Lester Edoc Leads Super High Roller as GOP Main Event Looms in Incheon

Day 3 of the Gods of Poker (GOP) Incheon 2026 festival at Paradise City continued to build momentum ahead of the highly anticipated Main Event, with the spotlight falling on the opening flights of the GOP Super High Roller and another packed schedule of side events.

By the end of the day, Philippines star Lester Edoc emerged as the chip leader in the Super High Roller, putting himself in prime position to finally capture one of the coveted GOP Gauntlet trophies. Elsewhere, Honoka Suzuki claimed the Aphrodite Event title, Shinya Nakai bagged the lead in Titan Stack, while Ming Yue Wang achieved the rare feat of winning two trophies in a single day.

Lester Edoc Leads Final Four in GOP Super High Roller

The prestigious Gold Gauntlet took center stage on Day 3 as the GOP Super High Roller played out its two opening flights. A total of 19 entries were recorded in the KRW 10,500,000 (~USD 7,000) buy-in event, generating a prize pool of KRW 184,300,000 (~USD 123,000).

Only four players survived the opening stage and all are now guaranteed a share of the payouts heading into the final day.

After the bags were sealed, it was Edoc who stood tallest with 791,000 chips. The Filipino pro delivered one of the key moments of the day after eliminating Joseph Cheong on the bubble holding ace-ten against ace-eight on a board of ace-two-seven-nine-queen.

Edoc has already been one of the standout performers of the series, recording deep runs and final tables across multiple events. Now, he sits just one step away from finally capturing the elusive GOP Gauntlet trophy.

Still in his way is Marc Rivera , already a member of the exclusive Gauntlet winners club after his victory in the Demigods Challenge at GOP Taipei. Rivera now has the opportunity to become the first player to win multiple GOP Gauntlets.

Also advancing were Wenchao Liu, who came close to a Gauntlet triumph late last year, and newcomer Yi Cheng Lo.

GOP Super High Roller Final Four

Honoka Suzuki Captures Aphrodite Event Title

The second Aphrodite Event of the series attracted 13 entries, with Japan’s Honoka Suzuki eventually emerging victorious to claim the coveted Mirror trophy.

Suzuki’s road to the title included one of the nastiest coolers of the day after she rivered a flush holding four-five of hearts to crack the pocket aces of Sananthachat Thanapatpisal.

The field also featured one of the most accomplished players in Aphrodite history, Arlene Rivera , who entered looking for an incredible eighth Mirror trophy. However, Rivera’s run ended before the money stages were reached.

The bubble then burst when Yuka Kato fell to Tokunaga Saori, whose queen-five connected with top pair before improving to trip queens on the turn.

With the money locked up, Suzuki eliminated Rene Horiuchi in third place to set up a heads-up duel against Saori. Once heads-up play began, Suzuki held a commanding advantage and never looked back.

The final hand saw Suzuki make a full house with queen-seven on a board of seven-seven-queen-king-three, defeating Saori’s ace-three and sealing the Mirror trophy.

Shinya Nakai Bags Titan Stack Chip Lead

The next multi-flight tournament on the schedule was the Titan Stack, which drew 101 entries and generated a prize pool of KRW 58,176,000 (~USD 39,000).

After the conclusion of the opening flights, only 15 players remained in contention for the title, led by Japan’s Shinya Nakai with a towering stack of 1,006,000 chips.

Nakai finished comfortably ahead of the chasing pack, with Hua Huang and Naoki Mito also ending the day among the biggest stacks.

One of the key moments late in the night came during the lengthy bubble phase of Flight B, where the average stack had dropped to just 12 big blinds. Eventually, Yuxuan Deng burst the bubble after his ace-jack held against the ace-seven of Yasuhiro Takarada.

Titan Stack Final 15

Ming Yue Wang Wins Two Trophies in One Day

Among the biggest stories of Day 3 was the incredible run of Ming Yue Wang, who became the first player at GOP Incheon to win two trophies in the same day.

Wang first captured Event #22: 5-Card PL Omaha Double Board Bomb Pot before returning later in the schedule to also take down the Hyper Turbo version of the event.

Meanwhile, recent GOP Olympians champion Ryoma Yamamoto continued his strong series by adding another trophy after shipping Event #26: Hyper Turbo High Roller.

The biggest winner of the day was Gary Hyemyong Moon, who claimed the Pandora’s Mystery Bounty title and the Silver Spartan trophy.

Day 3 Winners

Day 4 at GOP Incheon

Attention now turns toward Monday, May 18, where the highly anticipated GOP Main Event officially gets underway. The KRW 2,200,000 (~USD 1,500) buy-in tournament features a guaranteed prize pool of KRW 700,000,000 (~USD 470,000), with players chasing the festival’s prestigious Black-and-Gold Gauntlet trophy.

Day 1A begins at 12:30 p.m. and runs as a two-day opening flight, with registration open until the start of Flight A Day 2. Monday’s schedule will also feature the final days of both the Titan Stack and GOP Super High Roller, ensuring another packed day of action inside Paradise City.

Data, images, and quotes courtesy of Gods of Poker (GOP).