The Tencent-sponsored inaugural World Series of Poker China main event concluded on December 22 with an amateur player taking the winner’s bracelet and the equivalent of US$367,000 main prize after seven days of tough poker action.
Zhou Yun Peng, an amateur player from the Hebei province of China, dominated the closing stages of the final table, eliminating his last opponents after starting the three-hour final table in the middle of the pack in chip count terms.
He told local reporters that this was his first live tournament, although he has studied poker through watching videos and reading books for several years. Now he can claim to have won the first World Series of Poker winner’s bracelet awarded on mainland China soil.
The World Series of Poker and Chinese internet giant Tencent have partnered to present WSOP tournaments in China for the next ten years (see previous InfoPowa reports).
Heads up, Peng faced the more experienced Long Rong but had the advantage thanks to an earlier double up, and he quickly dispatched his last opponent at second place for US$ 226,889.
WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart was pleased with the inaugural tournament and the main event, commenting:
“There is so much untapped potential in Asia and we’ve found the perfect partner in Tencent to help spread the great game throughout the entire continent. We plan to use the WSOP brand and our expertise, along with Tencent’s reach in Asia, to inspire the next generation of competitive sport players.”
Other final table cashes included:
Zhang Jian Bin $158,380
Li Xiang Lai $112,220
Wu Xin $80,702
Ni Cang Sheng $58,930