William Tan Chee Liang Comes From Behind to Win Record-Breaking Malaysia Open for MYR 323,000

William Tan Chee Liang came out on top of a massive field of 1,963 entries to win the Malaysia Open at Poker Dream 26 Malaysia in Genting Highlands for MYR 323,000. The victory capped off the biggest Malaysia Open of 2026, with Tan finding his way to the top after a final table that saw the chip lead change hands before he took control.

William Tan Chee Liang Wins Malaysia Open

William Tan Chee Liang came out on top of a massive field of 1,963 entries to win the Malaysia Open at Poker Dream 26 Malaysia in Genting Highlands for MYR 323,000. The victory capped off the biggest Malaysia Open of 2026

The MYR 1,500 (~USD 365) buy-in event comfortably surpassed its MYR 1,500,000 (~USD 365,000) guarantee, building a total prize pool of MYR 2,313,285 (~USD 578,320).

Of the 1,963 entries, 288 players returned for Day 2 with a shot at the title. The overall chip leader heading into the day, Kenneth Fong, couldn't make a deep run, bowing out in 110th place.

As the field narrowed toward the final table, Aaron Lam made sure he would arrive with plenty of chips. He first eliminated Ransom Lim in 11th place before sending Yota Mitsui out in 10th. In the latter hand, Lam's ace-ten connected with the flop to make two pair against Mitsui's ace-king. The back-to-back knockouts left Lam as the only player carrying an eight-digit stack into the final table.

Malaysia Open Final Table Results

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Final Table Action

Romania's Florin Dragusin was the lone European among the finalists, but his run ended early in ninth place. He went to showdown with ace-queen against Lay Sheen Lau's ace-king. Both players paired their ace, but Lau's king kicker made the difference, sending Dragusin out of the tournament.

Chun Shen Loo looked well placed to double up when he found pocket aces against Tea Fook Yap's pocket tens. The advantage didn't last, however, as Yap hit a ten on the turn to make a set and send Loo to the rail in eighth place.

Zi Xuan Chang was down to just four big blinds when he decided to make his move with jack-seven. Lam called with ace-king, and with no help from the board, Chang's tournament came to an end in seventh place.

Eng Keat Ng was also running short and moved all in, picking up two callers. When the cards were revealed, Hon Siong Choi's pocket tens came out on top, eliminating Ng in sixth place.

William Tan Finds His Way to the Top

With five players left, Tan was still looking for the moment that would put him in position to challenge Lam. That opportunity came when he doubled up against the former chip leader, calling all in with top pair against Lam's nut flush draw. Tan survived the runout, collected the double-up, and moved into the chip lead for the first time.

From there, he kept the pressure on. Tan next sent Yap out in fifth place, completing a gutshot straight on the river to secure the elimination.

Lam, meanwhile, was about to see his fortunes take another turn. After entering the final table with the largest stack, he clashed with Lau in a hand that saw pocket nines go up against Lam's pocket eights. Lau's nines held, leaving Lam with less than one big blind.

Lam was eliminated by Choi on the very next hand, finishing in fourth place after a final table that had started so promisingly.

Three Malaysians remained, with Tan, Lau, and Choi all still in contention. Choi eventually found himself in a flip against Lau, but Lau connected with the board to win the pot and send Choi out in third place.

Tan Gets the Job Done Heads-Up

Tan and Lau began heads-up play with stacks nearly even, setting up a close battle for the title. Tan gradually gained the upper hand, winning the bigger pots and building an advantage over the course of nine hands.

The final hand saw Lau holding king-four of spades against Tan's jack-five. Lau was looking for a double-up to keep his chances alive, but the river brought a five, giving Tan a pair and ending the tournament.

After working his way into the chip lead and holding it through the closing stages, Tan secured the MYR 323,000 top prize and the Malaysia Open title. Lau had to settle for second place, while Tan walked away as the champion of the largest edition of the event in 2026.

All images courtesy of Poker Dream.