GOP Main Event - DAY 2

The final 12 players are bagging up for the night and will return at 12:45 PM tomorrow for the final dash to claim the inaugural title. Stay tuned for the recap.

Small blind Peng Deng limped in and big blind Meng Ling Lin tapped for a free flop of J ♠️ 9 ♣️ 10 ♣️. Deng checked to Lin who slid out 125,000 then called to take them to fourth street.

Liking the 5 ♥️ turn, Deng fired a bet of 1,500,000 which was double the pot. Lin was stunned and proceeded to tank then opted best to fold. 

Action folded to Jia Xin Wang on the small blind and he jammed. Big blind Dongying Ling took a peek and liked his cards to risk it all.

When they revealed, Ling was ahead with K ♠️ 10 ♠️ with Wang denied the steal with J ♥️ 5 ♠️. The board ensured Ling the pot running 7 ♣️ 9 ♦️ 7 ♦️ 2 ♠️ K ♥️.

Wing Yin Lee

Cutoff player Jia Xin Wang open shoved 2,490,000 and got a couple of players to fold while big blind Wing Yin Lee tanked with 1,000,000 left. After using up two time-banks, she risked her tournament life and was flipping.

Wing Yin Lee: K ♥️ 10 ♥️

Jia Xin Wang: 4 ♥️ 4 ♠️

The board stayed kind to the small pair as it ran 3 ♣️ 3 ♥️ 7 ♣️ 2 ♣️ A ♥️ for Wang to ship it and Lee to fall in 13th place. 

Hongbo Pan

Hongbo Pan open-shoved from early position and nearly stole the blinds and ante when big blind Meng Ling Lin defended. 

Hongbo Pan: A ♠️ 4 ♥️

Meng Ling Lin: K ♦️ 10 ♥️

Battling for his tournament life, Pan improved at the flop 4 ♣️ 7 ♣️ J ♠️ and stayed ahead through the turn :8 ♥️ then came the 10 ♠️ river to crush his lead and boot him out in 14th place.   

Shunsuke Mitsugi

Shunsuke Mitsugi could not keep up with the big stacks and finally went all in with just over ten bigs. He was called by chip leader Li Yin who dominated at the showdown.

Shunsuke Mitsugi: A ♦️ J ♣️

Li Yin: A ♣️ K ♠️

Needing a miracle to stay in the game, the board did not heed Mitusgi's call as it ran 2 ♠️ 9 ♥️ 2 ♣️ K ♥️ 8 ♥️. Mitsugi was already drawing dead on the turn to finish in 15th place. 

The players are now on the final break of the day. Only 14 remain. When action resumes, they will play until the end of the level or until the final 9 is reached whichever is first reached.

Tian Zhi Kong

Joshua Figuerres opened for 250,000 and down the orbit, Tian Zhi Kong three-bet his 910,000 stack. Figuerres called to put Kong's tournament life at risk of elimination. 

When they showed, Figuerres was ahead with J ♣️ J ♠️ while Kong was in dire need of help with A ♣️ 6 ♠️. 

The board ran low at first 4 ♥️ 9 ♣️ 7 ♦️ 5 ♠️ then bang, the river A ♥️ was the money card for a lucky catch and a double up to Kong. 

Maureen Bloechlinger

Globetrotting Poker Women founder and World Poker Federation Europe head, Maureen Bloechlinger, has been in Jeju since the opening day of Gods of Poker, keen to experience the new Cronus Structure and the newest festival in Asia. After putting in time across multiple events, she shared some of her thoughts, especially on the rising trajectory of women in poker. 

I read all the documentation before coming here to know what to expect. I've only been playing the low to mid stakes, and I kind of like it. I think it is very innovative but I still see many players register late and not sit down at the beginning. In my opinion, other brands cut off their late registration too late. 

Seen in the region attending several events per year, Bloechlinger's connection to Asia runs deeper. The poker culture is what keeps her flying from Zurich to these events. 

I really like the Asian stops. It's a different vibe at the table. The players are very polite unlike in other cities where every five seconds it's, ‘floor, floor, floor’. So, yeah, so I really like that aspect. The play is pretty good, too. Very organized. Top dealers, top floor staff, and the food. You can't beat the food!

