
Watch TLPT Main Event 15K SHR Day 3 Live Stream
Stephen Song Becomes The Inaugural TLPT SHR Main Event Champion For $750,000

After three days, 29 levels and beating a field of 191, Stephen Song added another trophy and $750,000 to his collection for winning The Lord Poker Tournament SHR $15,000 Main Event with a $3,000,000 prize pool at Jeju Island’s Landing Resort.
Song overcame a star-studded field that included bracelet winners Daniel "Jungleman" Cates, Dominik Nitsche, Yinan Zhou, Renji Mao, Lei Yu, Calvin Lee, Ami Barer, Dong Chen and a flurry of famous high stakes players from all around the globe.
Coming from 7th place in the Circuit Series Main Event earlier in the day, Song entered late then busted on the last level of Day 1 with K♦ K♠ against Xin Tong's 9♥ 9♣ when the board ran Q♥ J♣ 9♠ 2♥ Q♣ .
With registration still open at Day 2, Song signed up and again was axed about an hour before late registration closed. Forking out another bullet, that did the trick, as Song ran it up three-times the starting stack before clashing with Haohui Ma, to score a big double up with bottom set 8♦ 8♥ against Ma's top-two K♠ Q♣ . He ended the day strong by knocking out Pan Wang with jacks against nines that added more to his stack before the day concluded.
At Day 3, Song entered 8th overall and had decent position at the table to hit the ground running. He added another 11 bigs in the first few hands before busting Junbo Qu with K♥ K♦ against Qu's 7♦ 7♠ and took a big chunk from Martin Sedlak. Song reached the final table running second in chips.

Sitting to the left of chip leader Marius Gierse, it didn't take long for Song to regain the lead, knocking out Hua Wei Lin in 7th and Ivan Zhang in 6th, giving him more than double the chips of James Mendoza.
Later, he knocked out Martin Nielsen after the Dane bluffed into Song's trips then followed it up with a flip to boot Gierse. Entering heads-up play as a 6:1 favorite against Mendoza went back and forth until Song jammed his massive 113 bb stack into Mendoza's 8 bb stack with J♥ 3♣ . Mendoza risked with K♠ Q♦ . With the board running 3♦ 7♥ 2♣ 7♦ J♦ , Song locked up the inaugural title, taking home $750,000 - the largest cut of the $3,000,000 prize pool, and his first TLPT trophy.
Payout Result
Place | Player | Prize (USD) |
---|---|---|
1 | SS Stephen Song | $750,000 |
2 | JM James Mendoza | $450,000 |
3 | MG Marius Gierse | $320,000 |
4 | MN Martin Nielsen | $220,000 |
5 | PD Patrik Demus | $170,000 |
6 | IZ Ivan Zhang | $130,000 |
7 | HW Hua Wei Lin | $100,000 |
8 | JZ Jiaming Zhao | $76,000 |
9 | HL Haitao Lei | $62,000 |
10 | BL Bin Leng | $62,000 |
11 | QZ Quan Zhou | $52,000 |
12 | MS Mauricio Sanches | $52,000 |
13 | MM Martin Michael Sedlak | $44,000 |
14 | GT Gary Thompson | $44,000 |
15 | JQ Junbo Qu | $38,000 |
James Mendoza Finishes Runner-Up For $450,000

While the players are still talking about the last hand, Stephen Song jams his massive stack and James Mendoza double checks his cards before making the call.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
SS Stephen Song | J♥3♣ D | 48,000,000(120 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | K♠Q♦ BB | busted |
Bad news for Mendoza after falling behind on the flop 3♦ 7♥ 2♣ and not being able to catch up when the board completes 7♦ J♦ . He still takes home the biggest cash of his career that stood at just over $300K until today for finishing 3rd at the 2023 WSOP Bracelet Event #59.
Stephen Song Slowly Grinds Down His Opponent
After some back and forth in the last few hands and James Mendoza down by a little bit, he limps T♦ 6♣ and Stephen Song opts to check again with 5♦ 3♥ . Song check-calls a 500,000 bet to the 3♠ turn that gets rejected and the board completes J♦ . Song forks out a massive 3,000,000 over-bet and Mendoza doesn't buy it, making the call with the aid of a time bank. Some friendly banter between the two contenders follows before they focus on the next hand.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 45,000,000(113 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 3,300,000(8 BB) |
Mendoza Claws Back A Few Chips
James Mendoza limps 6♥ 2♥ and Stephen Song opts to check for the flop 5♦ 9♦ 2♣ that gets rejected for a free turn 3♣ where Song tries to steal with an 800,000 lead, but Mendoza pays up. The board completes Q♠ with both players checking and Mendoza's bottom pair coming out on top.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 40,000,000(100 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 7,600,000(19 BB) |
Stephen Song Back In Control

