TLPT Main Event Final 16 Set as Shi Kai Takes Chip Lead

Day 2 of the The Lord Poker Tournament Main Event at TLPT Jeju 2026 has come to a close, with just 16 players remaining from the original 968-entry field inside LES A Casino at Jeju Shinhwa World.

The tournament generated a prize pool of KRW 2,100,000,000 (~USD 1,400,000), with the eventual champion set to take home KRW 330,000,000 (~USD 224,085) along with the biggest title awarded so far during the festival.

Shi Kai Leads Final 16 in TLPT Jeju Main Event

Leading the way heading into the final day is China’s Shi Kai, who bagged 4,240,000 chips to become the first player to cross the four-million mark.

Sitting second is Jiawen Xue with 3,580,000, with Xue also standing as the only female player still remaining in contention for the title. Yinchao Shen rounds out the top three with exactly 3,000,000 after scoring the final elimination of the night.

Shen closed out Day 2 in dramatic fashion after his three-deuce cracked the ace-four of Gongtuan Chen, bringing play to a halt with 16 players remaining. Zhihui Zhang (2,850,000), Zheng Wang (2,330,000), and Songlin Li (2,190,000) are the only other players set to return with over 40 big blinds.

Main Event Final 16 Seat Draw

Day 2 Action

The day began with 144 hopefuls returning after surviving one of the five opening flights, all already guaranteed at least a min-cash after the Day 1 flights had already played into the money.

It didn’t take long for the field to drop below the hundred-player mark as eliminations came quickly throughout the afternoon. Among the notable names to fall before the final day were Japan’s Takami Kohei, who lost a race holding pocket jacks, alongside Fujihisa Naoya, Aleksei Sei, Xie Shuchang, Joshua Gebissa, Julie Marriott, Shen Danqiu, Quan Zhou, and Zhang Yirui.

All remaining players have now locked up KRW 13,400,000 (~USD 9,100), while a final table appearance guarantees at least KRW 26,000,000 (~USD 17,655). Attention is now firmly fixed on the KRW 330,000,000 top prize awaiting the eventual champion.

Cards will be back in the air at noon local time, with 46 minutes remaining in Level 25 on Thursday, May 21. Blinds will resume at 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante. Levels will continue at one hour in length until the final table is reached, where the structure will switch to 21 hands per level.

The plan for Day 3 is to play down to a winner, with fans around the world able to follow the action on a delay via the TLPT YouTube channel. Again, Somuchpoker will be on the floor at LES A Casino in Jeju bringing all the key hands, chip counts, and live updates as the TLPT Jeju Circuits Main Event crowns its champion.

Be sure to check out the Somuchpoker Live Reporting page for all the latest updates.

Free High Roller Satellite Awards Three Seats

The TLPT Jeju Free High Roller Main Event Satellite also played out on Wednesday, drawing a massive 201-entry field as players battled for three seats worth USD 16,050 each into the upcoming TLPT High Roller Main Event.

The freeroll satellite had been one of the standout promotions of the festival, with players qualifying through participation in select TLPT events earlier in the series.

After a long day on the felt, Taiwan’s Kai Hung Hu secured one of the seats alongside China’s Yang Lei and Yingjiang Luo, with all three players now set to join the USD 15,000 High Roller Main Event later in the week.

Free High Roller Main Event Satellite Results

Lu Xudong Captures No Limit Hold’em Bounty Title

The No Limit Hold’em Bounty drew 57 entries and created both a KRW 15,504,000 regular prize pool and a separate KRW 14,250,000 bounty pool.

China’s Xudong Lu secured the title along with KRW 4,830,000 in prize money after defeating Baicun Li heads-up. Lu also collected eight knockouts during the event, adding another KRW 2,000,000 in bounty rewards to his winnings.

Baicun finished runner-up for KRW 3,070,000 while collecting seven bounties of his own, while Chen Xiaoxiao continued her consistent series form with another podium finish in third place.

China’s Tao Junjie proved especially active on the knockout front, collecting six bounties despite finishing fifth, while Mongolia’s Batsukh Myagmardorj added another final table appearance to his week with a fourth-place result.

Fan Jinsui Wins Freezeout Deepstack

The TLPT Freezeout Deepstack attracted 93 entries on Wednesday, generating a KRW 80,910,000 prize pool as players battled through one of the deeper side event structures of the festival.

China’s Jinsui Fan came away with the title and KRW 22,480,000 top prize after defeating fellow countryman Chen Yu heads-up. Wang Jiahao completed an all-Chinese podium with a third-place finish worth KRW 9,670,000.

Taiwan’s Chi Jen Chen added another deep run to his series with a fourth-place finish, while Li Xiubo, Chen Ao, and Wang Guanhua were among the other players to reach the final table.

What’s Coming Up on Thursday

Attention now turns to Thursday’s schedule, where the TLPT Jeju Circuits Main Event will play down to a champion as the final 16 players return to battle for the KRW 330,000,000 top.

The TLPT High Roller Bounty also gets underway, featuring a USD 5,350 buy-in (USD 5,000 + USD 350) and 35-minute blind levels as another major title enters the spotlight in Jeju.