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