The WPT Prime Thailand Championship Event took center stage in the 25-tournament series
China’s Haoran Sun claimed victory at the first-ever WPT Prime Thailand Championship, making poker history in the country’s inaugural officially recognized live tournament series. The landmark event, held at UOB LIVE inside Bangkok’s Emsphere Mall from July 31 to August 5, marked the World Poker Tour’s debut in Thailand and attracted a record-breaking turnout.
The WPT Prime Thailand Championship Event was the centerpiece of a 25-tournament series and boasted a travel fund guarantee of THB 37 million (US$1.1 million). That guarantee was easily surpassed with 2,337 total entries, pushing the prize pool to over THB 75 million (US$2.3 million). The top 293 finishers made it into the money.
Haoran Sun, a 33-year-old former engineer who has turned his focus to poker, navigated through a competitive field and entered the final day of play as one of the chip leaders. His run was characterized by aggressive play and well-timed decisions, which led to multiple eliminations at the final table. Among those he knocked out were India’s Nikhil Kedia, who exited in ninth place, and Denmark’s Allen Nielsen in seventh.
The final heads-up match came quickly after the elimination of Duhan Lee in third. Sun entered heads-up play with nearly twice the chips of Canada’s Philipp Zukernik. It only took two hands for Sun to finish the job. On the final hand, Zukernik moved all-in with ten-seven suited but was dominated by Sun’s king-seven of clubs. The board ran clean, sealing the win for the Chinese player.
Sun earned THB 11.47 million (US$352,480) for the win, along with a seat to the WPT World Championship in Las Vegas. His triumph adds a major title to his poker resume and sets a high bar for future editions of WPT Prime in Thailand.
