Jeju Poker Festival in Full Flow With Big Names & Big Wins

As the Jeju Poker Festival 2025 moves into its middle stretch, the action inside Les A Casino has shown no signs of slowing down. Several marquee titles have already been claimed, new champions have emerged across high-stakes events, and the first of three Main Event trophies has found its home. From huge buy-ins to team events and record fields, the series is living up to its billing as one of Asia’s biggest poker celebrations.

Ye Wang Scores Biggest Cash of the JPF in KPC Super High Roller for $682,200

After two days of high-stakes action and more than thirteen hours of play on the final day, China’s Ye Wang emerged as the KPC Super High Roller champion, outlasting a total of ninety-four entrants to claim the USD 682,200 top prize.

Wang, who ranks seventh on China’s all-time money list according to The Hendon Mob, with more than USD 7.6 million in live earnings, continues a stellar run following deep finishes earlier this year, including a third-place result worth USD 1,846,000 and a runner-up cash of USD 1,218,000.

KPC Super High Roller Final Table Results

Calvin Lee secured the runner-up finish for USD 452,000 after a roller-coaster day that saw him survive multiple short-stack moments, while Australia’s Yita Choong completed the podium for USD 307,000, which is his best result of the year and another highlight in a career now approaching USD 3 million in live winnings.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for Wang, who fired a second bullet after busting on Day 1. His rebuild on Day 2 was marked by key moments, including a double-up through Tsz Kin Heung when a queen hit the river, and the knockout of Xiushen Wei on the soft bubble with ace-jack against ace-six. Entering the final table second in chips, he maintained pressure throughout before sealing the win in a dramatic all-in confrontation with Lee, where both players made flushes but Wang’s ace-high held to secure the title.

Dong Chen Takes the KPC Single Day Super High Roller Crown

Wang hasn’t been the only big winner so far at the JPF. Another mighty score went the way of Dong Chen, who claimed victory in the KPC Single Day Super High Roller for a massive $240,100 payday after outlasting a 107-player field stacked with talent.

One of only two events priced in USD on the schedule, alongside the KPC Super High Roller, it attracted a strong lineup of elite players from across the region battling at the highest stakes. Seventeen players made the money, including WSOP bracelet holders Guoliang Wei, Joseph Cheong, and Weiran Pu, all of whom ran deep but missed the final table.

KPC Single Day Super High Roller Final Table Results

Fellow bracelet winner Lei Yu exited in ninth place, leaving Chen as the lone champion among five bracelet holders in the money. Once the final hand was dealt, Chen added another trophy to his growing collection and locked up the largest payout of the festival so far.

Zengxiang Chen Wins WPT Prime Korea Main Event

The first Main Event of the Jeju Poker Festival 2025 crowned a new champion as Zengxiang Chen captured the WPT Prime Korea Main Event title at Les A Casino. The KRW 1,500,000 (~US $1,070) buy-in event drew 515 entries across three starting flights, breaking its KRW 350 million guarantee to create a prize pool of KRW 667,440,000 (~US $467,430).

Chen, who only began playing tournaments six months ago after several years in cash games, outlasted the field to earn KRW 129,030,000 (~US $90,365) and his first WPT Prime trophy. His victory marked the opening Main Event success in a festival that unites the World Poker Tour, K Poker Cup, and Red Dragon Poker Tour under one banner.

The Chinese newcomer impressed throughout the final table, eliminating several opponents before defeating Changliang Sun heads-up. In the final hand, Chen’s pocket nines improved to a full house against Sun’s straight, sealing a breakthrough win and giving China its first major title of the series.

After his victory, Chen reflected on his journey from cash game regular to tournament champion. He explained that he had been playing cash games for about four years before deciding to explore tournaments. That shift came after his elimination from the WSOP Online Main Event in September, an experience that pushed him to study the game more deeply.

“I’ve been playing cash games for about four years,” Chen said. “I only started tournaments around half a year ago. After busting the WSOP Online Main Event, I started studying the champion’s training course to learn more. That really helped.”

Despite earning one of the biggest scores of his career, Chen said he wasn’t planning any celebration. Instead, he was already looking ahead. “No celebration,” he smiled. “I’ll just keep playing. I plan to join the KPC Main Event tomorrow for day 1d or 1e.”

