Main Event

The Main Event of the Korea Poker Cup began with 530 players going through three Day One Flights to see 135 qualifiers return to Day 2. From there, 87 players made it into the payout circle, but only the remaining 20 of Day 2 advanced to Day 3.

On Day 3, the top 20 played until a final table of 8 was made, and today the final table came back to go for over 6 hours of play until a champion was crowned.

Finally, it can be announced that the Korean Poker Cup Main Event Champion is none other than Joris Michl of the Netherlands, who weaved his way through the ups and downs of the final table to earn a heads-up spot against Wei Chen Lin for the title.

Both players fought for nearly 3 hours in heads-up battle with Michl at the brink of getting beaten down. However, Michl made a remarkable come back when he rivered a straight to stay alive and take the chip lead, and then brought the hammer down with a two-pair to land the Main Event trophy and a champion's payout of KRW 190,000,000 (~USD 136,410).

"It feels really good. I finally win a big one in live poker, so it's been a long grind to finally win a big one, so I'm very happy, " Michl explained when asked about his reaction after the win.

This main event win is the first live championship for Michl, who had won a main event championship online prior to this huge milestone victory.

When asked about his heads-up come back from a three-to-one disadvantage, Michl explained that he used the 15-minute break to get advice from Yita Choong and they reviewed some of the hands from the delayed livestream.

"I then adapted my play and I think that gave me the advantage after the break," Michl added.

Michl also shared that he plans to stay in Jeju for the entire week then proceed to the USOP in Hai Phong before ending the year playing WPT events in Vegas.

When asked what the first thing he'll spend on, he explained that he'll buy himself a new bicycle and pad up his bankroll. Of course, he admits that there will be some celebrations tonight and maybe a double celebration if his friend Tom Henricus, who sits at the final table of the Jeju Poker Cup Final, also bags the title.

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

Final Table Results

Joris Michl raised to 300,000 with K♥ Q♠ and Wei Chen Lin made the call to defend his big blind with J♦ T♠.

Both players were thrown a flop of 4♠ Q♥ 6♠. Lin tapped his option to Michl, who fired 350,000. Lin completed to see a K♠ on the turn.

Lin checked over to Michl who bet 900,000 for his top two-pair. Lin then went all-in for his last 5,100,000 and was snap called by Michl.

Lin was hoping for a miracle straight on the river just as Michl had done to him a few hands back, but the poker gods threw a 8♦ instead to end his Main Event journey as a runner-up and award the championship to Michl.

Wei Chen Lin brought home a juicy runner-up prize of KRW 117,500,000 (~USD 84,360) for a valiant effort.

Joris Michl limped in with 9♠ 8♣ and then called the 410,000 raise of Wei Chen Lin with T♦ 8♠ to see a flop of 6♥ 7♦ 8♦.

Bother players paired their eights with Lin ahead with the better kicker.

Lin led out for 425,000 and Michl raised to 1,300,000. Lin then three-bet raised to 2,500,000 and Michl then shoved for his last 5,300,000.

Lin went into the tank and asked Michl if he had a set. Michl said I have a pair, and Lin decided to make the call, adding 2,800,000 to the pot.

The turn came K♦ and dimmed the hopes of Michl. However, the poker gods were kind enough to throw a T♥ on the river, giving Michl a straight to double up and, more importantly, stay alive.

Joris Michl completed the blinds with a hand of 5♦ 2♠ and Wei Chen Lin checked his 7♣ 4♦ to see a friendly flop of A♠ 8♠ 3♦. Lin led with 100,000 and Michl raised it to 350,000. Lin peeked at his cards and made the call to see a 5♣ on the turn.

Lin check-called the 700,000 bet of Michl to see an 8♥ on the river.

Lin fired out 1,100,000 and Michl tanked before folding the winning hand.

Wei Chen Lin made a 250,000 raise holding on to K♦ Q♦. Joris Michl defended his big blind with J♦ 9♥.

The flop came A♣ J♠ 6♦. Michl check-called the 200,000 bet of Lin to see a T♠ on the turn, which gave Lin a Broadway straight.

Michl check-called the 250,000 bet to see a 9♦ turn, which gave Michl false hopes with a two-pair. Michl check-called the 600,000 bet of Lin and was once again broken to see his two-pair dominated by Lin's straight.

