Sun Wins APT Jeju Main Event After

Sun Claims Gold Mega Lion Trophy at Jeju Shinhwa World

Jianfeng Sun has won the Main Event of the Asian Poker Tour festival at Jeju Shinhwa World. The Chinese player outlasted a field of 1,375 entries to claim the Gold Mega Lion Trophy, closing out a result that had eluded him two years earlier.

Sun had reached the heads-up stage of the same Main Event in 2024 and finished as runner-up. This time he went one step further, defeating Singapore's Steve Ng in the final hand after the two players agreed to a heads-up deal.

A Record-Sized Field and a Fast Final Table

The Main Event carried a buy-in of $2,000, and the 1,375 entries generated a prize pool of 3,207,600,000 KRW, or roughly $2,393,730. The original first-place prize was set at approximately $415,000 before the deal was struck.

Eight players returned for the final day, with Sun arriving as the clear chip leader. The final table played out in just 90 hands and less than four and a half hours of pure playtime, making it the second-fastest final table in the modern history of the APT circuit.

Sun applied pressure from the opening minutes and held a significant lead for nearly the entire final table. The one player able to keep pace was Ng, who eliminated both Toby Joyce and Kwang Chung Tan to reach heads-up play holding a 3:2 chip advantage.

The Heads-Up Deal and the Final Hand

With the title still undecided, the two players agreed to a heads-up deal. Under the terms of the arrangement, Ng secured the largest single financial share of the prize pool, while the remaining 23.6 million KRW, about $17,610, and the Gold Mega Lion Trophy were left to be decided on the felt.

Sun raised his aggression in the play-off. In the final hand, Ng moved all-in with king-ten and Sun called with ace-four. The board ran out without improving either player's holding in a decisive way, and Sun's ace-high was enough to secure the title.

Sun's winning score was 427,565,000 KRW, approximately $319,080, while Ng took home 449,115,000 KRW, approximately $335,160, as the larger share of the deal.

Final Table Results

• 1st: Jianfeng Sun, China — 427,565,000 KRW* (~$319,080)
• 2nd: Steve Pei Yao Ng, Singapore — 449,115,000 KRW* (~$335,160)
• 3rd: Kwang Chung Tan, Singapore — 225,180,000 KRW (~$168,045)
• 4th: Toby Joyce, Ireland — 166,770,000 KRW (~$124,455)
• 5th: Weimin Chen, China — 130,330,000 KRW (~$97,260)
• 6th: Jiawei Wan, China — 98,140,000 KRW (~$73,240)
• 7th: Erdun Xu, China — 75,030,000 KRW (~$55,990)
• 8th: Shuang Qiu, China — 53,230,000 KRW (~$39,725)

*Denotes a heads-up deal.

Why the Result Matters

Heads-up deals are a common feature of large tournament finales. When two players remain, the difference between first and second place is often substantial, and both may prefer to lock in a guaranteed sum rather than play on for the full first-place payout. In this case, the deal redistributed the top two payouts so that Ng received the larger guaranteed amount, while Sun played for the trophy and the remaining balance.

For Sun, the victory represents a notable turnaround. Reaching heads-up in the same event in 2024 and losing is the kind of result that can linger for a tournament player. Returning to the same festival and converting the opportunity is a meaningful achievement, particularly against a field of this size.

The speed of the final table is also worth noting. A 90-hand final table is unusually short for an event of this magnitude. Short-handed final tables tend to produce faster decisions and more frequent all-in confrontations, and Sun's large chip lead allowed him to dictate the pace from the start. When one player holds a commanding stack, the remaining players are often forced into marginal spots earlier than they would prefer, which accelerates eliminations.

Sun's win adds his name to the list of APT Jeju Main Event champions and gives him the Gold Mega Lion Trophy to go with the result he narrowly missed two years ago.