Red Dragon Closer NLH (1,500,000 KRW)

Xiaosheng Zheng Wins Red Dragon Closer For KR₩ 19,018,000 (~$13,955)

Finishing runner-up in the Single Day High Roller on Tuesday, Chinese pro Xiaosheng Zheng finally gets his trophy on the last day of the series. He beat a field of 43 to win his third tournament of the year and inches closer to $1,5 million in lifetime earnings. We interviewed him the day after finishing runner-up in the Single Day High Roller:

Hey, thanks for taking the time. How do you feel after the heads-up last night? Being short stack three-handed, what did it take to turn it around into a lead during HU and how did it fall apart?

Except for a little frustration, I still felt quite relaxed. When there were three players remaining, I was the shortest stack, then I took the lead after winning with 88 against A5o and busted the player in third with JJ versus 33. The heads-up went on for a lot of levels then finally the blinds were too high - avg stack only 13BB - and I lost the race by losing two flips.

You played the Triton here in Jeju earlier this year, can we expect to see more of you in the nosebleed buy-ins?

I will come to Jeju Island again in September for the next Triton. With my current bankroll and skills, I think I will participate in the competition for no more than $30,000.

Take us back to 2017, winning the first recorded tournament of your career in Macau for $45K and then banking $152K just two months after. What was that like and how did it change your life?

Fortunately, my first ITM was a champion, and then my second ITM was a high bonus. These two bonuses made me have more bankroll and more confidence in MTT. Before that, I had a full-time job as a securities investment consultant, and after that, I put my focus on my Texas Hold'em career.

What are some other highlights of your career that come to mind?

I have won two high roller championships in China poker game, the biggest tournament in China, and about 10 other championships.

Having won more than $1,4M and playing since 2017, what keeps you hungry to come back for more?

I like the team atmosphere of friends celebrating when winning, friends encouraging each other when losing, and then I have entered the FT of main events about 10 times over the years, but only got two second places. I am eager to win a main event championship.

You have played all over Asia and Europe, what are your favorite poker destinations and why?

My favorite is Macau, because it is close to my home, has a pleasant climate and rich food. It is also the beginning of my MTT career. I have had great luck there.

How and when did you get into poker?

I learned about Texas Hold'em in 2015. At first, it was a home game between friends, and then slowly I went to Macau and started playing cash game and MTTs.

Any advice to young aspiring poker players?

I think my suggestion is to systematically learn the basic knowledge before entering the game, then accumulate experience through a lot of online and offline actual combat, and then use software review to improve yourself, exercise after work, and cultivate your good emotional control, accumulate enough bankroll, and make your career go more smoothly.