Joris Michl raised to 250,000 with J♥ 8♥ in the hole. Wei Chen Lin peeked into T♦ 8♦ and decided to make the call to defend his big blind.

Both players were shown a flop of T♠ 9♠ 4♦. Lin hit his top-pair while Michl had an open-ended straight draw among his other outs. Both checked to see a 6♠ turn.

Lin check-called again when Michl fired 270,000 to see a K♠ on the river. Lin check-called again when Michl fired 925,000.

Lin showed the pair of tens during the show-cards moment and Michl mucked his hand.

Joris Michl raised to 250,000 on the strength of Q♣ 7♣ and Wei Chen Lin defended the big blind with J♣ 3♣ in the hole.

The dealer peeled a flop of J♠ 6♠ 7♠ allowing both players to hit. Lin had the lead with top-pair and Michl had the mid-pair.

Lin check-called Michl's 200,000 bet to see a 9♥ turn and then check-called again when Michl fired 450,000 to see a ks on the river.

Both players slowed down with four spades on the board. Lin flipped his better pair to take down the pot and improve his stack, slowly pulling away from Michl.

Wei Chen Lin made the raise to 225,000 on the strength of A♠ 7♦ and Joris Michl completed to defend his big blind with 2♥ 2♦.

The flop arrived K♠ 7♠ 4♣ to give Lin the lead. Michl check-called the the 175,000 bet of Lin to see a 7♣ flop.

Michl check-called once again the 425,000 bet to see a 9♥ river. Once again Michl check-called the bet of 975,000.

When the cards were flipped over, Michl was broken to see the set of Lin.

Joris Michl peeked into J♠ 2♦ and completed the blinds while Wei Chen Lin checked his option with J♣ 4♣.

Both players hit the flop of J♦ 2♣ 6♠ with Michl's two-pair looking better than Lin's top pair.

Lin check-called the 80,000 minimum bet of Michl to see a T♠ turn. Lin check-called again, but this time for 230,000.

The river 5♥ sealed the win for Michl, who fired 725,000 when Lin tapped his option. Lin just made the conservative call and was disappointed to see that his to pair wasn't good enough.

Wei Chen Lin raised to 185,000 with Q♥ 7♣ and Joris Michl called, holding K♦ 9♠, to see a flop of 5♥ 6♥ 8♦ .

Lin led out with 200,000 and Michl made the call to see a 4♦ on the turn. Lin led again for 275,000 with Michl raising to 850,000.

Lin three-bet to 2,200,000 holding a straight. Michl finally let go to make the stacks of both almost even.

Two players remain!

It will be Joris Michl of the Netherlands versus Wei Chen Lin of Taiwan battling it out for the Korea Poker Cup Main Event title.

The winner will be taking home a beautiful Korea Cup trophy with a champion's top prize of KRW 190,000,000 (~USD 136,410) while the runner-up will have a payout of KRW 117,500,000 (~USD 84,360).

Here are the final table chip counts:

Action between the blinds saw Joris Michl raising to 225,000 from the small blind and Wei Chen Lin making the call to defend his big blind.

Both players checked on the flop of 7♠ 7♥ T♣ to open a free 2♦ on the turn. Michl fired 200,000 and was called by Lin.

The river showed a 2♣ and Michl tapped his option to Lin who fired 425,000.

Michl surrendered the pot to give Lin the chip lead.

Chen Wei Lin made a 100,000 min-raise from under the gun and was three-bet by Joris Michl to 375,000 on the small blind. When action went back to Lin, he made a four-bet to 800,000.

Michl thought about it before finally throwing his A♦ Q♣ back to the dealer.

It was a good fold since Lin held pocket nines and was ahead.

The final table kicked off with exciting action from the very first hand with the two huge stacks going at it.

Joris Michl raised to 185,000 from early position and chip leader Cheng Lo defended his big blind.

Both players saw a flop of A♣ Q♣ 6♠ which both checked to see a freebie 4♠ on the turn.

Lo check called Michl's bet of 225,000 to see a 5♠ on the river. Both players then slowed down to show their cards. Michl flashed J♣ T♣ which wasn't enough against the K♣ 5♣ of Lo, who took down the pot.

