Poker Dream 17 is now in its final stage, making headlines with massive fields, big payouts, and impressive performances from international poker pros. While Malaysian high-stakes regular Chun Keat Liu emerged as one of the biggest winners of the series so far, Indian players Deepak Bothra and Alok Birewar made their presence felt by going deep in the prestigious Main Event.
Chun Keat Liu Ships Super High Roller
Malaysian High Roller specialist Chun Keat Liu added another major victory to his growing poker résumé by taking down Event #31: Super High Roller at Poker Dream 17. Liu dominated the competition to claim the title, pocketing an impressive $163,700 and his second Poker Dream trophy.
Liu, already known for his strong track record in high-stakes events, first captured the spotlight in 2024 when he won the Poker Dream 12 Jeju Freezeout for $127,161. He followed that with a runner-up finish at Poker Dream 13 Main Event, earning $120,485. With this latest victory, Liu’s live earnings now approach the $2 million mark.
The Super High Roller event drew 118 entries, generating a massive MYR 2,906,458 (~$649,800) prize pool. The top two finishers each earned six-figure payouts. Liu entered the final table as the chip leader and held his advantage all the way to the end, defeating Australia’s David Yuan Jan Wang in heads-up play. Wang earned a solid $110,700 for his runner-up finish, while fellow Malaysian Hsien Loong Foo rounded out the podium with $71,900.
Poker Dream 17 Event #31: Super High Roller Final Table Payouts
Rank | Player | Payout |
1st | Chun Keat Liu | $163,700 |
2nd | David Yuan Jan Wang | $110,700 |
3rd | Hsien Loong Foo | $71,900 |
4th | Yu Zhang | $59,500 |
5th | Jeremy Je Min Chan | $47,900 |
6th | Rafael Sitepu Sandhy | $37,900 |
7th | Eng Siang Ewe | $28,900 |
8th | Haohui Ma | $21,700 |
9th | Xiang Jun Thomas Po | $16,400 |
Deepak Bothra & Alok Birewa Run Deep In Poker Dream 17 Main Event
The Poker Dream 17 Main Event attracted a staggering 1,974 entries across thirteen starting flights, comfortably surpassing its MYR 5 Million guarantee. The prize pool soared to MYR 6,191,636 (~$1.4 million), making it another biggest Main Event in the series’ history.
Day 2 saw a fierce battle unfold, eventually narrowing the field down to the final 24 contenders entering the last day. Among them were two standout Indian players: Deepak Bothra and Alok Birewar, both seasoned pros with impressive resumes.
Deepak Bothra, a WPT title-holder and one of India’s most consistent performers, entered the final day with a mid-sized stack of 1,450,000 chips. Meanwhile, Alok Birewar, despite being the second shortest stack at 540,000, managed to navigate his way deep into the event.
Unfortunately, neither Bothra nor Birewar reached the final table. While official final table reports from Poker Dream are still awaited, early indications suggest that the two fell short of the top nine.
Even so, making it into the final 24 of such a massive field was no small feat. All players who reached this stage were guaranteed a minimum payout of MYR 26,900 (~$6,100). India’s Nishant Sharma, a three-time Poker Dream Main Event champion, also cashed in this event, finishing in 65th place.
As per the latest update, from 1,974 entries, just 9 contenders remain in contention with Qiu Haisheng in lead. With a massive MYR 6,191,636 prize pool and MYR 961,000 (~$204K) up top, the Final Table promises epic showdowns.
Final 9 Chip Counts:
Qiu Haisheng – 8,590,000
Wang Zuyou – 7,400,000
Chen Hongren – 7,000,000
Wang Jingyi – 5,110,000
Ong Dingxiang – 5,080,000
Li Ying – 3,720,000
Lakomy Ondrej – 3,110,000
Guo Jingwei – 3,090,000
Chong Zheng Eu Cliff – 2,210,000
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Source – LifeofPoker and Poker Dream Facebook