Chen also shared that poker has become something he enjoys together with his wife, who has been supporting him all week in Jeju. “I came with my wife, and she’s been supporting me throughout the festival,” he said. “She plays a bit too, just for fun. A few of my friends also came, and they’ll play tomorrow.”

He praised the festival’s format and organization, noting how it caters to all player types. “It’s really well-designed,” he said. “If players lose, there’s always another event to join, and each one has different rules. It’s fun to play.”

Team “Pay With Crypto” Claims Victory at the Red Dragon Team Event

Team “Pay With Crypto” (PWC) emerged as the overall champions of the KRW 2,000,000 RD Expedition Club – Red Dragon Team Event, accumulating 46 points across three formats: 8-Handed Sit & Go, Tag Team KO Sit & Go, and Heads-Up Elimination.

Each team battled across the trio of events, combining individual skill with collective strategy. The Sit & Go wrapped up first, where “Fxxk ICM” dominated the final stretch with back-to-back knockouts holding pocket queens. “Red Dragon Poker Queen” then captured the Heads-Up Elimination title, while “Project Refill” outlasted both “Pay With Crypto” and “Red Dragon Poker Tourists” to win the Tag Team KO.

Despite falling short in the final format, the consistency of “Pay With Crypto’ across all rounds secured them the top spot and the $14,272 first-place prize. You can read all about their journey to the title on the Somuchpoker Live Reporting Page.

KPC Main Event Draws Massive Turnout; Joris Michl Keeping Dream of Back-to-Back Titles Alive

The KPC Main Event has quickly taken center stage at the Jeju Poker Festival, drawing massive fields to Les A Casino and surpassing expectations. With all five starting flights now complete, the event reached 1,252 total entries, crushing its KRW 880 million guarantee to create a KRW 1,406,250,000 (~US$970,000) prize pool.

Earlier flights set the tone for the series. Day 1a drew 282 entries, led by Jinze Zhang (540,000), with Fabian Rolli (502,000) and Ben Fan (483,000) close behind. Day 1b added another 250 entries, producing Yuhan Liu (681,000) as the overall front-runner ahead of Hui Liu (609,000) and Shuang Qiu (418,000). Meanwhile, day 1c, the turbo flight, saw defending champion Joris Michl advance with 188,000, keeping alive hopes of a back-to-back title run.

In total, 191 players reached the money, with 152 returning for day 2. Vietnam’s Duy Thuc Nguyen (952,000) leads the field, followed by Liying Su (907,000). Notables still in contention include Red Dragon Champion Jianting Cai, Martin Sedlak, Joshua McCully, Tom Verbruggen, Dicky Tsang, and three-time bracelet winner Xixiang Luo. A multi-bag bonus also rewarded players who qualified more than once, with Chang Liu, Hui Liu, Jiabao Cai, Jishui Hao, and Wenwen Chen earning KRW 7,000,000 (~US$4,800) each, while Tianwei Zhang collected KRW 22,000,000 (~US$15,200) after bagging three times.

All remaining players are guaranteed KRW 3,000,000 (~US$2,075), while the eventual champion will walk away with KRW 200,940,000 (~US$139,000). Day 2 resumes at Level 16 (3,000/6,000) with nine minutes left on the clock before moving to 60-minute levels as the field plays down toward the money milestones.

What’s on the Horizon

The action inside LES A Casino is far from over, with several marquee events still to play out in the coming days.

KPC High Roller (Nov 6–7)

The next major feature on the schedule is the KRW 8,000,000 KPC High Roller, starting at 3:00 p.m. with 40-minute levels and a 200,000-chip starting stack. Late registration remains open until the end of Level 9 on Day 1, before the field returns on Day 2 to play down to a winner.

Red Dragon Championship (Nov 7–12)

Serving as the centerpiece of the Jeju Poker Festival, the Red Dragon Championship boasts a KRW 1.65 billion guarantee and the attendance of poker icon Patrik Antonius, bringing added star power to the event. Early bird packages have already sold out, with players eager to experience the series’ premier structure and hospitality.

“We Poker” Dragon Egg Mystery Bounty (Nov 10–11)

Powered by “We Poker”, this event features KRW 140 million added to the bounty pool, including a KRW 100 million top bounty. Players will crack golden dragon eggs to reveal their prizes, continuing the Red Dragon tradition in one of the most entertaining formats on the schedule.