Red Dragon Championship (2,500,000 KRW)

Day 2 of the KR₩ 2 Billion (~$1,451,326) guaranteed RDPT Jeju II 2025 Championship wraps up earlier than planned after the players started dropping like flies once the field was in the money. Instead of going the full distance of 10 levels the organizers decided to halt play with 40 players left which turned out to be 39 after two players busted at the same time.

Vietnam's Trung Quan Nguyen topped the leaderboard with 2,255,000 (113 BB) after an absolute heater in the last 30 minutes of the day. He first doubled up with A♦ A♥ against Weidong Cai's A♣ K♦ after going all-in pre with 580,000 at the time, knocked out Muzhi Peng and Yi Yang in the same orbit and put a 30 BB cherry on top when he called a 450,000 three-bet from Naohiro Matsuda with A♥ 5♣ on a 7♦ A♦ 4♠ flop against Matsuda's Q♦ J♦ flush draw that didn't materialize when the board completed 6♠ and 5♠ . We had a quick chat with him right after:

Congrats on bagging the lead in Day 2! How do you feel?

I feel very happy, I was waiting for this moment.

We followed your meteoric rise at the end, starting with the double up against Weidong Cai. How did your day go until that point?

I feel comfortable with my stack even if it was average at that moment and when I doubled up, I still played how I usually play. I didn't change my style because I didn't care in that moment.

What is the plan for Day 3? Use your stack to bully?

Of course I will use my stack to take advantage and gain more chips, because some players are scared to call especially when I have big stack.

You just had your biggest cash in the APT High Roller, what would it mean to follow this up with your first Main Event victory?

I've been waiting for this, because I have a lot of trophies, but mostly on side events and I am really hungry to win a main event especially with a field this big. I have a big stack going into day 3 and I feel more confident.

How and when did you get into poker?

I started playing poker two years ago. My friends invited me to play and I had fun that time so I study the game and started to play live.

Second in chips Kanwen Du From China had almost exactly the same experience in the last hour of play, shoving 495,000 with Q♣ Q♦ against Shuang Bao's A♦ K♦ where the board ran K♠ 7♠ 5♥ J♥ , Du already got up and started gathering his things before the Q♥ river put him back in front. He then chipped up to 2,145,000 (107 BB), getting almost even with the leader.

Wenhao Ying came in third with 1,860,000 (93 BB) after starting the day on the bottom with only 68,000 (17 BB) at the time. He is followed by a group of four with very even stacks that will all try to take on the leading two.

All of them will continue the hunt for the KR₩ 337,200,000 (~$245,493) champion's purse with at least KR₩ 8,200,000 (~$5,974) already secured tomorrow at 12:00 local and the SMP Live Updates will provide fresh coverage throughout the day.

Red Dragon Championship Schedule

• Day 3 2025.07.12 - 12:00

• Final Day 2025.07.13 - 12:00

The 6♥ 4♦ 6♦ 3♦ 6♠ board is of no help to the underdog who exits the race for the championship crown and play is stopped for today with 39 players left in the running.

No diamonds for Matsuda on 6♠ and 5♠ sees Nguyen take the lead less than two orbits after being on the brink of elimination.

Lights out for Nguyen on 9♥ 3♣ Q♠ T♥ K♠ and the field gets closer to the 40 player cutoff, if that happens before all 10 levels are completes.

Cutoff Tao Li opens 35,000 and big blind Van Hien Dang defends to see the J♥ 7♣ 3♣ flop where he calls Li's 40,000 c-bet before taking over the reins with a 120,000 lead on the 5♣ turn. Li consumes a time bank before paying up, but lets it go on the 9♠ river when Dang jams 225,000.

Diving into the action on the A♦ 2♥ 5♦ J♦ T♠ river with 295,000 in the middle, hijack Hao Tian bets 150,000, Long Cao puts him all in and Tian needs a time bank before making the call for his last 470,000 with A♣ J♣ which is not good enough against Cao's 6♦ 7♦ flush.

Large chop odds turn into Sun's favor on J♣ J♦ K♠ 4♦ 7♦ who makes a flush and knocks out Dong Li.

Help arrives immediately for Bao on the K♠ 7♠ 5♥ flop, Du gets up and ready to leave when the J♥ turn drops, and Bao is in shock watching the Q♥ river roll off the deck to put Du back in front.

Trung Hieu Nguyen limps from +2, button Long Cao makes it 32,000 and calls another 90,000 four-bet from Nguyen to watch the K♦ Q♦ 9♣ flop be revealed. Nguyen continues for 50,000, but lets it go after Cao put him all-in.

Kan Wen Du leads 24,000 from +1 and finds two customers to share the 9♥ Q♥ 6♠ flop with. His 61,000 c-bet gets called by hijack Weidong Cai only, who picks up the pot on the A♥ turn after betting 100,000 into Du's missed second barrel.

Catching the action on an 8♣ 3♦ K♦ 2♣ K♣ river with 324,000 up for grabs, Tommy Maguire leads 230,000, Haitao Huang jams 459,000 and Maguire needs a time bank before making the call with K♠ Q♣ but is left with crumbs when Huang tables 8♠ 8♦ full house to win the biggest pot we have seen so far.

Everything is looking peachy for Liu on K♣ T♣ K♠ 2♣ before turning pear shaped on the Q♣ river, giving Fang a boat and the double up.

Hijack Yunchao Yu leads 24,000, button Long Cao joins, small blind Wenhao Ying increases to 80,000, but it is Hao Tian who has the last word with a 371,000 jam that goes unanswered.

After winning a decent sized pot against Yingjie Chen a while ago, Peng Zhou looks at a 25,000 raise and a 65,000 three-bet in front and decides to pump it to 145,000 from the big blind. Both opponents let it go.

Things are looking good for Yu when the dealer tables the 2♦ turn before the Q♠ river gives Jing a set to quadruple up and leaves Yu with the side pot.

With a 20,000 raise and a flat in front, button Shi Xiao Qin increases to 68,000 and both opponents tag along to the K♦ J♥ 8♠ flop that gets checked to Qin. His 70,000 c-bet gets the job done.

Cutoff Yonqi Chen puts 25,000 in front and fills up button Hui Wang's 75,000 three-bet to see the 9♥ 4♥ 2♥ flop that gets checked to the T♥ turn. Chen lays out 60,000 and shows A♦ Q♣ after Wang threw it in the muck.

With a 20,000 raise and two flats in front, big blind Joseph Kim shoves 230,000 and scares of his opponents.