Aside from a preflop scoop with a four-bet and a walk for James Mendoza every other hand went to Stephen Song who increased his lead to a 7:1 now.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 42,000,000(105 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 5,800,000(15 BB) |
Level 29: 200,000 / 400,000 ante: 400,000
50 minutesJames Mendoza Starts Heads Up With Aggression

A limped pot gets checked to the turn 8♣ T♥ 7♣ 2♥ where James Mendoza bets 800,000, Stephen Song check-raises to 2,200,000, but decides to let go of J♦ 2♠ after Mendoza jammed for a total of 6,100,000 with Q♥ 8♠ .
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 39,000,000(130 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 9,200,000(31 BB) |
Chip Count Last 2 Players Remaining

Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 41,000,000(137 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 6,400,000(21 BB) |
Marius Gierse Out In 3rd With Big Slick For A $320,000 Payday

Right after doubling up, Marius Gierse opens 600,000 with from the button, small blind Stephen Song ups it to 2,000,000 and big blind James Mendoza cold four-bets to 5,500,000. Back to Gierse, all-in for 8,800,000 is announced and Stephen Song successfully isolates with a jam of his own.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | A♠K♥ D | busted |
SS Stephen Song | J♥J♣ SB | 41,000,000(137 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | A♥K♦ BB | 6,400,000(21 BB) |
No help for the German online crusher on 3♣ T♦ 2♥ Q♣ 6♥ sees him vacate his seat and the table gets prepared for the very lopsided heads-up.
Marius Gierse Doubles Up

After bleeding some more chips in the previous four hands, small blind Marius Gierse limps, chip leader Stephen Song puts him all-in and Gierse takes the offer for a total of 4,200,000.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 6♣6♦ SB | 8,800,000(29 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | A♥T♣ BB | 27,000,000(90 BB) |
Chip Count With 3 Players Left
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 30,000,000(100 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 13,000,000(43 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 5,100,000(17 BB) |
Short Deck Specialist Martin Nielsen Takes Trip To The Payout Desk In 4th For $220,000

After two orbits of chips moving back and fourth with not much changing in chip counts, Stephen Song leads 600,000 from the button and Martin Nielsen defends his big blind. Song continues for 400,000 on the T♠ 8♦ 3♣ flop and fills up after Nielsen check-raised to 1,000,000. The turn 8♥ has Nielsen put out another 500,000 that gets called and the board completes 5♠ . Nielsen wagers his last 3,000,000 for a massive bluff with 7♦ 6♦ , but Song snaps with trips K♠ 8♣ to extend his lead even further.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 30,000,000(100 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | busted |
Chip Count Update
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 21,000,000(70 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 16,000,000(53 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 6,900,000(23 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 3,900,000(13 BB) |
Patrik Demus Dominated And Out In 5th For $170,000

Under the gun James Mendoza lays out 600,000, cutoff Patrik Demus ups it to 2,500,000 and fills up for a total of 5,700,000 after Mendoza put him all-in.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
JM James Mendoza | J♦J♥ UTG | 16,000,000(53 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 8♠8♣ CO | busted |
Digging for two outs with his bare hands, Demus improves to a four outer on Q♦ 6♥ 9♦ J♠ but the river Q♠ makes his elimination official, banking the biggest win of his career.
Chip Count Update With 5 Players Left
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 20,000,000(67 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 8,900,000(30 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 7,600,000(25 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 6,900,000(23 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 4,700,000(16 BB) |
Ivan Zhang Eliminated In 6th For $130,000

Cutoff Stephen Song opens 600,000 and snaps after big blind Ivan Zhang declared all-in for 3,700,000.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
SS Stephen Song | A♣J♠ CO | 20,000,000(67 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | K♥2♣ BB | busted |
Latest Chip Count
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 15,000,000(50 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 9,700,000(32 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 7,600,000(25 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 6,900,000(23 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 4,700,000(16 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 4,000,000(13 BB) |
Hua Wei Lin Takes Home Biggest Cash Of Her Career In 7th For $100,000

