Heads-Up Curse Broken as Jeremy Chan Wins KRW 236M at APT Incheon

Jeremy Chan finally broke his heads-up curse at APT Incheon 2026 , defeating Michel Molenaar to win the KRW 15,000,000 APT Super High Roller .

The Malaysian collected KRW 236,325,000 (~USD 169,650), the APT Pewter Lion Trophy, and a seat in the APT Championship 2026 Main Event after overcoming a 58-entry field at Paradise City Casino .

The result carried a little more weight than the average high roller victory. One year earlier, Chan finished runner-up in the same event at APT Incheon 2025 , beginning a run that eventually reached five consecutive heads-up defeats.

There were also two fourth-place finishes thrown in for good measure. Poker can be generous like that.

This time, Chan completed the job. He and Molenaar played through a long, deep-stacked heads-up battle for the largest share of the KRW 801,705,000 (~USD 575,525) prize pool, with the lead changing hands several times before Chan secured the final pot.

Afterwards, the relief was clear.

“Very lucky. I mean, after the heads-up last year I ended up being zero [from] five in heads-ups. My friends told me I have to break the curse, I have to come back and finish the job, and luckily this time the poker gods were in my favour. Very lucky and very happy. Thank you very much for all of the support – got the guys watching at home,” Chan said in his winner’s interview.

Chan was also full of praise for Molenaar, who pushed him throughout the final stage of the tournament.

“Oh yeah, he was very, very tough. He put me in a lot of really, really tough spots. I think it went back and forth, and then I coolered him where I had top two pair and he flopped a straight and flush draw. He hit the flush on the turn and I hit the full house,” Chan said.

The Super High Roller was the second-most expensive tournament on the APT Incheon 2026 schedule . Fourteen players survived Day 1, including two Natural8 ambassadors who went on to reach the money.

For Chan, the victory delivered the second-largest live tournament cash of his career, along with a place in the season-ending APT Championship Main Event in Taipei this November.

#22 APT Super High Roller - 8 Max (15,000,000 KRW)

Total Prize USD

$575,525

Total Prize

801.7M KRW

Guaranteed

500M KRW

Entries

58

ITM

8

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₩236,325,000 $179,650	JJ Jeremy Je Min Chan Malaysia
2	₩170,950,000 $122,720	MM Michel Molenaar Netherlands
3	₩110,290,000 $79,175	PC Peng Chen China
4	₩83,500,000 $59,940	CW Chih Wei Fan Taiwan
5	₩64,600,000 $46,375	MS Martin Sedlak Germany
6	₩50,420,000 $36,195	NC Nevan Chang Taiwan
7	₩40,180,000 $28,845	RO Reoma Ogawa Japan
8	₩31,510,000 $22,620	YA Yuya Arito Japan

Chan Builds as Super High Roller Field Shrinks

Only 14 players returned for the Final Day, and Chan wasted little time getting involved. The eventual champion secured the first double-up of the day, winning a flip with king-jack against the pocket tens of Day 1 chip leader Reoma Ogawa.

Shota Kashiyama was one of the first players eliminated. He found a pair and straight draw with four-three suited, but the pocket eights of Peng Chen held to send him to the rail.

Former Natural8 ambassador Phachara Wongwichit followed after committing his short stack with jack-nine suited. Ogawa isolated with ace-queen and left the Thai player drawing dead by the turn.

Chan picked up another double, while Phuong Ngoc Nguyen saw his short-stack grind come to an end against Natural8 ambassador Nevan Chang .

Martin Sedlak survived a bad beat against Molenaar, who found himself involved in four consecutive all-in showdowns. Mingzhe Zhou could not crack pocket queens with king-seven, while Yuya Arito won a flip to remain in contention.

Molenaar then moved into the chip lead after four-bet jamming on the final-table bubble. John Perry called for more than 20 big blinds with pocket jacks, only to run into pocket aces.

Denvitaya Leaves on the Bubble

Nine players remained with eight places paid, but there was little time for the usual bubble slowdown. Despite the average stack sitting above 33 big blinds, the bubble was over in fewer than seven minutes.

Sutthi Denvitaya called a three-bet with ace-ten before putting the rest of his stack in against Chan’s pocket kings on a jack-high flop.

Neither the turn nor river helped Denvitaya, leaving him as the final player to depart without a payout.

The remaining eight players had locked up at least KRW 31,510,000 (~USD 22,620), but the eliminations continued quickly.

Arito was the first player to visit the payout desk after losing with pocket fives against Chan’s king-jack. A jack on the flop and king on the turn gave Chan the pot and moved the Malaysian further ahead.

Start-of-day chip leader Ogawa had slipped into the middle of the pack by this stage. He was given a chance to rebuild after getting all in with pocket kings against Molenaar’s ace-queen, but an ace on the turn ended his run in seventh.

Ogawa had recorded just two previous live cashes worth less than USD 2,000 combined. His KRW 40,180,000 (~USD 28,845) payout was therefore a sizeable addition to his young tournament record.

Chan Takes Charge at the Final Table

Chang was the next player to fall after his pocket aces were cracked by Chan’s jack-deuce. Chan flopped top and bottom pair from the big blind and held through the river to send the Taiwanese ambassador out in sixth.

Sedlak followed in fifth after three-bet jamming ace-nine from the big blind. Chan was waiting with pocket queens and made the immediate call, leaving four players in contention.

They became two in the very next hand.

Molenaar looked down at pocket kings in the big blind and called the all-ins of Chih Wei Fan and Chen. Another king on the flop left both players in poor shape, and the hand was over by the turn.

Chen’s larger stack placed him third, while Fan finished fourth. The double elimination left Molenaar and Chan heads-up, with both players holding more than 70 big blinds.

Jeremy Chan Finally Breaks the Heads-Up Curse

Molenaar controlled much of the early heads-up play and pulled away more than once. That changed during one of the largest pots of the match when the Dutchman turned a flush, only for the same card to improve Chan to a full house.

Molenaar later doubled after making the correct hero call with ace-high, and the pair continued trading the lead.

The final hand arrived after Chan floated the flop with a suited ace. Clubs on the turn and river completed his ace-high flush, while Molenaar paired his ace on the turn to make top pair with top kicker.

Molenaar moved all in on the river and Chan made the call, revealing the flush that ended the tournament.

After five consecutive heads-up defeats, Chan had finally found the other side of the result. The poker gods took their time, but apparently they had been listening.

The victory gave Chan the KRW 236,325,000 (~USD 169,650) top prize, the APT Pewter Lion Trophy, and an APT Championship Main Event seat. Molenaar collected KRW 170,950,000 (~USD 122,720) for another major high roller result.

Be sure to check back to Somuchpoker regularly for more results and updates from APT Incheon 2026 at Paradise City Casino.

All photos courtesy of Asian Poker Tour.