Main Event (1,600,000 KRW)

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.

Wei Chen Lin raised to 85,000 from the cut-off and called the 300,000 three-bet of Jianfeng Sun from the big blind.

Both players were peeled a flop of T♦ 8♦ 4♠ .

Sun check-raised all-in for his last 1,400,000 after Lin bet out 270,000. Lin went into deep thought, wondered if unicorns existed, counted out some chips and made the call.

Sun flipped over A♠ A♣ which dominated Lin's A♥ T♠.

The board completed with Q♠ 3♥, keeping the pair of aces of Sun ahead of Lin's pair of tens and also awarding Sun with a crucial double-up.

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)

Facing an open and a call, Xiaohui Wang moved all-in on the button for his last 725,000, and found Wei Chen Lin behind push likewise. All other players folded, leaving the two to run board 9♦ 5♥ 7♣ 3♦ 4♠ . No help arrived for Wang, busting him out to signal the day's close.

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

Cheng Bo open shoved 525,000 right on the button and was looked up by Wei Chen Lin on the blinds. In for a crucial race, Cheng bid his Main Event dreams goodbye as board Q♥ 6♣ 6♠ 9♠ 3♣ ran Lin a better two pair for the win.

Yi Ma opened 200,000 utg, and called for his last 5,000 chip following an all-in from Wei Chen Lin on the big blind. A huge favorite, Ma secured the double up as board 7♥ J♥ 2♠ 6♣ 9♦ left him with a better king-high.

Wei Chen Lin sent out a 130,000 three bet against Xiaohui Wang's utg open, and picked up the pot uncontested. Lin remains to lead the pack, having just cracked the 3 million mark.

Suwei Yang lodged a 150,000 three bet from the small blind against a late position open and a call, and found Wei Chen Lin on the button, call to see flop Q♣ 9♥ 5♦ . Yang check raised to 300,000, which didn't deter Lin from continuing to turn T♦ . Both checked it through to river 8♦ , where Yang pulled the trigger, tank shoving his last 645,000. Lin used up two time banks, and eventually hero called with bottom pair 4♠ 5♣ . Yang's bluff A♥ K♠ gets exposed, sending him out in brutal fashion.

Xiaohui Wang sent out a 125,000 three bet against an early open and saw Wei Chen Lin behind cold call, revealing flop 8♣ 4♣ J♠ . Wang continued for 100,000, check called by Lin. Turn K♣ was checked by both, prompting Lin to lead 200,000 on river 9♥ . Wang gave it up and folded.

Rong Long flicked in his last 105,000, and was called by both Xiaohui Wang and Wei Chen Lin on the bllinds. On flop 2♠ 8♣ 5♦ , Wang led 150,000 for the side pot, and tank called off his remaining 210,000 after Lin moved all-in.

Long Q♠ T♦

Lin T♥ T♣

Wang 6♠ 6♥

Lin ahead of the two, instead booked the loss as turn 3♠ and river 4♠ landed Wang a runner runner straight to take it down, while Long exited in 17th place.

Chip leader Wei Chen Lin has managed to scoop three blind steals in a row, the last one being off of Zhang Zhi, having fired a 120,000 three bet against his button open. Zhang tank folded, saving his 8 BB behind.

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♥ .

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

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♣ .

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.

Ka Fai Wong opened utg, and went on to fourbet jam 49,500 vs Wei Chen Lin's 13,000 three bet behind. Lin made the call with A♥ K♣ , and locked in the win against Wong's A♣ Q♦ as board A♠ T♥ 8♠ 9♦ 5♣ delivered no bad beats.

With 9,000 in the middle on flop T♣ J♠ Q♦ , action was checked by both Wei Chen Lin on the big blind and Shiina Okamoto on the button. On turn 6♦ , Okamoto bet 7,500, and gunned for a final 8,000 on river A♠ . Lin called all the way down, yet mucked as Okamoto revealed bottom pair 7♠ 6♣ .

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. Netherlands' Thijs Hilberts currently holds down the lead, being the sole runner to crack the 200K mark across the remaining 87-player field.

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

Top Chip Counts