Yan Wen Yee Wins $247,600 in the King’s Debut at KPC Poker Series Jeju 2026

Last Updated on October 14, 2026 by Bala Kumar

Opening events often set the tone for a festival, and the KPC Poker Series October 2026 got the start it wanted. Yan Wen Yee topped a 214-entry field in the $5,000 King’s Debut at LES A Casino in Jeju, South Korea, and took home $247,600, the biggest prize awarded so far this series.

He wasn’t the only winner of the opening weekend. Tianyu Chen and Lei Yu also won high roller trophies before the series reached its first Monday. Below we cover the results, the payouts, what the numbers say about the field, and what’s still to come in Jeju. For more results from around the world, visit our latest poker news.

King’s Debut 2026 at a Glance

Event: Event #3, King’s Debut (No-Limit Hold’em)
Buy-in: $5,000
Dates: October 10–12, 2026
Venue: LES A Casino, Jeju Shinhwa World, South Korea
Entries: 214 across three starting flights
Prize pool: $1,000,000 (guaranteed)
Places paid: 34
Winner: Yan Wen Yee, $247,600
Runner-up: Michel Molenaar (Netherlands), $150,000

How the King’s Debut Field Came Together

The King’s Debut was the first big-ticket tournament of the series and carried a $1 million guarantee, a bold number for a $5,000 buy-in in Asia. Players got three chances to enter. Day 1A drew 72 entries, Day 1B brought 88, and a faster turbo Day 1C added 54 more, for 214 in total.

The $1 Million Guarantee Held

On paper, 214 entries at $5,000 sounds like more than $1 million. But part of every buy-in goes to fees, so the amount that actually reaches the prize pool is lower. The field fell just short of covering the guarantee, and KPC Poker paid out the full $1,000,000 anyway.

That gap is called an overlay, and players love it. When an organizer adds money to meet a guarantee, every player in the field gets a little extra value for their entry.

Each player started with 250,000 chips and played 35-minute levels. That’s a fairly deep structure for an opening event, which gave skilled players room to play rather than shove or fold early. If you’re new to multi-day events, our Ultimate Poker Tournament Strategy Guide explains how to handle each stage.

Final Day: 34 Players, One Title

The final day began on Monday, October 12, with 34 players left, all of them already guaranteed a payout. From there the field narrowed to a final table of eight. Yan Wen Yee came through it and beat Dutch player Michel Molenaar heads-up to win the title.

As the field shrinks, payout pressure changes how players should play. A hand that’s an easy call early in a tournament can become a fold near the money or at a final table. Our guide to ICM in poker tournaments explains why.

King’s Debut Final Table Payouts

1st: Yan Wen Yee, $247,600 (24.8% of the prize pool)
2nd: Michel Molenaar, $150,000 (15.0%)
3rd: Tung Wing Wong, $105,000 (10.5%)
4th: Wai Kiat Lee, $70,000 (7.0%)
5th: Weidong Guo, $50,000 (5.0%)
6th: Biao Ding, $36,500 (3.7%)
7th: Aip Lin, $27,000 (2.7%)
8th: Jian Zhu, $20,500 (2.1%)

What the Payout Structure Tells You

The final table took home $706,600, about 71% of the full prize pool. That’s typical for mid-sized fields, where most of the money sits at the very top.

The winner earned about 49.5 times the buy-in. Turning $5,000 into $247,600 shows why mid-stakes events with guarantees attract so many ambitious players.

The jump from 2nd to 1st was $97,600, almost as much as third place paid in total. That’s why heads-up decisions carry so much pressure. You can enter these payouts into our free Poker ICM Calculator to see what each player’s stack was really worth in dollars.

Only about 16% of the field got paid. With 34 paid places from 214 entries, roughly one in six players made the money. Most players busted with nothing, which is normal in tournament poker and a big reason bankroll management matters.

 Lei Yu Wins the $25,000 Single Day Super High Roller

The $25,000 Single Day Super High Roller drew 38 entries, building a prize pool of $889,200 that was shared among the final six. In a single-day format there’s no time to wait for perfect spots, so aggression and quick decisions matter more than usual.

Lei Yu won the title for $316,100, beating Punsri Punnat heads-up. Punnat took $210,800 for second.

Tianyu Chen Takes the $3,000 King’s Head Hunter Turbo

Tianyu Chen won the $3,000 King’s Head Hunter Turbo and collected $19,200 for the win from a 29-entry field. In bounty (“head hunter”) events, part of each buy-in is placed on every player’s head. Eliminating opponents pays you right away, so the winner’s prize alone doesn’t show everything a player earned.