Yet the biggest reason she supports Gods of Poker is trust. She’s known founders Ray Chiu and Lloyd Fontillas for years and said, “I know game integrity will be followed.". 

That especially matters when she recommends destinations to her women’s network. If she points them somewhere, she wants them to feel safe, welcomed, and confident in the structure. The fact that GOP offers a daily women’s event, something she rarely sees even in Europe or the U.S., stands out. 

That’s pretty awesome. If a series has women’s events, I prioritize that series.

Bloechlinger has spent years pushing visibility for women in poker and believes one of the biggest barriers for women is simply that first step into the poker room. 

Many women think it’s like golf or chess, that you need a score or club membership. I always tell them to ‘just show up.' The first time is scary because it’s unfamiliar, but once you know the ropes, it becomes a lot easier.

She’s seeing encouraging signs in Jeju. Compared to her recent stop in Portugal where she counted only five women in the field, GOP’s turnout is noticeably bigger. Community matters, and she hopes the visibility here encourages other women to try a major Asia-Pacific event.

Yuri Ishida and Maureen Bloechlinger

As a poker lover, her own travel is driven partly by competition. Bloechlinger currently sits second on the global female flaghunter leaderboard. 

“It’s a competition between me and Yuri, she’s number one right now, I’m number two.” she laughed, “but we like seeing each other, too.”

Whether she’s advising players about which stops are safe or helping women take their first seat at a table, Bloechlinger’s mission remains constant: make the game more accessible, more welcoming, and more global for women. 

One stop that I'm pretty sure my group members will love is Cambodia. They are always asking about Cambodia. So hopefully I can bring a group there because Gods Of Poker is happening over Easter next year when many of the Europeans, Americans, and Canadians have off.

Alan King Lun Lau

Action opened with a raise of 250,000 from Li Yin and several spots down the orbit, Alan King Lun Lau on the big blind reraised to 1,630,000 leaving himself just 5,000 behind. Yin called and they went hunting at the flop. 

When he cards landed Q ♠️ 5 ♥️ 7 ♣️, Lau checked then was immediately put all in by Yin. Hoping for someone at the other table to bust first, Lau used six time-banks before committing his last chip. 

Upon revealing, Lau was behind with 3 ♣️ 3 ♦️ to Yin's 8 ♣️ 8 ♠️. The turn 9 ♥️ and river A ♠️ were no help to Lau to wrap up his title bid at a distant 16th place. 

Kuo Wei Kao

End of the road for Kuo Wei Kao who survived multiple showdowns but still could not get out of the hole. He pushed his last 1,100,000 and Jiang Wang isolated. 

Kuo Wei Kao: 8 ♦️ 8 ♥️

Jiang Wang: A ♥️ Q ♦️

The board initially ran clean for Kao tabling 3 ♥️ 2 ♣️ 3 ♠️ K ♥️ but he could not escape the river A ♣️ to end his run in 17th place.

Meng Ling Lin

Meng Ling Lin min-raised from early position then called middle position Joshua Figuerres's three-bet to 500,000 to take the action to the flop. 

After the dealer fanned 7 ♣️ 8 ♦️ K ♦️, more chips found the table with aggressor Figuerres continuing for 400,000 which Lin check-called.

The turn 9 ♥️ saw another check from Lin and Figuerres opted to slow down and tap back to complete the board with a Q ♥️ river. Lin checked again but this time Figuerres resumed, betting 1,200,000. Lin tanked until three time-banks were spent before she made the call. 

Figuerres flipped over A ♣️ 10 ♣️ and Lin had to do a double-take to make sure he wasn't ahead. She showed 10 ♦️ 10 ♥️ and claimed the big pot on a gutsy hero-call.

Czardy Rivera three-bet shoved his last 855,000 and was ahead at the showdown against aggressor Peng Deng however the cards were live to give him a hard sweat throughout the board.

Rivera had A ♣️ Q ♣️, Deng had K ♥️ 6 ♥️. As the cards tabled 5 ♠️ J ♠️ 2 ♦️ 4 ♥️ and neither hitting, the river 4 ♦️ ensured the win and double up for Rivera. 

Henry Hoo

Down to the final two tables with 18 players remaining, it quickly trimmed to one less after Henry Hoo was eliminated by Dongying Ling. 

