Red Dragon Championship (2,500,000 KRW)

Day 3 of the RDPT Jeju II 2025 Championship with a KR₩ 2 Billion (~$1,451,326) prize pool comes to a close after a three hour final table bubble where everyone was stalling and waiting for someone else to bust. It got so bad that the floor decided there will be a three hand penalty for anyone trying to look at the action on the other table.

China's Bohong Yu bagged the lead with 5,550,000 (37 BB) after a roller coaster ride towards the end of a day that he started in the bottom quarter of the field with only 335,000 (17 BB). His first break came right after the cards were in the air when he busted fellow short stack Jun Li with A♥ K♦ against Li's 7♠ 7♦ . Away from our eyes on the feature table he chipped up consistently adding more chips on almost every table update we posted even becoming chip leader at one point. Then the three hour bubble started and the roller coaster ride began. He tussled a lot with Tao Li - one of the most aggressive players left in the field - and was down to 15BB right after the last level started. He turned it around on a three-way flop 5♦ 7♥ J♥ with J♠ 8♠ where he jammed into a lead from Tao Li who called with 9♠ 7♠ and the poker gods were kind when the board blanked with 3♥ and T♣ . We had a chat with him right after the day ended:

Congrats on bagging the lead on Day 3! How do you feel?

I feel very good. After long hours of playing I can finally get a rest.

What was the plan going into Day 3? You were at the bottom with 17BB when the day started.

To be honest I don't have any plans going into Day 3 I just played normally.

Tell us some key hands that got you to the top?

I don't remember any key hands that got me on top. I'm just lucky.

You already have the biggest cash of your career secured, what's the plan for the Final Table?

Just enjoy the game.

How did you hear about the RDPT? It's your first time here, right?

This is my first time here at the RDPT and my friends called me to come and play.

How and when did you get into poker?

I started playing live 5 years ago.

Is it just a hobby, or do you have bigger aspirations?

Yeah this is my hobby.

He is closely followed by Peng Zhou with 5,225,000 (35 BB), Yuefeng Pan - the most accomplished player left in the field with almost $1M in live earnings and a main event title this year already - with 5,150,000 (34 BB) and his Day 3 nemesis Tao Li who also has 5,150,000 (34 BB) and will sit to his immediate left on the final table tomorrow.

All of them have at least KR₩ 26,000,000 (~$18,943) secured - already the biggest career cash for more than half of the players left in the field - and the possibility of a life changing KR₩ 337,200,000 (~$245,493) for the top spot.

The Final 9 will take their seats around 12:00 noon after the opening ceremony and the SMP Live Updates are going to be there until a new champion is crowned.

Lights out for Ying when Li flops the nuts on J♣ 8♥ 7♥ 7♣ 3♣ and the three hour final table bubble finally comes to an end.

Button Shi Xiao Qin jams 2,450,000 and collects the blinds for a second time in a row.

Yu stays ahead on 3♥ and T♣ for another all-in going to the short stack.

Cutoff Tao Li puts 300,000 in front and big blind Bohong Yu defends to see the 9♦ J♠ 9♠ flop where Li starts a triple barrel sequence of 200,000, 500,000 and 1,000,000 to the A♠ turn and 7♦ river where Yu finally surrenders.

Former runaway chip leader Haitao Huang lays out 250,000 from the cutoff and small blind Bohong Yu defends to see the 6♦ 2♠ A♣ flop where he check-calls 180,000 before the A♥ turn gets checked down to the 6♣ river. Huang forks out another 300,000 with A♠ 9♣ and Yu cant resist to have a look before throwing it in the muck.

Under the gun Tao Li opens 250,000, small blind Bohong Yu ups it to 800,000, but lets it go after Li four-bet 1,575,000 after consuming a time bank.

Because of the excessive stalling of almost all the players, the floor announced that there will be a three hand penalty for any player that looks at the other table. Hand for hand play has already been in effect for quite some time as well.

First to act Bohong Yu takes two customers to the A♣ K♣ 9♦ flop where his 275,000 continuation gets met by button Tao Li only. Yu slows down to a check on the T♠ turn and folds to Li's 425,000 bet.

