Dick Son Looi Wins Poker Dream 26 Malaysia Main Event for MYR 685,000, Defeats Bracelet Winner Guoliang Wei

Dick Son Looi has been crowned champion of the Poker Dream 26 Malaysia Main Event, turning a deep run on home soil into a MYR 685,000 (~USD 167,000) payday after defeating WSOP bracelet winner Guoliang Wei heads-up in Genting Highlands.

Dick Son Looi Wins Poker Dream 26 Malaysia Main Event

Son outlasted a field of 1,266 entries across ten starting flights, with the tournament generating MYR 4,640,116 (~USD 1,135,000) in prize money to surpass its MYR 4 million guarantee.

The champion also lifted the coveted Gold Dragon Main Event Trophy, bringing the festival’s headline tournament to a close. After two days of competition, the field was down to 16 players, with Son among the leading contenders.

Poker Dream 26 Malaysia Main Event – Final Table Results

Son Starts the Final Day Near the Top

Son had a strong position to work with when play resumed, sitting second in the chip counts behind fellow Malaysian Yang Siang Ang, who brought 6,710,000 into the final day.

Sixteen players returned with the championship still to be decided. Some had already secured career-best results, while others were looking to turn their remaining chips into a serious shot at the title.

Son ultimately outlasted them all. Waiting for him at the end was Wei, who had already enjoyed a successful festival after winning the Mystery Bounty High Roller. The bracelet winner made another deep run in the Main Event, but Son had the final say in their heads-up contest.

Wei collected MYR 458,116 (~USD 112,000) for finishing runner-up, while Son took the title and the biggest share of the prize pool.

Guoliang Wei Strikes Early as the Field Shrinks

The day’s first major elimination came when Basant Singh moved to the rail. Singh’s king-queen ran into Wei’s ace-king, leaving the Indian player unable to overcome the stronger hand.

Wei continued to put pressure on the remaining field, while Romans Lihacovs, the Poker Dream newcomer who had already won the NLH Heads Up event, saw his Main Event run end when his king-jack suited ran into pocket queens.

Yuto Hayashi was eliminated soon afterward, bringing the field closer to the final table.

One of the players who showed signs of a comeback was Ryan Mandara. He found opportunities to move all-in and build his stack, but his run ended in 13th place. Mandara committed his chips with king-queen, only to run into Kok Cheng Chai’s pocket tens. Unable to find the cards he needed, he collected MYR 32,800 (~USD 8,200).

Shian Ying Sim Finds Aces, Then Sends Steve Ng Out

There was more movement in the counts as the field approached the final table.

Shian Ying Sim picked up a much-needed boost when his pocket aces held against Steve Ng, earning him a double-up. The two were involved in another significant pot soon afterward, and this time Sim came out on top with two pair on the turn, ending Ng’s tournament.

A three-way confrontation involving brothers Kok Hoe Chai and Kok Cheng Chai produced another important moment. Ming Fei Wong became involved and managed to triple up, keeping his hopes of reaching the final table alive.

Barry Tay was not as fortunate. His pocket queens were cracked when Wei completed a straight, adding another elimination to the bracelet winner’s growing list of victims.

Ye Huang’s Exit Sets Up the Final Nine

The last elimination before the official final table belonged to Ye Huang, who tried to make a move with his remaining chips in a multi-way pot.

Huang shoved from early position with suited ace-deuce, but the hand failed to hold up. His exit completed the final nine and set the stage for the tournament’s decisive stretch.

By this point, the remaining players had navigated a long run from a field of more than 1,200 entries. Every elimination brought the Gold Dragon Trophy closer, with Son and Wei among those who would ultimately battle for the championship.

Final Table Action

Guoliang Wei returned to the final table with the chip lead, but the early action belonged to Kok Cheng Chai, who sent Binit Saraf out in ninth place. Saraf committed his chips with pocket jacks, only to find himself up against Chai’s pocket aces.

Ming Fei Wong managed to survive several short-stack situations and move up the payout ladder, but his run ended in eighth when his ace-queen failed to catch up with Wei’s pocket nines.

Looi had his own swings. He picked up chips by doubling through Wei with top pair, then gave some back in a blind-versus-blind pot. He found another opening with seven players left, making a heart flush on the river to eliminate Chi Wing Chen. Wei finished Chen off in the next hand, leaving the field at six.

The next exit was Yang Siang Ang, who began the day as the chip leader. His ace-queen could not hold against Kok Hoe Chai , sending Ang to the rail in sixth. Shian Ying Sim followed in fifth after getting involved in a three-way all-in with king-three against two opponents holding ace-king.

Looi Takes Out the Chai Brothers

The two Chai brothers were still in contention with four players remaining, but both would fall to Looi. Kok Hoe Chai was eliminated in fourth, leaving his brother Kok Cheng Chai to fight on.

That run ended in third place. Kok Cheng Chai moved in with ace-king, but Looi had flopped top two pair and held on to send him out. Looi had now eliminated both brothers and earned his place in the heads-up match against Wei.

The Final Hand Seals Looi’s Victory

Wei began heads-up with only a slight deficit, around one million chips behind Looi. The Malaysian steadily built his advantage by picking up several sizeable pots, including one where he turned two pair. Wei managed a brief comeback, but Looi continued to apply pressure.

The last hand played out on a king-high board. After a substantial pot developed through the river, Wei called for his tournament life with a pair of kings. Looi showed a better kicker, giving him the winning hand and ending Wei’s run in second place.

Dick Son Looi claimed MYR 685,000 (~USD 167,000) and the Gold Dragon Main Event Trophy, having outlasted 1,266 entries to win the Poker Dream 26 Malaysia Main Event on home soil.

For Son, the victory carried added significance. Winning a major tournament in Malaysia, in front of a home crowd, made an already substantial score even more memorable. The result also marked a major step forward in his live tournament career, more than doubling his previous recorded earnings in a single tournament.

All images courtesy of Poker Dream.