When the action gets folded to small blind Stephen Song he slides 2,200,000 over the line and Hua Wei Lin defends to see the flop 4♠ A♣ 5♥ where she puts her last 125,000 in the middle and Song calls.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
SS Stephen Song | T♥9♦ SB | 15,000,000(50 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | Q♦6♦ BB | busted |
Being ahead, Lin needs to evade six outs and does so on the turn A♠ before the river 9♠ gives Song a pair to knock her out.
Chip Count Update
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 12,000,000(40 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 9,700,000(32 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 7,600,000(25 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 6,900,000(23 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 4,700,000(16 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 4,000,000(13 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 2,600,000(9 BB) |
Level 28: 150,000 / 300,000 ante: 300,000
50 minutesJames Mendoza Chips Back Up
First to act Stephen Song makes it 500,000 and takes two players to the flop 5♠ 6♠ T♣ where his 450,000 c-bet gets filled by both to reveal the J♥ turn. He fires a second barrel of 800,000 with A♦ K♠ , hijack James Mendoza raises T♥ T♦ to 2,200,000 after using a time bank, big blind Marius Gierse folds A♥ T♠ and Song follows suit.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 13,000,000(52 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 9,700,000(39 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 4,800,000(19 BB) |
Martin Nielsen Chips Up

After picking up the blinds the hand before, Martin Nielsen defends his big blind against a 500,000 open from under the gun Hua Wei Lin. Nielsen check-calls 350,000 on the flop 3♣ 9♥ K♠ to watch the turn 7♣ hit the felt that gets rejected by both of them for a free 4♥ river. Nielsen decides to lead 300,000 with Q♥ 3♥ and Hua Wei Lin finds a hero call with A♥ Q♦ after using two time banks.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MN Martin Nielsen | 7,800,000(31 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 2,700,000(11 BB) |
The Chip Leaders Collide

Under the gun Patrik Demus min-raises A♥ T♣ and cutoff Stephen Song comes along for the ride with 6♠ 6♦ to the flop A♠ T♦ 6♣ . Demus goes on to triple barrel for 400,000, 1,300,000 and 1,600,000 to the river 2♦ and K♠ where Song takes a time bank before deciding to raise to 4,800,000. Demus gives it some thought, but makes a strong fold.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 15,000,000(60 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 7,300,000(29 BB) |
Latest Chip Count With 7 Players Left
Player | Chips |
---|---|
PD Patrik Demus | 11,000,000(44 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | 10,000,000(40 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 6,800,000(27 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 6,000,000(24 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 5,900,000(24 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 3,900,000(16 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 3,900,000(16 BB) |
Marius Gierse Recovers Some

A limped blind battle gets checked to the turn A♥ A♣ 8♣ 4♣ where small blind Martin Nielsen puts out a 250,000 feeler and Marius Gierse pays up to see the J♠ river hit the felt. Back to a check, Nielsen faces an 800,000 bet from Gierse and decides to let it go, losing a time bank in the process.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MN Martin Nielsen | 7,100,000(28 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 6,200,000(25 BB) |
Jiaming Zhao Ends Second Final Table Appearance Of The Series In 8th For $76,000


Down to his last 2,700,000, Jiaming Zhao puts all of them in front from the hijack and small blind James Mendoza - who just doubled up against Zhao a few hands ago - wakes up with a monster and calls.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
JZ Jiaming Zhao | Q♣J♥ HJ | busted |
JM James Mendoza | A♦K♦ SB | 7,800,000(31 BB) |
Zhao's live cards can't hit on 4♥ 9♥ 4♠ 2♥ 8♣ ending his second final table after finishing 6th in the Circuit Main Event just a few days ago.
Level 27: 125,000 / 250,000 ante: 250,000
50 minutesChip Count Update
Player | Chips |
---|---|
PD Patrik Demus | 11,000,000(55 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 8,100,000(41 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | 7,600,000(38 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 5,700,000(29 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 5,100,000(26 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 4,500,000(23 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 3,500,000(18 BB) |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 2,700,000(14 BB) |
Haitao Lei Exits In 9th For $62,000

Ivan Zhang gets the ball rolling for 500,000 from +1, Patrik Demus ups it to 1,300,000 from +2 and big blind Haitao Lei cold four-bet-shoves 3,000,000 after consuming three time banks. Zhang lets it go before Demus fills up.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
IZ Ivan Zhang | A♦J♣ UTG+1 | 3,500,000(18 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | Q♠Q♦ MP | 11,000,000(55 BB) |
HL Haitao Lei | A♣Q♥ BB | busted |
No ace for Lei on J♠ 6♥ 8♦ 8♣ 4♦ spells the end of his run.
Haitao Lei Stays Alive
After he won the next three hands, Stephen Song is involved for a fourth time by successfully isolating Haitao Lei's 1,400,000 open-jam with an all-in of his own from the button.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
HL Haitao Lei | Q♥J♥ UTG | 3,200,000(16 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | 4♦4♣ D | 7,600,000(38 BB) |
James Mendoza's Heater Continues
Jiaming Zhao min-raises from +2 and fills up after cutoff James Mendoza requested the triangle again for 2,300,000.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
JZ Jiaming Zhao | A♠Q♥ MP | 3,200,000(16 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | J♠J♥ CO | 5,100,000(26 BB) |
The dealer keeps it interesting until the end by flipping over 4♥ 3♠ 5♠ J♣ A♣ and grants Mendoza his third double up in a row.
Chip Count Update
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MN Martin Nielsen | 8,600,000(43 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | 7,000,000(35 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 7,000,000(35 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 6,200,000(31 BB) |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 5,500,000(28 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 5,400,000(27 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 4,000,000(20 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 2,300,000(12 BB) |
HL Haitao Lei | 1,900,000(10 BB) |
James Mendoza Bounces Back