Under the gun Wenhao Ying wants 200,000, but surrenders after cutoff Tao Li pumped it to 1,100,000, scooping his 3rd pot in a row.

The action folds to small blind Bohong Yu, 350,000 wander over the line and Wenhao Ying defends to see the 3♣ 9♣ 5♠ flop where he calls another 300,000 from Yu before folding on the K♠ turn after Yu forked out a 625,000 second barrel.

First to act Tao Li min raises and both blinds defend to see the Q♣ 3♦ 5♠ flop where his 215,000 c-bet finds a taker in small blind Bohong Yu and the A♠ turn is revealed. Yu calls a 300,000 second barrel from Li, the J♠ river drops and two checks have Yu table the Q♦ T♦ winner.

Under the gun Bohong Yu lays out 160,000 and finds two customers to share the Q♥ 6♠ 7♥ flop with where the action gets checked to button Tao Li who tests the waters for 195,000. Small blind Haitao Huang pays up and both of them check down to the K♥ turn and 4♦ river with Li's 8♦ 8♠ beating 5♠ 7♠ from Huang.

That's the end for Nguyen who bagged the lead on Day 2 and had a little chat with us 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.

Things are looking great for Wang on 5♦ 6♦ 2♦ before the 3♥ gives Pan a straight and Wang finds no improvement on the 5♣ river that ends his run in 12th place.

Wenhao Ying raises 160,000 from the hijack with no takers, winning his 3rd consecutive pot.

No help for Du on 8♦ 9♥ 4♦ 7♣ 4♣ sees the former chip leader hit the rail and Pan takes the overall lead.

Cutoff Tao Li wants 160,000, but folds when small blind Peng Zhou jams for 1,800,000. Li shows A♥ 8♠ and Zhou flips over A♦ K♠ before they move on.

After taking down a hand on the flop against Trung Quan Nguyen, Yuefeng Pan min-raises from the hijack with no takers, collecting his fourth consecutive pot.

Button Yuefeng Pan opens 120,000 and small blind Ning Chu defends to see the A♣ 5♣ 3♠ flop where Chu lets it go against a 100,000 c-bet from Pan, who wins his 2nd hand in a row.

The board runs 8♦ 2♣ 3♥ A♥ 7♥ to send Wei to the rail and Li up the leaderboard.

The 8♥ river keeps Pan ahead who sits on over 2M in chips now, less than an hour after being down to 295,000.

Trung Quan Nguyen raises 120,000 from +1 and fills up after hijack Jinlin Shi made it 260,000 to lay eyes on the 6♠ A♠ Q♠ flop where Shi continues for 225,000 and Nguyen pays up. The 9♠ turn gets checked to the A♦ river, Nguyen takes over the reins with a 125,000 lead holding A♣ 2♣ and Shi calls with Q♣ Q♦ , thinking he lost when Nguyen flipped over his cards, Shi has to thank the other players for notifying him that he is actually ahead.

Hijack Trung Quan Nguyen puts 125,000 in the middle, button Kanwen Du makes it 275,000, but big blind Ning Chu picks up the pot after cold four-betting 650,000.

The board pairs 7♠ to put Li back in front and Weng is left with barely more than a big blind.

Hijack Ning Chu starts off for 110,000, cutoff Xu Wang ups it to 275,000, button Hong Yang flats after consuming a time bank and Chu fills up as well. Wang's 200,000 c-bet on the 6♠ 4♣ K♦ flop gets only called by Yang who lets it go on the 3♠ turn when faced with a 400,000 second barrel from Wang who shows A♣ J♦ and hands a time bank to the dealer.

Pan's rockets hold on 7♠ T♣ 9♦ 6♣ 4♥ and he is back over 1M.

The 2♠ river keeps the Vietnamese pro ahead and leaves Pan with crumbs.

The action folds to small blind Yuefeng Pan who limps, Ning Chu raises to 180,000, Pan counters with a 550,000 three-bet, but lets it go after Chu pumped it to 1,000,000.

Right after scooping a pot preflop with a three-bet jam against Tao Li's raise, Guangjie Luo forks out 825,000 from under the gun and Tao Li surrenders his big blind.