Kazuma Okamoto and Tanimichi Kazuhiro

Japan's Kazuma Okamoto claimed another trophy for his country after defeating fellow Japanese player Tanimichi Kazuhiro heads-up in the KRW 500,000 Freezeout at WPT Seoul 2026. The two players had already reached a heads-up deal, locking in their respective payouts, but the trophy was still up for grabs.

The event attracted 91 entries, generating a KRW 39,312,000 (~USD 29,275) prize pool. Okamoto secured KRW 9,302,000 (~USD 6,925), while Kazuhiro collected KRW 8,400,000 (~USD 6,255).

The final hand began with a preflop raise before the players saw an 8♦3♥3♣ flop. Okamoto moved all in, and Kazuhiro took about a minute before committing his remaining chips.

Kazuhiro was ahead with Q♣J♥ against Okamoto's 9♣6♦, but the 9♥ turn flipped the situation. The 6♣ river improved Okamoto to two pair, sending Kazuhiro to the rail in second place and handing Okamoto the Freezeout trophy.

Chew Wei

Survivor Bounty Day 1A has wrapped up with Chew Wei bagging an impressive 809,000 to finish as the runaway chip leader.

According to players at the table, Wei, who was already leading the field, extended his advantage in a massive clash against Hugo Loustau, who was sitting second in chips at the time. Wei's ace-nine suited held up against Loustau's pocket tens, earning him a huge pot worth nearly half the chips in play and giving him a commanding lead over the rest of the field.

Out of the 40 total entries, only five players will advance to Day 2, each securing a Survivor Bounty worth KRW 2,500,000.

Meanwhile, Day 1B is still underway and has already attracted 55 entries, bringing the combined field to 95 entries and generating a total prize pool of KRW 106,704,000.

Another seven players will secure their seats for Day 2 from this flight, joining the five who have already qualified through Day 1A. The final 12 survivors will then return to battle for the title and the accumulated prize pool.

Yi Shao

Action was picked with Chew Wei calling Yi Shao's all-in for 108,000.

Yi Shao: Q♦Q♣

Chew Wei: A♠2♦

Shao was looking at a potential double up with his queens when the flop dropped K♠6♣7♣.

The runout 6♠5♦ didn't help Wei at all, securing Shao's double up.

Ahn Le Nong

Chew Wei opened to 13,000 from under the gun but Ahn Le Nong, to his left, ahd other plans and three-bet to 33,000. When action folded back to him, Wei called to see the flop.

The dealer fanned out 8♣K♥A♠. After action was passed to him, Nong continued with 22,000 which Wei called again.

Nong didn't let up the pressure with another 32,000 on the J♥. Wei, not willing to let go, check-called.

Unstoppable, Nong shoved all-in for 43,000 on the river A♥. Unfazed, Wei called just to muck after seeing Nong's full house with A♣K♠.

Since it was an all-in situation, however, the tournament director had his cards turned over to show K♣Q♥.

Yen Han “Pete” Chen

Spotted taking his seat in the Survivor Bounty Day 1A at WPT Seoul 2026 at INSPIRE Entertainment Resort, Taiwanese poker professional Yen Han “Pete” Chen was a familiar face on the tournament floor.

Ranked second on Taiwan's All-Time Money List, Chen has built an impressive career spanning more than a decade, with a WPT championship and two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets to his name.

But for Chen, poker has always been about more than collecting titles and prize money. Today, he is also taking on a different role in the game as a WPT Global Ambassador.

Chen's rise through the poker ranks began on the Asian circuit, particularly in Macau, where he spent the early years of his career competing against some of the region's toughest players.

One of his biggest breakthroughs came in 2017 when he captured the WPT Beijing Main Event, overcoming a 400-entry field to claim his first major WPT title and a payday of $299,485. Just two months later, he came close to another major victory, finishing runner-up in the WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em event for $382,122, the biggest cash of his career.

Chen later added two WSOP bracelets to his collection through online events, further cementing his place among Taiwan's elite poker professionals.

Beyond the Tournament Tables

In July 2024, Chen joined the WPT Global ambassador team, bringing his experience as an accomplished tournament professional and his established presence in the poker community to the brand.