After doubling right the next hand against Ivan Zhang, Mendoza is at it again, wagering his newly acquired 900,000 chips from the button and Marius Gierse fills up his 400,000 open from +1.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | Q♦J♥ UTG+1 | 6,200,000(31 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | A♥K♠ D | 2,300,000(12 BB) |
Martin Nielsen Triples Up

Martin Nielsen min-opens from +2 and takes two interested parties to the action flop Q♣ 9♥ 6♣ where he continues for 450,000, cutoff Jiaming Zhao flats and big blind James Mendoza declares all-in for 2,500,000. Nielsen fills up for a total of 2,350,000 and Zhao calls to put both opponents at risk.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
MN Martin Nielsen | A♦A♣ MP | 8,600,000(43 BB) |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | J♥T♥ CO | 5,500,000(28 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | K♦Q♠ BB | 350,000(2 BB) |
Nielsen's rockets stay ahead on T♣ 3♥ and Mendoza picks up the tiny side pot to stay alive.
Chip Count Update
Player | Chips |
---|---|
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 8,900,000(45 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | 7,100,000(36 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 7,100,000(36 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 6,900,000(35 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 5,900,000(30 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 4,100,000(21 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 3,100,000(16 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 2,400,000(12 BB) |
HL Haitao Lei | 2,300,000(12 BB) |
Jiaming Zhao Keeps Up The Pressure
Right the next hand, first to act Jiaming Zhao raises to 450,000 again and finds two customers to share the 9♦ 2♦ 5♣ flop with. He continues for 500,000 and only big blind Stephen Song pays up for the turn 7♠ to be revealed where two checks complete the board J♥ . Zhao fires another 1,100,000 which gets Song to lay it down.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 8,900,000(45 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | 7,100,000(36 BB) |
HL Haitao Lei | 2,400,000(12 BB) |
Jiaming Zhao Puts His Foot Down On The Flop

Jiaming Zhao lays out 450,000 from +1 and takes two customers to the flop 7♦ J♣ T♠ that gets checked to button Patrik Demus who tests the waters with a 450,000 bet, Marius Gierse folds his big blind before Zhao check-raises to 1,300,000. Demus needs a time bank and decides to let it go.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 7,200,000(36 BB) |
MG Marius Gierse | 7,200,000(36 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 6,900,000(35 BB) |
Patrick Demus Takes From Marius Gierse

First to act Marius Gierse leads 400,000 and takes both blinds to the flop 3♦ 9♥ 3♠ where his 350,000 c-bet takes him heads-up with small blind Patrik Demus. The Hungarian check-calls another 1,200,000 on the Q♥ turn and the board completes J♠ . Both players check with Demus tabling the winner J♦ J♥ against Gierse's Q♦ J♣ top-two.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 7,800,000(39 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 7,800,000(39 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 2,400,000(12 BB) |
Chip Count Update
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 9,800,000(49 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | 7,800,000(39 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 5,900,000(30 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 5,700,000(29 BB) |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 5,600,000(28 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 4,200,000(21 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 3,100,000(16 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 3,000,000(15 BB) |
HL Haitao Lei | 2,800,000(14 BB) |
Marius Gierse Bounces Back

After losing some chips to Ivan Zhang and Patrik Demus, Marius Gierse is back with a 400,000 open from the lojack and big blind James Mendoza defends to see the flop 8♥ Q♥ A♦ where he check-calls a 300,000 c-bet from Gierse. An 800,000 2nd barrel on the 4♠ turn gets the job done for the German.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 9,800,000(49 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 3,200,000(16 BB) |
Level 26: 100,000 / 200,000 ante: 200,000
50 minutesBiggest Pot Of The Tournament Ends With A Chop

