Soohyeok Lee Claims Pandora's Riches; Gerrits Wins Fourth Trophy

The Gods of Poker Taipei: The Titan Assembly erupted as waves of players rushed into the CTP Asia Poker Arena, forming a line that snaked out into the street. Driving the frenzy was a Freeroll that offered coveted seats to the evening’s Stairs Main Event Satellite.

As the day progressed, the thrill didn't let up as multiple events joined on the floor, including the hunt for the biggest mystery bounty prizes. Day 4 came to a close with another seven players minted and two marquee events completing their flight stages.

Soohyeok Lee Triumphs Pandora's Mystery Bounty

Soohyeok Lee will need more space in his luggage having won a second trophy at the ongoing series. At Day 3 Lee claimed a Shield trophy at the Hyper Turbo, then followed it up on Day 4 with a Silver Spartan after he conquered Pandora's Mystery Bounty.

Soohyeok Lee

Lee's bid for Pandora's title started at Flight A where he bagged the second largest stack and maintained it on the final day, reaching the final table in the middle of the pack. He nearly fell at six-handed play, when he shoved holding second pair and a gutshot that was behind Deric Liang's two pair, until the river saved him with a lucky Broadway. 

At three-handed, Liang still led the counts when all three shoved. Liang pushed with 9 ♣️ 8 ♣️, Dong Yan risked it all with 7 ♣️ 7 ♥️, and Lee joined the party with K ♠️ 10 ♣️. With a king finding the river, Lee was saved once again to oust Yan and catapult to the top. 

Heads up only lasted a handful of hands. Lee snap-called Liang's shove on a turn board of Q ♦️ 7 ♦️ 5 ♠️ 6 ♠️, flipping over 3 ♣️ 4 ♣️ straight. Liang had Q ♠️ 6 ♣️ two pair that got no help from the river 10 ♥️. 

Bounty Winners

The third key event of the series drew 215 runners across four flights with 31 advancing to the final day. While each player was already guaranteed a piece of the NT$ 3,343,680 (∼US$ 105,900) prize pool, the real thrill came from hunting the biggest bounties. Hidden within Pandora's treasure box were three large bounty tickets worth NT$ 160,000 (∼US$ 5,000) each.

Xuan Ming Jason Chin

The first one envied was Xuan Ming Jason Chin who claimed it after finishing in 22nd place. This boosted his final payout from NT$ 24,400 to a whopping NT$ 184,400. 

The next to uncover Pandora’s greatest hidden treasure was Dong Yan who finished in 3rd place. Entering the Final Day at the very bottom with just 9 big blinds, Yan faced the steepest climb of all. Yet he powered through, racking up a combined NT$ 228,000 in bounties, the most by anyone. This brought his take from NT$ 218,100 up to NT$ 446,100 (~US$ 14,000).

Dong Yan

The final golden ticket fell into the hands of the champion Lee as he sealed the title. Among the three bounty tickets he had yet to redeem, he found the last big one to walk away the richest, pocketing NT$ 742,380.

For the results, click here.

GOP Super High Roller: Recap

John Niko Costiniano

The next gauntlet to challenge the brave was the GOP Super High Roller, drawing 20 elite runners to ante up the NT$ 230,000 (~US$ 7,300) buy-in. Among them was Demigods Challenge champion Marc Rivera who won the first gauntlet of the series. 

Rivera secured the last seat in the ITM round after defeating Yohwan Lim aka BoxeR for the second time. Only four titans survived to taste the spoils, each guaranteed a share of the NT$ 4,149,660 (∼US$ 131,000) prize pool. For the one who conquers all on the final day, the ultimate prize awaits… the Gold Gauntlet and NT$ 1,815,460 (∼US$ 57,500).

When action resumes,  John Niko Costiniano brings in the largest stack. Cards starty flying at 12:30 PM on Monday, January 12 and will be livestreamed in the Gods of Poker Facebook Page and CTP Twitch.

Titan Stack: Recap

Yoshimoto Shinya

The more affordable key event of the day was the Titan Stack which drew 140 entries across three flights. Out of that turnout, only 21 players bagged up for the final day and are guaranteed a share of the NT$ 3 Million prize pool. 

The player with the best chance of taking it to the limit is Yoshimoto Shinya who crushed Flight A, bagging up seven digits which no one else was able to reach. Shinya's stack is equivalent to 75 big blinds and has a big advantage over second ranked Chi Jan Liu who topped Flight C with 45 big blinds. Sitting in fourth position is Flight B chip leader Hayato Kitajima with a stack worth 38 big blinds. 

Several notches down is a familiar name, Yun Lam Kevin Choi, the first gauntlet winner from Hong Kong. Choi won the Rose Gauntlet at the GOP Jeju Titan Stack High Roller. He will enter the final day with 26 big blinds. 

Action resumes at 12:30 PM on Monday, January 12 with everyone guaranteed NT$ 40,300. Awaiting the champion is a handsome payout of NT$ 742,000 (∼US$ 23.,500). 

For the Chip Counts, click here.

For the Payout breakdown, click here. 

Day 4 Side Winners

Tony Khoang and Martijn Gerrits

The side events were also booming with action resulting in six trophies claimed. For the fourth consecutive day, Martijn Gerrits got his hands on a trophy, with the latest win at the Hyper Turbo High Roller. Tony Khoang also found success at the 5 Card PLO Double Board Bomb Pot to win his second title of the series. 

For the Day 4 results, click here. 

GOP Taipei Links: 

Schedule
Photos: Day 4
Photos: Champions