His contribution, however, extends beyond representing the platform at the tables. Through his YouTube channel, Pete's Poker World, Chen documents life as a travelling poker professional, sharing tournament experiences, poker strategy, and insights into the game with his audience.

His content also has a broader purpose: making poker accessible to people who may not be familiar with the game. As he explained in an interview with WPT Global, he hopes to reach audiences outside the existing poker community by introducing the basics, explaining tournament play, and keeping his content entertaining.

This combination of playing experience and content creation makes his ambassador role a natural extension of his career. After years of competing across different countries and circuits, Chen now has another avenue to connect with players and introduce more people to the game.

From building an impressive tournament résumé to representing WPT Global and sharing his poker journey with a wider audience, Chen continues to make his mark both at and beyond the tables.

Freezeout Final Table

The Freezeout has reached its final table! Attracting 91 entries, the event generated a total prize pool of KRW 39,312,000.

With 13 players making the money, the field has now been narrowed down to the final nine. Leading the charge is Japan's Mitsuo Matsushita, followed by France's Andrei Mabille and fellow Japanese player Yusuke Honda.

Final Nine Chip Counts:

All nine finalists are guaranteed at least KRW 1,260,000, but the ultimate prize is the KRW 10,922,000 awaiting the eventual champion. The race for the title is on!

Final Nine Payouts:

Ryuta Nakai - WPT Seoul SHR Warm Up Winner

Japan's Ryuta Nakai has more than USD 5.2 million in live tournament earnings, so adding another KRW 37,460,000 (~USD 27,900) to the total might not change his career numbers by much. But this one came with something he had never won before: a World Poker Tour trophy.

Currently ranked No. 1 in Japan in the Global Poker Index (GPI), Nakai took down the WPT Seoul SHR Warm Up, defeating fellow Japanese player Kensuke Kanamori heads-up to claim the title and top prize.

It was only his second time playing a WPT event, making the victory all the more special.

"The WPT is such a prestigious tournament, so being able to take a trophy and win a WPT makes me really happy," Nakai said.

When asked if he expected to come away with the title, his answer was refreshingly honest.

"No, no, not at all... not at all," he replied.

Nakai also had plenty of good things to say about his experience at YY Poker Club inside the INSPIRE Entertainment Resort, praising both the staff and the players.

"The floor staff handle everything very professionally, all the players are great people, and I had a really fun time playing. The final table was also very comfortable and enjoyable."

With his first WPT trophy secured, Nakai is not quite ready to call it a series. He confirmed that he plans to play for the WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship, which gets underway on November 5 with a KRW 1 billion guaranteed prize pool.

For now, though, he can enjoy a new addition to his poker collection — one that means a little more than the prize money.

Gary Hyemyong Moon

After just four hours of play, Event #19: Monster Stack crowned a new champion. American Gary Moon emerged victorious, taking home the WPT title, trophy, and top prize of KRW 16,840,000 (~US$12,560).

Moon entered the final table as the chip leader and maintained his advantage throughout, dominating the action with his aggressive play and eliminating opponents one by one.

Although his recorded tournament cashes date back only to 2022, Moon has consistently made deep runs across the Asian tournament circuit, earning numerous final table appearances. However, the opportunity to finish on top has come only a handful of times.

This victory was clearly a special one, with Moon's beaming smile reflecting the joy and satisfaction of finally coming out on top.

Finishing runner-up was Tomokazu Kato, who collected KRW 10,670,000 (~US$7,958) for the biggest cash of his career. Sumire Hori rounded out the podium in third place, earning KRW 7,020,000 (~US$5,235).

Monster Stack Final Results

Tomokazu Kato

Heads-up, Tomokazu Kato limped on the button and Gary Moon defended with a raise to 140,000.

The flop came 7♠6♣Q♣. Moon continued with another 150,000 which Kato called.

On the 4♥ turn, Moon applied maximum pressure, moving all-in for around 2,500,000 chips. Kato went into the tank, weighing his options with his tournament life on the line. A call would give him a chance to double up, while a fold would leave him finishing in second place.

He began working out the numbers on his fingers before finally making the call.