Stephen Song opens 300,000 from +2, lojack Jiaming Zhao ups it to 1,000,000 and Song declares all-in for 6,700,000. Zhao doesn't lose much time an fills up for a total of 5,300,000.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
SS Stephen Song | A♣K♥ MP | 6,900,000(46 BB) |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | A♠K♠ MP | 5,600,000(37 BB) |
The Final Table Is Underway
After a short break the final table starts with Hua Wei Lin picking up aces in the first hand, but is only able to collect the blinds before Patrik Demus does the same with ace-king
Player | Chips |
---|---|
HW Hua Wei Lin | 6,100,000(41 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 5,500,000(37 BB) |
Final Table

Player | Chips |
---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 9,875,000(66 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | 6,700,000(45 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 5,750,000(38 BB) |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 5,375,000(36 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 5,125,000(34 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 4,325,000(29 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 3,825,000(26 BB) |
HL Haitao Lei | 3,425,000(23 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 3,350,000(22 BB) |
Level 25: 75,000 / 150,000 ante: 150,000
50 minutesBin Leng Becomes Final Table Bubble In 10th For $62,000

Overall chip leader Marius Gierse opens 300,000 from the cutoff, Bin Leng puts his newly acquired 1,300,000 to the test once more before Martin Nielsen successfully isolates from the big blind.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | K♠6♠ CO | 9,900,000(79 BB) |
BL Bin Leng | K♥Q♦ D | busted |
MN Martin Nielsen | J♥J♠ BB | 3,400,000(27 BB) |
The dealer flips over 2♠ 9♥ 8♥ 2♥ , giving Leng a few more flush outs, but the river J♦ makes his elimination and the Final 9 official.
Bin Leng Doubles Up But Is Still Short

Under the gun Jiaming Zhao leads 275,000 and big blind Bin Leng defends to see the flop Q♠ J♣ T♥ where Leng check calls his last 290,000 with a straight.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
JZ Jiaming Zhao | Q♥Q♦ UTG | 4,700,000(38 BB) |
BL Bin Leng | K♥9♣ BB | 1,300,000(10 BB) |
Leng stays ahead on 9♠ 2♥ for a double up, but is still on life support.
Stephen Song And Marius Gierse Dominate Their Tables On The FT Bubble
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 10,325,000(83 BB) |
SS Stephen Song | 8,250,000(66 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 5,525,000(44 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 4,800,000(38 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 4,675,000(37 BB) |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 4,450,000(36 BB) |
HL Haitao Lei | 3,575,000(29 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 2,475,000(20 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 2,100,000(17 BB) |
BL Bin Leng | 1,575,000(13 BB) |
Player | Chips | Table | Seat |
---|---|---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 8,250,000(66 BB) | 2 | 2 |
PD Patrik Demus | 4,675,000(37 BB) | 2 | 4 |
JM James Mendoza | 4,800,000(38 BB) | 2 | 6 |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 2,475,000(20 BB) | 2 | 7 |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 5,525,000(44 BB) | 2 | 8 |
MN Martin Nielsen | 2,100,000(17 BB) | 3 | 1 |
HL Haitao Lei | 3,575,000(29 BB) | 3 | 3 |
MG Marius Gierse | 10,325,000(83 BB) | 3 | 5 |
BL Bin Leng | 1,575,000(13 BB) | 3 | 7 |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 4,450,000(36 BB) | 3 | 8 |
Ivan Zhang On A Heater

A limped blind battle gets checked to the turn T♠ 7♦ 3♣ 3♥ where small blind James Mendoza leads 225,000 before filling up Ivan Zhang's 525,000 raise. The river Q♥ is checked down with Zhang's T♣ 5♣ granting him another pot against Mendoza with A♥ J♣ .
Player | Chips |
---|---|
IZ Ivan Zhang | 4,600,000(37 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 3,800,000(30 BB) |
High Roller Crusher Quan Zhou Out in 11th For $52,000

After final table bubbling the Circuit Main Event a few days ago the No.5 on China's all time money list with over $12M in earnings Quan Zhou is putting his last 1,655,000 in the middle from the cutoff and small blind Patrik Demus wakes up with a monster for an easy call.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
QZ Quan Zhou | 7♦7♥ CO | busted |
PD Patrik Demus | K♦K♣ SB | 5,170,000(41 BB) |
Mauricio Sanches Bites The Dust In 12th For $52,000


Mauricio Sanches leads the way for 250,000 out of the hijack, button Jiaming Zhao increases to 675,000 and snaps after Sanches wagered his last 2,000,000.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
MS Mauricio Sanches | A♦Q♣ HJ | busted |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 9♥9♦ D | 5,300,000(42 BB) |
Sanches misses on J♣ 8♥ 7♥ 4♠ 7♦ and another deep run of his comes to an end.
Patrick Demus Bounces Back

