Khoa Anh Ngo Wins KPC x LPT Series 2026 High Roller for KRW 181.7M

Khoa Anh Ngo added another major title to his growing résumé at the KPC x LPT Series 2026 , outlasting a deep and experienced High Roller field to capture first place and the KRW 181,700,000 top prize. The victory not only delivered the biggest cash of Ngo’s career, but also marked one of the standout results of the festival’s early stages.

The 34-year-old professional from Vietnam has steadily established himself as a fixture on the Asian live circuit, combining volume with consistency across major regional stops. With more than $1,500,000 in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob, Ngo now sits comfortably among Vietnam’s top all-time money winners, with this latest result further strengthening his position at the top end of the country’s poker leaderboard.

The KRW 4,600,000 High Roller proved to be one of the most competitive events on the schedule, drawing 178 entries and building a KRW 794,250,000 prize pool over two days of play at LES A Casino in Jeju. The field featured a mix of established international names and seasoned Asian regulars, making survival deep into Day 2 a challenge at every stage.

After more than 15 hours of play, Ngo emerged from the final table and closed out the tournament heads up against fellow Vietnamese pro Quang Minh Nguyen , sealing the title and capping off a controlled performance in one of the festival’s toughest lineups.

Final Table Results

Winner’s Reaction

After the win, Ngo remained understated when reflecting on his achievement.

The 34-year-old Vietnamese professional said rankings were not a major focus for him, even though the result further strengthens his position on Vietnam’s all-time money list.

“For me, the ranking is not really important,” Ngo said. “But improving and having new results is always something I’m happy with.”

When asked about the key skill behind his consistency at the table, Ngo pointed to discipline rather than technical play.

“I think for every poker player, discipline is very important,” he said. “Especially the mental game. That’s one of the most important skills in poker.”

Ngo also highlighted how the modern poker landscape has changed for newer players, noting that access to study tools and resources has made improvement more achievable than in the past.

Looking ahead, Ngo confirmed he plans to stay in Jeju through the remainder of the series, including the King Poker Cup, which begins later in the festival.

Ngo’s Journey to the Crown

The turning point of the tournament came around the bubble, where several big pots unfolded across the room. China’s Haohui Ma was left with the unenviable bubble position after moving all in with pocket nines and running straight into Chun Yu Ma’s ace-jack. Ma appeared on course for a double-up, but a flush completed on the river, ending his run just short of the money.

At another table, Lei Yu shoved the turn holding ace-deuce and was called by Ngo, who tabled ace-ten. The board offered no help, sending Yu to the rail in 27th place, with both players sharing the final payout spots. Despite bubbling the event, Ma still managed to secure a return, softening an otherwise cruel exit.

Ngo entered Day 2 with a 150,000 starting stack and steadily worked his way into contention as the field thinned. On the direct bubble, he picked up a crucial pot against Yu, using his ten kicker to outdraw a deuce kicker and propel his stack beyond 1.5 million late in the evening.

He continued to apply pressure as play progressed, including a key confrontation with Lok Ming Chan, where Ngo’s pocket eights held against Chan’s pocket sevens. Chan survived briefly before being eliminated at another table by Yilong Wang.

Another pivotal moment arrived on the final table bubble. Hon Cheong Lee three-bet shoved and was met with an immediate call from Ngo. Ace-king was up against pocket sevens, and an ace on the turn cracked the Hockey Sticks, sending Lee to the rail and confirming the final table lineup.

Ngo began the final table as the second-largest stack, though the opening levels were not without resistance. He first doubled up Tingjia Cao, whose king connected with the board to beat Ngo’s ace-high, before conceding more chips to Yuxi Huang , who paired her queen and fired three barrels to force a fold on the river.

The momentum swung back quickly. Ngo called Huang’s shove soon after, this time holding pocket tens, which stood firm against queen-high to restore his position near the top of the counts. From there, the eliminations followed in quick succession. Seunghyun Nam exited in seventh place after his ace-nine failed to improve against Ngo’s ace-queen.

Ngo then sent Huang out in fifth place when his ace-ten paired the flop against her king-queen. Yilong Wang was next to fall, unable to overcome Ngo’s flopped set, before Alan Zheng became the final obstacle to heads-up play. Zheng moved all in with pocket jacks, but Ngo improved to kings on the river to end Zheng’s run in third.

Ngo entered heads-up play against Nguyen with a commanding 3-to-1 chip lead and maintained control throughout the brief duel. The final hand saw Ngo complete a flush on the river to beat Nguyen’s flopped jacks, sealing the title and bringing the High Roller to a close.

The win capped a measured performance through a demanding field and delivered one of the early headline results of the KPC x LPT Series 2026.

PLO Action Delivers in Turbo Bomb Pot Event

The schedule also featured fast-paced mixed-game action with Event #14: PLO 5 Card Double Board Bomb Pot – Turbo, which drew 67 total entries and generated a KRW 22,510,000 net prize pool. The turbo format and double-board bomb pot structure created constant swings throughout the day, rewarding players willing to embrace variance and aggression.

China’s Weiwei Huang emerged victorious, collecting KRW 6,630,000 for the win after navigating a final table stacked with familiar faces. Fellow Chinese players Zebin Huang and Zhenfang Huang completed a clean sweep of the top three, while Wing Yin Lee of Hong Kong finished fourth. The event once again highlighted the growing appetite for alternative formats at the KPC x LPT Jeju Festival, offering a sharp contrast to the deeper-stacked championship events on the schedule.

Main Event Set to Get Underway

Attention now turns to the festival’s headline attraction, with the KPC x LPT Main Event set to begin on January 6. Featuring multiple Day 1 flights and a KRW 880,000,000 guaranteed prize pool, the Main Event is expected to draw one of the largest fields of the series as players begin their pursuit of the festival’s biggest title.

With momentum building across all formats and several marquee tournaments already producing standout performances, the coming days promise another surge of action as the Main Event takes center stage in Jeju.