Rokas Asipauskas Closes Out KPC Poker October Series with USD 300,800 Final Coronation Win

Rokas Asipauskas has won the Final Coronation at the KPC Poker October Series, taking down the closing event for USD 300,800 at LES A Casino in Jeju, South Korea.

The USD 30,000 buy-in event drew 25 entries to build a USD 702,000 prize pool, with only the top four paid. Asipauskas beat Dingxiang Ong in a single heads-up hand, a day after fellow Lithuanian Marius Kudzmanas won the King's Main Event. Ong collected USD 190,000 as runner-up.

Final Coronation Results

Road to the Final Table

Kudzmanas couldn't carry his Main Event form into the Final Coronation, falling in 15th when his queen-jack failed to improve against Gytis Lazauninkas' ace-ten. Nevan Chang went out in 11th when his king-queen ran into Ong's ace-queen, and Candy Lin fell in 10th to set the final table.

Paulius Plausinaitis led the final nine with 3,845,000, ahead of Asipauskas on 3,355,000.

The Final Table

Mehdi Chaoui found an early double when his pair of fives held against Tony Lin's flush draw, and Lin went out in ninth shortly after, his ace-eight losing to Lazauninkas' ace-jack when both paired on the flop.

Jimmy Guerrero doubled with pocket queens against Lazauninkas' ace-king, before Ong took over. He eliminated Wai Kiat Lee in eighth when his jack-five made two pair against Lee's ace-king of diamonds, and then sent Lazauninkas out in seventh with pocket kings against ace-queen.

Plausinaitis then took two pivotal pots. He filled up with jack-nine against Thi Xoa Nguyen's ace-king to send her out in sixth, and burst the bubble on the button with the same hand, rivering a straight against Guerrero's queen-deuce of diamonds.

Chaoui looked set to double again four-handed. On a six-queen-ace flop with three hearts, Asipauskas moved all in with king-nine of spades, and Chaoui called with nine-six for a pair and a flush draw, an 89% favourite.

The nine on the turn gave Chaoui two pair but also paired Asipauskas, and the king of clubs on the river was one of just two outs. Chaoui finished fourth for USD 84,200.

Three-handed, Asipauskas applied pressure from the small blind with ten-nine, and Plausinaitis called with king-queen. The king on the flop put Plausinaitis ahead, but the queen on the turn gave Asipauskas a straight, sending Plausinaitis out in third for USD 127,000.

That left Asipauskas with 11 million against Ong's 1.3 million, and heads-up lasted just one hand. Ong moved all in on the button with ace-ten of diamonds, Asipauskas called with king-eight of diamonds, and an eight on the flop sealed the title.

Asipauskas: "I Wanted It Bad"

For Asipauskas, the crown handed to the Final Coronation champion was the real prize.

"When I saw this crown, I was like, I want it, and I wanted it bad," he said. "Of course, you try your best at all times, but you remember that it's not just the money."

His fourth-place knockout of Chaoui also settled the series leaderboard, with a win for Chaoui set to lift him above Kudzmanas by just 0.1 points. "I was as dead as it gets," Asipauskas admitted. "Things happen in poker, especially in tournament poker. Unfortunate for Mehdi. That's my guy."

Asked whether the Lithuanian contingent arrived with a plan, he said simply, "That was the plan," adding: "You'll definitely see us more. And I feel like even more Lithuanians will come."

A regular in Jeju through the Triton Poker Series, Asipauskas rated his first KPC experience just as highly. "Triton is perfect, this is perfect as well, like the organization, everything," he said.

He will be back in January to defend his crown, and he has one request for the schedule after playing the 3-Card Hold'em side event: "It has to be on the schedule, and it's going to kick off, I swear to God."

Images and data courtesy of KPC.