Poker Dream 17 Malaysia Festival Highlights; Pays Out Over $5.4M In Prizes

Asia-Pacific
Live Poker
News
04/23/2025
Poker Dream 17 Malaysia
Poker Dream 17 Malaysia – Photo by QQPK

Poker Dream wrapped up another memorable series, running from April 10 to 21, 2025, at the Genting Highlands in Malaysia. True to form, the brand’s 17th edition drew a massive turnout of over 11,000 entries with Malaysian players showing up in force, joined by a strong international contingent led by players from China, India, and Singapore.

Over twelve action-packed days, the series paid out approximately $5.41 million in prizes and crowned 60 champions, with Dingxiang Ong taking center stage as the latest Poker Dream Main Event winner. We’ve got those results and other highlights down below.

Poker Dream 17 Malaysia

Poker Dream Hall Of Champions
Poker Dream Hall Of Champions – Photo by QQPK

Festival Numbers

Festival Trophy Events: 60
Festival Entries: 11,500
Festival Prize Pool: Over US$ 5.41 Million
Main Event Prize Pool: MYR 6,191,636 (~US$ 1.4 Million)
Main Event Champion: Dingxiang Ong – MYR 771,781 (~US$ 174,785)
Super High Roller Champion: Chun Keat Liu – MYR 731,000 (~US$ 165,550)
Multi-Champions: Baiyu Ni (2), Kim Wah Chiu (2), Dong Li (2), Chea Zern Vincent Hong (2), Pak Wai Chow (2)

Poker Dream 17 Malaysia – Full Results

Main Event

#21 Main Event (2,400 MYR)
Main Event

Dingxiang Ong Wins PD 17 Main Event

Singapore's Dingxiang Ong became the newest Poker Dream Main Event champion after overcoming China's Zuyou Wang at heads up. Due to an ICM heads up deal, both players walked away with nearly the same cash prize with Ong securing a slightly larger MYR 771,781 (~$174,785).


A regular fixture on both the live and online circuits, Ong is one of Singapore’s most accomplished players. In 2019, he came close to making history by nearly delivering Singapore its first WSOP bracelet, finishing runner-up in the $1,500 6-Handed event. He followed that up with a deep run at the 2022 WSOP Main Event, placing 47th - the best finish among all Asian players that year - for his second six-figure cash. His recent victory in Malaysia now ranks as his third-largest career score, pushing his live tournament earnings past US$ 950,000.

Total Prize USD
$1,402,230
Total Prize
MYR 6,191,636
Guaranteed
MYR 5,000,000
Entries
1,974
ITM
217
#PayoutPlayer
1MYR 771,781
$174,785
DO
Dingxiang Ong
Singapore [SGP]Singapore
2MYR 755,555
$171,110
ZW
3MYR 385,900
$87,395
4MYR 283,800
$64,275
5MYR 222,400
$50,365
OL
Ondrej Lakomy
Czech Republic [CZE]Czech Republic
6MYR 169,900
$38,480
7MYR 129,900
$29,420
YL
Ying Li
China [CHN]China
8MYR 92,200
$20,880
9MYR 75,200
$17,030
Check the 217 Payouts & Results ...

Super High Roller

#31 Super High Roller (30,000 MYR)
Super High Roller

Unstoppable Chun Keat Liu Clinches PD Super High Roller Title

Malaysian sensation Chun Keat Liu has clinched another big title winning the PD 17 Malaysia Super High Roller for a whopping MYR 731,000 (~US$ 165,550). With a buy-in of MYR 30,000 (~US$ 6,800), the event drew an impressive 118 field with some of Asia's biggest names earning a cut of the MYR 2,906,458 (~US$ 658,230) prize pool.


For the champion Liu, he continued his incredible run by defeating Australia's David Wang at heads up. Liu has been on a tear since returning to the live circuit in 2022, piling in deep runs and big scores both in Asia and Europe. A rush of successes came in August 2023 when he earned his biggest score of US$ 469K after a 5th-place finish at the Triton NLH 8-Handed in London. But it was his stunning triple victory at EPT Barcelona in 2024 that truly turned heads and cemented his place among the rising stars of the game.


