Poker Dream 26 Gets Off to a Big Start as Warm Up Draws 1,152 Entries and Smashes Guarantee by More Than 4x

Poker Dream 26 Malaysia got off to a strong start in Genting Highlands, with its brand-new Warm Up event drawing a massive field of 1,152 entries and generating a MYR 692,808 (~USD 173,200) prize pool, more than four times its MYR 150,000 (~USD 37,500) guarantee.

Across the opening flights, players turned out in force for the MYR 800 (~USD 200) buy-in event, with 168 advancing to Day 2 on October 9. The remaining field is guaranteed MYR 1,500 (~USD 375), but all eyes will be on the MYR 111,000 (~USD 27,750) first-place prize and the chance to become the first Poker Dream Malaysia Warm Up champion.

Wai Sim Kok Leads the Warm Up Field

Flight A brought in 301 entries, with 46 players surviving to Day 2. Malaysia's Chia Soon Yeong finished on top with 354,000 chips after making a big river call with pocket tens against an opponent's 200,000 bet on a low board. His opponent mucked, handing Chia a sizeable pot.

India's Sashank Badrinath finished close behind with 309,000, becoming the only other player in the flight to cross the 300,000 mark. Badrinath survived an early all-in with pocket jacks against pocket aces after hitting a jack, then later completed a runner-runner straight with ace-king against an opponent holding ace-queen.

The flight ended with a painful bubble for Ming Siong See, who moved all-in with ace-king suited but ran into pocket aces. The board offered no help, leaving him just short of a Day 2 seat.

Flight B Sets a New Poker Dream Record

Flight B brought an even bigger turnout, attracting 524 entries to set a new record for the largest field in a single Poker Dream flight. Seventy-seven players made it through, led by Malaysia's Wai Sim Kok with 648,000 chips.

Sim built his stack after cracking pocket kings with ace-ten suited, climbing to around 400,000 before continuing to accumulate chips. He ended the flight as the overall chip leader among the completed flights.

China's Zeping Li finished second in Flight B with 544,000 after winning a sizeable pot with pocket kings against pocket queens. Other notable players advancing included Jay Shah with 345,000, Wan Ning Tan with 264,000 and Bhavik Khatsuria with 121,000.

The bubble was particularly brutal, with three players eliminated on the bubble hand. Mun Kiat Wong lost with ace-jack against ace-seven after his opponent completed a straight on the turn. Tsuyoshi Kodate then saw pocket queens fall to nine-eight offsuit after a four-flush completed on the river.

Michael Lukman was the final casualty. He moved all-in with ace-king and received three callers. After the other players checked through the earlier streets, Khor Zhong Huan bet the river and showed six-three suited for a full house, sending Lukman to the rail.

Warm Up Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts

Flight C Turbo and Flight D Flipout Bring More Players In

Flight C, the turbo flight, attracted 177 entries, with 27 players securing their seats for Day 2. With the faster structure giving players less time to settle in, it was another chance for the field to grow before the opening day wrapped up.

Flight D took a different approach with its Flipout – 1 in 10 format, but still managed to draw 150 entries. A total of 15 players advanced, adding one more group to the Warm Up field heading into Day 2.

Day 2 begins at 11:00 a.m. on October 9, with play resuming at Level 18. Blinds will be 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante.

With 168 players returning, the race for the inaugural Warm Up title is wide open. Wai Sim Kok holds the biggest stack, but plenty of play remains before the champion is decided.

Eugene Zhou Claims the First Trophy of Poker Dream 26

The opening trophy of the series went to Yujian Eugene Zhou, who won the 7 Card Stud (Stud, Razz) – Turbo for MYR 3,735 (~USD 910).

The victory marked Zhou's 15th Poker Dream trophy. The defending 2025 Dream Player of the Year (DPOY) is also looking to maintain his place at the top of the 2026 race, with Poker Dream 26 bringing the season to a close.

Another successful campaign would give Zhou back-to-back Dream Player honors, adding to his growing record on the tour.

*Denotes a heads-up deal.

Huafeng Lin Wins Mystery Bounty Turbo

The late-night Mystery Bounty – Turbo attracted 79 entries, with Huafeng Lin coming out on top to collect MYR 19,080 (~USD 4,660) in combined prize money and bounty winnings.

Lin defeated Hong Huat Yong heads-up, with Yong settling for second place without collecting a bounty. Third-place finisher Pulenthiran Sritharan collected MYR 10,600 (~USD 2,590) in total bounties, while Florin Dragusin picked up MYR 560 (~USD 135) in bounties on his way to fifth place.

Malaysia Open Begins with MYR 1.5M Guarantee

October 9 brings another major tournament to the schedule as the Malaysia Open gets underway with the first three starting flights. The event carries a MYR 1.5 million (~USD 365,000) guarantee and a MYR 1,500 (~USD 365) buy-in.

Flight A starts at 11:00 a.m., with late registration closing at 3:40 p.m. Flight B follows at 4:00 p.m., before the turbo Flight C begins at 8:00 p.m.

With the Warm Up heading into its final day and the Malaysia Open launching alongside it, players have plenty to look forward to across the tables in Genting Highlands.

The new Warm Up has already made its mark, drawing 1,152 entries and building a prize pool more than four times its guarantee. Now, the remaining players return to fight for the first-place prize and the title of the inaugural Poker Dream Malaysia Warm Up champion.

Players can view the complete Poker Dream 26 Malaysia schedule on Somuchpoker.

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.