In an exciting week of high-stakes poker action, two major champions emerged. China’s Zhang Yankai claimed his first major live tournament win, taking down the Vietnam Poker Tour (VPT) Championship 2025 Main Event for a career-best prize of VND 𝟯,𝟳𝟮𝟬,𝟯𝟳𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 (approximately $148,815).
Meanwhile, Matthew Wantman secured his fourth PGT title after a stellar performance at the 2025 US Poker Open (USPO) Event #4, further solidifying his place among the game’s elite with over $8 million in career earnings. Here is a quick recap of their victories.
Zhang Yankai Wins the VPT Championship 2025 Main Event
China’s Zhang Yankai ships the Vietnam Poker Tour Championship 2025 Main Event, taking home a career-best VND 𝟯,𝟳𝟮𝟬,𝟯𝟳𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 ($148,815) along with his first major live tournament trophy. Yankai now has over $550k in lifetime poker earnings, establishing himself as one of the rising stars in the Chinese poker landscape.
Yankai started his live poker career in 2020 and has cashed in over 60 tournaments, including a 4th place finish in the 2024 USOP Grand Finale Hai Phong Main Event for $122,044. In addition to his main event victory at the VPT Championship 2025, Yankai shipped the Event #18: Hyper Turbo High Roller for $2,910.
The Main Event drew 983 entries, crushing the VND 15 billion (~$600,000) guarantee for a total prize pool of VND 21.45 billion (~$858,159). Only the top 27 finishers split the total prize pool.
Team India’s Amit Kaushik also made it to the final table of the main event, finishing 6th for VND 585,600,000 (~$23,424). Eruquaga David rounded out the podium for VND 1,532,500,000 (~$61,300), while Do Tien Vu finished as the runner-up, pocketing VND 2,337,000,000 (~$93,480).
VPT Championship 2025 Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Payout (VND) | Payout (USD) |
| 1st | Zhang Yankai | 3,720,375,000 VND | $148,815 |
| 2nd | Do Tien Vu | 2,337,000,000 VND | $93,480 |
| 3rd | Eruquaga David | 1,532,500,000 VND | $61,300 |
| 4th | Yuan Xin | 1,052,600,000 VND | $42,104 |
| 5th | Pham Tien Thanh | 740,100,000 VND | $29,604 |
| 6th | Kaushik Amit | 585,600,000 VND | $23,424 |
| 7th | Nguyen Kinh Huyen | 484,800,000 VND | $19,392 |
| 8th | Hoang Van Khoa | 403,500,000 VND | $16,140 |
| 9th | Dang Duc Dong | 337,900,000 VND | $13,516 |
Matthew Wantman Secures His 4th PGT Title
Matthew Wantman has won his career fourth PokerGO title after taking down the 2025 USPO Event #4: $10,100 NLH for a top prize of $231,300. This latest victory pushed his earnings past $8 million, moving him up to 6th place on the Massachusetts all-time money list with $8,170,278 in accumulated live earnings.
Wantman’s first PGT title came in 2023 in the PGT PLO II, followed by the 2024 USPO Event #5, and again in the 2024 PGT PLO II. For his latest victory, Wantman also earned 263 points, bringing his total to 318 and leading the 2025 USPO Leaderboard.
The $10,100 buy-in NLH USPO event attracted 103 entries, with the top 15 finishers collecting payouts from the $1,030,000 prize pool. Stephen Chidwick ran deep, finishing in 3rd place for $118,450. Yifu Hu battled Wantman for the PGT title but ultimately finished in 2nd place, earning a career-best $201,300.
2025 U.S. Poker Open Event #4: $10,100 Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Payout |
| 1st | Matthew Wantman | $231,300 |
| 2nd | Yifu He | $201,300 |
| 3rd | Stephen Chidwick | $118,450 |
| 4th | Masato Yokosawa | $92,700 |
| 5th | Isaac Kempton | $66,950 |
| 6th | Patrick Leonard | $51,500 |
| 7th | Chino Rheem | $41,200 |
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Sources – VPT Facebook and PGT Blog
