Event #11: US$20,000 8 Handed (US$500,000 GTD)
Day 1 Completed
2025 The Lord Poker Tournament Jeju
Event #11: US$20,000 8 Handed (US$500,000 GTD)
Day: 1
Top
Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 12
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
A lengthy Day 1 in Event #11 TLPT $20,000 8-Handed saw 32 entrants make their way to the Landing Casino inside the fabulous Shinhwa World Hotel Jeju. A change in structure extended Day 1 by an additional two levels and, by the time the last card was dealt, Stephen Song found himself once again chip leading a tournament after bagging up 1,315,000. Not too far behind, however, are James Mendoza (1,180,000) and Yisha Chen (1,100,000), who made an impressive surge late in the evening after a double knockout holding aces .
Song has had an exceptional showing at The Lord Poker Tournament series so far — first by making the final table of the $500 Circuit Main Event and then flat out winning the $15,000 Main Event. Another cash for Song will push him over $10 million in live-tournament earnings — cementing an already epic poker resume.
Day 2 Seat Draw and Chip Counts
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | Calvin Lee | United States | 470,000 | 31 |
| 2 | 4 | Istvan Birizdo | Hungary | 185,000 | 12 |
| 2 | 5 | James Mendoza | Philippines | 1,180,000 | 79 |
| 2 | 6 | Yisha Chen | China | 1,100,000 | 73 |
| 2 | 7 | Daniel Cates | United States | 400,000 | 27 |
| 2 | 8 | Lei Yu | China | 595,000 | 40 |
| 3 | 1 | Stephen Song | United States | 1,315,000 | 88 |
| 3 | 3 | Taylor Black | United States | 680,000 | 45 |
| 3 | 4 | Dominik Nitsche | Germany | 155,000 | 10 |
| 3 | 5 | Martin Nielsen | Faroe Islands | 120,000 | 8 |
| 3 | 6 | Gavin | China | 205,000 | 14 |
The 32 entrants generated a prize pool of US$640,000, of which five players will take a share. A min-cash will be worth US$60,000 and the eventual winner will take home US$242,000 for their efforts.
TLPT $20,000 8 Handed Payouts
| Place | Prize ($USD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $242,000 |
| 2 | $162,000 |
| 3 | $101,000 |
| 4 | $75,000 |
| 5 | $60,000 |
Day 1 Action
Eleven players sat down at the start, and it took less than a level for action-junkie Ivan Zhang to get all in. Unfortuantely for Zhag, it was against Song, who had Zhang crushed with aces. Song nearly doubled as a result of the clash and took an early chip lead.
Song extended his chip lead after catching a flush to eliminate Dong Chen, but Mendoza began his own ascent after cracking Martin Nielsen's aces with a pair eights.
Meanwhile, more notables filed in as the day went on, including Renji Mao, Dominik Nitsche, Bin Leng, Patrik Demus, and Dan Cates. Of those players, only Nitsche and Cates made it to Day 2.
Cates was in usual form, making light-hearted jokes and unafraid to put chips into the middle. He also got off to a hot start by doubling through Nevan Chang after they both rivered trip aces. Cates held the best kicker with Big Slick to leave Chang short and Chang busted shortly after the hand.
Not long after dinner break, Chen ended up best in a massive pot between her, Song, and Leng wherein they all ended up all-in preflop. Chen held ace-queen against Song's jacks and Leng's ace-nine and ended up flopping an ace to bust Leng and put a sizable dent in Song's stack. However, Song quickly rebounded by knocking out Quan Zhou after spiking a set against him with eights against Zhou's jacks.
More hands became preflop shoves as the blinds escalated, and Chen benefitted from this fact after slowplaying aces against Marius Gierse and Christopher Park to vault into a temporary chip lead.
Toward the end of the night, Mendoza again cracked aces after making a flush against Ami Barer to surge up the ranks. However, Song wouldn't be denied and took down a few smaller pots to reclaim a slight chip lead before play ended for the night.
Day 2 is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and play down to a winner. Play will resume on Level 13, which features blinds of 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 big blind ante. Levels will continue to last 45 minutes each.
