Red Dragon Championship Erupts Today Feat. ₩2BN Guarantee; Chao Hu Crushes Baby Dragon

yesterday at 12:26 PM

Armed with a KR₩ 2 Billion (~US$ 1.38M) guarantee, the Red Dragon Championship erupts today at Landing Casino in Jeju Shinhwa World Resort. Anticipation has been sky-high ever since the Red Dragon Poker Tour announced this event, and during the past few days, players have already descended on Jeju, many getting in some early reps at the Baby Dragon as they gear up for what is expected to be a record-setting edition of the tour’s crown jewel.

Already seen at the venue are WSOP champions Xixiang Luo, Weiran Pu Martin Nielsen, and notables Lei Zhang, Yuhang Chen, Patrik Demus, and Christian Harder who had a spectacular run at the recently concluded Korea Poker Cup.

RED DRAGON POKER TOUR – Full Schedule

Red Dragon Championship

For players just hearing of this event, the Red Dragon Championship has quickly become a popular event in Asia’s poker calendar, most especially among Chinese nationals that have been dominating the field in numbers. Thanks to last year’s 1,337 entries and KR₩ 2.56 Billion (~US$ 1,875,480) prize pool, the buzz has only escalated prompting the organizers to boost the guarantee higher than previous.

Another draw for this event is its deep structure with a starting stack of 50,000 equal to 250 times the opening blinds. A total of four flights have been scheduled with late registration for each flight running nine levels. Blinds increase every 40 minutes while the turbo intervals run 30 minutes.

Red Dragon Championship Schedule

Date/s: May 4-9, 2025
Buy in: KR₩ 2,500,000 (~US$ 1,725)
Guarantee: KR₩ 2,000,000,000 (~US$ 1,382,420)
Day 1A: Sunday, May 4
Day 1B: Monday, May 5
Day 1C: Tuesday, May 6
Day 1D (Turbo): Tuesday, May 6
Day 2: Wednesday, May 7
Day 3: Thursday, May 8
Final Day: Friday, May 9

Mai Zhang wins Red Dragon Championship 2024

Last year, Mai Zhang became the first ever RDPT Main Event champion, turning his KR₩ 2 Million buy-in into a KR₩ 392,403,000 (~US$ 284,000) score. Runner-up Sanechika Nana Nakamura and third placer Kozo Yamada also fared very well, pulling in KR₩ 263,200,000 (~US$ 192,770) and KR₩ 186,940,000 (~US$ 136,920) respectively. For this edition, players can expect the top payouts to be just as juicy.

Chao Hu Triumphs At Baby Dragon

One player you can bet to see at the Red Dragon Championship is China’s Chao Hu, the newly crowned Baby Dragon champion. Emerging victorious from a field of 330 players, Hu was awarded the Baby Dragon trophy and became the proud owner of the Red Dragon Champion’s Jacket.

#1 Baby Dragon (1,500,000 KRW)

After battling through 30 levels and outlasting a field of 330 players that pushed the total prize pool to KRW 432,135,000 (~$310,123), China's Chao Hu hoisted the Baby Dragon trophy and donned his first Red Dragon Champions Jacket.

I feel very happy. I think winning a tournament championship isn’t just about the prize; more importantly, it’s about the sense of achievement you get from defeating many opponents. You also discover that you’re constantly surpassing yourself, challenging your weaknesses, and becoming a better version of yourself.

Check out the recap and read up on the action via the Live Updates.

Total Prize

$300,830

Entries

330

ITM

#	Payout	Player
1	$66,585 95,645,000 KRW	CH Chao Hu China
2	$43,260 62,140,000 KRW	ZH Zhao Hongjun China
3	$28,910 41,530,000 KRW	LX Liu Xiao China
4	$19,825 28,480,000 KRW	YW Yongbin Wang China
5	$13,960 20,050,000 KRW	RZ Rong Zhang China
6	$10,110 14,520,000 KRW	ZL Zhongxian Li China
7	$7,555 10,850,000 KRW	CW Chen Wenwen China
8	$5,780 8,300,000 KRW	JJ Jin Jiahao China
9	$4,575 6,570,000 KRW	YK Yiming Kuang China

Check the 50 Payouts & Results ...

Other Winners

The RDPT 2025 also awarded several players for their victories at the side events. The most successful were China’s Mi Deng and Zehao Li. Both players have already captured two trophies at the festival. Deng won the opening day’s Hyper Turbo then the Megastack Classic on the following day, and Li won the Big Bounty Turbo and NL 2-7 Single Draw. The biggest side event winner so far was China’s Tianhao Wan who defeated a field of 85 entries at the Big Bounty.

#4 Megastack Classic (1,000,000 KRW)

Total Prize

$17,265

Entries

ITM

#	Payout	Player
1	$6,690 9,607,000 KRW	MD Mi Deng China
2	$4,455 6,400,000 KRW	QQ Qingtian Qian China
3	$2,800 4,020,000 KRW	YK Yiming Kuang China
4	$2,005 2,880,000 KRW	JT Jikai Tian China
5	$1,680 2,410,000 KRW	SZ Shujie Zhan China

#9 No Limit 2-7 Single Draw (1,000,000 KRW)

Total Prize

$4,255

Entries

ITM

#	Payout	Player
1	$2,555 3,671,000 KRW	ZL Zehao Li China
2	$1,700 2,440,000 KRW	DK Daming Kang China

#7 Big Bounty (1,000,000 KRW)

Total Prize

$51,660

Entries

ITM

#	Payout	Player
1	$10,370 14,895,000 KRW	TW Tianhao Wan China
2	$7,290 10,470,000 KRW	SA Sacha Albert Antoine Bayard France
3	$3,955 5,680,000 KRW	JY Jinhan Yang China
4	$5,720 8,220,000 KRW	QQ Qingyang Que China
5	$3,145 4,520,000 KRW	XL Xinhong Li China
6	$1,630 2,340,000 KRW	ZW Zhiyi Wang China
7	$3,050 4,380,000 KRW	XY Xiaolu Yang China
8	$2,055 2,950,000 KRW	YY Yunchao Yu China
9	$1,970 2,830,000 KRW	LC Long Chen United States of America

Check the 13 Payouts & Results ...

For all of the results, head to the link provided below.

Red Dragon Poker Tour 2025 – Results
Red Dragon Poker Tour 2025 – Schedule
Red Dragon Poker Tour 2025 – Live Reports

Travel Tips And Free Airport Shuttle

Getting to Jeju is a breeze, with numerous direct flights available from major cities across Asia. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jeju also offers visa-free entry for many nationalities. However, be sure to double-check the visa rules—while Jeju itself may not require a visa, travelers flying in through mainland South Korea may need one, since the final leg to Jeju is considered a domestic flight.

As for accommodations, well, the best choice is of course staying on property at the Jeju Shinhwa World Resort. There are three five-star hotels to choose from – Landing, Shinhwa Hotel, and Marriott Resort. These hotels are all walking distance to the casino.

In terms of weather, May is a great time to visit as it is spring in the island and it is not peak season for tourists. Once you are in Jeju, be on the lookout of the RDPT staff wearing red vests. They will direct you to the shuttles which are free and run pretty much all day.

RDPT Shuttle