Having just been moved to the new table, Hoo shoved his last 525,000 with A ♣️ 6 ♥️, Ling dominated with A ♦️ 10 ♠️, the board came K ♠️ 8 ♠️ 4 ♣️ 5 ♥️ Q ♠️ for Ling's kicker to be in play. 

Elmer Kalaquian min-clicked from the button and big blind Peng Deng defended to take them to a flop of K ♥️ J ♦️ 7 ♠️.

Kalaquian continued for 150,000 and another 310,000 on the turn K ♠️ with Deng check-calling both. The river tabled 10 ♠️ completing the board. 

Deng checked again, Kalaquian barreled a third time for 900,000, and it was enough to win the pot with Deng surrendering his hand to the dealer.

Short stacked Wing Yin Lee three-bet shoved her last five big blinds and got looked up by initial raiser Alan King Lun Lau who made the easy call. 

Lee was made with 9 ♠️ 9 ♥️ but wasn't out of the woods yet with Lau holding K ♠️ Q ♦️. The board heard Lee's plea as it felted 4 ♥️ 10 ♣️ 5 ♠️ 5 ♥️ 3 ♥️ to survive the flip. 

Joshua Figuerres faced off against Peng Deng once again with action seeing him first open 200,000 from under the gun and Deng calling from the button position. 

Both players checked the flop and the turn A ♠️ A ♦️ 6 ♥️ 6 ♠️ to see the board complete Q ♥️ river. Check again from Figuerres brought a bet of 350,000 from Deng. Figuerres answered with a raise to 800,000, Deng called then mucked to Figuerres's A ♥️ J ♥️ trips. 

Xiaosheng Zheng burned

Kuo Wei Kao dropped to just six big blinds when he open-shoved. Next door neighbor Xiaosheng Zheng shoved as well and successfully isolated the action.

Upon revealing, Zheng was ahead with Q ♦️ Q ♥️ while Kao only had one overcard with A ♥️ J ♦️. 

The flop stayed clean Tc: 10 ♥️ 4 ♣️ but the turn A ♦️ crushed Zheng's pair and he vocally expressed his disappointment. After the river came 6 ♣️ Zheng was fuming while having to pay the double up. 

Tao Wei Chang

Tao Wei Chang opened then four-bet jammed on top of Zhiwei Ding's 400,000 three-bet. Ding snap-called to put Chang on the ropes.

Tao Wei Chang: A ♣️ K ♣️

Zhiwei Ding: K ♠️ K ♦️

Ding only needed to keep the ace from showing up to rake in Chang's stack however it was not to be as an ace found the flop and held at the runout A ♥️ 7 ♠️ 9 ♥️ 3 ♦️ 8 ♠️.

Chang scooped a happy double up as Ding dropped to 11 big blinds. 

Henry Hoo dropped to a very short stack of just four big blinds and moved it all out front when he saw an ace in the hole. He wasn't able to escape without a fight with Zhiwei Ding following all-in right behind. With no other takers, they flipped them over. Ding was ahead with a superior kicker. 

Henry Hoo: A ♣️ 6 ♣️

Zhiwei Ding: A ♥️ Q ♦️

Ding's lead didn't hold when the flop landed 7 ♦️ 6 ♠️ 2 ♠️. With the turn 2 ♣️ and river 3 ♠️., Hoo exhaled a big sigh of relief then scooped up his winnings. 

On the flip side, Ding dropped below ten big blinds and went all in shortly after which ended in a split pot. On his next shove, he was eliminated. 

Player are on another 15-minute break. 20 remain in the field. When action resumes, the goal is to play down to the final 9 players.

Joshua Figuerres

Catching the action on a three-way raised pot with middle position Joshua Figuerres firing 160,000 on a flop of J ♠️ 10 ♠️ 9 ♦️. Big blind Peng Deng check-called while under the gun Meng Ling Lin folded.

Figuerres fired again on the turn 9 ♠️ making it 275,000 to continue. Deng wanted to see the river and tossed in the call. 

The board then completed J ♥️ leading to another check from Deng. Figuerres took time to decide and after burning a time-bank, he slid out 425,000. This was enough to win the pot uncontested. 

