King Poker Cup: Yang Zhang Triumphs in Crown Debut for USD 330,500

Yang Zhang has officially been crowned the champion of the King Poker Cup King’s Debut, cementing his status as a true titan of the game by topping an elite international field. Currently ranked 18th on China’s All-Time Money List with over USD 3.6 million in live earnings, Zhang brought a formidable resume to the final table, including a prestigious WSOP bracelet and deep runs in world-class series like the Triton Super High Roller and the European Poker Tour . His victory in this premium event further solidifies his reputation as one of the most consistent and dangerous competitors on the global circuit.

The transition to the “King’s” premium branding has officially arrived, and the King’s Debut Crown Opener lived up to its lofty title. The USD 5,000 buy-in event drew a total of 362 entries across three starting flights, smashing expectations and building a massive USD 1,658,900 prize pool. After the dust settled on the opening sessions, a combined field of 54 players returned for Day 2, and thanks to a double knockout during the Day 1B bubble, every returning player was already guaranteed a slightly larger slice of the pie.

Final Table Results

Zhang’s Reaction to the Win

“Hi everyone, my name is Yang Zhang. I’ve been playing poker for more than 10 years, nearly 11, and I mostly play tournaments in the United States, or in Jeju when I come to Asia.”

“I started playing because my friends were playing, and that sparked my interest,” Zhang said when asked how he got into poker. “I was most impressed by the foreign player in seat six, Ryan Plant. He’s very skilful,” Zhang said when reflecting on the final table. “The key hand for me was when I had queen-jack and raised on the river. That hand really changed the momentum for me,” he added when asked about a turning point in the final.

“As I see it, I think I’m better in preflop play. I believe it’s very important to have strong fundamentals in poker, because that helps you get through most situations. Also, collecting and analysing information is essential, so you can make better decisions based on what’s happening at the table and what you’ve learned,” Zhang shared about what matters most to him in the game.

“I’ll try to play at least four or five tournaments a year if I have the time. If not, I’ll just treat poker as a hobby that I enjoy,” Zhang said when asked about his plans after this win.

“To be honest, I don’t feel that much emotionally about this win. I’m happy, but also quite calm. I didn’t feel a big emotional swing, even when I won the final hand,” Zhang laughed. “Maybe that’s just my personality, I’m not very emotional or easily excited.”

“I really appreciate my friend Hui Chao, who was watching the livestream while I was playing and gave me some advice, and all my friends who supported me. They watched the stream for more than two hours,” Zhang said.

“I’ll also watch the video later to see if there’s anything in my play I can improve,” he added.

Day 2 Action

The 54 survivors took to the felt with eyes firmly fixed on the USD 330,500 top prize. Leading the charge were the three flight leaders: Shaoliang Luo  (Day 1A), Hao Tian  (Day 1B), and Khoa Anh Ngo (Day 1C). However, the treacherous nature of Day 2 play spared no one. Ngo was the first of the leaders to fall, exiting in 24th place for USD 12,300.

Tian enjoyed a more productive start, notably scoring an early knockout when his pocket kings flopped a set to crush the ace-nine of Zhiqiang Wang, but his run eventually ended in 14th place (USD 20,600). Luo outlasted his fellow leaders but ultimately fell just short of the final table in 11th place, earning USD 25,200.

The middle stages of the day saw several high-profile casualties. Among those making deep runs but missing out on the final table were Iulian Blebea (39th), Martin Sedlak (34th), and Thixoa Nguyen (30th), who distinguished herself as the only woman to navigate the field into Day 2. They were followed to the rail by Nang Quang Nguyen (23rd), Tony Ren Lin (20th), and Dong Chen (13th).

The definitive highlight of the afternoon was a massive four-way confrontation that sent shockwaves through the room. Ledong Zhou moved his short stack all-in from under the gun, which triggered a chain reaction. Michael Allen three-bet from the cutoff, Yiming Li four-bet shoved for over 2 million from the button, and Shuoji Zhou capped off the madness by five-bet shoving for a massive 7.1 million from the small blind. Allen wisely folded, leaving a three-way showdown.

Li was the massive favourite with pocket kings against Shuoji Zhou’s ace-king and Ledong Zhou’s queen-nine. The dream evaporated instantly, however, as the dealer fanned an ace-high flop. The turn and river provided no miracles, resulting in a double knockout that propelled Shuoji Zhou into a dominant position and sent both Li and Ledong Zhou to the rail.

