William Jia Leads Final Nine Heading into TLPT Circuit Main Event Finale
After a few full days of poker inside the luxurious Shinhwa World Hotel Jeju, the stage is officially set for the final chapter of the TLPT Circuit Main Event. What began with 505 entrants across four starting flights has been whittled down to just nine finalists — each one now eyeing the $120,000 top prize stemming from the $700,000 prize pool.
Leading the way is none other than William Jia. The well-traveled Aussie and tournament grinder bagged 2,575,000 chips after a dominant Day 2 performance that saw him eliminate several players.
However, Jia will face stiff resistance from a final table loaded with players eager to take the title, including poker super star Stephen Song. The American pro, who boasts over $9 million in live tournament earnings, sits second in chips with 1,945,000 and has been demonstrably dialed in — especially after making a light calldown against Nevan Chang at the end of Day 2 to secure a big stack.
Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huan Wen | China | 330,000 | 7 |
| 2 | Jiaming Zhao | China | 1,595,000 | 32 |
| 3 | Yiyu Zhou | China | 560,000 | 11 |
| 4 | Fangzhou Zhu | China | 1,850,000 | 37 |
| 5 | William Jia | Australia | 2,575,000 | 52 |
| 6 | Xuecong Wu | China | 1,820,000 | 36 |
| 7 | Weizheng Zhong | China | 1,350,000 | 27 |
| 8 | Jin Zeng | China | 605,000 | 12 |
| 9 | Stephen Song | United States | 1,945,000 | 39 |
China is also strongly represented at the final table with six of the nine players hailing from the host continent, including Fangzhou Zhu (1,850,000), Xuecong Wu (1,820,000), and Jiaming Zhao (1,595,000), all of whom have deep stacks and plenty of room to maneuver.
Play resumes at 12:00 p.m. local time with blinds at 25,000/50,000/50,000 and 36:16 left on the clock from the end of Day 2. Subsequent levels will last 40-minutes each.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize (in US$) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $120,000 |
| 2 | $65,000 |
| 3 | $47,000 |
| 4 | $36,300 |
| 5 | $28,000 |
| 6 | $21,000 |
| 7 | $16,000 |
| 8 | $12,500 |
| 9 | $9,700 |
The stakes have never been higher, so stick with PokerNews for all the beats, bluffs, and bust outs right up until the inaugural TLPT Circuit Main Event champion is crowned!