Andrew Han Wins KPC Main Event in Jeju for Career Best

Andrew Han wins the KPC Main Event in Jeju

Australia’s Andrew Han claimed the KPC Main Event at the Jeju Poker Festival on November 1, defeating American Yifu He heads-up at LES A Casino. The victory earned Han KRW 150,000,000, roughly $111,770, and delivered the biggest live score of his career.

The result stands out not just because of the money, but because of the way it was earned. Han had to survive a 747-entry field and then navigate a final day that lasted 12 hours. In live poker, that kind of endurance matters just as much as hand reading or preflop accuracy.

Jeju Poker Festival opens with a huge KPC Main Event

The Jeju Poker Festival runs from October 28 to November 11 at LES A Casino and features 123 trophy events with KRW 3.88 billion in headline guarantees. KPC Poker handles the opening stretch before the Red Dragon Poker Tour takes over for the second half of the series.

The KPC Main Event itself carried a KRW 1,300,000 buy-in and a KRW 880,000,000 guarantee. Five starting flights helped build the field to 747 total entries, confirming that Jeju remains one of the strongest live poker destinations in Asia.

For regulars planning a trip, festivals like this are about more than one trophy. They are a chance to benchmark structures, compare field quality, and decide whether the best value comes from live events, poker rooms, or poker clubs. If you want to study before traveling, a good poker school can sharpen the edge that matters in long live sessions.

Final table action: Gumz leads, but Han closes the deal

Germany’s Fabian Gumz entered the final table with the overnight chip lead and looked well positioned to turn that into a title. His countryman Martin Sedlak was also in the mix, returning to a Jeju final table less than two weeks after reaching the final table of the King’s Main Event.

Sedlak eventually exited in fifth place, while Gumz built a commanding stack once play got down to three-handed. But chip control is not the same as closing power. Gumz finished third for KRW 68,000,000, leaving Han and He to decide the title.

• 1st: Andrew Hosok Han (Australia) — KRW 150,000,000
• 2nd: Yifu He (United States) — KRW 102,500,000
• 3rd: Fabian Gumz (Germany) — KRW 68,000,000
• 4th: Aleksandras Rusinovas (Lithuania) — KRW 48,000,000
• 5th: Martin Sedlak (Germany) — KRW 34,000,000
• 6th: Xu Wang (China) — KRW 25,000,000
• 7th: Chung Yi Ho (Taiwan) — KRW 18,000,000
• 8th: Shuai Li (China) — KRW 14,850,000

Nearly two hours heads-up before the decisive hand

Han and He entered heads-up play with nearly identical stacks and traded the lead for close to two hours. That kind of duel is where live poker becomes a test of patience, range construction, and mental stamina.

The tournament ended on hand 282. He moved all in with K-T, and Han called with K-8. The flop brought an eight, pairing Han and putting him in front. The board ran clean from there, and the Australian locked up the title.

It was a classic live-poker finish: one pair on the flop, a solid call, and no rescue card for the opponent. In a deep-field event, the last hand often looks simple on paper, but the decisions leading up to it are built over hours of pressure and stack management.

Expert take: what Han’s win means for live tournament players

Han’s victory is important because it shows how quickly a player can climb on the Asian live circuit when the results and the schedule line up. The report notes that he has only been playing the Asian circuit since 2025, which makes this career-best score even more impressive.

• Large Asian festivals still offer strong value for live grinders.
• A final day can turn into a 10- to 12-hour endurance contest, not just a card game.
• Heads-up poker without a big chip edge is often decided by thin postflop edges and emotional control.

Players looking to turn live poker into a more structured path should think beyond the felt. Tools such as promotions & bonuses can improve bankroll efficiency online, while a poker agent may help those exploring a more professional poker career.

Red Dragon now takes over the festival schedule

The same day also produced another trophy winner, with Vietnam’s Khoa Anh Ngo taking down the KPC Super High Roller. That adds to the sense that Jeju is delivering a strong mix of mid-stakes and high-roller action right from the start.

The Red Dragon Poker Tour now carries the festival through to November 11, when the Red Dragon Plus Championship with a KRW 1.8 billion guarantee will close out the series. For players chasing major live scores in Asia, that finale will be one of the key events of the season.

Bottom line: a breakthrough win with real momentum behind it

Andrew Han’s KPC Main Event triumph is more than a trophy photo. It is a career breakthrough, a reminder of how powerful live tournament endurance can be, and a strong opening result for the Jeju Poker Festival.

For anyone tracking the live circuit, this is the kind of win that can change a player’s trajectory, build confidence, and open the door to even bigger opportunities in future series.

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