The final table bubble arrived in spectacular fashion with a dramatic double elimination. Shaoliang Luo, who had entered the day as the overall chip leader from Flight A, moved the last of his stack into the middle from under the gun. The action didn’t stop there, as Yang Li put in a significant three-bet from the cutoff, only for Shuoji Zhou to commit his remaining stack also. Li quickly called the small difference, creating a massive three-way showdown with a final table seat on the line.

Li was in the driver’s seat holding pocket jacks, leaving him well ahead of Luo’s king-queen and the queen-jack of Shuoji Zhou. The dry flop did little to change the math for the at-risk players, and the eight on the turn left both Luo and Zhou searching for a king or queen to stay alive. The ten on the river was safe for Li’s jacks, securing him a massive pot and a dominant stack heading into the finale.

For Shuoji Zhou (9th) and Shaoliang Luo (10th), the run ended just one breath away from the final table, officially bursting the bubble and sending the remaining nine players into the spotlight.

Final Table

With blinds at 150,000/300,000, the pressure was immediate, particularly for Huu Dung Nguyen , who entered the finale as the short stack with 1,600,000. At the other end of the spectrum, the table dynamics were headlined by a trio of massive stacks. Dajie Zhuo claimed the captain’s chair with 16,500,000, closely followed by Yang Zhang with 14,700,000 and Kok Wei Teoh , who rounded out the top three with 13,750,000. The middle of the pack remained highly competitive, with Zhihua Yang , Renji Mao , and Li all clustered around the 10-million-chip mark, while Ryan Plant and Benjamin Wu looked for opportunities to climb back into contention.

The final table kicked off with a major confrontation between Li and Zhang. Li was in a prime position to double through after getting his pocket kings all-in against Zhang’s pocket sevens. However, a seven appeared in the window of a dry board to give Zhang a set. Li was unable to recover from the blow and became the first casualty of the final table in ninth place.

The table’s early leader, Zhuo, suffered a quick downfall after two significant clashes. First, he ran ten-high into  Nguyen’s pocket queens, and shortly after, he lost the majority of his remaining chips to Plant when his king-ten failed to overtake Plant’s ace-six. Left with just over one big blind, Zhuo was forced all-in with jack-eight against Nguyen’s ace-seven. Though both paired the flop, Nguyen’s aces held firm to send Zhuo to the rail in eighth place.

The eliminations continued in rapid succession as Mao fell in seventh. After a three-way pre-flop battle, Mao moved all-in with ace-king and found himself in a favourable spot on an ace-high turn. However, Zhang had flopped two pair with queen-jack and held through the river. Shortly after, Wu saw his run end in sixth place when he shoved with ace-six and was out-kicked by Plant’s ace-queen on a king-high runout.

As the field narrowed to five, Teoh found himself at risk with king-queen against Zhang’s nine-five. Teoh was initially ahead, but a five on the flop gave Zhang a pair that held through the river, ending Teoh’s run in fifth place. Plant, who had been a dominant force for much of the afternoon, was the next to depart. He called the shove of Nguyen with ace-six, only to see Nguyen flop a straight with king-jack. The board failed to pair, sending the British pro home in fourth.

The battle for a heads-up spot ended in a massive pot between Yang and Nguyen. On a board featuring trip queens, Nguyen fired a heavy bet only to be met with a massive check-raise from Yang. Nguyen eventually called with a pair of sixes, but he was shown the door in third place when Yang revealed a queen for trips, setting the stage for the final duel.

Heads-Up

The heads-up battle began with Yang holding a slight lead of 51 million to Zhang’s 41 million. However, the momentum shifted during a pivotal clash on a ten-high turn.

After a three-bet pre-flop, Yang led out on a jack-high flop and then moved all-in when a ten appeared on the turn. Zhang went deep into the tank before eventually calling with an ace-ten, which had turned middle pair. Yang was at risk with ace-eight but held a flush draw for a chance at the title. The river was a total brick, allowing Zhang’s pair to hold and securing him the King Poker Cup trophy and that USD 330,000 top prize. Yang finished as a valiant runner-up, taking home USD 220,300 for his efforts.

The action continues today with the Crown Hunt Mystery Bounty, but also the USD 15,000 Main Event gets underway, and it’s set to be a big one.