Main Event | 2019 Poker King Cup Taiwan

08-20-2019 10:45 UTC+8

The 2019 Poker King Cup Taiwan Main Event Final Table Has Arrived

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Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the grand finale of the inaugural 2019 Poker King Cup Taiwan Main Event, playing out at the poker tables of the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association in Taipei, Taiwan.

This is it folks, we are playing for all the marbles here. Just nine players remain of the 306-strong field, all playing for the lions share of the TWD 7.42M (~$236,530) prize pool.

The winner will walk away with the TWD 1,639,000 (~$52,300) top prize, in addition to the trophy, title and something money can't buy – the honor of becoming the first-ever PKC Taiwan Main Event Champion.

Currently, the favorite to achieve this prestigious accomplishment is Hong Kong’s Wai King Cheung, who is the man coming in with the chip lead and a stack of 2,135,000. With just over $31,000 in live tournament winnings, Cheung is in a great spot to make his first major title win a memorable one.

However, first he must get past South Korea’s Jae Wook Shin, who sits at No. #15 on the South Korea All Time Money List with live tournament winnings of over $293,000 and seven live tournament titles on his poker resume. Shin will be returning second in the counts with a stack of 1,648,000.

Then there is Taiwan’s Chou Chien Fa who, in addition to the home advantage, will be returning third in the counts with a stack of 1,234,000. While Fa has only four live cashes on his poker resume, one of these was a runner-up finish in (at the time) the largest Red Dragon Main Event in history for live winnings of over $258,000. Fa also topped the Day 1C and Day 2 counts and looks extremely comfortable piloting a big stack so cannot be counted out.

While these are the only returning players to boast seven-figure stacks, there is still plenty of talent remaining in the field. The UK’s Alex Lindop may be returning sixth in the pecking order, but the Brit is a seasoned tournament professional who boasts over $918,000 in live tournament winnings and also holds a prestigious World Series of Poker bracelet, making him the most decorated player at the final table by far.

The man sitting just ahead of Lindop in the counts, David Erquiaga has also impressed this series, and with over $134,000 in live tournament winnings the Filipino player has showcased all the skills necessary to hoist the trophy should the cards fall his way.

PKC Taiwan Main Event Final Table Draw

Seat	Name	Country/Region	Chip Stack	Big Blinds
Seat 1	Wai King Cheung	Hong Kong	2,135,000	89
Seat 2	Jae Wook Shin	South Korea	1,648,000	69
Seat 3	Chou Chien Fa	Taiwan	1,234,000	51
Seat 4	Yu You Ci Tsai	Taiwan	995000	41
Seat 5	David Erquiaga	Philippines	862000	36
Seat 6	Alex Lindop	United Kingdom	722000	30
Seat 7	Lee Kuan Wee	Malaysia	645,000	27
Seat 8	Ling He	China	466,000	19
Seat 9	Kuang Hung Lee	Taiwan	426,000	18

The exciting conclusion to this thrilling poker series plays out at 1:00 p.m. local time (GMT+8) on Tuesday, August 20, with 48:12 remaining on level 24 with blinds at 12,000/24,000 with a 24,000 big blind ante. The PokerNews live reporting team will be here with exclusive blow-by-blow action, so stick with us as we make history and crown the inaugural PKC Taiwan Main Event Champion.

Tags: Alex Lindop Chou Chien Fa David Erquiaga Jae Wook Shin Lee Kuan Wee Ling He Wai King Cheung Yu You Ci Tsai

08-20-2019 13:04 UTC+8

Almost Game Time; Live Stream Available

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Player's are in the midst of being introduced and seated on the feature table on the stage, and there will be a live Twitch stream of the final table with a 15-minute delay which you can view HERE.

It's almost game time in the Poker King Cup Main Event, so stick around as we discover who has the right to call themselves the inaugural Poker King Cup Taiwan Main Event Champion and claim the TWD 1,639,000 (~$52,300) top prize.

