Young Kyu Kim Wins Taiwan Millions Tournament 17 Main Event

yesterday at 8:03 PM

Taiwan Millions Tournament 17 - 2025 - Taiwan, Taipei

From January 12 to 20, it was jam-packed daily at the Asia Poker Arena as the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association (CTP Club) wrapped up another successful chapter of its iconic Taiwan Millions Tournament. Running its 17th installment, the Main Event once again boasted a one Million USD guarantee. When the games were done and dusted, its populariity was undeniable. The tournament drew a chart-topping field of 6,463 entries to send the prize pool ballooning to nearly 50% in added value, awarding a total of NTD 47,958,700 (~USD 1,456,825).

Young Kyu Kim Wins TMT 17 Main Event

Young Kyu Kim Wins Taiwan Millions Tournament 17 Main Event — Young Kyu Kim wins TMT 17 Main Event

The star of the show was South Korea’s Young Kyu Kim, who bagged the largest share across the list, earning a career-defining cash of NTD 4,124,500 (~USD 125,285). Kim’s first visit to the city of Taipei paid off wonders with the highly coveted TMT Main Event Trophy, crafted from the rare Calocedrus Formosana wood, right in tow for his journey back home.

“I’m so happy and dreamy. It’s my first time playing in Taiwan. I played only in Korea, so I felt awkward and couldn’t adapt at first, but the active atmosphere and the interaction with foreign players made it easier.“, commented Kim following his victory.

“After advancing to Day 2, I felt I was behind on experience and knowledge. So I reviewed hand ranges carefully, and played more conservatively against good players in the table.“

Winner’s Story

Kim’s path to the top was highlighted by three pivotal moments in the final rounds that shifted the momentum in his favor. Entering the final table with a stack just below the average, Kim quickly gained traction, having delivered the first elimination of the table, setting the tone for the rest of the ride. Kim’s two turning points came at the cost of Ching En Chen with both situations seeing a 30-70 win rate at best. Kim shipped the two fortunate double ups his way, leaving Chen to succumb in 4th place not long after.

Following the last local runner’s exit, chip stacks evened out across the remaining three players, resulting to a deal on the table. Each contender was secured NTD 3,600,000 (~USD 109,820) in winnings, leaving NTD 524,500 (~USD 15,930) and the TMT trophy to play for. Hyper aggressive Denny Kruezi was the first to fall after his roller coaster ride came to a halt right at Kim’s doorstep. Kim brought this 2:1 advantage onto the final duel against Yamaguchi Junya and closed it out in just two short deals. The final hand saw Kim’s king-jack of clubs hold against Junya’s ten-eight offsuit, leaving the latter to settle for a runner up finish.

“I will go and celebrate with my family, my beloved girlfriend, and supportive friends, and definitely play more poker back in the poker room I often go to – Yajasu in Korea.“

On top of their payouts, all final table contenders received a Taiwan Millions Tournament Main Event entry for this October’s TMT Championship games, keeping the excitement going for the next season.

The Taiwan Millions Tournament wrapped up another successful chapter in its books with this season's Main Event games done and dusted. From a chart-topping field of 6,463 entries, the homegrown brand has once again brought a seven-digit headline figure on the table. With NTD 32,500,000 (~USD 1,000,000) in guarantees from the get-go, its prize pool ballooned to nearly 50% in added value, awarding a total of NTD 47,958,700 (~USD 1,456,825) in prizes for its Main Event alone.

The star of the show was South Korea's Young Kyu Kim, who bagged the largest share across the list, earning a career-defining cash of NTD 4,124,500 (~USD 125,285). Kim's first visit to the city of Taipei paid off wonders with the highly coveted TMT Main Event Trophy, crafted from the rare Calocedrus Formosana wood, right in tow for his journey back home.

TMT 17 Main Event ran from January 12 to 20 at the CTP Asia Poker Arena in Taipei City, Taiwan.

Total Prize

$1,456,825

Guaranteed

32,500,000

Entries

6,463

ITM

519

Place	Payout	Player	Country
1	$125,285 TWD 4,124,500	YK Young Kyu Kim	KOR
2	$109,820 TWD 3,600,000	YJ Yamaguchi Junya	JPN
3	$109,820 TWD 3,600,000	DK Denny Kruezi	DEU
4	$54,910 TWD 1,800,000	CE Ching En Chen	TWN
5	$40,875 TWD 1,340,000	ZE Zi En Huang	TWN
6	$31,695 TWD 1,039,000	LH Liang Hao Lin	TWN
7	$25,165 TWD 825,000	SY Shih Yu Hsiao	TWN
8	$20,195 TWD 662,000	CC Cheng Chih Cheng	TWN
9	$16,260 TWD 533,000	KC Kim Chang Chang	KOR