Joshua Gebissa Defeats Jungleman to Win TLPT High Roller Main Event

Kai Cocklin is Head of Live Poker at Somuchpoker, where he oversees the platform’s content, coverage, and partnerships across the Asia-Pacific region. He previously worked with PokerNews at major festivals including the World Series of Poker and the European Poker Tour, where he managed live reporting teams and helped develop new writers. He now leads Somuchpoker’s overall content direction, working closely with organizers to deliver consistent, high-quality coverage that connects with players both on-site and online.

Updated: 2026.05.24

The USD 15,000 TLPT High Roller Main Event headlined another big day at TLPT Jeju 2026 inside LES A Casino , with Joshua Gebissa defeating Daniel “Jungleman” Cates heads-up for the title, while David Peters , Xuan Liu , Ranno Sootla , Haruhiko Shinohara , and Quan Zhou were also part of a stacked high stakes lineup in Jeju.

By the end of the night, Gebissa had claimed the biggest score of the series so far, while Australia’s Rafael Navas Robles bagged the lead in the USD 10,000 Superstar Challenge heading into Day 2.

Joshua Gebissa Defeats Jungleman to Win TLPT High Roller

The USD 15,000 TLPT High Roller Main Event officially wrapped up after attracting 24 entries and generating a USD 360,000 prize pool, with only four players reaching the money.

Gebissa entered the final day among the chip leaders and eventually had to get through one of poker’s most feared heads-up players in Cates to secure the title. The deciding hand saw Cates attempt a triple-barrel bluff with seven-high, only for Gebissa to snap him off holding trips to seal the victory and collect the USD 146,410 top prize.

Speaking after the victory, Gebissa said his recent results had given him plenty of confidence coming into the event.

“Definitely coming in with a lot of confidence after the recent scores. Definitely running very well,” Gebissa said.

Joshua Gebissa

Despite the relatively small field size, he enjoyed the mix of opponents throughout the tournament, particularly with several familiar faces also taking part.

“I think it was kinda nice. Even though the field wasn’t that big, I got to play with very different types of players. Also, a bunch of known colleagues mixed in there, so yeah, it’s always fun.”

Defeating Cates heads-up also added an extra layer to the win for the German.

“Yeah, that’s a little highlight for me for sure. After Punnat [Punsri], now I got Jungle checked off my list, so that’s good.”

Before poker, Gebissa also spent time playing football in Germany at a semi-professional level while studying.

“I would say semi-professionally. It was fourth league in Germany and it financed my studies, but I didn’t make it to the top level.”

He also believes the competitive background from football still helps him today at the poker table, particularly when it comes to handling pressure.

“There’s definitely a competitive aspect that helps you a lot in poker because you need to work with so many other competitors. Besides that, I would think the pressure you need to be able to handle when performing.”

Cates earned USD 97,600 for the runner-up finish, while Germany’s Martin Sedlak and China’s Dong Chen completed the payout positions.

TLPT Jeju Dan "Jungleman" Cates — TLPT Jeju Dan “Jungleman” Cates

Among the notable eliminations throughout Day 2 were Liu, Peters, Navas Robles, Sasaki, and Zhou, as the field steadily narrowed toward the final table.

#HR2 TLPT HR Main ($16,050)

Total Prize

$360,000

Entries

ITM

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	$146,410	JG Joshua Gebissa Germany	1,208.19
2	$97,600	DC Daniel Cates United States of America	854.32
3	$66,060	MS Martin Sedlak Germany	697.55
4	$49,930	DC Dong Chen China	604.10

Rafael Navas Robles Leads USD 10K Superstar Challenge

The USD 10,000 Superstar Challenge also got underway on Saturday, bringing together another tough field filled with high stakes regulars and international pros.

Navas Robles finished Day 1 with the chip lead after bagging 528,000, narrowly ahead of Shinohara with 502,000. Late registration remains open until the start of Day 2, so more entries will be expected.

Zhou closed the day third in chips, while Peters, Gebissa, Sasaki, and Sootla all secured their spots into Day 2 as the tournament moved closer toward the money stages.

USD 10K Superstar Challenge Day 1 Chip Counts

Place	Player	Country	Chip Count
1	Rafael Navas Robles	Australia	528,000
2	Haruhiko Shinohara	Japan	502,000
3	Quan Zhou	China	402,000
4	David Peters	United States	204,000
5	Joshua Gebissa	Australia	201,000
6	Yoko Sasaki	Japan	196,000
7	Ranno Sootla	Estonia	65,000

Jingyang Yu Wins TLPT Circuit Closure

The TLPT Circuit Closure also reached its conclusion on Saturday after generating a 35-entry field and a KRW 28,927,500 prize pool.

China’s Jingyang Yu came away with the title and KRW 9,870,000 first-place prize after defeating fellow Chinese player Yao Yao heads-up.

Mongolia’s Enkhbold Khangai completed the podium in third place, while Singapore’s Ker Beng Hong, China’s Fu Honggang, and Estonia’s Kert Hallik also collected final table payouts.

What’s Coming Up on Sunday

Attention now shifts toward another huge day in Jeju, with Day 2 of the USD 10,000 Superstar Challenge returning to the floor alongside the start of the USD 25,000 High Roller at 3 p.m. local time. Will Joshua Gebissa take down another title? Be sure to stay tuned to Somuchpoker to see if he can pull off a repeat win.

Fans can continue following the biggest moments from the festival on the official TLPT YouTube channel, where streamed feature table coverage continues throughout the series with the Superstar Challenge finale being streamed today, May 24. The $25k High Roller will be the final stream of the TLPT Jeju Series tomorrow, May 25.