The final prize pool was pushed to over $1.5 million
Hyundong Lee has captured the spotlight in Asia’s poker scene by winning the 2025 WPT Prime Taiwan Championship. The event drew a massive field of 1,470 players, each paying TWD35,000 (US$1,125) to enter, creating a prize pool worth over TWD 45.3 million (US$1.5 million).
After four grueling days of play at the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association in Taipei, Lee emerged as champion. He took home TWD 6,038,460 (US$212,005) along with a coveted $10,400 entry to the WPT World Championship in Las Vegas later this year.
The final table provided plenty of drama. Heading into the last day, Lee was in strong shape with 65 big blinds, ahead of Ting Wei Li’s 40. However, momentum shifted early when Man Woo Park doubled through Lee with pocket queens against tens.
Meanwhile, Pak Kwan “Justin” Chan, who started short, managed to climb the payout ladder after Youngjong Lee was eliminated when his trip kings were outkicked by Li’s ace.
Despite his resilience, Chan’s run ended soon after when his ace-queen couldn’t hold against Lee’s ace-king. Ho then finished him off to tighten the field. Park was the next casualty when Ho flopped a set of nines against his ace-jack.
Three-handed play marked a turning point for Lee, who was in danger with a short stack but doubled through Li twice. He then spiked a key river card to eliminate Li, securing his place in the heads-up match against Ci Hong Ho.
Ho briefly grabbed the lead by making a flush, but Lee battled back, winning a series of pots to regain control. The championship was decided on a 6♥4♠3♠ flop when Ho’s open-ended straight draw ran into Lee’s flush draw. The A♠ on the turn completed Lee’s flush and sealed his victory.
With the title, Lee not only secures a career-defining payday but also a chance to showcase his game against the world’s elite at Wynn Las Vegas later this year.