It has been quite a shove fest with short stacks pushing at every orbit with several going bust. Among the unlucky ones were Guancheng Wu and Kaoru Kishimoto, both players falling 22nd and 21st respectively. 

Wu was first to go when he put it all on the line holding A ♠️ 9 ♣️ but was unable to get past caller Alan King Lun Lau's 9 ♦️ 9 ♥️. 

Kishimoto followed when he pushed on the small blind with K ♠️ 5 ♠️ and was snapped by Jiang Wang on the big blind with A ♥️ Q ♣️. The board bricked 10 ♥️ J ♠️ 6 ♣️ :3d; 9 ♦️. 

Short stacked Shunsuke Mitsugi found a spot to risk his last four big blinds and found one caller to give him a sweat.

Mitsugi was ahead with A ♥️ 2 ♣️ against Jia Xin Wang's 4 ♠️ 4 ♦️. 

The board ensured his win as it landed K ♠️ K ♥️ A ♠️ 10 ♣️ J ♥️ while the loss in chips was barely a dent to Wang's massive stack. 

Meng Ling Lin is closing in on the chip leaders having just sent Peng Bai Yun to the rail. It was all in preflop with Yun holding 10 ♠️ 10 ♦️ that needed to avoid Lin's A ♥️ Q ♦️ overcards.

However, Yun's hope was quickly denied with the window card a queen, and after the board completed Q ♠️ 9 ♥️ J ♠️ 2 ♣️ 6 ♦️, he exited while Lin zoomed to the upper tier of the counts. 

Preflop betting war led to Junyi Zhou tanking to Dongying Ling's 1,175,000 shove. After using up four time-banks, Zhou finally tossed in the call and when they showed, it was classic flip.

Dongying Ling Q ♦️ Q ♥️

Junyi Zhou: A ♥️ K ♦️

With the board running 4 ♠️ 7 ♣️J ♣️ 10 ♦️ 9 ♦️, Zhou missed to pay up and plunge to three big blinds. 

A few hands after, Zhou was all in with King-Seven suited and fell the Jia Xin Wang's pocket Queens. 

Meng Ling Lin

Taiwan's Meng Ling Lin “Candy” has been having an incredible year on the felt,stacking up high roller titles and deep runs that have firmly placed her among Asia’s top women in poker. As she wraps up her 2025 season at the Gods of Poker festival, she took a moment to share her thoughts on the series and her experience in Jeju.

What made you decide to come to Jeju to play this series? 

I am actually chasing my GPI points. Right now I'm the fourth place woman in the world. So I only need 100 points, less than 100 points to chase third. So that's why I came here to play to chase the points. 

Based on her GPI points, Lin is also the top female player from Asia with the more well-known Kitty Kuo several spots below. This being her first time try out the Cronus structure, she shared her experience, 

It's new for me, but I think it's good, I don't need to rebuy so many times. Some people like to rebuy and gamble so with this structure, I think it's good for players that want to play serious. But I also see this as a challenge for me because I play high rollers and players are aggressive. I'm also an aggressive player but I  feel that some of the Philippine players here are more aggressive than me, so it is difficult to play with them.

Sitting at hijack, Joshua Figuerres looked down at 7 ♣️ 7 ♠️ and dropped in a min-raise. Next to act Peng Bai Yun boosted the pot further with a three-bet to 350,000. After action folded around, Figuerres defended. 

When the dealer fanned the flop 4 ♥️ 2 ♠️ Q ♠️, Figuerres checked then called Yun's 250,000 bet bringing them to the turn 6 ♦️ where Figuerres checked again and Yun checking back. 

As soon as the river 10 ♥️ completed the board, Figuerres took a stab for a light 75,000, Yun paid to see then mucked to the pocket pair. 

Three-way showdown: Kenji Hata, Elmer Kalaquian, Brian Green

Chip leader Peng Deng opened from under the gun for 125,000 and found two callers in Kenji Hata at cutoff and Elmer Kalaquian on the button. Action moved to the small blind, Brian Green, he three-bet jammed for 510,000. Deng called while Hata tanked. After a time-bank, Hata announced all in and before the count, Kalaquian joined with a stack of 1,705,000. Deng could easily afford it but opted to get out of the heat for Kalaquian to successfully isolate. 