With an impending massive money bubble and nearly a quarter million on the line for first, the final 11 players are sure to bring their A-game headed into the finale. Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we bring you all the action leading up to the next TLPT champion!
Level 12
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,315,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
||
|
1,180,000 | |
|
1,100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
680,000 | |
|
||
|
595,000
177,000
|
177,000 |
|
|
||
|
470,000
470,000
|
470,000 |
|
|
||
|
400,000 | |
|
||
|
205,000 | |
|
185,000 | |
|
155,000
191,000
|
191,000 |
|
||
|
120,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
|
||
Level 12
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The remaining 11 players are now bagging and tagging.
Stay tuned for a recap of Day 1.
Level 12
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
In the final hand on the outer table, James Mendoza raised to 30,000 from under the gun. Gavin three-bet to 81,000 in the small blind and Istvan Birizdo called all-in for 58,000 out of the big blind, Mendoza called the three-bet.
Both active players checked down the entire board of Q♦7♦7♠4♥5♣ and the cards were revealed.
Birizdo tripled up with the J♦J♠, while Mendoza won the side pot with K♠5♠ against the A♣2♥ of Gavin.
After the hand was done, they raced off the T-1,000 chips and bagged up whatever they had at their disposal on both tables.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,180,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
|
680,000
55,000
|
55,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
400,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
205,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
|
185,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
Level 12
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
James Mendoza raised to 25,000 and Taylor Black three-bet to 75,000 in the next seat.
"How much do you have?" Mendoza inquired and Black replied he had around seven hundred. Mendoza four-bet to 225,000 and Black snap-folded.
One hand later, Mendoza opened to 35,000 into the big blind of short stack Istvan Birizdo, who opted to call and check the K♠Q♣9♠ flop. Mendoza bet big and Birizdo folded to get shown the A♠J♠.
After the hand, the players were told that the last five hands were drawn for today.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,175,000
185,000
|
185,000 |
|
|
625,000
67,000
|
67,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
95,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
Level 12
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Stephen Song opened to 24,000 from the cutoff and Calvin Lee shoved for his last 201,000 from the small blind. It was folded back to Song, who called to put Lee at risk.
Calvin Lee: A♥8♦
Stephen Song: K♦J♦
The board ran out 8♠J♥6♣6♠8♥ — leaving Lee best with a fullhouse for the double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,200,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
426,000
426,000
|
426,000 |
|
|
||
Level 12
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The action folded to Taylor Black in the small blind and he eyeballed the stack of Dan Cates.
"Less than you, buddy," Cates told him and Black gave it some further thought.
"Don't get too greedy," Cates told him before Black splashed in a big stack of T-25,000 chips.
Cates then looked at his cards and snap-called a split second later with "oh I call with that" as he exposed the J♦J♠. He was up against A♥5♦ and held on a board of K♥9♣4♣K♦6♠ to double for 229,000.
"That's what you get," Cates concluded the showdown when all was done.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
692,000
322,000
|
322,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
470,000
275,000
|
275,000 |
|
|
||
Level 12
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Stephen Song opened to 25,000 first to act holding Q♣J♠ and was called by Lei Yu in the small blind with 9♦9♥.
Yu check-called a 40,000 bet from Song on the 3♠5♠8♣ flop, but check-folded facing a 125,000 barrel from Song on the K♥ turn.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,400,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
418,000
72,000
|
72,000 |
|
|
||
Level 12
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
James Mendoza opened to 25,000 from under the gun and was three-bet to 81,000 by Ami Barer in the big blind. Mendoza called.
Mendoza called a 37,000 bet from Barer on the J♥J♦5♥ flop and then shoved over an 88,000 bet from Barer on the 3♥ turn. Barer committed the rest of his stack into the middle and hands were revealed.
Ami Barer: A♣A♦
James Mendoza: K♥Q♥
Mendoza had turned a flush and Barer was drawing slim to a full house.
The 3♦ river bricked out for Barer and he was eliminated with a half hour to go in Day 1.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
990,000
310,000
|
310,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