After just scooping a pot, Patrik Demus open-limps his small blind and fills up after James Mendoza made it 375.000 to see the flop 7♣ 4♣ 3♣ . Mendoza's 175,000 c-bet and a call is the last action before the turn Q♠ and river A♣ get checked down where Demus flips over the winner Q♣ 5♣ and Mendoza mucks.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
JM James Mendoza | 5,410,000(43 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 3,520,000(28 BB) |
Second In Chips An Hour Ago Martin Sedlak Axed In 13th For $44,000

A min-raise from under the gun takes two players to the flop 5♦ 2♠ 9♠ that gets checked to cutoff Hua Wei Lin who tests the waters for 125,000, big blind Martin Sedlak shoves for 180,000 and only Lin fills up.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
HW Hua Wei Lin | Q♥Q♠ CO | 5,800,000(46 BB) |
MM Martin Michael Sedlak | J♣6♣ BB | busted |
The turn 4♠ gives Sedlak three outs for a straight, but the river 5♥ ends his journey in 13th.
Table 2 Update
Player | Chips | Table | Seat |
---|---|---|---|
QZ Quan Zhou | 1,555,000(12 BB) | 2 | 1 |
SS Stephen Song | 7,100,000(57 BB) | 2 | 2 |
MM Martin Michael Sedlak | 555,000(4 BB) | 2 | 3 |
PD Patrik Demus | 2,420,000(19 BB) | 2 | 4 |
JM James Mendoza | 6,100,000(49 BB) | 2 | 6 |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 2,400,000(19 BB) | 2 | 7 |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 5,000,000(40 BB) | 2 | 8 |
Stephen Song Continues His Ascent

A min raised pot between under the gun Stephen Song and hijack Patrik Demus gets checked to the turn 9♦ 7♣ 4♦ 4♣ where Song lays out a 275,000 delayed c-bet and Demus calls to see the board completes 4♥ . Another 600,000 from Song gets the job done.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 7,100,000(57 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 2,420,000(19 BB) |
Haitao Lei Collects Again
First to act Martin Nielsen puts 250,000 in the middle with Q♣ J♠ , but lets it go after Haitao Lei pumped it to 700,000 from the hijack with A♣ K♥
Player | Chips |
---|---|
HL Haitao Lei | 3,900,000(31 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 2,000,000(16 BB) |
APT Taipei High Roller Runner-Up Gary Thompson Out In 14th For $44,000

Haitao Lei opens 275,000 from the cutoff and snaps after button Gary Thomson requested the triangle for 1,100,000.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
HL Haitao Lei | A♦A♣ CO | 2,800,000(22 BB) |
GT Gary Thompson | K♦Q♥ D | busted |
The board runs J♠ 3♠ J♣ K♥ 3♦ and sends the Irish to the rail.
James Mendoza Wins Massive Flip


With a 265,000 open and a 600,000 three bet in front, big blind James Mendoza squeeze jams 2,850,000 and only button Martin Sedlak snaps.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
QZ Quan Zhou | HJ | 1,855,000(15 BB) |
MM Martin Michael Sedlak | A♣K♣ D | 555,000(4 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | Q♠Q♥ BB | 6,140,000(49 BB) |
Mendoza immediately hits a set on Q♦ 2♦ 9♦ K♥ 2♣ for a boat in the end and a massive double up, leaving Sedlak with crumbs after starting the day in 2nd.
Patrik Demus Hero Calls On The River

A single raised pot between hijack Patrik Demus and big blind Quan Zhou gets checked to the river Q♦ 3♣ 6♦ 3♥ K♠ where Zhou tries to steal with J♥ T♥ for 300,000, but Demus puts on his cape after spending three time banks and makes the call with A♦ 9♠ ace-high.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
PD Patrik Demus | 2,800,000(22 BB) |
QZ Quan Zhou | 1,600,000(13 BB) |
Marius Gierse Runs Away With The Lead
After winning two hands this orbit already, Marius Gierse defends his big blind against a min-raise from under the gun Mauricio Sanches and both players check to flop 8♣ 2♥ 4♠ for a free turn 7♦ . Gierse takes the lead for 225,000 and scoops another pot.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 10,210,000(82 BB) |
MS Mauricio Sanches | 2,000,000(16 BB) |
Level 24: 50,000 / 125,000 ante: 125,000
50 minutesMarius Gierse Extends Lead

Martin Nielsen opens 200,000 from +1 and takes two customers to the flop 9♥ J♦ 8♥ where his 300,000 c-bet gets called from Marius Gierse in the hijack to take them to the turn 3♠ heads-up. Slowing down to a check, Martin Nielsen lets it go when faced with a 700,000 bet from Gierse in position.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 9,500,000(95 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 2,200,000(22 BB) |
Hua Wei Lin Takes On Stephen Song

