First Time at Poker Dream, First Event, First Trophy for Romans Lihacovs
Day 5 of Poker Dream 26 Malaysia at Genting Highlands brought another day of tournament action, highlighted by Romans Lihacovs winning his first Poker Dream trophy on debut, Coco Zeng adding another Ladies Event title to her collection, and the Mystery Big Bounty generating a MYR 762,865 (~USD 186,650) prize pool after attracting 683 entries.
For Lihacovs, the victory was a memorable reward for travelling all the way from Latvia to experience a new poker destination. Zeng continued her impressive run in Ladies Events while strengthening her position in the 2026 Ladies Player of the Year (LPOY) race. Meanwhile, the Mystery Big Bounty heads into Day 2 with 96 players returning to compete for the MYR 70,000 (~USD 17,500) top prize.
Romans Lihacovs Wins NLH Heads Up on Poker Dream Debut
Travelling all the way from Latvia, Romans Lihacovs arrived at Poker Dream 26 Malaysia looking for a new poker experience. Instead, the first-time visitor found himself celebrating a tournament victory and lifting his first Poker Dream trophy.
Lihacovs discovered the series while searching online for poker tournaments after previously playing in North Cyprus. When he came across Poker Dream in Malaysia, he decided to give it a shot.
“I searched online for the nearest poker series and found Poker Dream in Malaysia. I thought, why not? Let's play,” he explained.
The decision paid off immediately. Lihacovs navigated a 32-entry field in the NLH Heads Up event, surviving five rounds of one-on-one action to claim MYR 31,300 (~USD 7,650).
“I'm feeling amazing. It's my first tournament here,” he said after the win.
Beyond the result, Lihacovs was impressed by the atmosphere at Genting Highlands, describing his experience as a positive one from the moment he arrived.
“It's amazing. It's a good place, good people, and everybody is friendly. I like it here.”
The victory also left him with a practical problem to solve: getting his new trophy back to Latvia. Laughing about the challenge, Lihacovs said he would have to figure out how to fit it into his baggage.
With several more tournaments on his schedule, including the Main Event, Mini High Roller and Mystery Bounty, Lihacovs is hoping his first Poker Dream trophy will not be his last.
Coco Zeng Claims Fourth Poker Dream Trophy
Coco Zeng continued her impressive run on the Poker Dream circuit, taking down the Ladies Event Turbo after outlasting a field of 24 entries to secure her fourth trophy on the tour.
All four of Zeng's Poker Dream titles have come in Ladies Events, underlining her consistency in the format. One of her previous standout performances came at Poker Dream 23 Taiwan, where she won the Ladies High Roller for NTD 220,000 (~USD 6,888).
The latest victory further strengthens Zeng's position in the 2026 Ladies Player of the Year (LPOY) standings. She currently leads the race with more than 5,500 points, more than double the approximately 2,650 points held by second-place Wan Ning Hazel Tan.
With Poker Dream 26 Malaysia bringing the season to a close, Zeng has a strong opportunity to finish the campaign as the inaugural LPOY champion.
Place | Name | Country | Payouts (MYR) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Coco Zeng | China | 5,500 |
2 | Ke Shen Tan | Malaysia | 3,696 |
3 | Zhia Wern Tan | Malaysia | 2,500 |
4 | Ming Hui Yap | Malaysia | 1,900 |
Mystery Big Bounty Draws 683 Entries and Builds MYR 762,865 Prize Pool
The MYR 1,500 (~USD 365) Mystery Big Bounty attracted 683 entries across three starting flights and a Flipout flight, generating a MYR 762,865 (~USD 186,650) prize pool.
The total came to nearly four times the original MYR 200,000 (~USD 50,000) guarantee, with Flight A alone attracting 169 entries and pushing the tournament past its guarantee during the opening flight.
Yifei Chen set the early pace after bagging 680,000 chips in Flight A. Shu Kai Kee finished second with 346,000, while Cheak Yen completed the top three with 327,000.
Flight B brought in an even larger field of 263 entries, with Wan Ning Hazel Tan finishing on top after a crucial hand just before the bubble. Tan eliminated Jo Seng Mok shortly before hand-for-hand play began, sending him out as the bubble boy and adding valuable chips to her stack.
