Michel Molenaar has found a profitable way to spend October in Jeju. The Dutchman has won a second KPC title in four days, adding $140,000 to a remarkable run that has already delivered $458,400 from three major finishes.
Three deep runs, two trophies and $458,400
Molenaar’s latest result came in Sunday’s $25,000 Single Day Super High Roller at LES A Casino, where ten entries generated a $234,000 prize pool. He beat Morocco’s Mehdi Chaoui heads-up to take the $140,000 first prize, leaving Chaoui with $94,000. There were no consolation checks for anyone else.
That is some contrast to the massive fields usually associated with a poker festival. The growth of Jeju’s high-stakes scene has brought both sprawling tournaments and tiny, expensive lineups to the island. Molenaar has managed to make the most of both formats this month.
He finished second in the $5,000 King’s Debut on October 12 for $150,000, then won the $15,000 King’s Single Day High Roller on October 15 for another $168,400. Sunday’s $140,000 victory brings those three results to $458,400 in recorded prize money. That is not a profit figure, of course, since it does not account for entry fees or any other bullets fired.
- October 12: 2nd, $5,000 King’s Debut, $150,000
- October 15: 1st, $15,000 King’s Single Day High Roller, $168,400
- October 18: 1st, $25,000 Single Day Super High Roller, $140,000
Eight entries miss out, two players get paid
The $25,000 event had a brutal payout structure. Ten entries were recorded, but the entire $234,000 prize pool went to the top two finishers. Reaching the final three still meant being on the tournament bubble, and third place would walk away with nothing.
The field was expensive to survive even for established high rollers. Punnat Punsri reportedly tried three times without making the money, while Manuel Fritz had two unsuccessful entries. Lei Yu, who won the earlier $25,000 event at this festival for $316,100, was knocked out in fourth after his pocket tens lost to Vladas Tamasauskas’ king-queen.
Tamasauskas then suffered the elimination nobody wanted. His ace-king ran into Chaoui’s eight-four of clubs on a flop containing three clubs, and he departed in third. That put both remaining players into the money and left a $46,000 difference between first and second to settle.
Pocket fours finish the job
Molenaar arrived at heads-up play with 2.1 million chips against Chaoui’s 895,000, a little more than a two-to-one advantage. He never surrendered that lead. On the final hand, he moved all in from the button holding pocket fours, and Chaoui called with ace-deuce for his remaining 595,000.
A four arrived on the turn to give Molenaar a set, and the river three completed a full house. There would be no late escape for Chaoui. For Molenaar, it was another trophy secured with a modest pocket pair rather than a premium starting hand.
The remarkable part of this week is not simply that Molenaar is running well. It is that he has been cashing in very different situations, from the 214-entry King’s Debut to a $25,000 contest paying just two people. A run like that can reshape an entire festival’s results for one player.
Jeju’s bigger prize is still to come
The KPC October Series is not finished with the high rollers. Its $15,000 King’s Main Event has drawn 169 entries and generated $2,372,760 in prize money, with 50 players progressing to Monday’s Day 2. Vladas Tamasauskas entered the day on top with 5,635,000 chips, just ahead of Tony Lin’s 5,275,000.
Among the other survivors is Ethan “Rampage” Yau, whose 2,520,000 stack keeps him firmly in contention. The tournament’s final day is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, so there is still a sizeable result to come out of Jeju. Molenaar, meanwhile, already has two titles and a runner-up finish to show for his visit.