Michl was a bit relieved a club didn't come in the river, or it could've spelled a big disaster for his Main Event hopes.

Cheng Lo, meanwhile, extended his chip lead.

The Main Event of the Korean Poker Cup is down to its final table. 530 started this adventure three days ago with the top 87 players earning their spot in the payout circle. Now, only 8 remain. While each are guaranteed a loot bag of KRW 20,700,000 (~USD 14,860), all eyes are on the top prize of with the KRW 190,000,000 (~USD 136,410) plus a gorgeous trophy to go along with the title Main Event Champion.

Leading the final table is Taiwan's Cheng Lo with 4,130,000 chips. Lo has made nearly USD 60,000 in tournament winnings and this final table appearance will be his biggest career cash. He's made three final table appearances last October 2024 at various events, but still needs to finally book that win. Maybe today is the day he stays on course for the championship.

Joris Michl of the Netherlands sits with the second largest stack of 3,110,000 chips. This final table payout will surely boost Michl's career winnings to over USD 200,000, but a championship win will catapult his earnings to pass the USD 300,000 milestone. Michl's last win was back in September 2024 when he took down the NLH Mini High Roller event at USOP Hai Phong.

Wei Chen Lin of Taiwan rounds up the top three with a stack of 2,900,000. Lin's biggest live cash was for over USD 47,000 way back in 2023, finishing third in a main event tournament at the 2023 CSPG in Cangshan, China. At least a third place finish will break Lin's personal best.

Jianfeng Sun of China has the fourth spot in the chip counts with 1,760,000. Sun has nearly USD 700,000 in total live earnings. A championship here will bring him closer to the USD 1 million milestone.

China's Jianwei Lin is ranked fifth with 1,200,000 chips. Lin recently topped the NLH - Six Handed event in the European Poker Tour (EPT) at Cyprus last month. In September 2024, he made his largest earning for over $200,000 with an 8th place finish at the Main Event of the EPT Barcelona.

Yi Ma of China holds the sixth rank with 745,000 chips. Ma has over USD 400,000 in total live earnings and a championship win will push him past the half-million milestone.

Changyang Liu of China is second to the bottom rank with just 505,000 chips. Liu will need to win a few flips to get away from the bottom and improve his payout in order to boost his earnings over the USD 250,000 mark.

At the bottom of the leaderboard is China's Xiao Liu. Liu made his biggest cash earlier this July with a 6th place finish in the Red Dragon Poker Tour here at Jeju. Liu bagged over USD 52,000 and will need a third place finish to beat that mark.

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

Final Table Payouts

1st - KRW 190,000,000 (~USD 136,410)

2nd - KRW 117,500,000 (~USD 84,360)

3rd - KRW 83,900,000 (~USD 60,240)

4th - KRW 65,000,000 (~USD 46,670)

5th - KRW 51,000,000 (~USD 36,615)

6th - KRW 40,000,000 (~USD 28,720)

7th - KRW 30,000,000 (~USD 21,540)

8th - KRW 20,700,000 (~USD 14,860)

Wei Chen Lin defended his big blind against Joris Michl's open, and check called a 50,000 cbet on flop T♥ 4♣ 3♠ . Both checked turn J♦ through to river T♣ , where Lin led 130,000. Michl put in a raise to 375,000, and called down Lin as he pulled 950,000 back. Lin caught with a bluff Q♥ 9♥ , shipped the pot to Michl for his trip tens K♦ T♠ .

One more bust to go before Day 3 wraps up with the final eight players set to advance to the Final Day. Taiwan's Cheng Yen Lo has since taken the lead with a chip count of 4,100,000, followed by day chip leader Wei Chen Lin, 27 big blinds behind.

Chip Counts

Joris Michl fired a 120,000 three bet against Yi Ma's cutoff open, and saw the latter continue to flop K♥ ts 5♦ . Michl gunned 60,000, enough to push Ma out of the pot.

Following the loss, Gao Lei shoved his last 130,000 in and was called by Joris Michl behind for a flip. Lei quickly landed the advantage on flop A♥ 9♣ 2♥ , but was again left drawing dead as the turn hit 4♦ to knock him out.

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

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♠ .

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.

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.

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

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.

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.