The Red Dragon brand has been around for a while, opening its own poker room in Manila in 2021, and expanded to Jeju in spring 2024. The summer of 2024 marked the very first standalone Red Dragon Poker Tour festival in South Korea. According to the series overview, RDPT traces its roots to 2008, but it has been fully shaped as a standalone tour format since 2024. RDPT Plus Jeju 2026 is also presented as the debut of the new 'RDPT Plus' format, emphasizing deeper structures, championship events, and a stronger focus on the high roller scene.
This year's stop in Jeju takes place from April 10 to 21 at LES A Casino within the Jeju Shinhwa World complex. Organizers have centered the event around the Red Dragon Plus Championship, with a buy-in of 4,000,000₩ ($2,700) and a guarantee of 1,800,000,000₩ ($1,220,000). Alongside the main attraction, the series also features the Dragon’s Gate High Roller, Dragon’s Hoard PKO, Baby Dragon Plus, Red Dragon Prestige Super High Roller, and Dragon Egg Mystery Bounty. The festival boasts 73 events, amounting to 98 entries including satellites, clearly aiming to be more than just another calendar stop—it's a full-fledged poker festival.
The First Three Champions
The first major stories of the festival have already unfolded. In the opening event, The Dragon Awakening, there were 269 entries, boosting the prize pool to 348,624,000₩ ($234,665). The tournament turned into a Chinese affair as Weijue Cai managed to rise from one of the short stacks on the final day to win from the final table, taking home 76,484,000₩ ($51,495) — marking his first live title and largest career cash.
| Rank | Player | Country | Amount | USD |
| 1. | Weijue Cai | China | 76,484,000₩ | $51,519 |
| 2. | Shuang Qiu | China | 50,900,000₩ | $34,286 |
| 3. | Wenqing Dong | China | 34,620,000₩ | $23,320 |
| 4. | Tien Thanh Nguyen | Vietnam | 24,120,000₩ | $16,247 |
| 5. | Ting Pong Cheung | Hong Kong | 17,260,000₩ | $11,626 |
| 6. | Tenglong Chen | China | 12,660,000₩ | $8,528 |
| 7. | Yang Yang | China | 9,550,000₩ | $6,433 |
| 8. | Quang Huy Nguyen | Vietnam | 7,390,000₩ | $4,978 |
| 9. | Naohiro Matsuda | Japan | 5,890,000₩ | $3,967 |
The Dragon’s Gate High Roller carried even more prestige. A field of 117 entries created a prize pool of 510,705,000₩ ($343,835), with the title claimed by Jianting Cai. For fans familiar with Jeju highlights, this was no surprise, as this player has previously shone on the island. This time, Cai added another high stakes success, pocketing 131,615,000₩ ($67,325) after a victory heads-up against Ivan Karatayeu from Belarus.
| Rank | Player | Country | Amount | USD |
| 1. | Jianting Cai | China | 131,615,000₩ | $88,654 |
| 2. | Ivan Karatayeu | Belarus | 86,260,000₩ | $58,104 |
| 3. | Minh Thang Tran | Vietnam | 53,530,000₩ | $36,057 |
| 4. | Anton Lu | Australia | 41,160,000₩ | $27,725 |
| 5. | Wenchao Liu | China | 29,980,000₩ | $20,194 |
| 6. | Xugang Zhang | China | 22,620,000₩ | $15,237 |
| 7. | Guoliang Wei | China | 17,770,000₩ | $11,970 |
| 8. | Congya Zhang | China | 14,560,000₩ | $9,807 |
| 9. | Huu Dung Nguyen | Vietnam | 12,410,000₩ | $8,359 |
The third highlight at the series' start was the Dragon’s Hoard (PKO). This event drew 259 entries, contributing to a prize pool of 402,797,000₩ ($271,185). Guofeng Wang made a grand return to the Jeju spotlight. In the final, he bested compatriot Guoan Yuan, securing a base prize of 66,457,000₩ ($44,745) and an additional 16,417,187₩ ($11,112) in bounty awards. This success marked Wang's major return to a location where he previously claimed a significant title at Red Dragon Jeju in 2018.
| Rank | Player | Country | Amount | USD |
| 1. | Guofeng Wang | China | 66,457,000₩ | $44,765 |
| 2. | Guoan Yuan | China | 43,860,000₩ | $29,543 |
| 3. | Shouda Zhang | China | 29,770,000₩ | $20,053 |
| 4. | Andres Vasquez | Colombia | 20,730,000₩ | $13,963 |
| 5. | Zengxiang Chen | China | 14,810,000₩ | $9,976 |
| 6. | Jiajun Xie | China | 10,890,000₩ | $7,335 |
| 7. | Zhiyi Wang | China | 8,200,000₩ | $5,523 |
| 8. | Shuang Bao | China | 6,370,000₩ | $4,291 |
| 9. | Wenwen Chen | China | 5,090,000₩ | $3,429 |
As you can see, the RDPT Plus Jeju 2026 festival is delivering exactly what the new version of the brand promised. Large fields in mid-stakes events, well-populated high rollers, a strong Chinese presence, and a clear festival arc leading up to the Red Dragon Plus Championship. If the series continues with this momentum, Jeju could host another festival that will be talked about in Asian poker circles long after the final board is dealt.
