GOP Main Event - DAY 2

Li Yin - Day 2 chip leader

Day 2 of the inaugural Gods of Poker Jeju Main Event taking place at LES A Casino in Jeju South Korea, ended with just 12 players out of 66 returnees advancing after ten levels of grueling sixty-minute blinds. China led the charge with five survivors, spearheaded by Li Yin, who closed the heat as the clear frontrunner with 10,285,000 (64 big blinds).

Yin found his rhythm early and from there, he never stepped off the gas. He was the bane of numerous players throughout the day starting with Wenchao Liu who fell to Yin in 40th place followed by Yang Yi in 27th place. During the later levels, he added Hong Kong’s Alan King Lun Lau and Japan’s Shunsuke Mitsugi to his hit list, eliminating them in 16th and 15th place respectively. 

Kazuki Okamoto

At the same table, Japan’s Kazuki Okamoto worked his stack the hard way. Instead of multiple knockouts, Okamoto grinded, picking up steady pots and taking command of short-handed pressure as it neared the end of day. He ended the night with a 8,065,000 stack.

The day's entering chip leader Peng Deng stayed in control during the first half of Day 2, and even got lucky with pocket Nines that cracked Bo Jin's pocket Kings. After the dinner break, Deng's stack came under pressure from multiple players, allowing others to rise. 

Peng Deng and Meng Ling Lin

Elmer Kalaquian chipped up steadily, and claimed a big pot on a double elimination that pushed Deng out of the pot. Taiwan’s Meng Ling Lin also was a force to reckon with. She opened Day 2 delivering the first knockout then sent GOP Player of the Series frontrunner Mike Takayama out of the running.  One of the most talked about hands of the day was Lin's sick hero-call that caught Joshua Figuerres bluffing. 

Twelve players now remain in the hunt for the first-ever GOP Main Event title. The final sprint takes place on Saturday, December 13 starting at 12:45 PM.