First Gauntlet Claimed: Rudy Edenata Headlines Trophy-Filled GOP Incheon Day 3

Rudy Edenata rules Demigods Challenge

Day 2 at Gods of Poker Incheon kept the trophy table busy with nine winners stepping forward to claim their hardware at Paradise City Casino.

Leading the headlines was Indonesia's Rudy Edenata who had been tearing through the Asian poker circuit since last year, collecting high roller deep runs and victories at every stop he attends. However one thing has eluded him, the GOP gauntlet, and after multiple near-misses at previous festivals, Incheon was where that changed.

Edenata took down the Demigods Challenge, ruling the felt from start to finish. With a 3:1 chip advantage at heads up, he defeated the multi-decorated Calvin Lee with pocket aces dominating ace-two offsuit.

For his victory, Edenata turned his KRW 14,700,000 (~USD 10,000) buy-in more than three times over, banking KRW 54,320,000 (~USD 36,000) and became the proud owner of the Black Gauntlet — the first Gauntlet to be awarded at the series.

For the results, click here.

Ryoma Yamamoto Wins GOP Olympians

Ryoma Yamamoto and friends

The GOP Olympians was the first multi-flight event of the series, drawing 145 entries for a prize pool of KRW 83,520,000 (~USD 57,000). Only 22 players advanced to the ITM stage led by Japanese newcomer Ryoma Yamamoto and trailed closely by Filipino Lester Edoc.

After nearly six hours, Yamamoto captured the win and the Silver Spartan trophy, turning his KRW 660,000 (~USD 440) investment into a handsome payout of KRW 20,442,000 (~USD 13,600).

However, it was no walk in the park for Yamamoto. Despite entering the final day up top, it was Edoc who dominated the action to enter the final table with an overwhelming stack.

GOP Olympians final 9 players

The first clash secured Takumi Nakayama a double up through Sang Ho Park with pocket kings over pocket jacks to catapult him into second position. Park exited shortly after in 9th place then Edoc went on a knockout spree, eliminating Evgenii Chzhen (8th), Daniil Khvan (7th), and Yokoi Hiromitsu (6th).

Takumi Nakayama

Edoc nearly added the lone female, Sananthachat Thanapatpisal, to his list of heads however her ace-ten both paired to dodge the rail against his ace-queen.

A doozy three-way showdown soon followed to send Thanapatpisal plunging into 5th place. All in with J ♦️ J ♣️, Thanapatpisal lost to Takata Shuichiro's 9 ♠️ 9 ♥️ and Yamamoto's A ♦️ Q ♠️ on a board of K ♦️ 3 ♦️ 8 ♥️ 9 ♦️ Q ♥️.

Another bad beat came down with Yamamoto getting very lucky. His J ♠️ 7 ♠️ spiked a seven on the flop to survive Edoc's A ♦️ J ♥️ then Yamamoto doubled up again with trips over trips against Nakayama who had the lower kicker.

Ryoma Yamamoto celebrates a winning hand

Down to crumbs, Nakayama went on to fall in 4th place. Edoc joined next in 3rd place when his stack suffered another two hits - A ♣️ 4 ♠️ losing Shuichiro's 10 ♣️ 8 ♣️, and pocket threes out-flopped by Yamamoto's jack-ten.

Heads up: Shuichiro Takata and Ryoma Yamamoto

Heads up opened with Yamamoto sitting on a massive advantage. Takata managed to get lucky once only to give it all back. On a board J ♥️ K ♥️ 3 ♠️ Q ♣️ 8 ♦️, Takata check-raised all in with J ♦️ 8 ♥️ two pair only to be crushed by Yamamoto's A ♦️ 10 ♥️ straight.

Final 9 Payouts

For the full payouts, click here.

Lester Edoc Stopped in 3rd Place Twice!

Lester Edoc

Filipino ace Lester Edoc has been putting in the work at GOP Incheon but the results just haven't quite matched the effort yet. After dominating GOP Olympians only to settle for 3rd place, Edoc jumped into Event #14: Turbo High Roller and finished 3rd once again.

He took it in stride. "I'm doing good but third place again," he said with a laugh.

This is Edoc's second GOP festival and what he truly seeks is one of the coveted GOP gauntlets.

On his first visit, he came very close to winning one before settling for a side event shield trophy instead. Edoc's next shot is at the upcoming Super High Roller, where the Gold Gauntlet is very much up for grabs.

Jin Bo Tops Pandora's Mystery Bounty Day 1

Jin Bo

77 entered Pandora's Mystery Bounty and when the counts were in, one player stood well clear of the field. China's Jin Bo bagged 800,000 chips worth 40 big blinds. His closest challenger, Haisheng Qiu, was a considerable distance behind at 501,000 (25 big blinds), and the counts dropped off more from there.

When the 13 survivors return, a KRW 66,528,000 cash pool awaits with the lion's share amounting to KRW 12,115,000 going to the champion.

The cash is only part of the story. The real excitement lies in what is hidden inside the treasure chest, and who is lucky enough to crack open the three biggest bounties.

Day 2 Winners

Yun Hsi Hsieh

Day 2 awarded the first Aphrodite Mirror trophy to Yun Hsi Hsieh after she outlasted the Aphrodite Event's 14-entry field. Ladies still looking to claim one of those unique mirror trophies, three more remain with the upcoming events running on May 17, 22, and 23.

Kenji Hata

Deja vu! Kenji Hata and Alfie Adam were in the winners list again. Both players have now picked up their series second trophies in as many days. While this is Hata's second GOP trophy, this is Adam's 12th! He simply cannot stop winning GOP trophies. Adam has now surpassed Martijn Gerrits and there's still plenty of games ahead to pull further away.

Player of the Series

The Player of the Series race is officially underway with one player meeting the required three cashes. The only player in the POS leaderboard at the moment is Yujie Sun while six players are on the cusp with two cashes apiece, just one more result away from joining the race officially.

For the POS standings, click here.

GOP Incheon runs from May 15 to 24 with a total of 83 events on tap. The Main Event is up next featuring a KRW 700,000,000 guarantee.

For all the information, click here.

Links:

GOP Incheon - Schedule
GOP Incheon - Photos
GOP Incheon - Champions