Highlights of the 2018 Poker King Cup
The Poker King Cup has been playing out through the past week, and the festival has seen millions of Hong Kong dollars awarded, with the biggest prizes paid out in the Main Event, High Roller and Super High Roller.
Here is our round-up of the numbers.
Main Event:Wei Ran Pu claims the HK$1,464,000 first prize
The Poker King Cup Main Event paid 63 of its 518 players, with the total prize pool having reached HK$7,536,900 (US$964,940). In a final table that was all Chinese, the 8 finalists were reduced to a winner in under 4 hours. Wei Ran Pu took out 5 of his 7 opponents at the final table, with the heads-up battle lasting just 10 hands. He picked up HK$1,464,000 (US$187,239) in what was his first ever major tournament score.
| Place | Name | Country | Prize (in HKD) | Prize in ($) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wei Ran Pu | China | HKD 1,464,000 | $187,239 | |
| 2 | Jian Dong Yu | China | HKD 1,026,500 | $131,284 | |
| 3 | Yang Wang | China | HKD 660,200 | $84,436 | |
| 4 | Li Yu | China | HKD 488,400 | $62,464 | |
| 5 | Jun Fang | China | HKD 366,300 | $46,848 | |
| 6 | Liang Song | China | HKD 46,848 | $37,588 | |
| 7 | Cang Sheng Ni | China | HKD 244,900 | $31,321 | |
| 8 | Qi Cheng Du | China | HKD 195,200 | $24,965 |
Kui Song Wu denies James Chen Super Higher Roller title
In another final table which also concluded quickly, Kui Song Wu from China mopped up all the money in the Super High Roller. The tournament began with 21 entries paying HK$200,000 (US$25,605) to pull up a chair. This saw the prize pool expand to HK$3,910,000 (US$500,592). The two-day event saw just 4 players pick up prize money, with Wu defeating Taiwan’s James Chen heads-up to win the event for HK$1,720,000 (US$220,124).
Tokuho Yoshinaga wins High Roller
The 69 entries at the Poker King Cup High Roller in Macaumore than doubled the 34 entries from last year, which was an exceptional achievement. Those players paid HK$80,000 (US$10,242) to buy-in creating a prize pool of HK$5,138,100 (US$657,824). After 14 blind levels at the final table, Tokuho Yoshinaga had bested the field, and packed the trophy and HK$1,410,169 (US$180,472) prize money into his luggage.
Overall numbers for the series
With WPT Korea and Asian Poker Tour Philippines Championships II running at the same time, some may have worried that this year’s Poker King Cup might struggle with numbers. In fact, the opposite has been true, which once again proves the appetite for poker that exists within Asia.
The Main Event of the series attracted 518 entries which is a very health turnout even without other major events running simultaneously, and the High Roller doubled its attendance numbers from the previous year.
The full list of numbers for the series are as follows:
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool (HKD) | ITM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Event | 518 | HKD 7,536,900 | 63 |
| Opening Event | 155 | HKD 405,900 | 18 |
| High Roller | 69 | HKD 5,139,100 | 10 |
| NLHE #1 | 73 | HKD 254,900 | 9 |
| NLHE #2 | 115 | HKD 502,000 | 15 |
| Deepstack | 125 | HKD 763,900 | 15 |
| Super High Roller | 21 | HKD 3,910,000 | 4 |
Article by Craig Bradshaw