Brian Green: A ♥️ 5 ♥️

Kenji Hata: A ♦️ 5 ♦️

Elmer Kalaquian: Q ♣️ Q ♠️ 

It was looking grim for the short stacks and with the board running K ♣️ 9 ♠️ 6 ♣️ 4 ♦️ 4 ♣️, their fate was sealed as Kalaquian shipped a massive pot. Shortly after, Kalaquian picked up another pot and is now running second in chips. 

From middle position, Yang Yi bumped it up to 125,000 then faced a three-bet of 385,000 from big blind Li Yin. Wanting to play the flop, Yi called and more chips found the middle on a board 9 ♣️ 5 ♦️ 8 ♠️.

Yin led out with a bet of 185,000 and Yi matched up to continue to the turn 5 ♠️ . Again Yin kept momentum with a bet of 530,000 and this time Yi tanked. After spending a time-bank, he shoved and before a count was done, Yin called. 

Yang Yi: A ♠️ 10 ♠️

Li Yin: K ♠️ K ♥️

Yin was looking primed for a takedown but had to dodge a spade to make that happen. He did just that on the river when the J ♦️ turned up. 

The players are now on a one-hour dinner break. 27 players remaining. When action resumes, the goal is to play down to the final table of 9 players.

Andy Kok

Jiang Wang open-shoved his last 550,000 and to his immediate left, Peng Bai Yun jammed as well. After Tao Wei Chang got out of the heat, Andy Kok tanked then shoved as well with a middle stack. With no other takers,, they flipped them over. 

Jiang Wang: 8 ♥️ 8 ♠️

Andy Kok: A ♥️ K ♥️

Peng Bai Yun: K ♦️ K ♣️

Anticipation followed as everyone watched the dealer spread a flop of 7 ♦️ J ♦️ 4 ♥️ to keep Yun ahead. The turn 5 ♣️ gave Wang outs for a possible straight which landed on the river with 6 ♠️ showing up to award him a triple up. As for Kok, his cards missed for Yun to win the side pot and send him to the rail. 

Joshua Figuerres

Unlike the misfortune of Bo Jin, Joshua Figuerres had much better luck with cowboys. It was an all in preflop hand with Figuerres at-risk and turning over K ♦️ K ♥️. Yang Yi had with A ♠️ Q ♠️. 

Yi quickly improved on the flop Q ♣️ 9 ♣️ 9 ♦️ but was still behind Figuerres's overpair. The turn 5 ♠️ and river 5 ♦️ brought no change for Figuerres to secure a double up. 

Tao Wei Chang

Tao Wei Chang was raking in the pot and Li Wei Wang was packing up. Looking down at the board, Chang's 8 ♦️ 8 ♠️ was behind Wang's A ♥️ K ♣️ on a flop of 6 ♦️ 3 ♣️ K ♠️. 

No change on the turn for Chang with the 7 ♥️ finding the board, the river though was the money card with the 8 ♥️ showing up for a set burn Wang's kings and out of contention. 

Bo Jin

In an earlier showdown, Bo Jin dropped in chips on a bad beat, and it seemed to have stuck to him as another one was tabled to send him out of the running. 

The hand opened with Peng Deng raising to 80,000, Jin three-bet to 250,000, Deng countered with a four-bet jam that well covered Jin's stack. Jin risked it and flipped over a dominating hand. 

Bo Jin: K ♣️ K ♥️

Peng Deng: 9 ♣️ 9 ♠️

The board started off with a clean flop of 2 ♣️ Q ♦️ 4 ♣️ then the turn dropped a 9 ♦️ for a set to Deng. With the river J ♦️, Jin's kings were cracked to end his day at the Main Event. On the flip side, Deng is now back on top. 

After Jia Xin Wang accumulated a mountain of chips, he has been railroading the table with repeated raises until finally Kazuki Okamoto took a stand. 

In a three-way pot with well over 900,000 in the middle and a board showing 2 ♦️ 7 ♦️ 4 ♦️ 2 ♣️ 5 ♦️, action was checked to Wang in middle position who slid out around half pot of 450,000. Small blind Okamoto tanked then after two time-banks spent, the jammed 1,850,000. Big blind Yang Yi quickly folded while Wang gave it some thought then let go of his hand. 

