ZSOP The Rising Horse Approaches Peak as Main Event Takes Center Stage in Jeju

The Zodiac Series of Poker (ZSOP) The Rising Horse 2026 is approaching its peak at LES A Casino in Jeju, South Korea . Running from June 4 to June 15, the festival has already crowned its first wave of champions and is now shifting its entire focus to the upcoming flagship tournament of the series.

With five days of action left on the schedule, attention turns toward the marquee event of the schedule as flights officially get underway.

Udomkanjananan Claims Rooster Starter

The initial slice of the schedule saw competitive turnouts across the opening trophy events. Getting things started was the Zodiac Rooster Starter , which featured a buy-in of KRW 750,000 (~USD 490). The tournament drew 84 entries, building a healthy opening prize pool. Thailand’s Wipat Udomkanjananan ultimately locked up the victory, capturing the trophy and the KRW 40 million (~USD 25,810) top prize after outlasting Australia’s Anton Lu in a brief heads-up match.

The victory marked the largest live cash of Udomkanjananan’s poker career and ended a two-year trophy drought for the Thai player.

#Z1 ZODIAC ROOSTER STARTER (750,000 KRW)

Total Prize USD

$92,915

Total Prize

₩144,000,000

Guaranteed

₩150,000,000

Entries

84

ITM

14

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₩40,000,000 $25,810	WU Wipat Udomkanjananan Thailand	947.85
2	₩25,690,000 $16,575	AL Anton Lu Australia	670.23
3	₩17,200,000 $11,100	YW Yongbin Wang China	547.24
4	₩12,000,000 $7,745	YS Yue Sun China	473.93
5	₩8,800,000 $5,680	WZ Wang Zhiyi	423.89
6	₩6,740,000 $4,350	WC Wei Chieh Chang Taiwan	386.96
7	₩5,430,000 $3,505	TW Teerhasarn Wongdum Thailand	358.26
8	₩4,590,000 $2,960	BZ Bo Zhu China	335.12
9	₩4,100,000 $2,645	JC Jin Chunguang China	315.95

Check the 14 Payouts & Results ...

Chop Seals Tiger KO Bounty

Action continued to pick up in the Zodiac Tiger KO Bounty , which carried a KRW 1,000,000 (~USD 650) buy-in and featured a KRW 250,000 (~USD 165) bounty.

A total field of 62 entries generated a final prize pool of KRW 96,000,000 (~USD 61,945). When the field stripped down to the final two players, a pair of Chinese contenders chose to flatten the remaining payouts.

Bo Zhu and Yongqi Liu secured an even split of KRW 19,690,000 (~USD 12,705) each, with Zhu officially taking home the physical trophy.

#Z2 ZODIAC TIGER KO BOUNTY: W 250,000 (1,000,000 KRW)

Total Prize USD

$61,945

Total Prize

₩96,000,000

Guaranteed

₩100,000,000

Entries

62

ITM

10

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₩19,690,000 $12,705	BZ Bo Zhu China	787.17
2	₩19,690,000 $12,705	YL Yongqi Liu China	556.61
3	₩10,330,000 $6,665	AZ Aleksei Zhukov Russia	454.47
4	₩7,440,000 $4,800	JX Jiawen Xue China	393.58
5	₩5,620,000 $3,625	HP Hong Phenglong Cambodia	352.03
6	₩4,460,000 $2,880	HL Huan Li China	321.36
7	₩3,740,000 $2,415	HJ Haeyoung Jung Australia	297.52
8	₩3,310,000 $2,135	YS Yue Sun China	278.31
9	₩3,110,000 $2,005	PL Punkit Loo Hong Kong	262.39

Check the 10 Payouts & Results ...

Wu Outlasts Rabbit Mystery Field

Shortly after, the Zodiac Rabbit Mystery Bounty took the floor with a KRW 1,000,000 (~USD 650) buy-in. The event attracted 45 entries, creating a total prize pool of KRW 38,880,000 (~USD 25,085).

Jun Wu claimed the title and a first-place payout of KRW 8,650,000 (~USD 5,580) plus accumulated bounties after defeating Zhiqiang Zhang in the final heads-up battle. Zhang walked away with a runner-up prize of KRW 5,440,000 (~USD 3,510). Meanwhile, the heavily attended Zodiac Monkey King Mystery Bounty remains active on the tournament floor as players battle down toward the money.

#Z3 ZODIAC RABBIT MYSTERY BOUNTY (1,000,000 KRW)

Total Prize USD

$25,085

Total Prize

₩38,880,000

Entries

45

ITM

7

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₩8,650,000 $5,580	JW Jun Wu China	552.09
2	₩5,440,000 $3,510	ZZ Zhiqiang Zhang China	390.38
3	₩3,630,000 $2,340	HL Hagen Lee Hong Kong	318.75
4	₩2,590,000 $1,670	PN Penghang Ni China	276.04
5	₩1,980,000 $1,280	BZ Bo Zhu China	246.90
6	₩1,630,000 $1,050	XL Xiao Liu China	225.39
7	₩1,460,000 $940	TM Tomoyuki Maeda Japan	208.67

Zodiac Horse Main Event Schedule Confirmed

The focal point of the entire festival begins tomorrow at 11:30 AM local time. The Zodiac Horse Main Event comes with a KRW 400 million (~USD 261,835) guarantee and a buy-in of KRW 1.5 million (~USD 980).

The tournament features six starting flights spread across three consecutive days, after which all surviving players will return for Day 2. Every Day 2 qualifier is guaranteed a minimum cash, with play continuing until the final nine players remain to battle for the title on the final day.

Defending Champion Yuanxi Chen Surfaces Early

All eyes are on reigning champion Yuanxi Chen as the Main Event flights draw near. Chen has a long history of deep runs in the ZSOP. He previously finished as the runner-up in the Zodiac Snake Main Event after falling just short against Ori Kossonogi . He quickly redeemed himself in the following series cycle, capturing the main title at the ZSOP The Horse Awakens 2026 festival.

Chen has already made his presence felt on the island this week, testing the waters and tuning his game in the preliminary options. He locked up a third-place finish in the Zodiac Pig Double Stack 6-Max event to secure an early series cash. Now, Chen turns his attention to the Zodiac Horse Main Event, where he will look to defend the title he won at ZSOP The Horse Awakens 2026.

For the latest information and festival updates, follow ZSOP across its official social media platforms.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• X(Twitter)
• Youtube
• Email: [email protected]

All photos courtesy of ZSOP.