Tan closed the flight with 596,000, the only player in Flight B to surpass 500,000. Tan is also chasing her second title of the series after winning the opening Warm Up event.
India's Harsh Kumar Jhirmiria finished Flight B with 430,000, followed by Singapore's Shun Gui Toh with 393,000. Flight C Turbo added 101 entries, while the Flipout flight contributed another 150.
A total of 96 players will return for Day 2 at 11:00 AM to play down to a champion, who will take home MYR 70,000 (~USD 17,500).
Mystery Big Bounty Top 10 Chip Counts
Rank | Player | Country | Chip Counts | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Yifei Chen | China | 680,000 | 113 |
2 | Wan Ning Hazel Tan | Malaysia | 596,000 | 99 |
3 | Chun Hou Mah | Malaysia | 460,000 | 77 |
4 | Harsh Dev Rajendra Kumar Jhirmiria | India | 430,000 | 72 |
5 | Shun Gui Toh | Singapore | 393,000 | 66 |
6 | Michael Lukman | Indonesia | 350,000 | 58 |
7 | Si Dick Lam | Malaysia | 347,000 | 58 |
8 | Shu Kai Kee | Malaysia | 346,000 | 58 |
9 | Linghua Xia | China | 337,000 | 56 |
10 | Shotiwan Wattanalarp | Thailand | 329,000 | 55 |
Mystery Big Bounty Payouts
Place | Prize (MYR) | Prize (~USD) | Place | Prize (MYR) | Prize (~USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 70,000 | 17,500 | 10–11 | 3,900 | 1,000 |
2 | 46,665 | 11,700 | 12–15 | 3,200 | 800 |
3 | 31,800 | 8,000 | 16–23 | 2,600 | 650 |
4 | 22,100 | 6,000 | 24–31 | 2,200 | 550 |
5 | 15,600 | 4,000 | 32–39 | 1,900 | 500 |
6 | 11,500 | 3,000 | 40–47 | 1,700 | 425 |
7 | 8,500 | 2,000 | 48–55 | 1,600 | 400 |
8 | 6,400 | 1,600 | 56–63 | 1,500 | 375 |
9 | 5,000 | 1,300 | 64–97 | 1,400 | 350 |
Poker Dream 26 Mystery Bounty Prizes
The Mystery Big Bounty also features a top bounty worth MYR 60,000 (~USD 15,000). In addition, 15 entries into the Mystery Jackpot draw have been generated. Players who draw a jackpot ticket will receive another pick from the mystery bounty prize draw.
Bounty | Amount (MYR) | Amount (~USD) | Number of Bounties | Total (MYR) | Total (~USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mystery Jackpot | 60,000 | 15,000 | 1 | 60,000 | 15,000 |
Mystery Bounty | 30,000 | 7,500 | 2 | 60,000 | 15,000 |
Mystery Bounty | 10,000 | 2,500 | 3 | 30,000 | 7,500 |
Mystery Bounty | 5,100 | 1,300 | 9 | 45,900 | 11,500 |
Mystery Bounty | 2,100 | 500 | 24 | 50,400 | 12,600 |
Mystery Bounty | 1,100 | 500 | 58 | 63,800 | 15,600 |
What's Coming Up at Poker Dream 26 Malaysia
The Ultra Stack, featuring a MYR 300,000 (~USD 75,000) guarantee and a MYR 2,000 (~USD 500) buy-in, is scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM. The tournament follows a format with three starting flights and a Flipout flight.
The High Roller Mystery Bounty will follow at 3:00 PM, with a MYR 12,000 (~USD 3,000) buy-in. Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 12.
With the Mystery Big Bounty reaching Day 2 and two more tournaments getting underway, Poker Dream 26 Malaysia continues its run at Genting Highlands, with more titles still up for grabs.
Stay tuned to Somuchpoker for the latest results and updates as Poker Dream 26 Malaysia continues at Genting Highlands
All images courtesy of Poker Dream.
About the Editor
Derick Elomina is Somuchpoker's Lead Content Writer and Interview Specialist, reporting live from WSOP bracelet events and Asia Pacific poker festivals such as TMT, APT, RDPT and APL Jeju, alongside player features and interviews for the site's Stories section. He discovered poker at 14 playing home games with friends, and by 21 he had entered the industry as a field reporter, starting as a hand reporter before building his current role on the tournament floor.
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