button in SafariPeng Huang Wins KPC Jeju Main Event; Denied Heads-Up in King's Main Event
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You are forgiven if you have not previously heard of the Chinese poker player Peng Huang. Between his first recorded live score in December 2021 and the end of 2025, Huang had amassed $73,178 in earnings, mostly in China, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Huang headed to the KPC Jeju festival at the LES A Casino and delivered scintillating performances. Not only did he win the KPC Main Event for a career-best $128,205, but he also fell at the final hurdle in the King's Main Event and collected a new career-high of $350,000. In 2026 alone, the Chinese grinder has won $515,715 as he rides a purple patch of form
KPC Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peng Huang | China | $128,102 |
| 2 | Hong Zhu | China | $102,100 |
| 3 | Yilong Wang | China | $59,675 |
| 4 | Sebastian Camilo Toro Henao | Colombia | $43,265 |
| 5 | Kai Hung Hu | Taiwan | $31,700 |
| 6 | Huan Yu Chen | Taiwan | $23,495 |
| 7 | Yirui Zhang | China | $17,900 |
| 8 | Mou Yue | China | $14,170 |
The KPC Main Event attracted 1,082 entrants, creating a guarantee-busting prize pool of $851,075. The top 125 finishers saw a return on their investment. Those who navigated to the final table secured a payout of at least $14,170.
Mou Yue, Yirui Zhang, and Huan Yu Chen were the first casualties of the final table. Chen had previously finished second in a similar buy-in event in Jeju at the start of the year and scooped a career-defining $152,037.
Kai Hung Hu, a final table member in the $1,000 Mini Main Event at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP), finished fifth for $31,700 before Colombia's Sebastian Camilo Toro Henao came unstuck in fourth for $43,265, which edged his career earnings closer to the $2.5 million mark.
WSOP bracelet winner Yilong Wang saw his latest final table appearance end in a third-place finish worth $59,675, which set up a heads-up clash between Huang and Hong Zhu.
The heads-up duo struck a deal that significantly reduced the payout differences. Huang then defeated his final opponent to claim the trophy and a $128,102 top prize. Zhu banked $102,100, the fourth six-figure result of his career to date.
Kudzmanas Denies Huang and Epic Double
Not content with "only" winning $128,102, Huang entered the King's Main Event, a $15,000 buy-in affair that saw 169 entrants build a pot worth $2,372,760.
Several well-known players reached the top 26 and received payouts. They included Daniel Neilson, Fabian Gumz, Mehdi Chaoui, Eric Tsai, Nevan Chang, Joseph Cheong, and Tom Verbruggen, the latter having won the Mini Main Event for $26,735.
Xiaoyu Li of China finished ninth for $54,000 before Michael Nam was eliminated in eighth, a finish worth $66,000. The controversial Ren Lin finished seventh for $84,000, locking in a six-figure prize for the surviving players.
The first of those payouts, $110,000, went to Jian Zhu, with Germany's Martin Sedlak, the start of the day chip leader, bowing out in fifth place for a $145,000 addition to his bankroll.
The final four became with after the untimely demise of Zhuoqun Zhang, with the King's Main Event becoming an all-male affair when Xueying Zhao lost two large pots in quick succession and never recovered.
Huang and Marius Kudzmanas fought heads-up for around 90 minutes before Kudzmanas' jack-eight prevailed against Huang's ace-three courtesy of a jack on the flop. With that, Huang busted in second place for $350,000, leaving Kudzmanas to bank $533,800 and the title of champion.
King's Main Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marius Kudzmanas | Lithuania | $533,800 |
| 2 | Peng Huang | China | $350,000 |
| 3 | Xueying Zhao | China | $250,000 |
| 4 | Zhuoqun Zhang | China | $190,000 |
| 5 | Martin Sedlak | Germany | $145,000 |
| 6 | Jian Zhu | China | $110,000 |
| 7 | Ren Lin | China | $84,000 |
| 8 | Michael Nam | United States | $66,000 |
| 9 | Xiaoyu Li | China | $54,000 |
Seven-Figure Score Propels Eric Tsai in Third in Taiwan's All-Time Money List
At the 2023 WSOP Europe festival, Eric Tsai was the runner-up to Max Neugebauer in the €10,350 Main Event, a result that earned him €891,000 ($951,252), narrowly missing out on his first $1 million score.
Tsai finally got his hands on such a prize, namely $1,046,600, after coming out on top in the King's $60K Super High Roller.
Despite costing $60,000 to enter, 66 players did precisely that, resulting in a $3,706,600 prize pool. This Super High Roller attracted many of poker's big buns, with several advancing to the final table.
Manuel Fritz, Ethan "Rampage" Yau, and King's Main Event champion-elect Marius Kudzmanas fell at the final table in eighth through sixth.
Japan's Ryuta Nakai, who recently earned a $1,263,000 score at Triton Jeju, busted in fifth for $300,000, with Mehdi Chaoui falling by the wayside in fourth, a finish good for $370,000.
Frenchman Hugues Girard netted a career-best $470,000 for his third-place finish before Tsai defeated Calvin Lee heads-up. Lee walked away with a $700,000 consolation prize, the 17th six-figure prize of his career, while Tsai reeled in $1,046,600.
Tsai is now third in Taiwan's all-time money list. His $5,726,822 in earnings has him within touching distance of Pete Chen ($5,977,094), although he has some distance to make up if he wants to catch James Chen ($11,600,353) at the top of the leaderboard.
King's 60K Super High Roller
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Tsai | Taiwan | $1,046,600 |
| 2 | Calvin Lee | United States | $700,000 |
| 3 | Hugues Girard | France | $470,000 |
| 4 | Mehdi Chaoui | Morocco | $370,000 |
| 5 | Ryuta Nakai | Japan | $300,000 |
| 6 | Marius Kudzmanas | Lithuania | $240,000 |
| 7 | Ethan Yau | United States | $190,000 |
| 8 | Manuel Fritz | Austria | $150,000 |
Full KPC Jeju Results
Expand the table below to see the full results from what was an incredible series in Jeju. The results are in first-place prize money order. As you will see, there were some massive prizes enjoyed by KPC Jeju champions.
A nod must go to Dutchman Michel Molenaar, who won a pair of high roller titles worth a combined $308,400.
Thank you to the excellent SoMuchPoker for this article's images and some information