Under the gun Hua Wei Lin min-raises and takes hijack Stephen Song to the flop T♣ 9♣ 4♠ where she check-raises 700,000 and Song fills up his 200,000 bet. Lin takes a time bank before checking the 4♦ turn and Song follows suit for a free 9♥ river. Lin forks out a 1,000,000 lead that goes unanswered.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 6,800,000(68 BB) |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 5,000,000(50 BB) |
Big Stacks Collide
James Mendoza kicks off the action with a 200,000 raise from +1, small blind Stephen Song pumps it to 800,000 and Mendoza pays up to see the flop 6♥ 3♦ K♠ where Song's 400,000 c-bet gets called. After using a time bank on the 5♣ turn, Song fires another 900,000 which sends Mendoza in the tank. The Filipino-American uses up three time banks before letting it go.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 7,300,000(73 BB) |
JM James Mendoza | 3,300,000(33 BB) |
Haitao Lei Gets Much Needed Double Up

Hijack Jiaming Zhao leads 200,000 and fills up after button Haitao Lei wagered his last 730,000.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
JZ Jiaming Zhao | A♦6♦ HJ | 4,300,000(43 BB) |
HL Haitao Lei | K♠Q♠ D | 1,700,000(17 BB) |
Digging for six outs, Lei finds one on J♦ 8♠ K♣ 5♣ 9♦ to jump ahead and stay in the tournament.
Quan Zhou Chips Up Pre
With a 200,000 open from hijack Patrik Demus and a 520,000 three-bet from cutoff James Mendoza in front, Quan Zhou cold four-bets 1,300,000 from the big blind which is enough to scare his competition away.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
JM James Mendoza | 4,300,000(43 BB) |
QZ Quan Zhou | 2,915,000(29 BB) |
PD Patrik Demus | 1,700,000(17 BB) |
Table 2 With Stephen Song Taking Over The Lead
Player | Chips | Table | Seat |
---|---|---|---|
QZ Quan Zhou | 2,175,000(22 BB) | 2 | 1 |
SS Stephen Song | 5,600,000(56 BB) | 2 | 2 |
PD Patrik Demus | 1,900,000(19 BB) | 2 | 4 |
JM James Mendoza | 5,000,000(50 BB) | 2 | 6 |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 2,800,000(28 BB) | 2 | 7 |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 5,300,000(53 BB) | 2 | 8 |
MM Martin Michael Sedlak | 4,400,000(44 BB) | 3 | 3 |
Stephen Song Is Running Over The Table

Stephen Song limps his small blind before filling up a 350,000 raise from Martin Sedlak. Both players check to the river 8♣ K♣ 2♣ 8♠ 4♥ where Song leads 580,000 with top-pair K♥ T♥ and Sedlak calls, throwing it in the muck after seeing his opponents hand.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 5,600,000(56 BB) |
MM Martin Michael Sedlak | 4,400,000(44 BB) |
Gary Thompson Dominates And Doubles

Gary Thompson open-jams 850,000 from +1 and big blind Martin Nielsen goes for a spin.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
GT Gary Thompson | A♥T♠ UTG+1 | 1,900,000(19 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | Q♦T♦ BB | 2,900,000(29 BB) |
Table 1 Update With Marius Gierse Still Firmly In Control
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 7,500,000(75 BB) |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 4,800,000(48 BB) |
MN Martin Nielsen | 3,900,000(39 BB) |
MS Mauricio Sanches | 2,500,000(25 BB) |
BL Bin Leng | 1,500,000(15 BB) |
HL Haitao Lei | 980,000(10 BB) |
GT Gary Thompson | 850,000(9 BB) |
Junbo Qu Becomes Firs Elimination Of The Day In 15th For $38,000

Junbo Qu declares all-in for 730,000 from +2 and big blind Stephen Song has an easy snap-call with kings.
Player | Hand | Chips |
---|---|---|
JQ Junbo Qu | 7♦7♠ MP | busted |
SS Stephen Song | K♥K♦ BB | 4,700,000(47 BB) |
Level 23: 50,000 / 100,000 ante: 100,000
50 minutesStephen Song Adds Some More

First to act Junbo Qu lays out 180,000 and fills up button Stephen Song's 410,000 three-bet to see the flop 3♣ Q♦ 6♣ where Song's 150,000 continuation is enough to take it down.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 4,200,000(53 BB) |
JQ Junbo Qu | 830,000(10 BB) |
James Mendoza Hits The Ground Running

