Recreational player Kong Qingtao from China struck gold at the Poker Dream Jeju 12 Main Event, outlasting over 1,600 players to take home two trophies and a six-figure payout of $188,720.
The 2024 Poker Dream Jeju 12 Main Event drew an impressive field of 1,656, pushing the $2 million guarantee to a total prize pool of $2,140,100. The top 181 players made it to the money, while the top 4 finishers ended up adding a six-figure sum to their career earnings.
From the 1,656 entries, only the top 16 players advanced to the final day, and it took seven hours for the table to whittle down to one. Here’s a recap of the Poker Dream Jeju 12 Main Event final table.
2024 Poker Dream Jeju 12 Main Event Final Table Recap
China’s Song Ying led the final table with 67 big blinds, while Kong Qingatao held a middling stack. Despite being in the middle of the pack, Xue Song shoved with pocket tens but was called by Lim Yat Yong holding pocket queens. Song’s tens didn’t hold up, sending him out in 9th for $25,589, making Yat Yong the new chip leader. Jin Wang soon followed in 8th place and banked $32,988.
Kong Qingato’s first knockout came in Level 30, when he eliminated Teng Kah Yew in 7th place with pocket kings. This boosted Qingtao’s chip stack, putting him behind the chip leader Yat Yong. After over an hour of play, Spanish player Soriano Ramos eliminated Chen Hao in 6th place. Hao received $60,463.
Despite leading the final table early on, Song Ying could not scoop any big pots. Her tournament life ended after she shoved with 9c-7c on a board of Jd-Tc-5c-9d-5d. Yat Yong called with As-Jc, eliminating Ying in 5th for $81,300. Soriano Ramos (4th -$105,150) was the next to fall, as his Ks-Ts couldn’t improve against pocket kings.
After a few hands in the three-handed battle, the remaining players made an ICM deal, guaranteeing each of them over $100k in payouts. As Lim Yat Yong was the chip leader, he confirmed a payout of $254,100, and Zhou Yang collected $241,000. Qingtao was the short stack at the table, so he confirmed a payday of $188,720.
After more than two hours of three-handed play, Qingtao eliminated the chip leader Lim Yat Yong in 3rd place, taking a 2:1 lead against Zhou Yang. The final hand came on the first heads-up hand, with Qingtao shoving with Kc-8c, and Yang calling it with his Qd-5c. The board ran out, 8s-Qh-7h-8h-Td, giving trips of eight to Qingtao.
Kong Qingtao was crowned as the Poker Dream Jeju 12 Main Event Winner to take home a payout of $188,720 and the trophy. Yang walked away with a payout of $241,000 for his runner-up finish.
2024 Poker Dream Jeju 12 Main Event Final Table Standings
| Rank | Player | Prize (USD) |
| 1st | Kong Qingtao | $188,720 |
| 2nd | Zhou Yang | $241,000 |
| 3rd | Lim Yat Yong | $254,100 |
| 4th | Soriano Ramos | $105,150 |
| 5th | Song Ying | $81,300 |
| 6th | Chen Hao | $60,463 |
| 7th | Teng Kah Yew | $46,196 |
| 8th | Jin Wang | $32,986 |
| 9th | Xue Song | $25,589 |
The complete list of the festival winners will be added shortly. Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates from the world of live poker!
