Callum Jury, one of Somuchpoker’s newest Live Reporters, hails from the Lake District in the UK and joined the live poker reporting scene in 2025. Before moving into poker journalism, Callum built a career in business, drawing on his strong analytical skills. His passion for storytelling first developed during higher education, where he studied media and photography, sharpening his ability to capture moments with precision and creativity. Since joining Somuchpoker, Callum has covered major international poker events in Asia in 2025, bringing a mix of media expertise and keen attention to detail to the team’s live reporting.

Updated: 2025.12.19

Tsuyoshi Ikeda is a Japanese professional poker player and a legendary figure in the competitive gaming world, originally gaining fame as one of the most successful Magic: The Gathering (MTG) players in history. In the 2024–2025 season, he has successfully transitioned his strategic expertise to poker, emerging as a dominant force on the Asian circuit, specifically in South Korea and Japan.

2025 Career Peak: Player of the Series

The 2024–2025 period has been the most productive of Ikeda’s poker career. He gained significant recognition by winning the Player of the Series title at the Asia Series Poker Tour (ASPT) Korea 2024 after cashing in eight separate tournaments and securing a victory in the Nightly Hyper event.

His most significant recent results include:

GOP Eden Awakens Jeju (Dec 2025): Won the Hyper Turbo – Bomb Pot event for $2,600.
Jeju Poker Festival (Nov 2025): Finished 110th in the Red Dragon Championship for $3,620.
WPT Jeju Poker Festival (Nov 2024): Won the Monster Stack Hyper Turbo for his career-best live score of $14,326 and a coveted WPT Trophy.
AJPC Samurai Circuit Incheon (Aug 2025): Won the Win The Button event ($1,985) and finished 2nd in the KO Bounty ($1,245).
APT Incheon (Aug 2025): Finished 16th in the Mini Main Event for $4,575 and 3rd in a Turbo event for $4,105.

Gaming Background: Magic: The Gathering

Before his poker career, Ikeda was a Hall of Fame-level MTG professional. He is ranked 12th on the lifetime pro points list for Magic, with four Pro Tour Top 8s and six Grand Prix Top 8s (including one win). This background in high-level strategic card games has provided him with a unique analytical edge in technical poker formats.

Play Style & Strategy

Ikeda has demonstrated a mastery of high-variance, fast-paced structures, earning him the reputation of a “Turbo Specialist”.

Hyper Turbo Proficiency: A significant portion of his titles come from Hyper Turbo, Super Hyper Turbo, and Bomb Pot formats, where precise “push-fold” math is essential.
Volume and Consistency: During the 2025 season, he maintained a staggering 90.9% ITM (In The Money) rate across several high-profile series, reaching the final table in over 54% of the events he cashed in.
Technical Adaptability: He excels in unique structures like Win The Button and Mystery Bounty, leveraging his ability to adjust to non-standard tournament incentives.