Main Event Guarantee Surpassed
The KPC Main Event, with a buy-in of 1,300,000 KRW (~$969), attracted a total of 1,082 entries, easily surpassing the initial guarantee of 880,000,000 KRW and creating a prizepool of 1,215,303,000 KRW (~$905,600).
The standout player of the tournament was Chinese professional Peng Huang, who entered the nine-handed final table as chipleader. Huang commanded the final day, personally securing the majority of eliminations.
In heads-up, Huang faced Hongjun Zhao. In the final hand, Zhao went all-in with A-K, and Huang called with K-Q. The board kept everyone on edge until the very end, with the river queen sealing the match.
For Huang, this victory held special personal significance, as he clinched it right on his birthday.
Results of the KPC Main Event Final Table:
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Winnings (KRW) |
Winnings (~USD) |
|
1. |
Peng Huang |
China |
171,873,000 KRW |
$128,070 |
|
2. |
Hongjun Zhao |
China |
120,000,000 KRW |
$89,420 |
|
3. |
Yilong Wang |
China |
80,000,000 KRW |
$59,610 |
|
4. |
Sebastian Camilo Toro Henao |
Colombia |
58,000,000 KRW |
$43,220 |
|
5. |
Kai Hung Hu |
Taiwan |
42,500,000 KRW |
$31,670 |
|
6. |
Huan Yu Chen |
Taiwan |
31,500,000 KRW |
$23,470 |
|
7. |
Yirui Zhang |
China |
24,000,000 KRW |
$17,880 |
|
8. |
Yue Mou |
China |
19,000,000 KRW |
$14,160 |
|
9. |
Chenkun Xu |
China |
15,900,000 KRW |
$11,850 |
Crown for Zhi Ye
The exclusive mystery bounty tournament, the 20K Crown Hunt, saw 59 entries, generating a prizepool of $750,500. The payout structure rewarded the top nine players, and the tournament featured a thrilling show for the opening of bounty prizes. The largest bounty prize of $88,000 went to Moroccan player Mehdi Chaoui, who wisely chose the winning bottle via videocall.
However, the final table was dominated by Chinese player Zhi Ye. He faced fierce international competition, including 60K Super High Roller champion Eric Tsai and renowned Canadian professional Xuan Liu.
Entering the final heads-up, Zhi Ye had a slight lead against Nevan Chang. Although Chang briefly turned the tables with a successful double-up, Ye regained control with a series of smaller pots. In the final hand, Chang went all-in with 8s 7s and Ye called with Ad Jh. Despite Chang having a flush draw on the turn 2d 3s Td 5s, the river 5c didn't help, and Ye took the title.
Zhi Ye's triumph was particularly impressive as he added approximately $50,000 in bounty prizes to his main prize of $233,500, pushing his total winnings to over $280,000. Ye has only been competing in live tournaments since the second half of 2026, and this success marks a strong start to his career and an enormous boost for his future endeavors.
Results of the 20K Crown Hunt Final Table:
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Winnings |
|
1. |
Zhi Ye |
China |
$233,500 |
|
2. |
Nevan Chang |
Taiwan |
$150,000 |
|
3. |
Xuan Liu |
Canada |
$100,000 |
|
4. |
Junjie Xu |
China |
$71,000 |
|
5. |
Lei Yu |
China |
$53,000 |
|
6. |
Rokas Asipauskas |
Lithuania |
$43,000 |
|
7. |
Marius Kudzmanas |
Lithuania |
$37,000 |
|
8. |
Fabian Gumz |
Germany |
$33,000 |
|
9. |
Eric Tsai |
Taiwan |
$30,000 |
Sources: KPC Poker, YouTube