Liu kept the momentum going with back-to-back six-figure scores at Poker Dream, including a title win in Jeju and a runner-up finish at the Poker Dream Malaysia Main Event. To kick off 2025, Liu cashed at two Triton Jeju events and now with this latest win, he has over US$ 1.7 Million in live earnings. It won't be a surprise to see him breach $2M before the year is up.

Total Prize USD
$658,230
Total Prize
MYR 2,906,458
Entries
118
ITM
17
#PayoutPlayer
1MYR 731,000
$165,550
CK
2MYR 494,458
$111,980
3MYR 321,000
$72,700
HL
4MYR 266,000
$60,240
YZ
5MYR 214,000
$48,465
6MYR 169,000
$38,275
7MYR 129,000
$29,215
ES
8MYR 97,000
$21,970
HM
9MYR 73,000
$16,530
Check the 17 Payouts & Results ...

Mystery Bounty High Roller

#54 Mystery Bounty High Roller (12,000 MYR)
Mystery Bounty High Roller

Ming Ken Thoo Wins Mystery Bounty High Roller

The 2024 Dream Player Of The Year winner Ming Ken Thoo finished strong at PD 17 Malaysia, cashing in four events that included a title at the Mystery Bounty High Roller for a total payout of MYR 195,000 (~US$ 44,160). Thoo outlasted the 122 entry field with 77 earning a portion of the MYR 1,202,066 (~US$ 272,235) prize pool. Third place finisher Nishant Sharma walked away as the largest earner due to his collection of bounties that pushed his payout to MYR 307,200 (~US$ 69,570).


This year, Thoo has already cashed at a total of 12 Poker Dream events across three stops, six of which were final table finishes.

Total Prize USD
$272,235
Total Prize
MYR 1,202,066
Guaranteed
MYR 1,000,000
Entries
122
ITM
17
#PayoutPlayer
1MYR 195,000
$44,160
MK
2MYR 230,666
$52,240
JK
Junxiong Khor
Singapore [SGP]Singapore
3MYR 307,200
$69,570
4MYR 84,000
$19,025
5MYR 70,000
$15,855
SC
6MYR 47,000
$10,645
BL
7MYR 98,200
$22,240
JL
Juyeol Lee
Korea (Republic of) [KOR]Korea (Republic of)
8MYR 38,000
$8,605
9MYR 20,000
$4,530
Check the 17 Payouts & Results ...

Mini Main Event

#59 Mini Main Event (1,500 MYR)
Mini Main Event

Maiden Title For Chin Kah Jun At Mini Main Event

Closing day at PD 17 Malaysia turned into a memorable celebration for Malaysia's Chin Kah Jun who captured his first ever live title at the Mini Main Event. The tournament was the largest single day event of the festival with 333 entries for a prize pool of MYR 379,015 (~US$ 85,835) and 48 players earning a share. After a three-way ICM deal, Chin walked away with MYR 46,000 (~US$ 10,420), the largest score of his young career, while runner-up Jongbea Jang locked up the largest cut of the prize pool at MYR 58,315 (~US$ 13,205).

Total Prize USD
$85,835
Total Prize
MYR 379,015
Guaranteed
MYR 200,000
Entries
333
ITM
48
#PayoutPlayer
1MYR 46,000
$10,420
KJ
Kah Jun Chin
Malaysia [MYS]Malaysia
2MYR 58,315
$13,205
JJ
Jongbea Jang
Korea (Republic of) [KOR]Korea (Republic of)
3MYR 50,000
$11,325
4MYR 28,300
$6,410
CK
5MYR 22,400
$5,075
6MYR 17,200
$3,895
7MYR 12,700
$2,875
8MYR 9,300
$2,105
9MYR 7,600
$1,720
Check the 48 Payouts & Results ...