Czardy Rivera

Czardy Rivera has been maintaining his stack, staying within the range he started the day with and just picked up a boost after sending Jen Wei Wang to the exit. 

It was an all-in preflop situation with Rivera flipping over J ♣️ J ♥️ and Wang in desperate need to connect on the board with Ace-Ten. 

The board favored hooks as it ran a low 4 ♥️ 6 ♦️ 5 ♠️ 2 ♥️ 7 ♥️ for Rivera to ship it and rise over fifty bigs. 

Following a raise from button player Bo Jin, small blind Guguo Liu went all in with his last 475,000 and Jin wasted no time making the call. Upon showing, Liu was dominated and it was all up to the board from there. 

Guguo Liu: Q ♣️ J ♥️

Bo Jin: K ♠️ Q ♦️

It was looking bleak for Liu when the board ran A ♠️ 2 ♠️ 9 ♣️ 9 ♥️ then a savior arrived on the river with the dealer felting J ♣️ for a double up. 

Jia Xin Wang

Intense showdown at Table 25 started with a raise from Li Tao for 80,000 that Kazuki Okamoto called. Two spots over, cutoff player Shunsuke Mitsugi took a peek and dropped a three-bet to 250,000. Button player Jia Xin Wang also liked his hole cards and dipped in his stack to pull out a 420,000 four-bet. 

After the blinds folded, action swung back to Tao who tanked using up five time-banks before firing a five-bet to 850,000 leaving himself over 600,000 behind. 

Okamoto could not handle the heavy bets and folded. Mitsugi followed as well giving up his three-bet, then Wang went all-in. Tao stood up and after just seconds, he opted to risk it all. 

Li Tao: K ♦️ J ♣️

Jia Xin Wang: K ♦️ K ♥️

When the cards were tabled, Tao was far behind and slightly improved on the turn but fell when the board completed 10 ♥️ 10 ♣️ 8 ♣️ J ♥️ 5 ♦️. 

Wang shipped a monster pot and has dethroned Peng Deng to take the lead. 

The players are on their second break of the day. 39 players remain with Peng Deng still in the lead with 4,200,000.

Alan King Lun Lau

Kazuki Okamoto kicked off the hand with a min-raise then called button player Alan King Lun Lau's 180,000 three-bet. 

Lau fired again on the flop K ♦️ 5 ♥️ 5 ♣️ for 100,000 and Okamoto check-called. With the turn 2 ♥️ Okamoto checked again and this time Lau slowed down as well and checked back. 

When the river 10 ♠️ completed the board, Okamoto jumped out with a 400,000 bet sending Lau deep in the think tank. After spending four time-banks, Lau surrendered his hand. 

Li Yin

Li Yin boosted his stack once again and this time it was a knockout courtesy of a knockout. Taking the fall was Wenchao Liu who three-bet shoved 595,000 on top of Xiaosheng Zheng's min-raise. Yin called from the small blind and Zheng deliberated until he opted out. 

Upon revealing, Liu needed some help with A ♦️ 8 ♥️ far behind Yin's K ♦️ K ♥️. The board didn't cooperate as it came 4 ♥️ 2 ♣️ 2 ♦️ 3 ♠️ 2 ♠️ to give Liu the boot and Yin another nice pile of chips.

Xiaiosheng Zheng

With a pot of around 430,000 in the middle and a board showing 7 ♣️ 5 ♥️ K ♣️ 7 ♥️ Q ♥️, Xiaosheng Zheng had a bet of 350,000 laid out and all of his time-banks with Li Yin raising to 1,000,000. 

After a burning through a couple of extensions, Zheng folded and showed A ♥️ A ♠️ and chimed Yin to return the gesture but Yin opted otherwise and sent his hand to the dealer to muck.

Jia Xin Wang eliminates Sandeep Mirchandani

End of the road for Sandeep Mirchandani whose impressive comeback at Flight D fell flat today. Following a raise from the button Jia Xin Wang, small blind Mirchandani shoved and it was snap-called. 

