Jeremy Chan Ends His Heads-Up Curse at APT Incheon

Jeremy Chan finally turns the page in Incheon

Malaysia’s Jeremy Chan finally got the result he had been chasing for more than a year: he won the APT Incheon 2026 Super High Roller, defeating Michel Molenaar heads-up for $169,650. The victory is bigger than the payout line suggests, because it closes the book on a frustrating run of runner-up finishes and near misses that began at this very event one year ago.

Chan’s story is one that many tournament players understand immediately. In live poker, a long stretch of second-place finishes can feel like a mental tax that never ends. Chan had already taken five straight heads-up losses over the past year, along with two fourth-place finishes, before finally getting over the line in Incheon. That makes this title feel less like a single tournament result and more like a long-overdue breakthrough.

APT Incheon 2026 runs from August 7 through 16 at Paradise City Casino, with more than KRW 4 billion in guaranteed prize pools across the festival. In that kind of environment, every major score matters, but the Super High Roller carries extra prestige because it sits near the top of the buy-in ladder and attracts the deepest, toughest lineups of the series.

Why the Super High Roller mattered so much

The Super High Roller drew 58 entries at a KRW 15 million buy-in and generated a KRW 801.7 million prize pool, worth roughly $575,525. That made it the second-most expensive event on the schedule, behind only the Superstar Challenge. At this level, the field is not just about talent; it is about discipline, bankroll strength, and the ability to make the highest-pressure decisions with real money on the line.

Chan’s win also came with something that may prove even more valuable than the trophy itself: a seat in the $5 million guaranteed APT Championship Main Event in Taipei this November. That direct entry removes the need to grind satellites later in the year and gives him a clean path into the tour’s biggest fall showcase.

For players trying to understand how elite live events are structured, it helps to study the broader ecosystem around them. The preparation often begins in poker school, where players work on ranges, postflop planning, and heads-up adjustments. And if you are mapping out your own live schedule, browsing reputable poker clubs can help you find the right environment to practice before stepping into bigger fields.

How Chan built a lead that never really went away

Chan did not wait around to feel out the final table. He grabbed momentum immediately, doubling through Reoma Ogawa on the very first hand when king-jack held up against pocket tens. A second double soon followed, and that early surge gave him the kind of stack that changes the way everyone else must play.

From there, Chan was able to apply steady pressure while other players were forced into uncomfortable spots. In high roller poker, that matters a great deal. Once a chip leader starts dictating the pace, opponents often have to defend wider, take thinner spots, and accept more variance just to stay in the game.

• Shota Kashiyama exited when his pair and straight draw failed to catch Peng Chen’s pocket eights.
• Phachara Wongwichit ran into Ogawa’s ace-queen and was left drawing dead on the turn.
• The money bubble lasted less than seven minutes, with Sutthi Denvitaya’s ace-ten unable to catch Chan’s pocket kings.
• Yuya Arito went out in eighth when Chan’s king-jack improved to top pair and beat pocket fives.
• Reoma Ogawa was eliminated in seventh after Michel Molenaar’s ace-queen made an ace on the turn.
• Nevan Chang’s pocket aces fell in sixth to Chan’s jack-deuce.
• Martin Sedlak chose the wrong spot to three-bet jam ace-nine from the big blind, and Chan snap-called with pocket queens.

One important detail stands out: by the time heads-up play began, both finalists had more than 70 big blinds. That is a huge strategic difference from the short-stack heads-up matches many fans are used to seeing. Instead of push-fold poker, the duel was set up to reward postflop skill, bet sizing, and board reading.

The cooler that decided the match

Michel Molenaar controlled much of the early heads-up play, but the match turned on a single brutal hand. Chan flopped top two pair, while Molenaar picked up both a straight draw and a flush draw on the same board. The turn changed everything: Molenaar completed his flush, but Chan improved to a full house at the same time, swinging the chip lead for good.

Chan later described the spot in simple terms, saying he “coolered” Molenaar when he had top two pair against a board with straight and flush possibilities, then watched the turn deliver both players huge hands at once. In a deep-stack duel, that kind of board texture can decide hours of work in one instant.

The final hand was just as decisive. Molenaar raised with ace-jack, Chan defended with ace-three, and Chan completed a backdoor flush on the river. Molenaar’s short-stack shove ran straight into the made flush, ending the tournament and finally ending Chan’s long heads-up drought.

Expert analysis: what this result tells us about modern high roller poker

Chan’s win is important beyond the headline because it highlights several truths about modern live tournament poker. First, repeated second-place finishes are not just unlucky outcomes; they can shape how a player approaches future final tables. The mental side of high rollers is enormous, and players who keep showing up after repeated setbacks often have a real edge over opponents who fade after one bad run.

Second, this result underlines how valuable deep-stack final-table play still is. When both players have 70+ big blinds, the edge shifts away from simple preflop aggression and toward board coverage, turn and river pressure, and the ability to recognize when a hand has become a cooler rather than a strategic battle.

Third, Chan’s path is a reminder that seat value matters. A direct entry into the APT Championship Main Event is not just a convenience; it changes planning, bankroll allocation, and the way a player can structure the rest of the season. In practical terms, it lets him preserve bullets for future events instead of spending time and money on satellites.

For readers who are building their own live poker routines, it is worth paying attention to the support system around the game. Smart use of promotions & bonuses can stretch a bankroll, while working with a trusted poker agent can simplify travel and event planning for frequent tournament players.

Final table payouts and what comes next

Molenaar collected KRW 170.95 million for second place and continued a strong 2026 campaign that already includes a title at APT Taipei earlier this year. Even in defeat, his consistency at final tables reinforces why he remains a dangerous presence in any live series.

Peng Chen finished third for $79,175, while Chih Wei Fan took fourth for $59,940. Those are meaningful scores in a field that featured serious buy-ins and a compressed payout structure, where every ladder up the standings brings a substantial jump in value.

For Chan, the win is the second-largest live score of his career and, more importantly, a confidence reset. He no longer has to think about the old Incheon runner-up finish or the five straight heads-up losses that followed. Instead, he heads to Taipei with a guaranteed seat in the biggest APT event of the fall and the kind of momentum every tournament player wants when the next series is around the corner.

APT Incheon 2026 continues through August 16, and several more trophy events still need champions. But the Super High Roller already delivered one of the festival’s best stories: Jeremy Chan finally broke through, and he did it in the same event where the frustration first began.

FAQ