Lante Zhang Wins Record-Breaking KPC x LPT 2026 Main Event

A new champion emerged at the KPC x LPT Main Event at the KPC x LPT Series 2026 as China’s Lante Zhang outlasted Huanyu Chen of Taiwan in the final duel, capturing the KRW 296,250,000 top prize inside LES A Casino .

Once again, the K Poker Cup rewrote its own record books. Across six opening flights, the Main Event drew a massive 2,030 total entries, generating a KRW 2,375,100,000 prize pool and surpassing the previous benchmark of 1,432 entries set in the 2025 edition. It marked the largest field ever recorded in a K Poker Cup tournament.

For Zhang, the victory carried extra weight. Despite playing poker since 2011, he had never won a major live event before this run. The title not only earned him his first KPC trophy but also represented a personal career best, turning an already historic festival into a defining moment.

He navigated a final table packed with experience and pedigree, including Quan Zhou and Ryan Plant, staying patient as stacks shifted around him. When the moment came, Zhang held his ground and closed out the biggest win of his career.

Final Table Results

Winner’s Reaction

Zhang described the win as the culmination of a very long journey.

“I’ve been playing poker for a long time. I started around 2011, but I had never won a big tournament before,” Zhang said. “I’d made final tables, but never crossed the line. This one really means something to me.”

Asked about his approach throughout the final table, Zhang pointed to observation rather than aggression.

“I focus a lot on how my opponents play and adjust to them. Everyone has different tendencies. I try not to assume my own ideas are always right.”

One hand in particular stayed with him. During the final table, Zhang three-bet Chen with ace-king and made top pair on the turn. After betting small and facing a river shove, Zhang folded.

“Later he told me he turned ten-nine into a bluff,” Zhang said. “That hand still bothers me a bit, but it doesn’t matter now.”

Despite that moment, Zhang remained composed and continued to make measured decisions, eventually putting himself in position to close out the title.

Zhang’s Journey to the Title

As Day 3 unfolded, the pressure steadily mounted. Zhang navigated high‑stakes decisions quietly, steadily chipping up, and entered the final table as the fourth-largest stack.

Eliminations came one after another, yet Zhang maintained a mid-sized stack, waiting patiently for the pivotal moment that would define his run. That moment arrived when he went head-to-head with perennial chip leader Chen. Holding king-high, Zhang faced Chen’s bluff shove on the turn . After carefully weighing his decision, he made the call, taking a sizable chunk from the former chip leader and bringing himself back to the game.

Zhang wasted no time building on his momentum. Just a few hands later, Chen river-shoved with a seven-high straight, only to see Zhang snap-call with his eight-high straight , pipping Chen and seizing the chip lead.

However, as Zhang got more active at the table, his time as chip leader didn’t last long. Chen, looking for revenge, caught one of Zhang’s bluffs. Zhang, holding ten-four, fired a triple barrel, but Chen had a flopped pair of fours and extracted full value successfully from Zhang. After that hand, Zhang lost the chip lead and became a short-lived chip leader.

With the final table getting down to three-handed, Zhang picked off his first and only victim before heads-up , Hui Liu, to take back the chip lead. Zhang held pocket fives and made a three-bet, and Liu responded with a four-bet shove holding ace-ten. Zhang called. In a classic coin flip, the board didn’t help Liu. Just like that, Zhang added the only name to his final table victim list and built up his stack, heading into heads-up play as the chip leader.

Heads-Up Play

Zhang started the heads-up with the chip lead. Against a strong opponent like Chen, he stayed composed and edged away Chen’s chips hand by hand, keeping him from getting any big doubles. After nearly two hours of tough play, Zhang finally called Chen’s turn shove with a flush , leaving Chen almost out of chances with two pair. When the river didn’t help, Zhang secured the win, ending the night on a spectacular note.

Challenger Event Builds Momentum Across Day 1B and Day 1C

The Challenger Event continued to gather pace yesterday, with both Day 1B and Day 1C running back-to-back and sending another wave of players through to Day 2.

Day 1B attracted 182 total entries, made up of 145 unique players and 37 re-entries, building a net prize pool of KRW 314,496,000. By the end of play, Peng Meng Dian led the survivors with a commanding 666,000-chip stack, followed closely by Duc Thanh Nguyen and Timothy Yim Tin Yan.

Several familiar names also secured bags, including Haibo Yang, Yuan Xu, and Yuxi Huang, as the field steadily thinned toward the close of play.

Later in the day, Day 1C added another 113 entries, with 88 unique players and 25 re-entries generating a net prize pool of KRW 195,264,000. Vietnam’s Dang Van Hien finished on top of the counts, edging out Guoliang Wei by just 1,000 chips after both ended the night above 460,000.

With both flights complete, the Challenger Event is shaping up to be one of the deeper mid-stakes contests of the series as players return to fight for a spot at the final table.

King’s Debut Opener Launches With Two Flights

The King Poker Cup also officially got underway yesterday with the launch of the King’s Debut Opener, kicking off with Day 1A and Day 1B.

Day 1A drew 149 total entries and saw China’s Luo Shaoliang bag the chip lead with 4,980,000, narrowly ahead of Li Yang. The field featured a wide international mix, with Ranno Sootla, Benjamin Wu, and Martin Sedlak all advancing.

Day 1B followed later in the day with 65 total entries. Tian Hao finished as the clear chip leader, ending the session with 5,215,000, well ahead of Shuoji Zhou and Xueqi Feng. Plant once again found a bag, continuing a busy stretch across multiple events.

With the opening flights now in the books, the King’s Debut Opener adds another layer to an already packed schedule as the KPC x LPT Series 2026 rolls forward.Action at the KPC x LPT Series 2026 continues at LES A Casino, with daily live streams available on the official KPC YouTube channel for those following the action in real time. Full tournament details, live updates, and schedule information can also be found on the newly launched K Poker Cup website as the series moves into its next phase.