan's ace high was good for the take down as dry board 9♣ 8♦ 4♥ 2♦ 9♥ hit the felt.

Four more eliminations are left on the table before the money trickles in. 87 players are due to cut a payday off of the KRW 1 million prize pool, with mincash set at KRW 3,200,000 (~USD 2,295).

Top Chip Counts

Catch the feature table action LIVE via Korea Poker Cup's Youtube channel.

Joris Michl fired a 25,000 three bet against Valeriy Pak's button open, and saw the latter complete, revealing flop K♠ 2♠ Q♥ . Michl gunned 17,000, called behind by his opponent. Michl checked turn 3♦ to Pak, who bet 49,000. Michl raised all-in shortly after, and left Pak to tank fold, opting to save his 23 BB behind.

Quanzhen Fang opened utg+1, joined by Xudong Zhang from the blinds. On flop J♦ T♣ 6♥ , Zhang check raised to 26,000, and saw Fang call behind. Turn K♠ and river 2♣ was checked to showdown, revealing Zhang's 7♣ 7♦ , no good against Fang's pair of jacks A♥ J♠ .

Xu Jie opened 60,000 utg, leaving himself with 13,000 behind, and was called by Jie Zheng a seat after. On flop K♠ Q♣ 2♥ , Xu pushed the rest, and Zheng put in the call.

Xu A♥ Q♥

Zheng A♠ K♣

In rough shape, no help arrived on either turn 4♠ or river 7♠ , eliminating Xu in 91st place, just four spots shy of the money.

Up against an open and a call, Lian Siqi raised all-in for 27,500 total with A♣ Q♥ and faced initial raiser Xixiang Luo's K♦ T♠ for a race. Board T♦ 3♠ 5♣ 2♥ 4♦ ran a straight for Lian, earning him the much needed double up.

Ming Jiang shoved for 29,000, called behind by Changyang Liu. Zhang Zhi on the button, bumped it up to 70,000, and Liu put in the call, building a side pot.

On flop Q♣ 6♥ 3♥ , Zhang bet 50,000, and followed with an all-in on turn 4♥ . Liu check called both streets with 9♥ 9♠ , and found himself ahead of Zhang's A♣ K♣ . River 8♣ completed the board, with Liu scooping it all, along with the main pot against Jiang's 7♦ 7♣ .

Preflop action saw 18,000 in the middle before flop Q♥ 8♦ 5♣ was dealt. Initial raiser Yongbin Wang continued for 6,000, and called 6,000 more following a check raise from big blind Charles Pansoy. On turn T♥ Pansoy led 10,000, followed by a final 15,000 on river A♣ . Wang called down both streets with A♦ K♥ , and raked in the pot as Pansoy flipped over a busted straight draw 9♦ 7♦ .

Jianwei Lin opened utg+1 and called off a 44,500 jam from Shizi Xiao behind. Xiao at risk, headed out shortly as his pair of tens on board Q♠ T♣ 3♦ A♣ 6♥ failed to get past Lin's pair of aces.

A pot of 74,000 brewed between big blind Valery Li and raiser Farhad Aghayev. River action saw Li check to Aghayev, who bet all-in for 128,000. Li snap called with quads 2♣ 5♠ , and shipped the massive boost, having left Aghayev's boat Q♣ T♦ entirely crushed.

With an open and a call ahead, Kyosuke Nagami pushed all-in for 37,000, and was challenged by caller Xiaohui Wang. Nagami dominated, found his top pair behind all the way through on board A♠ 9♠ 2♦ 6♠ 8♥ , knocking him out entirely.

With a pot of 58,000 centered around flop T♣ 9♠ 8♥ , Changyang Liu bet 12,000, and faced a check raise to 62,000 from Zhang Zhi on the small blind. Liu answered with an all-in, called by Zhang.

Liu J♣ 9♣

Zhang J♥ J♦

Drawing slim, Liu was in luck to find a 7♥ on the turn, giving both a jack-high straight for a split pot.

Vying for 27,500 in the middle on flop 5♠ 2♠ 2♣ , Jiawei Mao on the big blind, led 16,000, and called a raise to 40,000 from Haoyu Huang behind. Mao check called another 25,000 on turn 8♣ , followed by a final 46,500 all-in on river A♠ . Huang revealed flush K♠ Q♠ , crushing Mao's flopped trips 2♦ 6♦ by the river.

With 42,000 in the middle on flop A♥ Q♠ 9♦ , Junlin Feng took a stab at it for 42,000, called behind by Charles Pansoy. Feng checked turn 7♣ , and eventually laid it down after facing another 13,000 bet from his opponent.

Stephen Lai opened utg+1 and went on to shove his entire 62,000 against Qingbo Gao's three bet behind. Gao put in the call with his pocket pair and was in for a determining flip.

Gao's pocket pair held on board Q♦ 3♠ 7♥ J♦ 2♠ , leaving Lai empty-handed.

Shiina Okamoto pushed her 30,000 stack on the button, and saw Jun Li call off his lesser 24,000 stack. A crucial race for the two, the board K♥ 4♣ 5♣ 9♥ J♥ landed in favor of Okamoto, sending Li out of the running.

Jinwoo Kim defended his big blind against Qin Shi Xiao's button open, and called another 6,000 on flop T♣ 7♣ J♠ . Qin fired another 10,000 on turn 4♣ , leaving Kim unable to continue.

Ying Song opened 6,000 on the cutoff, and went on to fourbet jam her entire 59,500 stack against Haoyu Huang's raise. Huang made the call, putting Song at risk.

Dominated, Song managed to outflop Huang on board T♣ T♠ 9♠ J♦ 8♠ , saving her from elimination.

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

All three KPC Main Event starting flights have played through the first twelve levels, with 135 players out of its 530-entry field surviving the Day 1 battle. The money is expected to trickle in over today's Day 2 games, where 87 runners are deemed to cut a share of the KRW 1 million (~USD 718,110) prize pool. Mincash is set at KRW 3,200,000 (~USD 2,275), with the KRW 190 million (~USD 135,085) top prize remaining on the horizon.

Action will close following nine hours of play, by the end of Level 19.

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)

Entries: 530 (247 unique)

Prize pool: KRW 1,000,000,000 (~USD 718,110)

ITM: 87 places

Day 1A: 195 entries, 45 qualified

Day 1B: 210 entries, 48 qualified

Day 1C Turbo: 125 entries, 42 qualified

Day 2: 135 players

Day 3: Monday, November 25

Day 4 /Final: Tuesday, November 26

Top Ten Chip Counts