Justin Chi Jen Chu - SOMUCHPOKER

Chi Jen Chu or Justin Chu is a poker professional from Taiwan who boasts of an impressive 29 titles to his name. Though a bulk of these started from local tournaments, Chu is steadily filling his resumé with more trophies at international tournaments outside of his home country. He focuses mostly on the high roller tables. Justin Chu currently sits at number 9 in the Taiwan All Time Money List with $1,689,930 in live earnings.

Justin Chu – Poker Achievements

Justin Chu’s first 21 titles all came from live tournament play in Taiwan. Chu kicked-off his live poker career in 2018 with a title in only his second tournament, capturing the Warm-up Event of the Poker Master Taiwan Millions Tournament (TMT), Taipei City. Chu also finished 2nd at the main event for a combined cash of $16,467. He won two more titles in his debut year shipping the High Roller and Single Day High Roller Events of the Elite Poker Tour and PPPoker Live – PPPoker Festival Taiwan respectively taking a total prize pool of nearly $11,000.

Proving his rookie year was no fluke, Justin Chu opened 2019, shipping another title again at the TMT but this time at the High Roller Event. He would continue his winning form, compiling 4 more titles in the year at the Asia Poker League Taiwan Road Series, Boyaa Poker Tournament, Poker King Cup Taiwan 2019 and the CTP Zhongli Events. Chu’s aggregate winnings for the year totaled $140,186. The following year, despite the worldwide pandemic, Justin Chu would even better his count at 6 titles.

In 2020, while the world was on a lock down because of the pandemic, Taiwan’s early response and exemplary handling of health protocols allowed the country to continue its social events including live poker play. This offered Taiwanese players like Chu a chance to continue competing and building their careers on the live felt. Chu’s most notable achievements for that year was a 2nd place finish at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour Taipei- APPT Open High Roller Event, cashing $ 33,915 and the 6 titles won at the Master Poker Series, Taiwan Millions Tournament, CTP Taipei Anniversary Festival V and WPTDeepStacks Taiwan. His highest cash for these titles came at the end of the year at his last event in the Super High Rollers, blinking $ 19,553.

While the world slowly opened up to normalcy in 2021, ironically, Justin Chu’s winning streak would end. He still wound up making good money, but the Taiwanese settled for runner-up finishes at best. Chu’s biggest cash of that year came at the CTP 6th Anniversary Series, banking $ 16,498. The following year, he would return to his old form.

In 2022, Justin Chu improved from his 2020 showing by snaring 7 titles. More importantly, the year saw Chu begin competing outside Taiwan for the first time. Though his initial foray into the 53rd World Series of Poker 2022, Las Vegas proved unsuccessful, the Taiwan poker professional redeemed himself at the World Poker Tour Prime Cambodia, Phnom Penh by landing second at the Main Event. In the process, Chu bagged his first six-figure cash of $ 120,980. Though all his titles were still won on home soil, Chu’s first taste of foreign tournaments provided the impetus to include more competition abroad.

While 2023 saw Justin Chu match his previous haul of 7 titles, the difference was that 2 of these were won at tournaments abroad. In February, Chu clinched his 22nd championship and claimed his first major victory on Aussie soil, taking down the WPT Prime Gold Coast Mystery Bounty after a dominant heads-up performance against Australian Kevin Lee. Chu banked $ 60,501 for first prize. His second title outside Taiwan came in September at the Asian Poker Tour Incheon, South Korea with a big cash of $ 74,664. Chu also made deep runs at the World Poker Tour Prime Cambodia Super High roller Events pooling more than $32,000 in prize money.

The year also marked a return to Las Vegas with the Taiwanese performing better at the 54th World Series of Poker, cashing in 7 side events and finishing deep at the $3K NLH Bracelet Event. In addition, Chu also made his debut appearance in Vietnam with a best showing at the Asian Poker Tour Hanoi Billions – Single Day High Roller 8 Max, placing 6th. He would cash a total of $117,569 including a stint at the Poker Dream 7 in Hoi An.

Justin Chu began 2024 with his 29th title in Taiwan, clinching the Single Day High Roller Mystery Bounty at the Asian Poker Tour Taipei (a second APT title) and achieved a career best cash of $ 169,834 by finishing 3rd at the Main Event of the same tournament. Though his recent achievements have pointed to a continued shift to more tournaments outside Taiwan. Justin Chu made deep runs at the Singe Day High Roller Events 4 and 5 at the World Poker Tour Korea for a combined total cash of $76,267. Then finished 3rd in the Superstar Challenge of the Asian Poker Tour Jeju for a career second third best cash of $ 119,538.

*Profile by Mike Alcazaren