Sandeep Mirchandani: A ♦️ 2 ♣️

Jia Xin Wang: Q ♦️ Q ♥️

Upon revealing, Mirchandani only had one card to help him however it was his lower card that paired up. With the board running out 2 ♦️ 3 ♠️ 3 ♣️ 4 ♦️ 8 ♣️, Wang shipped it and Mirchandani shipped out. 

Kaoru Kishimoto

A big pot had built by the river on a board of K ♠️ 7 ♣️ K ♣️ 5 ♠️ 2 ♦️. Zihao Zhang went all-in only to discover the bad news as Kaoru Kishimoto flipped over the nuts. After the count, even more bad news for Zhang as he was covered to bust out. 

Kaoru Kishimoto: K ♦️ K ♥️ 

Zihao Zhang: 4 ♥️ 4 ♠️

Peng Bai Yun happy to double up

Wing Yin Lee was not happy when her stack took a hit calling Peng Bai Yun's shove while holding :Ad Q ♦️. It was a coinflip with Yun flipping over 4 ♥️ 4 ♦️. However the board didn't produce any of her draws instead finishing out 5 ♦️ 2 ♥️ 10 ♦️ 8 ♥️ 3 ♠️ to pay the double up.

Andy Kok and Wing Yin Lee

Immediately following the hand, Lee shoved her last 440,000 from under the gun and had to go down the streets when big blind Andy Kok defended. Lee had K ♣️ Q ♥️, Kok had better A ♥️ 6 ♥️. 

The board ran out of3 ♥️ J ♠️ 9 ♠️ 7 ♦️ 10 ♠️ for a straight on the river to Lee to stay put with a fresh batch of chips. 

Shunsuke Mitsugi

A big pot of aroud 480,000 was already weighing down the middle when Sandeep Mirchandani went deep in the tank after Shunsuke Mitsugi bet 475,000. Mirchandani eventually gave up his stake in the pot then proceeded to unload a barrage of inquiries Mitsugi's way" 

“You have a set? King Queen? Flush?"

Getting no reaction, he tapped the felt and ended it with “good bet”.

Dongyin Lin

Dongying Lin was down to just 14 big blinds and felt it was time to put them all on the line with Q ♦️ 10 ♦️ in the hole. His next door neighbor Daqiao Jiang liked his hand as well and made the call showing K ♥️ Q ♠️.

Things were looking up for Lin at the flop 7 ♦️ J ♦️ 9 ♥️ with an open-ended however the turn A ♥️ was no help until the river 8 ♣️ gave him the card he needed to survive with a straight and double through.

The players are on their first 15-minute break of the day. Peng Deng continues to command with a massive 3,600,000 stack with 53 players remaining.

Mike Takayama

Meng Ling Lin opened the hand with a limp from under the gun then several spots over, Mike Takayama, raised to 140,000 on the button, leaving himself just 15,000 behind. Big blind Jen Wei Wang took a peek and liked his cards to make the call and sending the action back to Lin. 

Lin quickly announced all-in to put Takayama on the ropes. After tossing in all of his time-banks, it only took one before he decided to risk it. Wang opted otherwise and folded after a bit of thought. 

Meng Ling Lin: A ♦️ K ♦️

Mike Takayama: Q ♥️ 10 ♠️

The board offered no help to the Filipino pro as it spread 2 ♦️ 4 ♦️ 6 ♣️ 6 ♥️ K ♠️ to ensure Lin the victory. 

Zihao Zhang

Three players built a huge pot of 450,000 and stared down a board of 8 ♠️ 9 ♦️ 2 ♦️ A ♦️. Zihao Zhang moved all-in for 754,000 putting Kuo Wei Kao into confusion. After assessing the board and the bet, he folded leaving the decision to Li Wei Wang who also tanked. Counting out his chips behind, Wang opted to fold and wait for a better spot. 

Wenchao Liu premature departure

Wenchao Liu has been running deep at the high roller tables with three final table berths. Entering the day with a very healthy stack his bid for the Main Event title nearly ended when he open-shoved from early position and was joined by Jinyu Zhou who had a covering stack. 

Liu's A ♠️ Q ♣️ was behind Jinyu Zhou's A ♦️ K ♠️. Liu was got up and was ready to walk away when the board ran 9 ♥️ 8 ♦️ 6 ♦️ 8 ♠️ 9 ♠️ for a split pot. 