08-20-2019 13:40 UTC+8

Kuang Hung Lee Eliminated in 9th place (TWD 164,000/$5,230)

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There was a sudden burst of action that saw the first casualty of the final table, with Lee Kuan Wee opening the action from middle position, Kuang Hung Lee moving all-in from the big blind, with Wee calling immediately.

Kuang Hung Lee:
Lee Kuan Wee:

While he had found pocket jacks with which to make a stand, Lee was in bad shape against the best hand in poker, and stayed behind the whole way when the board ran out . Lee departed in ninth for a TWD 164,000 ($5,230) payday while Wee stacked up to roughly 930,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Lee Kuan Wee	930,000 190,000	190,000
Kuang Hung Lee	Busted

Tags: Kuang Hung Lee Lee Kuan Wee

08-20-2019 14:20 UTC+8

Jae Wook Shin Eliminated in 8th Place (TWD 218,800/$6,980)

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Level 25 : 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante

The first hand back after the break saw Lee Kuan Wee raise to 75,000 from middle position and take the blinds and ante. The second hand however, saw more fireworks and Jae Wook Shin and Yu You Ci Tsai clashed again, with Shin coming off second best once more, hitting the rail in 8th place.

Shin moved all-in for 450,000 from middle position, and action folded around to small blind Tsai, who made the call to put the South Korean player at risk and the cards were turned over.

Yu You Ci Tsai:
Jae Wook Shin:

It was a coin flip to decide Shin's fate, and while the flop was a good one for his mid-sized pair, Tsai binked the turn to take the lead. The river sealed the deal and Shin departed in 8th place for a TWD 218,800 ($6,980) payday, while Tsai extended his lead to 2.75 million.

Player	Chips	Progress
Yu You Ci Tsai	2,750,000 450,000	450,000
Jae Wook Shin	Busted

Tags: Jae Wook Shin Lee Kuan Wee Yu You Ci Tsai

08-20-2019 15:30 UTC+8

Wai King Cheung Eliminated in 7th Place for (TWD 273,000/$8,710)

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Level 26 : 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

After a few hands of pushing and shoving, with just two of them making it to a flop and no further, a big hand played out that saw start-of-day chip leader Wai King Cheung depart at the hands of the new table captain, Chou Chien Fa.

It was David Erquiaga who was the instigator, making it 100,000 to go from early position, before Cheung moved all-in from the button for 695,000 in total. Sitting in the big blind, Chou Chien Fa asked for a count, and then announced the call, with Erquiaga getting out of the way.

Chou Chien Fa:
Wai King Cheung:

Cheung looked crestfallen to be in such bad shape, and his dreams of a first major title went up in smoke on the runout. Cheung departed in 7th Place for TWD 273,000 ($8,710), while Fa now has a commanding lead of 3.3 million.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chou Chien Fa	3,300,000 1,000,000	1,000,000

Wai King Chueng	Busted

Tags: Chou Chien Fa David Erquiaga Wai King Cheung

08-20-2019 15:55 UTC+8

Yu You Ci Tsai Eliminated in 6th Place (TWD 328,600/$10,485)

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Level 26 : 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

The hand after the longest hand, Yu You Ci Tsai's final table came to a close. It was Ling He the man to light the fuse with a raise to 100,000 from mid-position, with Chou Chien Fa reraising to 300,000 from one seat over. Neighbor Tsai then moved all-in for 900,000 and after He folded, Fa asked for a count, then slammed down the calling chips.

Chou Chien Fa:
Yu You Ci Tsai:

It was down to a race to decide Tsai's fate, and it was one he lost when the board ran out . Despite flirting with the chip lead briefly, Tsai's tournament is now over, and he departed in 6th place for a TWD 328,600 ($10,485) payday, while Fa extended his already sizable lead still further.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chou Chien Fa	4,200,000 900,000	900,000

Yu You Ci Tsai	Busted

Tags: Chou Chien Fa Ling He Yu You Ci Tsai

08-20-2019 16:00 UTC+8

Lee Kuan Wee Eliminated in 5th Place (TWD 411,000/$13,115)

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Level 26 : 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Chou Chien Fa is hitting hands at the right time and is now holding a commanding lead after sending Malaysia's Lee Kuan Wee to the rail almost immediately after ousting Yu You Ci Tsai.

