Andy Kok Leads WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship as 1,033 Entries Generate KRW 1.56 Billion Prize Pool
The WPT Seoul 2026 INSPIRE Championship surpassed its KRW 1 billion guarantee on Saturday, November 7, as the final two starting flights brought the field to 1,033 entries at INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in South Korea.
The KRW 1,750,000 flagship tournament generated a prize pool of KRW 1,561,896,000 (~USD 1.17 million), with 128 paid places and a minimum payout of KRW 3,280,000 (~USD 2,450).
Andy Kok emerged as the overall chip leader with 1,563,000 after topping the largest starting flight, narrowly ahead of Robert Yamashita. Siddharth Pandey led the evening turbo flight and sits third overall heading into Sunday's Day 2.
Elsewhere, Pete Chen claimed the Extreme Hyper Turbo High Roller title, while Shota Matsuno won the Turbo Freezeout.
Andy Kok Leads INSPIRE Championship After Busy Saturday
The WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship attracted another 599 entries across Saturday's two flights, comfortably surpassing its KRW 1 billion guarantee.
Day 1C drew 423 entries, the largest of the four starting flights, with 53 players advancing. The evening Day 1D turbo added another 176 entries and produced 22 survivors.
Kok, representing Singapore, finished Day 1C with 1,563,000 after just missing out on bagging a stack during Friday's Day 1B.
A pot that catapulted him up the leaderboard came in a three-way all-in when his ace-four rivered a wheel to eliminate Byambajav Bandi and Takeshi Ayata.
Yamashita finished just behind Kok with 1,548,000 after eliminating more than 20 opponents throughout the flight.
Chun Kit Kwan followed with 847,000, having been on the right end of a cooler with pocket aces against pocket queens. Farhad Aghayev also enjoyed a successful flight, advancing with 696,000, while Aleksei Zhukov bagged 630,000.
Siddharth Pandey Ends at the Top of Day 1D
The final starting flight saw Pandey emerge with 1,252,000, placing him third in the overall standings.
Pandey accumulated much of his stack during the extended money bubble, while Rob Hollink also moved up the chip counts, finishing with 400,000.
Kouki Okumiya advanced with 742,000, followed by Xueying Zhao (715,000) and Yusuke Kawanishi (674,000).
The final elimination came when Shoichi Awaihara committed his remaining chips holding queen-ten, only to lose against Kawanishi's ace-two on an ace-high board. Poker vlogger Kenneth Hirose also survived, returning for Day 2 with 190,000.
Two Players Qualify Twice
Two players secured at least a minimum payout after advancing through more than one Championship starting flight.
Japan's Tomoharu Hikino finished Day 1C with 344,000, while Khunshagai Altankhuyag of Mongolia advanced with 610,000.
Both players had previously qualified with smaller stacks during Day 1B. Their shorter stacks will be removed from play, while each receives an additional minimum cash of KRW 3,280,000 (~USD 2,450).
Although 128 places have been paid, only 127 players are expected to return on Sunday. Changyong Kim, who qualified with 20,000 chips, has already departed South Korea and will not take his seat.
WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1,563,000 | 156 | ||
2 | 1,548,000 | 155 | ||
3 | 1,252,000 | 125 | ||
4 | 1,236,000 | 124 | ||
5 | Russia | 1,018,000 | 102 | |
6 | 847,000 | 85 | ||
7 | 742,000 | 74 | ||
8 | 742,000 | 74 | ||
9 | 728,000 | 73 | ||
10 | France | 725,000 | 73 |
The overall standings include five players with more than one million chips. Friday's leader Shen sits fourth, while Thursday's leader Goloborodko completes the top five.
Day 2 begins at 11:30 AM KST on Sunday, November 8, with 60-minute levels. Play is scheduled to continue until the nine-handed final table is reached ahead of Monday's Championship finale.
Pete Chen Wins Extreme Hyper Turbo High Roller
Taiwan poker professional Pete Chen, officially listed as Yen Han Chen, added another WPT Seoul title to his record after winning Event #37, the KRW 2,500,000 Extreme Hyper Turbo High Roller.
The tournament attracted 17 entries, with three players finishing in the money.
Chen collected KRW 18,766,000 (~USD 14,000) after defeating fellow Taiwanese player Huan Yu Chen heads-up. The runner-up earned KRW 11,260,000 (~USD 8,400), while Japan's Ryutaro Kosaka finished third for KRW 7,510,000 (~USD 5,600).
Extreme Hyper Turbo High Roller Results
Place | Player | Country | Prize (KRW) | Prize (~USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 18,766,000 | $14,075 | ||
2 | 11,260,000 | $8,445 | ||
3 | Ryutaro Kosaka | 7,510,000 | $5,630 |
Chen also remains in the mix in the WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship, having qualified for Day 2 with 381,000 chips.
Shota Matsuno Claims Turbo Freezeout Title
Japan's Shota Matsuno emerged victorious in Event #36, the KRW 500,000 Turbo Freezeout 20 Sec, which attracted 92 entries.
Matsuno earned KRW 11,034,000 (~USD 8,230), defeating China's Yuxuan Hou heads-up. Hou collected KRW 6,860,000 (~USD 5,120), while Taiwan's Cheng Tseng finished third for KRW 4,470,000 (~USD 3,340).
Turbo Freezeout Results
Place | Player | Country | Prize (KRW) | Prize (~USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11,034,000 | $8,275 | ||
2 | 6,860,000 | $5,145 | ||
3 | 4,470,000 | $3,350 | ||
4 | Naoya Kobayashi | 3,540,000 | $2,655 | |
5 | 2,740,000 | $2,055 | ||
6 | Kei Okuyama | 2,250,000 | $1,685 | |
7 | Junko Hirai | 1,890,000 | $1,415 | |
8 | 1,570,000 | $1,175 | ||
9 | Yudai Yamaguchi | 1,270,000 | $950 |
INSPIRE Championship Day 2 and Mini Championship Begin Sunday
Sunday, November 8, will see the WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship return for Day 2, with the remaining players aiming to reach Monday's final table.
The KRW 700,000 Mini Championship also gets underway with two starting flights, while the KRW 3,500,000 High Roller begins with a KRW 150 million guarantee.
The evening schedule concludes with the KRW 1,000,000 Evening Hyper Turbo.
Sunday, November 8 Schedule
Time (KST) | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
11:30 AM | #27 WPT Seoul INSPIRE Championship Day 2 | KRW 1,750,000 |
11:30 AM | #38 Mini Championship Day 1A | KRW 700,000 |
12:30 PM | High Roller Satellite 20 Sec | KRW 600,000 |
4:00 PM | #39 High Roller Day 1 | KRW 3,500,000 |
5:00 PM | #38 Mini Championship Day 1B | KRW 700,000 |
8:30 PM | #40 Evening Hyper Turbo 20 Sec | KRW 1,000,000 |
The Championship's final nine are scheduled to return on Monday, November 9, to play out for the title.
Catch up on the WPT Seoul Day 7 recap and follow the WPT Seoul 2026 festival page for more tournament results and updates from INSPIRE Entertainment Resort.
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.
