Jia Chi Li Leads TMT Championship Main Event After Opening Day
TMT Championship 2026 moved into its Main Event phase on Thursday, October 22, at CTP Asia Poker Arena in Taipei.
The opening two flights of the TWD 35,000 Main Event attracted a combined 438 entries, with 67 players advancing to Day 2. Taiwan's Jia Chi Li leads the early standings with 1,061,000, only 1,000 ahead of Jun Yi Lin.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Chao Ting Cheng won the TWD 100,000 High Roller for TWD 715,000, while Nattichai Sutipanwihan captured the High Roller Battle Stack.
Jia Chi Li Leads After Opening Main Event Flights
The TMTC Main Event got underway with Day 1A attracting 362 entries, of which 55 advanced.
Jia Chi Li finished at the top of the counts with 1,061,000, but Jun Yi Lin sits just behind on 1,060,000.
South Korea's Hyun Jin Lee bagged 751,000, while Daeyoung Park finished with 747,000.
The evening Day 1B Turbo then added another 76 entries, with 12 advancing. Seongjin Kim ended at the top of the flight with 702,000, enough to place him fifth overall after the opening day.
Jongkwan Lee came second in the Turbo flight with 460,000, followed by Daina Shimizu on 426,000.
The first two flights have produced 438 entries so far as the TWD 30 million guaranteed Main Event heads into another two starting flights on Friday.
Main Event Top Ten Chip Counts After Flights A and B
Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Taiwan | 1,061,000 | |
2 | Taiwan | 1,060,000 | |
3 | South Korea | 751,000 | |
4 | South Korea | 747,000 | |
5 | South Korea | 702,000 | |
6 | South Korea | 684,000 | |
7 | Taiwan | 646,000 | |
8 | Taiwan | 639,000 | |
9 | Singapore | 568,000 | |
10 | Japan | 555,000 |
Chao Ting Cheng Wins TWD 100K High Roller
Chao Ting Cheng claimed Thursday's biggest side-event prize after winning the TWD 100,000 High Roller.
The tournament attracted 22 entries and generated a TWD 2 million prize pool, with four players reaching the money.
Cheng collected TWD 715,000 for the victory, while South Korea's Seungmook Jung finished runner-up. Kristof Segers took third, with Kuowei Kao completing the four paid places.
Nattichai Sutipanwihan Takes High Roller Battle Stack
Nattichai Sutipanwihan claimed the High Roller Battle Stack trophy after coming out on top of the 19-entry field.
The TWD 30,000 event attracted 19 entries and created a TWD 492,500 prize pool.
Sutipanwihan earned TWD 244,000 for first place, with Sunho Yoo finishing runner-up and Chihiro Sugiyama taking third.
Rex Argana Mendoza Jr. Among Thursday's Winners
Rex Argana Mendoza Jr. won the TWD 10,000 NLH Freezeout, topping 90 entries for TWD 217,800. Singapore's Kuan Tat Chee finished runner-up.
Wai Ching Chiang took down the TWD 15,000 NLH, earning TWD 191,900 from a field of 68 entries.
Hsuan Lang Wang won the TWD 6,000 PLO for TWD 84,200 after 52 entries, while Leh Hua Wei topped the 45-entry NLH & PLO Dealer Choice Win The Button for TWD 44,700.
South Korea's Junseok Oh rounded out the day's winners by taking down the Daily MegaStack Stair for TWD 14,000.
Thursday Side Event Winners
Event | Entries | Winner | Winner's Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
71 | TWD 14,000 | ||
90 | Rex Argana Mendoza Jr. | TWD 217,800 | |
22 | TWD 715,000 | ||
52 | TWD 84,200 | ||
68 | TWD 191,900 | ||
19 | TWD 244,000 | ||
45 | TWD 44,700 |
Main Event Flights C and D Headline Friday
The Main Event continues on Friday, October 23, with another two opportunities for players to advance.
Day 1C begins at 11:30 a.m. with 40-minute levels, before the Day 1D Turbo gets underway at 6:30 p.m. with 20-minute levels.
The day's biggest buy-in comes at 2:00 p.m. with the TWD 150,000 Super High Roller, while another TWD 30,000 High Roller Battle Stack begins at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 23 Schedule
Start | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
10:00 a.m. | Satellite to TMTC Main | TWD 3,800 |
11:00 a.m. | Daily MegaStack Stair (SS) | TWD 1,500 |
11:30 a.m. | TMTC Main Event Day 1C | TWD 35,000 |
1:00 p.m. | Mix Triple Draw 8 Games | TWD 8,000 |
2:00 p.m. | Super High Roller | TWD 150,000 |
6:00 p.m. | NLH Survival Bounty | TWD 10,000 |
6:30 p.m. | TMTC Main Event Day 1D Turbo | TWD 35,000 |
7:00 p.m. | High Roller Battle Stack | TWD 30,000 |
8:00 p.m. | Satellite to TMTC Main, 5 Tickets GTD | TWD 3,800 |
9:00 p.m. | Turbo-PL Drawmaha Sviten Mix (2-7, High) | TWD 3,500 |
9:30 p.m. | NLH 10s Action | TWD 3,500 |
TMT Championship 2026 continues through October 26, with two further Main Event starting flights still to come on Saturday before the tournament moves into its business end.
Most images courtesy of CTP Club.
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About the Editor
Tim Baker is a UK-born Live Poker Reporter based in Indonesia, covering major poker tournaments across Asia and around the world since 2023. With nearly two decades of experience around live and online poker, he brings deep knowledge of the game and the international poker scene to his tournament coverage.