Tomokazu Kato: K♣4♣

Gary Moon: K♦Q♦

Kato had a pair and a flush draw and needed to improve to beat Moon's top pair. But no help came on the A♦ river, ending the tournament with him as runner-up.

Romulo Dorea

The SHR Warm Up is down to its final three players, with Brazil's Romulo Dorea holding a narrow chip lead. The WPT Global ambassador and Brazilian poker vlogger sits atop the counts with 3,855,000 (48 big blinds), but the gap is slim.

Close behind is Japan's Ryuta Nakai, currently ranked No. 1 in Japan in the Global Poker Index (GPI), with 3,715,000 (46 big blinds). Fellow Japanese player Kensuke Kanamori completes the final three with 2,175,000 (27 big blinds), keeping the battle wide open.

All three players have locked up at least KRW 15,890,000 (~USD 11,830), but there's considerably more at stake. The eventual champion will walk away with the trophy and KRW 37,460,000 (~USD 27,900), as Dorea looks to hold off the two Japanese contenders for the title.

The KRW 500,000 Freezeout has closed registration with 91 entries, generating a prize pool of KRW 39,312,000 (~USD 29,275). A total of 13 players are set to earn a share, with the eventual champion taking home the WPT Seoul trophy and the top prize of KRW 10,922,000 (~USD 8,130).

The field is now down to 50 players, meaning 37 more eliminations are needed before the remaining contenders reach the money. With only 13 places paid, the race is on to survive the bubble and secure a payout before the tournament plays down to its champion.

Sumire Hori

With just four players left in the running, Sumire Hori is currently the last woman standing in the Monster Stack event. Sitting on approximately 1,450,000 chips, she holds second place on the leaderboard and is in a strong position to challenge for the title and the top prize of KRW 16,840,000.

Hori is no stranger to making deep runs, particularly on the World Poker Tour circuit. She already has a WPT title to her name, having taken down the Mixed Triple Draw (Event #37) at WPT Tokyo in November 2022.

That same month, she added another impressive result to her résumé with an eighth-place finish in the WPT Prime Taiwan Main Event (Event #13) in Taipei City, earning 17,582(NT547,500).

With one WPT victory and another major final-stage finish under her belt, Hori knows what it takes to navigate the closing stages of a tournament. Now, with just three opponents standing between her and another title, she has a chance to add another memorable result to her growing poker résumé.

It's Day 5 of WPT Seoul 2026 at INSPIRE Entertainment Resort, and the momentum continues to build! Since the festival kicked off, each day has brought bigger moments, bigger prizes, and plenty of action at the tables.

Yesterday brought us a golden goose in Hayato Takahashi! He took down the tournament for ₩32,930,000 (~US$24,698) before adding the festival's biggest bounty, worth ₩15,000,000, to his haul. Talk about striking gold twice!

Today, the action continues with the SHR Warm Up and Monster Stack both returning for Day 2. The SHR Warm Up is set to crown its champion after attracting 39 entries and generating a prize pool of ₩113,490,000 (~US$85,000). Meanwhile, the Survivor Bounty gets underway with two starting flights, joined by a Freezeout and two evening events.

Here's the complete schedule for Tuesday, November 3:

11:30 AM – Survivor Bounty to ITM Day 1A (₩1,300,000)
Late registration: Level 10 at 4:30 PM

11:30 AM – Freezeout (₩500,000)
Late registration: Level 7 at 1:40 PM

11:30 AM – SHR Warm Up Day 2
Late registration: Closed

11:30 AM – Monster Stack Day 2
Late registration: Closed

5:00 PM – Survivor Bounty to ITM Day 1B (₩1,300,000)
Late registration: Level 10 at 9:05 PM

8:30 PM – Evening Hyper Turbo (₩1,000,000)
Late registration: Level 11 at 10:20 PM

8:30 PM – WYS at 50K Milestone Satellite to WPT Seoul Inspire (2 Seats GTD) (₩400,000)
Late registration: Level 7 at 10:10 PM

With plenty of tournaments to choose from and another title up for grabs, there's no shortage of action today. Make your way to YY Poker Club, get registered, and see if you can make your own mark at WPT Seoul 2026!