Korea Poker Cup Series 2025 Debut Crowns Chun Lung Wong And Pays Out Over $5.6M

Chun Lung Wong Clinches First Ever Main Event Title And Largest Live Score

After three days, 36 levels, and outlasting a field of 1228, Chun Lung Wong emerged as the winner of the first standalone Korean Poker Cup Series 2025 Main Event, taking home the biggest share of the KRW 1,304,160,000 (~$914,360) prize pool.

SMP: Congratulations on winning the KPC Main Event. How do you feel right now?

I feel very excited. I feel nervous and happy! It’s like I’m feeling everything at once. I’m just really happy today. This is my third win in a live event. But this is my first time winning the main event, so it's definitely the biggest one so far and biggest cash!

SMP: So, what are you going to do with your prize?

I’ll probably buy some Bitcoin, and save the rest… maybe for more poker!

After and ICM deal, Wong entered heads up against Weiwi Tang as a 2 to 1 favorite however the battle wasn't easy as the chip lead switched sides multiple times. At one point, Wong was in desperation mode after losing on a failed bluff then recovered holding 7♣ 7♥ giving him momentum to take it to the end with A♥ 8♠ over K♦ Q♦ .

Read up on the action via the SMP Live Updates.

Career High Triumph For Meng Ling Lin At $25K Single Day Super High Roller

Taiwan's Meng Ling Lin added another feather to her cap after coming out victorious at the Single Day Super High Roller which featured a jaw-dropping $25,000 buy-in. A total of 70 heavyweights coughed up the hefty price tag such as Paul Phua, Danny Tang, and Wiktor Malinowski for the largest festival event prize pool of US$ 1,629,300.

The money flowed at the fall of Kei Chung Yeung to Tang on a flip, then two busts after, the final table was formed with Tang at the helm. Despite his strong run, Tang was stopped in 4th place. In the final showdown, Lin faced off against Christian Harder, who was riding high after his recent High Roller victory.

Lin held her ground and put an end to Harder’s bid for back-to-back titles, for a career high payout of US$ 479,300. The win came after she placed 15th at the High Roller for US$ 7,140 and 8th at the KRW 2.5M Single Day High Roller for US$ 4,490. These three cashes pushes her total live earnings just shy of a million.

Watch Lin's race to victory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv6pe75ZsNw

Christian Harder Wins KPC High Roller

The High Roller event attracted a roaring 95 runners, each one ponying up the KRW 5 Million (~$3,500) buy-in for a prize pool of KRW 589,250,000 (~US$ 400,735). Expectedly, the field was stacked with big names including Joseph Cheong, Hon Cheong "Ivan" Lee, Chi Jen "Justin" Chu, Lok Ming Chan, all of them dipping in the money jar.

When the dust settled, the title was claimed by USA's Christian Harder after he defeated China's Yuhang Chen at heads up. This was Harder's first title on Asian soil, boosting his live earnings over the US$ 6 Million mark.

Another Takedown For Christian Harder

To cap off what is already a highly profitable series, American pro Christian Harder shipped the Megstack Closer for his second series win. Being one of the final events in the lineup, the 150 field exceeded its guarantee for a prize pool of KRW 130,950,000 (~US$ 92,145) with 21 players earning a cut. For his victory, Harder padded up his earlier winnings an extra KRW 31,600,000 (~US$ 22,200) to walk away with a total collection of around US$ 422K.

Back To Back KPC SHR Short Deck Title For Rene Van Krevelen

Short Deck specialist Rene Van Krevelen has struck again! Last year, Krevelen shipped his largest live career score for his victory at the Jeju Poker Festival - KPC Super High Roller Short Deck. Krevelen returned to the scene of his major triumph and once again proved that not only is this his game - it's also his domain.

This edition was the most expensive and ambitious event on the KPC Series 2025 schedule, boasting a hefty $50,000 buy-in. The high stakes drew some of the biggest names in the variant, including WSOP bracelet winners Elton Tsang and Martin Nielsen, who finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

In the end, it was Krevelen who reigned supreme once again, securing the title and walking away with a massive $529,600 payday. This boosted his total live earnings on The Hendon Mob over the $2 Million mark.

Calvin Sungwon Lee Wins High Roller 2-Day

American pro Calvin Sungwon Lee found success once again in Jeju, this time by taking down the final High Roller event on the KPC 2025 schedule. The two-day showdown attracted 109 entries, each putting up KRW 6,000,000 (~US$ 4,220) to generate a hefty KRW 576,230,000 (~US$ 405,580) prize pool.

With stakes that high, it was no surprise to see a field packed with elite talent. The final table was a who’s who of poker powerhouses, featuring Ren Lin, Renji Mao, and Kai Cheng Hsu, with Hayato Kitajima going head-to-head with Lee for the title.

In the end, it was Lee who came out on top, securing KRW 150,280,000 (~US$105,750), his first major score of the year. This win followed his victory at the Jeju Poker Festival - Single Day High Roller last November. Lee has now crossed into $500M in live tournament earnings.

Joseph Kim Wins Jeju Open Mystery Bounty For KRW 30,000,000 (~$20,400)

"I'm very, very pumped. I was tired all day yesterday and today, but I'm feeling really happy now. It's been a bit back and forth, but luckily, I had a good hand."

Australia's Joseph Kim hoisted his first poker trophy and scored his biggest live cash in the process, adding an additional KRW 10,200,000 (~$6,887) for eight bounties to take his combined payout to KRW 40,200,000 (~$27,148).

The most envied player was Yan Yan for drawing the biggest bounty worth KRW 20,000,000 (~USD 13,575) to boost his 9th place payout to KRW 23,270,000 (~US$ 15,650).

Relive Kim's race to victory via the livestream https://www.youtube.com/live/W6trsROCIH4 and via the SMP Live Updates.

Terry Ka Fai Wong Takes Down The Mini High Roller Turbo

The Mini High Roller Turbo found 60 runners to contribute the KRW 1,500,000 (~US$ 1,050) buy-in for a prize pool of KRW 90,350,000 (~US$ 6,1445) divvied up by the top 12 finishers. While many eyes were on WSOP bracelet winner Shiina Okamoto she only went as far as 10th place, missing a spot at the final table. Hong Kong's Terry Wong closed out the event in style, adding another high roller title to his impressive resume and a payout of KRW 25,950,000 (~US$ 17,650). While this was not even close to Wong's career high score, it was his first victory in Jeju. Prior to the win, he first finished 6th at the Single Day High Roller for KRW 9,000,000 (~US$ 6,190).

Zi-En Huang Captures Maiden Title At Jeju Cup

The featured Jeju Cup drew 307 entries across two starting days to breach the guarantee for a prize pool of KRW 268,000,000 (~US$ 188,585). With buy in at just KRW 1,000,000 (~US$ 700), it was popular among many Chinese players that dominated in numbers well into the final table. However, in the end it was Taiwan's Zi-En Huang who came out on top for a career high payout of KRTW 58,000,000 (~US$ 40,815) and his first ever live title in Jeju.

Deja vu! Take two! China's Renji Mao strikes again! On opening day, Mao finished 12th at the Single Day High Roller then went on to win the Win The Button. Returning to the felt today, Mao was one of the 36 the entered the PLO High and was the last one standing to become the first player to win multiple events at the ongoing series. He earned a cool KRW 6,707,000 (~US$ 4,560) and a matching trophy.

The NLH Turbo found 82 runners to build a prize pool of KRW 35,790,000 (~US$ 24,340). Out of the 11 players that reached the money, it was Taiwan's Yi Chen who took it the deepest to claim the title and the KRW 10,590,000 (~US$ 7,200).