Day 6 of Poker Dream 26 Malaysia: Coco Zeng Plays Her Cards Right for Another Trophy
Day 6 of Poker Dream 26 Malaysia at Genting Highlands brought plenty of noise, laughter, and big payouts, with Coco Zeng stealing the spotlight at the Influencer Invitational. Fresh off her Ladies Event Turbo victory the previous day, Zeng returned to the tables to win Magic Poker and secure her fifth Poker Dream trophy. She even made a late attempt to defend her Ladies Event Turbo title, though a second win was not in the cards.
Away from the influencer tables, John Henry Curliss claimed the Mystery Big Bounty title after a heads-up deal with Avinash Royan Tauro. The High Roller Mystery Bounty wrapped up its opening day with 11 players remaining, while the Ultra Stack more than doubled its guarantee and set up a MYR 142,000 payday for its eventual champion.
Influencer Invitational – Magic Poker
One section of the venue was noticeably louder than the rest as 55 invited players gathered for the Influencer Invitational. The format was Magic Poker, a variation of No Limit Hold’em that gives each player a power-up card capable of changing the course of a hand.
With shouting, laughter, and plenty of reactions around the tables, the event delivered a different atmosphere from the usual tournament grind. Coco Zeng eventually emerged as the winner, defeating Bryan Peng Yang heads-up.
Before reaching the final duel, Zeng had a few memorable moments of her own. At one point, she repeatedly pushed her short stack without even looking at her cards, and somehow managed to win every time.
There was a method behind the madness. Zeng was eager to return to the Ladies Event Turbo, which she had won the previous day. After securing the Magic Poker title, she quickly entered the tournament at the latest possible stage.
However, despite her late registration, Zeng could not turn her short stack into another final-table run. She had already secured plenty for the day, though, adding her fifth Poker Dream trophy to her collection and earning a free Main Event ticket.
John Henry Curliss Wins Mystery Big Bounty After Heads-Up Deal
John Henry Curliss emerged victorious in the Mystery Big Bounty, overcoming a field of 683 entries to claim the title after a heads-up deal with Avinash Royan Tauro.
The MYR 1,500 buy-in tournament generated a MYR 762,865 (~USD 191,700) prize pool, nearly quadrupling its MYR 200,000 guarantee.
A total of 96 players returned for Day 2, all hoping to secure a share of the prize pool and land one of the event's mystery bounty prizes. After more than ten hours of play, Curliss finished on top, collecting MYR 58,350 in prize money and MYR 15,800 in bounties for a total payday of MYR 74,150 (~USD 18,500).
Tauro finished runner-up but walked away with the largest overall payout at the final table. His MYR 58,350 prize-money share was supplemented by MYR 38,400 in mystery bounties, bringing his total to MYR 96,750 (~USD 24,200).
Apicha Dechacharoensiri completed the podium in third place for MYR 31,800 (~USD 8,000). He was the only player at the final table who failed to collect a mystery bounty.
The event's top bounty was also claimed during the festival. Yuan Xiang Cheong pulled the MYR 60,000 (~USD 15,000) top mystery bounty during the second round of bounty draws on a break.
Mystery Big Bounty Final Table Payouts
Place | Player | Country | Payout (MYR) | Payout (~USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Henry Curliss | Australia | 74,150 | 18,500 |
2 | Avinash Royan Tauro | India | 96,750 | 24,200 |
3 | Apicha Dechacharoensiri | Thailand | 31,800 | 8,000 |
4 | Kiing Teck Rong Richard | Malaysia | 26,400 | 6,600 |
5 | Yuan Xiang Cheong | Malaysia | 87,200 | 21,800 |
6 | Yung Chung Ng | Malaysia | 16,900 | 4,200 |
7 | Damien Peter Stanley | Australia | 14,900 | 3,700 |
8 | Yen Feng Eng | Malaysia | 12,600 | 3,200 |
9 | Kuen Shing So | Hong Kong | 7,200 | 1,800 |
Full payouts are available on Somuchpoker.
Cooper Shapkaris Leads High Roller Mystery Bounty Day 1
The MYR 12,000 (~USD 3,000) buy-in High Roller Mystery Bounty, one of the festival's biggest buy-in events, wrapped up its opening day with 50 entries and a MYR 529,950 (~USD 130,000) prize pool.
The tournament also comes with a revised fee structure, with Poker Dream reducing the administration fee to just 4%. With no rake charged, the adjustment gives players a more cost-effective way to compete in one of the festival's biggest buy-in events.
After 14 levels of play, 11 players remained, led by Australia's Cooper Shapkaris with 2,065,000 chips.
China's Hang Xu sits second with 1,575,000, followed by Haiyang Yang with 1,460,000. WSOP bracelet winner Guoliang Wei occupies fourth place with 1,280,000, while fellow bracelet winner Jinlong Hu has more work ahead after bagging 295,000.
High Roller Mystery Bounty Final Day Chip Counts
Rank | Player | Country | Chip Counts |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cooper Shapkaris | Australia | 2,065,000 |
2 | Hang Xu | China | 1,575,000 |
3 | Haiyang Yang | China | 1,460,000 |
4 | Guoliang Wei | China | 1,280,000 |
5 | Win Meng Tan | Malaysia | 1,055,000 |
6 | Kok Yong Pang | Malaysia | 670,000 |
7 | Ronald Haverkamp | Netherlands | 655,000 |
8 | Xiaowen Zhao | China | 420,000 |
9 | Matthew Christopher | Indonesia | 355,000 |
10 | Jinlong Hu | China | 295,000 |
11 | Yang Yi Ang | Malaysia | 170,000 |
Only eight players will reach the money, with MYR 116,000 (~USD 28,400) awaiting the eventual champion. The remaining field returns for Day 2 with the money bubble approaching.
High Roller Mystery Bounty Payouts
Place | Payout (MYR) | Payouts (~USD) |
|---|---|---|
1 | 116,000 | 28,400 |
2 | 73,149 | 17,900 |
3 | 48,000 | 11,800 |
4 | 34,000 | 8,300 |
5 | 26,000 | 6,400 |
6 | 21,000 | 5,100 |
7 | 19,000 | 4,700 |
8 | 18,000 | 4,400 |
Ultra Stack More Than Doubles Its Guarantee
The Ultra Stack also attracted a strong turnout, recording 474 entries across three flights and the Flipout. The field generated a MYR 694,278 (~USD 170,000) prize pool, more than doubling the tournament's MYR 300,000 guarantee.
With 66 players remaining, the tournament continues at 11:00 AM, as the field narrows toward the final table. The eventual champion will take home MYR 142,000 (~USD 35,000), the largest share of the prize pool.
Poker Dream 26 Malaysia Day 7 Schedule
Day 7 brings another full schedule to Genting Highlands, with several tournaments set to crown their champions and a new Mystery Bounty event ready to take centre stage.
The MYR 3,000 (~USD 730) buy-in Mystery Bounty features a MYR 400,000 (~USD 100,000) guarantee, while a MYR 10,000 (~USD 2,500) High Roller Single Day offers another option for players looking for a bigger buy-in.
The Ultra Stack and High Roller Mystery Bounty also continue, setting up another busy day as Poker Dream 26 Malaysia moves deeper into its 12-day festival.
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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