Bounties also change the math of calling all-ins, because the bounty adds to the pot you can win. Our article Pot Odds Explained: How to Calculate Them in 5 Seconds is a good place to start, and you can check your decisions with our Pot Odds Calculator.

Opening Weekend Winners Compared

King’s Debut: $5,000 buy-in, 214 entries, $1,000,000 prize pool, won by Yan Wen Yee for $247,600
Single Day Super High Roller: $25,000 buy-in, 38 entries, $889,200 prize pool, won by Lei Yu for $316,100
King’s Head Hunter Turbo: $3,000 buy-in, 29 entries, won by Tianyu Chen for $19,200 (plus bounties)

Notice the trade-off. The Super High Roller cost five times as much as the King’s Debut and paid a slightly bigger top prize, but it had a far smaller and usually tougher field. Many players prefer events like the King’s Debut, where a lower buy-in and a guarantee give better value against a wider mix of opponents.

Opening events were also running in Las Vegas this week. At Poker Masters 2026, Myles Mullaly won the $10K opener for $218,400 from 78 entries, a smaller field at double the buy-in.

 About the KPC Poker Series October 2026

The KPC Poker Series runs from October 10 to 21, 2026, at LES A Casino inside the Jeju Shinhwa World resort. The casino was formerly known as Landing Casino and has also hosted Triton Poker and the Red Dragon Poker Tour.

Series dates: October 10–21, 2026
Events: 62+ plus satellites
Buy-ins: KRW 100,000 (about $75) to KRW 7,000,000 (about $5,200), plus USD events from $2,000 to $60,000
Total guarantees: about KRW 3.1 billion
Biggest buy-in: Event #31, the $60,000 King’s Super High Roller
Official website: kpcpoker.com

A New Brand With Two Main Events

This is the first series under the unified KPC Poker name. K Poker Cup and King Poker Cup previously ran as two connected series and now share one brand. The October schedule reflects that, with two main events. The KPC Main Event runs from October 11 to 16 for players at accessible stakes. The King’s Main Event takes over from October 17 for higher-stakes players.

Growing Momentum in Jeju

The brand arrives in good shape. The July 2026 K Poker Cup and King Poker Cup festival ran for 17 days and produced combined prize pools of about $28.98 million, more than double its original KRW 2 billion guarantee.

Jeju is now one of the busiest stops on the Asian live circuit, alongside tours like the Asian Poker Tour (APT), the Asia Pacific Poker Tour and the Japan Open Poker Tour (JOPT). You can browse all of them on our tournaments page.

What’s Next in Jeju

With the King’s Debut finished, attention moves to the KPC Main Event, the 60K Super High Roller and the King’s Main Event later in the series. Mixed-game players also have a full schedule, thanks to a partnership with the Mixed Asian Poker Series (MAPS) running from October 10 to 19. If you want to learn these games, read our 2-7 Triple Draw strategy guide or the rules of Razz poker.

Players who want to stay longer won’t wait long for the next festival. The Jeju Poker Festival 2026, co-organized by KPC Poker and the Red Dragon Poker Tour, returns to the same casino from October 28 to November 11 with 123 trophy events.

Key Takeaways for Poker Players

Look for guarantees. When a field doesn’t cover a guarantee, the overlay is free money for everyone who entered, so events like the King’s Debut can offer real value.

Know the format before you play. A single-day high roller rewards aggression, while a multi-flight event with a deep stack gives you more time to play solid poker.

Understand bounty events. In head hunter tournaments, your total winnings include bounties, so don’t judge them by the winner’s prize alone.

Expect variance. Even in a strong event, only about one in six players gets paid. Use our Poker Bankroll Calculator to work out which buy-ins your bankroll can handle.

Practice before you travel. If live events like this are on your list, sharpen your decisions with our free Preflop Decision Trainer, or find an online qualifier through our poker site reviews.

Final Thoughts

Yan Wen Yee’s win gave the newly unified KPC Poker brand the headline it needed: a $1 million prize pool paid in full, a strong international field, and a champion who turned $5,000 into nearly a quarter of a million dollars. With both main events and the $60K Super High Roller still ahead, the October series in Jeju is only getting started.

Follow PokerClubGames for results, payouts and analysis from every major event in our Poker Event section. Please play responsibly. Read our responsible gambling guide for support.

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