Also with an early win under his belt already, James Mendoza opens 170,000 from +2, hijack Ivan Zhang ups it to 450,000, Mendoza uses a time bank before putting a 1,400,000 four-bet in the middle and Zhang goes in the tank. After using up three times banks the AAPoker ambassador let's it go.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
JM James Mendoza | 4,915,000(61 BB) |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 2,900,000(36 BB) |
Bracelet And Ring Holder Stephen Song Starts The Day Strong
After just scooping a pot, under the gun Stephen Song leads 170,000 and finds no callers, adding some more to his mid-sized stack early.
Player | Chips |
---|---|
SS Stephen Song | 3,560,000(45 BB) |
Level 22: 40,000 / 80,000 ante: 80,000
50 minutesDay 3 Of The SHR Main Event Is Underway
Shuffle up and deal!
The Final 15 Of The Lord Poker Tournament SHR Main Event Will Take Their Seats At 13:00 Local

The Lord Poker Tournament International Championship here in Jeju Island’s legendary Landing Resort will continue with the headline SHR $15,000 Main Event Day 3 with a prize pool of a whopping $3,000,000. The 191 entries dwindled down to the last 15 contenders that will compete for the $750,000 top prize, the trophy and bragging rights for making history as the inaugural champion today.
All of the players left standing had to go through a star studded field with bracelet winners Daniel "Jungleman" Cates, Dominik Nitsche, Yinan Zhou, Mao Renji, Lei Yu, Calvin Lee, Ami Barer, Dong Chen and a flurry of high stakes players from all around the globe.

Starting the day with a huge gap to the rest of the field is German Marius Gierse who is famous for his online accomplishments, but racked up several million dollars in live earnings over the past decade as well. He was one of the people that took a starting stack from Ivan Zhang when he tried to spin up a stack during the closing levels of late registration yesterday that got him to a 62BB stack at the end of level 14. From then on he consistently chipped up, becoming chip leader of his table and then took the overall lead during level 20 and never looked back. Busting Raffaele Sorrentino in 17th on the buzzer to put a 20BB cherry on top of his 7,545,000 (94BB) stack.

Second in chips is Martin Sedlak - another German who has several final tables to his name in 2025 already - who came back from the brink in level 20 and finished Day 2 with the elimination of bracelet winner Calvin Lee for 20BB and shortly after Yunkyu Song - WPT Season 22 Player Of The Year - in 16th for another 7BB that concluded Day 2. He will unbag 4,755,000 (59BB) today.
AAPoker Ambassadors Ivan Zhang - 3,550,000 (44BB) and Quan Zhou - 2,140,000 (27BB) are also still in the stacked Top 15.
Day 3 will start at 13:00 local on Sunday the 18th with 16 minutes left in level 22 and finish when a champion is determined.
The SMP Live Updates will cover the action from start to finish.
Day 3 Chip Count
Player | Chips |
---|---|
MG Marius Gierse | 7,545,000 |
MM Martin Michael Sedlak | 4,755,000 |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 4,685,000 |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 4,265,000 |
JM James Mendoza | 4,085,000 |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 3,550,000 |
MN Martin Nielsen | 3,505,000 |
SS Stephen Song | 3,330,000 |
PD Patrik Demus | 2,250,000 |
QZ Quan Zhou | 2,140,000 |
MS Mauricio Sanches | 1,920,000 |
BL Bin Leng | 1,915,000 |
GT Gary Thompson | 1,460,000 |
JQ Junbo Qu | 1,370,000 |
HL Haitao Lei | 985,000 |
Day 3 Seat Draw
Player | Chips | Table | Seat |
---|---|---|---|
QZ Quan Zhou | 2,140,000 | 2 | 1 |
SS Stephen Song | 3,330,000 | 2 | 2 |
PD Patrik Demus | 2,250,000 | 2 | 4 |
JQ Junbo Qu | 1,370,000 | 2 | 5 |
JM James Mendoza | 4,085,000 | 2 | 6 |
IZ Ivan Zhang | 3,550,000 | 2 | 7 |
HW Hua Wei Lin | 4,265,000 | 2 | 8 |
MN Martin Nielsen | 3,505,000 | 3 | 1 |
HL Haitao Lei | 985,000 | 3 | 3 |
MM Martin Michael Sedlak | 4,755,000 | 3 | 3 |
GT Gary Thompson | 1,460,000 | 3 | 4 |
MG Marius Gierse | 7,545,000 | 3 | 5 |
MS Mauricio Sanches | 1,920,000 | 3 | 6 |
BL Bin Leng | 1,915,000 | 3 | 7 |
JZ Jiaming Zhao | 4,685,000 | 3 | 8 |