China comes out in force at WPT Korea with 31 advancing to Day 2 of the opener; Zhao Wei and Haobo Zhu top last two flights

SMP EditorEditor-in-Chief

Updated: 2026.10.02

Chinese players arrived in droves to Jeju Island with more expected for the special ten-day festival hosted by the prestigious World Poker Tour (WPT). The games kicked off on July 15, 2023 at Jeju Shinhwa World resort and will run until July 24, 2023. Over the past two days, turnout was tremendous as players filled the tables for the WPT Korea Opener.

After three flights, an impressive 353 lit up the felt with 44 reaching the money round. Of that survivor list, 31 were from China led by online grinder Zhao Wei who topped Day 1B. This put Zhao second in the overall chip counts, just behind the Day 1A leader, Kataoka Toshio from Japan. Helping Zhao zoom to the top was spiking the two-outer to crush Luo Shuang’s.

Other notable players present were 2022 WPT Prime Vietnam Main Event champion David Erquiaga, 2019 WPTDS Vietnam Main Event champion Vincent Chauve, and 2012 WPT Denmark Main Event champion Steve O’Dwyer. Of that tight crew, only Erquiaga found chips to bag.

In addition, New ZealanderTae Hoon Han and Vietnamese pro Cao Ngoc Anh made the cut to Day 2. Similar to Zhao’s takedown, Cao cracked Wai Lun William’s when his rivered a set for a huge double up.

Action resumes on July 17 at 1pm. Everyone is guaranteed a minimum KR₩ 1,510,000 (~USD 1,190). For the champion, a sizable KR₩ 54,223,650 (~USD 42,700) awaits. Scroll down for the payouts.

Date: July 15 to 17, 2023

Buy in: KR₩ 850,000 (~USD 670)

Entries: 353

Prize pool: KR₩ 260,433,650 (~USD 205,170)

ITM: 45 players

Day 1 results

Day 1A: 103 entries / 13 survivors

Day 1B: 195 entries / 25 survivors

Day 1C: 55 entries / 7 survivors

Day 2 qualifiers

#	Player	Flag	Stack
1	Kataoka Toshio	Japan	576,000
2	Zhao Wei	China	448,000
3	Zhang Yang	China	396,000
4	Haobo Zhu	China	387,000
5	Liu Yin	China	361,000
6	Hong Paul	New Zealand	358,000
7	Fugang Cui	China	353,000
8	Cao Ngoc Anh	Vietnam	340,000
9	Wang Yujia	China	337,000
10	Zhihao Wang	China	270,000
11	Cangsheng Ni	China	260,000
12	Pak Valeriy	Uzbekistan	253,000
13	Chen Ronghui	Australia	250,000
14	Wang Zhong	China	236,000
15	Xin Yuan	China	218,000
16	Han Tae Hoon	New Zealand	210,000
17	Xiang Yufeng	China	203,000
18	Guo Meng	China	200,000
19	Dianlei Zhang	China	192,000
20	Stewart Alexander Eliott	USA	189,000
21	Lei Sun	China	176,000
22	Suzuki Yuto	Japan	174,000
23	Hu Jin Long	China	170,000
24	Chen Xiangzhi	China	160,000
25	Alick Justin Hameed	Italy	153,000
26	Liu Yuan	China	145,000
27	Nan Zhao	China	141,000
28	Chen Yufei	China	130,000
29	Yang Renjun	China	130,000
30	He Xin Yan	China	128,000
31	Ho Shen-Syu	China	128,000
32	Yang Lei	China	123,000
33	Yang Lifeng	China	120,000
34	Waki Yasuhiro	Japan	120,000
35	Yue Shan	China	113,000
36	Yu Yi Xing	China	108,000
37	Moran Graham John	Ireland	96,000
38	David Erquiaga	Philippines	91,000
39	Huang Xing Long	China	77,000
40	Tan Win Meng	Malaysia	69,000
41	Son Duncan	Canada	67,000
42	Wai Lun William	China	59,000
43	Zhehong Ye	China	49,000
44	Liu Xiang	China	35,000
45	Zhang Fangxiao	China	30,000

Payouts

1	54,223,650
2	36,070,000
3	26,510,000
4	19,680,000
5	14,760,000
6	11,180,000
7	8,550,000
8	6,600,000
9-10	5,150,000
11-12	4,150,000
13-14	3,400,000
15-16	2,830,000
17-20	2,400,000
21-24	2,080,000
25-32	1,830,000
33-40	1,650,000
41-45	1,510,000

Key Events of WPT Korea

Three key events are coming up. First up is theWPT Korea Main Event,highlighted by its jaw-droppingKR₩ 2,000,000,000 (~USD 1,575,600) guarantee. This is the largest guarantee ever offered by the WPT in Asia. It runs from July 17 to 21. As added bonus, the final table will be livestreamed.

Everything on the Main Event KR₩ 2 BN guaranteed

Event	Guarantee in KR₩	Date	Buy in KR₩
WPT Korea Main Event	2,000,000,000	July 17 to 21	3,400,000
WPT Alpha 8 One Drop Korea		July 21 to 22	170,000,000
WPT Korea High Roller		July 23 to 24	17,000,000

The stakes climb higher with theWPT Alpha8 One Drop Koreacharity event which features a buy-in of $133,930. A portion of the buy-in goes to theOne Dropfoundation to help bring access to water to communities in need of clean water.

To complete the key three is theWPT Korea High Rollerwith a buy in of KRW 17,000,000 (~USD 13,400). Expect elite players from the region to populate the tables. A large contingent of players from Japan and China are expected to attend.

Getting to Jeju Shinhwa Landing Resort

For arriving players, getting to the venue couldn’t be any easier. Just look for the WPT Korea banner with the bus schedule and hop in once it arrives. It takes approximately one hour to get to the venue. The bus runs daily on a two hour schedule starting at 6am. The last bus to the venue is at 10pm.

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About the Editor

SMP EditorEditor-in-Chief

The SMP Editor covers international poker and iGaming for SoMuchPoker, providing news, tournament coverage, and industry insights. With a focus on accuracy, clarity, and relevance, the editor helps readers stay informed about developments across the global poker community.