Dongli Shen Wins Inaugural WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship for KRW 252.3 Million (~USD 185K)

China's Dongli Shen has his name in the books as the first-ever WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship winner, taking home KRW 252,378,000 (~USD 185,000) after a final table that had a little bit of everything. He started with a commanding chip lead, watched the momentum shift as the field narrowed, and then had to fight his way back during a heads-up battle that looked far from settled.

The WPT Seoul 2026 Championship, held at INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in Incheon, South Korea, attracted 1,033 entries across four starting flights, building a KRW 1,561,896,000 (~USD 1.15 million) prize pool and comfortably surpassing its original KRW 1 billion guarantee. With 128 players making the money, the tournament eventually came down to nine finalists representing five countries.

Shen had the best starting position among them, bringing 13,300,000 chips to the final table, nearly twice the 6,775,000 held by his nearest challenger, Jun Li. But a big stack is one thing; getting all the way to the trophy is another.

WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship - Final Table Result

Hanzawa First to Go as the Final Table Gets Moving

Yumi Hanzawa was the first to leave the final table in ninth place. She had flopped trips with ace-eight after two aces appeared on the board, but Tomoharu Hikino's pocket sixes found a full house on the turn before improving to quads on the river. It was a tough way to start the eliminations for Hanzawa, who had looked in good shape on the flop.

Hayato Nagasawa followed in eighth place. He first lost a crucial pot with ace-five against Myagmardorj Batsukh's pocket queens, leaving himself short. His final stand came with ace-four against Jun Li's pocket kings. Nagasawa picked up a flush draw on the flop, giving him a chance to stay alive, but the board offered no help.

Andrew Tomoya Matahira was next in seventh place, running his pocket sevens into Hikino's pocket kings. The kings held, and the field was down to six.

Batsukh then became the sixth-place finisher after moving all-in with ace-queen against Yosuke Sekiya's pocket kings. A queen on the flop gave him some hope, but it wasn't enough to get him ahead. Sekiya's kings survived, sending Batsukh to the rail.

The next elimination brought Shen directly into the action. Juhyun Lee got his short stack in with king-four suited against Shen's ace-nine suited. Shen's hand held, and Lee finished in fifth place, leaving four players to continue the fight.

Jun Li Changes the Picture

With four players remaining, Shen still held around half of the chips in play. However, the other three were not going to let him simply run away with the title.

Sekiya had been applying pressure, but Jun Li began finding some important spots of his own. He doubled up against Sekiya with two pair and continued building his stack, including another significant double through the Japanese player with a full house.

Hikino was the next to fall. His pocket kings looked strong, but Li's jack-deuce suited managed to crack them by completing a flush on the turn and river. Hikino's run ended in fourth place, while Li's stack continued to grow.

Li briefly moved into the lead, but Shen fought back and reclaimed the top spot. Sekiya also found a double-up, keeping himself in contention as the three players traded chips.

The three-way battle eventually came down to a major clash between Sekiya and Li. Sekiya held ace-king against Li's pocket queens, and a king on the flop put him firmly ahead. Li was eliminated in third place, setting up heads-up play between Shen and Sekiya.

Sekiya Takes Control, but Shen Isn't Done

Sekiya entered heads-up play with the momentum and quickly built a commanding lead. After Shen had started the final table as the clear chip leader, he suddenly found himself with a serious mountain to climb.

One of the biggest turning points came when Shen moved in with ace-six against Sekiya's king-queen. A king on the flop put Sekiya ahead, but an ace on the turn gave Shen the double-up he desperately needed. It was a welcome change of fortune, and suddenly the match was back on.

Shen then picked up an open-ended straight draw against Sekiya's top pair and completed his straight on the river to take another significant pot. For a moment, the momentum appeared to be swinging his way.

Sekiya wasn't ready to give up the lead, though. He answered with a double of his own, holding king-queen against Shen's ace-five after a king appeared on the flop. The two continued exchanging chips, making it difficult to call the outcome before the final hand was dealt.

After a series of swings, Shen eventually found the opportunity to close the match.

A Straight Seals the Championship for Shen

The final hand saw Sekiya holding ace-seven against Shen's ten-nine. The turn completed Shen's straight, putting him firmly ahead. A blank river followed, sealing the result and ending Sekiya's comeback attempt.

Shen had done it. After starting the final table with a commanding chip lead, losing ground during heads-up play, and fighting his way back, he became the inaugural WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship champion.

Following a heads-up deal, Shen collected KRW 252,378,000 (~USD 185,000), while Sekiya took home KRW 246,238,000 (~USD 180,565). Along with the prize money and the Championship trophy, Shen also secured a USD 10,400 WPT World Championship package, earning himself a place at the prestigious series in Las Vegas.

It was a fitting finish to WPT Seoul 2026 at INSPIRE Entertainment Resort. Shen started with the biggest stack, watched the lead change hands, and still found a way to come out on top. When the last card hit the table, the first WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship title belonged to him.