It was Fa the man to raise first, making it 100,000 to go from late position, with Wee moving all-in from the blinds for the last of his chips, with Fa making a quick call.

Lee Kuan Wee:
Chou Chien Fa:

Wee was on his feet calling for the ace, but his pleas fell on deaf ears, with the board running out to bring the final table down to four-handed.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chou Chien Fa	5,755,000 1,555,000	1,555,000

Lee Kuan Wee	Busted

Tags: Chou Chien Fa Lee Kuan Wee

08-20-2019 16:59 UTC+8

Ling He Eliminated in 4th Place (TWD 547,500/$17,470)

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Level 27 : 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Ling He's deep Main Event run has come to an end, though it was not the rampant Chou Chien Fa to show him the door, it was the Philippines David Erquiaga, who made it 125,000 to go under-the-gun, then called He's 860,000 small blind shove.

Ling He:
David Erquiaga:

The flop saw Erquiaga remain in the lead, and the Filipino locked up the hand on the turn. the river was merely a formality, and the Poker King Cup Taiwan Main Event is now down to three-handed, with Ling He taking home TWD 547,500 ($17,470) for his fourth-place finish.

Player	Chips	Progress
David Erquiaga	2,000,000 860,000	860,000
Ling He	Busted

Tags: Chou Chien Fa David Erquiaga Ling He

08-20-2019 17:19 UTC+8

Alex Lindop Eliminated in 3rd Place (TWD 739,700/$23,600)

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Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

And then there were two. Alex Lindop has fallen at the hands of a rampant Chou Chien Fa.

Lindop limped the button, calling Fa's 150,000 preflop small blind raise and the flop fell . Fa fired a two-third pot bet on the flop, which Lindop called. The river saw the Taiwanese player fire again, and the Brit made the call once more.

The river saw Fa shove, sending Lindop deep into the tank.

"Have you got aces?" he quizzed Fa, who sat still as a statue. Eventually, Lindop reached a decision, shrugged and made the call for his tournament life.

Fa rolled over pocket fives for a rivered full house. Lindop grimaced, flashed the table for flopped trips, then shook everyone's hand and left the feature table stage, exiting in third place for a TWD 739,700 ($23,600) payday.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chou Chien Fa	8,525,000 2,925,000	2,925,000

David Erquiaga	610,000 -10,000	-10,000
Alex Lindop	Busted

Tags: Alex Lindop Chou Chien Fa

08-20-2019 17:27 UTC+8

David Erquiaga Eliminated in 2nd Place (TWD 1,150,100/$36,670)

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Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

With Chou Chien Fa coming into the heads-up confrontation with a veritable mountain of chips for an almost unassailable 13-to-1 chip lead, the battle lasted all of two hands.

In the second hand, Fa moved all-in from the button and Erquiaga made the call for his tournament life, with the duo revealing their hole cards.

David Erquiaga:
Chou Chien Fa:

While Erquiaga held a slight lead, he was the at-risk player, and the flop saw Fa pull ahead. The turn left Erquiaga teetering on the brink of elimination, and the river sealed the deal for Fa, who immediately celebrated his first major title win with his watching rail, before returning to shake Erquiaga's hand.

Erquiaga played a great game and showed plenty of grit, but at the end, the slopes of Fa's mountainous chip stack proved too hard to scale, and the Filipino headed off to the cash desk to collect the TWD 1,150,100 ($36,670) runner-up prize while Fa posed for his winner's picture. Full end of day wrap to follow shortly.

Player	Chips	Progress
David Erquiaga	Busted

Tags: Chou Chien Fa David Erquiaga