High Roller

#43 High Roller (15,000 MYR)
High Roller

Haohui Ma Finds Success Again At PD High Roller For MYR 337K

Another Poker Dream title for China's Haohui Ma! At the start of the year, Ma took down the PD 15 Malaysia Super High Roller then picked up a 4th place finish at the PD 16 Jeju Mystery Bounty High Roller. Banking on his Poker Dream success, Ma returned to Malaysia and attended the High Roller that saw 105 pony up the MYR 15,000 (~US$ 3,400) buy-in. Among the 15 players that claimed a share of the MYR 1,305,496 (~US$ 295,660) prize pool were decorated players Chin Wei Lim, Nishant Sharma, and Jun Hao Wu. The title came down between Yan Wen Yee and Ma with the latter taking it down for a payout of MYR 337,000 (~US$ 76,320).


This impressive consistency has sent his total live earnings well past half a million USD with nearly 75% percent of it earned since December alone. Ma is undoubtedly one player to watch this year.

Total Prize USD
$295,660
Total Prize
MYR 1,305,496
Entries
106
ITM
15
#PayoutPlayer
1MYR 337,000
$76,320
HM
2MYR 231,496
$52,425
YW
Yan Wen Yee
Malaysia [MYS]Malaysia
3MYR 151,000
$34,195
JH
Jun Hao Wu
Singapore [SGP]Singapore
4MYR 123,000
$27,855
KF
Ka Fai Wong
Hong Kong [HKG]Hong Kong
5MYR 99,000
$22,420
6MYR 77,000
$17,440
WK
7MYR 61,000
$13,815
CW
Chin Wei Lim
Malaysia [MYS]Malaysia
8MYR 46,000
$10,420
LW
Lee Wee Liew
Malaysia [MYS]Malaysia
9MYR 34,000
$7,700
Check the 15 Payouts & Results ...

Mystery Bounty

#25 Mystery Bounty (3,000 MYR)
Mystery Bounty

Sean Ooi Wins Largest Mystery Bounty Turnout

These days, Mystery Bounty tournaments tend to attract the largest crowds of all the side events. That was certainly the case at PD 17 Malaysia with a storm of 640 entering at MYR 3,000 (~US$ 680) a pop. This immense turnout built a guarantee-crushing prize pool of MYR 1,314,072 (~US$ 297,600) with 93 players dipping in the pot.


Finishing at the very top was well known Malaysian crusher Sean Ooi for a payout of MYR 187,600 (~US$ 42,485). Ooi has been tearing up the felt for the past few years with final table appearances and victories at numerous events in Asia and Australia.

Total Prize USD
$297,600
Total Prize
MYR 1,314,072
Guaranteed
MYR 1,000,000
Entries
640
ITM
93
#PayoutPlayer
1MYR 187,600
$42,485
2MYR 108,472
$24,565
GL
3MYR 74,100
$16,780
4MYR 57,700
$13,065
5MYR 64,600
$14,630
6MYR 40,200
$9,105
BH
Bo Huang
Australia [AUS]Australia
7MYR 73,300
$16,600
8MYR 63,400
$14,360
TL
Teng Li
United States of America [USA]United States of America
9MYR 27,200
$6,160
Check the 93 Payouts & Results ...

The Luckiest Of All

Yang Bo draws Mystery Jackpot Bounty Draw
Yang Bo draws Mystery Jackpot Bounty Draw or MYR 220,000 (~US$ 49,825) – Photo by QQPK

Event #8 Mystery Big Bounty had every eligible player biting their nails as each one hunted down the single biggest bounty worth MYR 220,000 ~(US$ 49,825). The lucky winner was China’s Yang Bo, turning his MYR 2,100 buy in more than 100 times over.

Dream Bonus

Dream Bonuses have become one of the most coveted incentives at every Poker Dream Main Event, rewarding players with generous cash prizes for qualifying into Day 2 multiple times. At Poker Dream 17 Malaysia, the turnout for this promotion was nothing short of astounding, with players going all out to secure these valuable bonuses.

Dream Bonus Second Qualifiers : 25 players each earned MYR 20,000 (~US$ 4,500)
Dream Bonus Third Qualifiers: 6 players each earned MYR 58,000 (~US$ 13,200)

Poker Dream 18 Malaysia

Poker Dream returns to Malaysia for its 18th edition taking place back at Genting Highlands from August 7-18, 2025. Stay tuned as more details will be released soon.