The TLPT Jeju 2026 USD 10,000 Superstar came to a close inside LES A Casino , and for the second time during the festival, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates was forced to settle for second place heads-up.

Just one day after falling to Joshua Gebissa in the TLPT High Roller Main Event , the American poker star was denied again, this time by Japan’s Haruhiko Shinohara , who captured the trophy and the USD 70,710 top prize after one of the biggest hero calls of the series.

The tournament attracted 15 entries, with only the top three spots reaching the money, creating another small but stacked high roller field in Jeju.

#HR3 10K Superstar ($10,700)

Total Prize

$150,000

Entries

ITM

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	$70,710	HS Haruhiko Shinohara Japan	834.41
2	$47,130	DC Daniel Cates United States of America	590.02
3	$32,160	QZ Quan Zhou China	481.75

Jungleman Falls Short Again at TLPT Jeju

Somuchpoker picked up the action with five players remaining on the soft bubble, with Cates leading the field while Shinohara sat second in chips. Also still in contention were Xuan Liu , Quan Zhou , and Joshua Gebissa .

Gebissa, fresh off his High Roller Main Event victory, looked set for another deep run after finding a miracle river to survive against Liu. But shortly after, his pocket kings were cracked by Zhou, who flopped two pair to eliminate the Ethiopian-Australian pro in fifth place.

Liu then became the bubble after Shinohara first bluffed her out of a pot before finishing the job the very next hand. Liu shoved king-ten from the small blind but failed to improve against Shinohara’s pocket deuces.

That left three players in the money, though Zhou’s stay was short-lived. He got involved in a blind-versus-blind battle with Cates, barreling all three streets before calling off his final chips. Cates showed top two pair to send Zhou out in third place for USD 32,160.

Shinohara’s Miracle River Turns the Match Around

TLPT Jeju Jungleman and Haruhiko Heads Up

Cates entered heads-up play with a sizeable advantage and looked well positioned to finally close out a title in Jeju.

Instead, the turning point came almost immediately.

Shinohara got his chips in with two pair against Cates’ turned straight and needed either a ten or an eight on the river to survive. The miracle card arrived, giving the Japanese pro a full house and completely swinging the momentum.

From there, Shinohara steadily took control.

Cates even managed to make a strong fold with top pair after facing a river check-raise from Shinohara holding another full house, but the final hand would end in brutal fashion for the American.

After Shinohara limped the button, Cates raised from the big blind and continued aggressively across all three streets. By the river, Cates shoved after check-raising the turn, putting maximum pressure on Shinohara.

Holding only a pair of deuces, Shinohara tanked for an extended period knowing a wrong call would leave him nearly drawing dead.

Eventually, he slid in the chips. Cates could only table a missed flush draw. The deuces were good.

As the room reacted to the call, Cates laughed and declared “America has been defeated” before collecting yet another runner-up finish in Jeju, while Shinohara lifted the TLPT $10K Superstar trophy.

That wraps up Somuchpoker’s coverage of the TLPT $10K Superstar, though the action at TLPT Jeju is not done yet, with the USD 3,000 High Roller Turbo still to come on the festival’s final day.