Meng Ling Lin

Taiwan's Meng Ling Lin “Candy” has been having an incredible year on the felt,stacking up high roller titles and deep runs that have firmly placed her among Asia’s top women in poker. As she wraps up her 2025 season at the Gods of Poker festival, she took a moment to share her thoughts on the series and her experience in Jeju.

What made you decide to come to Jeju to play this series? 

I am actually chasing my GPI points. Right now I'm the fourth place woman in the world. So I only need 100 points, less than 100 points to chase third. So that's why I came here to play to chase the points. 

Based on her GPI points, Lin is also the top female player from Asia with the more well-known Kitty Kuo several spots below. This being her first time try out the Cronus structure, she shared her experience, 

It's new for me, but I think it's good, I don't need to rebuy so many times. Some people like to rebuy and gamble so with this structure, I think it's good for players that want to play serious. But I also see this as a challenge for me because I play high rollers and players are aggressive. I'm also an aggressive player but I  feel that some of the Philippine players here are more aggressive than me, so it is difficult to play with them. 

Lin made Day 2 of the Main Event with a very healthy stack of 994,000.

Lin has already brought the hatchet down on a player at Day 2. On the opening deal, she eliminated Joris Michl calling his shove with pocket Tens holding against his flush draw and overcards that both missed on the river. 

Daniil Shalaev

As soon as the cards hit the felt, Daniil Shalaev landed the first double up of the day with A ♠️ 10 ♦️ flopping an ace to survive Kazuki Okamoto's J ♠️ J ♦️. Shalaev is running well at the series with two side event titles under his belt and a total of four cashes. He is now secured his fifth and how deep he goes will be determined today. 

Gods Of Poker CEO, Ray Chiu

To kick off Day 2, GOP CEO Ray Chiu welcomed everyone and expressed the brand's gratitude for their support. This was followed by a short video of the past days action:

"We created Gods Of Poker because we believe everyone has a chance to ascend to godhood in poker. Thank you everyone for your support. We would also like to thank the LES A Casino team who helped make this all happen, including our partners and supporters - CTP Club, JPPS, iPoker, and UP Poker, Jasper Chu, and to all the other sponsors. Of course, I would like to thank my team for their hard work." 

Cards are now flying at Day 2 of the GOP Jeju Main Event! With the final 66 players now guaranteed a piece of the KR₩ 1,000,000,000 prize pool, the goal now shifts to laddering up and securing a spot at the final table. Good luck to all!

GOP Main Event Gauntlet

Welcome to Day 2 of the inaugural Gods Of Poker Jeju Main Event taking place at LES A Casino in Jeju, South Korea. Running from December 8 to 13, the brand's crown jewel drew 481 entries across four flights, each one experiencing the full force of the newly forged Cronus Structure. 

With all the flights completed, only 66 players remain and will return today at 12:45 PM for the next stage of the race. While everyone is already guaranteed a piece of the KR₩ 1 Billion (∼USD 700,000) prize pool, the goal is to reach the final table and eventually the top of the podium where the magnificent Black-and-Gold Gauntlet trophy awaits the champion along with a cash prize of KR₩ 203,830,000 (∼USD 138,600). 

Leading the charge is China's Peng Deng who amassed an overwhelming stack at Flight D of 3,553,000 which is equivalent to a jaw-dropping 177 big blinds. This is far ahead of second-in-command Filipino player Elmer Kalaquian with 2,061,000 (103 big blinds). In third rank is iPoker's King Lun Alan Lau with a stack of 2,027,000 (101 big blinds). 

When cards start flying, the blinds kick off at 10K-20K ante 20K. Average stack is 848,823 (42 big blinds). The goal is to play down to the Final 9 if time permits. 

For the full structure and details, click here.

For the complete Day 2 list and Seat Draw, click here. 

For the complete Payout Breakdown, click here. 

This is going to be one hot race as players go head-to-head, fighting to become the first-ever GOP Jeju Main Event champion. Stay updated on the action via our live updates which begins at 12:45 PM and runs all the way through to bagging time.

Exclusive for iPoker Ticket Winners

• Finish in the Top 3 of the Main Event while bearing the iPoker patch at the final table and receive an extra 10% on your posted prize.