Pocket Kings Cracked as Three-Way All-In Decides WPT Seoul Opener

Daisuke Nagano claimed the first trophy of WPT Seoul 2026 after a three-way preflop all-in ended the Inspire Superstack in one hand. Holding ace-king against ace-jack and pocket kings, Nagano found the perfect flop to knock out both opponents and collect approximately KRW 10.97 million ($8,200).

The tournament took place on October 30 at INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in Incheon, South Korea. It attracted 73 entries, generated a KRW 37,843,200 prize pool and opened an 11-day World Poker Tour festival that runs until November 9.

Three Players, One Pot, and Two Aces on the Flop

With three players remaining, Nagano held the chip lead and had both opponents covered. Iwase Takahiro and Yan Zongjun were hoping to double up and put themselves in contention for the title, but all three ended up getting their stacks into the middle before the flop.

The players turned over three hands that could easily produce a tournament-ending cooler.

Zongjun’s pocket kings were ahead before the flop, although both opponents holding an ace reduced his chances of facing an overcard. Nagano had Big Slick, while Takahiro’s ace-jack needed to improve against both hands.

The dealer spread an A♣ A♦ 6♦ flop, putting Nagano in front with trip aces and a king kicker. Takahiro also made trip aces, but his jack kicker left him behind, while Zongjun’s kings had gone from the best hand preflop to drawing dead.

The 9♣ turn and 7♠ river changed nothing. Nagano scooped the pot, eliminated both opponents and finished the tournament without having to play a single hand of heads-up poker.

Why Did Ace-King Win?

The final board was A♣ A♦ 6♦ 9♣ 7♠, meaning Nagano and Takahiro each held three aces. Nagano’s remaining cards included a king, which played as the higher kicker against Takahiro’s jack.

Pocket kings, meanwhile, could not recover after the flop. Even hitting the remaining king would have given Zongjun a full house that lost to Nagano’s aces full of kings.

Players unfamiliar with how kickers work can find examples in our poker hand rankings guide. You can also enter all three starting hands into Poker Type’s free Texas Hold’em calculator to compare their equity before the flop.

There was another detail to the finish. Because Takahiro and Zongjun were eliminated in the same hand, their finishing positions were determined by their chip stacks going into it, rather than the strength of their cards at showdown. Takahiro took second place, with Zongjun collecting the third-place payout.

WPT Seoul Inspire Superstack Results and Payouts

The KRW 600,000 buy-in Inspire Superstack attracted 73 entries, with the top 11 places receiving a share of the KRW 37.84 million prize pool. Players began with 50,000 chips, and blind levels increased from 25 to 30 minutes after late registration closed.

Nagano’s victory was worth approximately KRW 10.97 million, with Takahiro receiving around KRW 6.81 million and Zongjun collecting KRW 4.45 million.

Prize amounts are rounded from the published payout schedule. Final finishing names outside the top three have not been independently confirmed.

Zongjun Had Already Cracked a Set of Aces

Losing with kings in the final hand was a rough way for Zongjun to finish, particularly as he had already been on the right side of a sizeable cooler earlier in the tournament.

In that hand, Zongjun held 7♦ 4♠ against Takumi Nakayama’s A♣ A♦ on an A♠ 7♠ 4♥ 6♠ board. Nakayama had top set and looked set to eliminate Zongjun, who moved all-in for his remaining 17,100 chips.

Instead, the 8♠ river completed Zongjun’s flush and cracked Nakayama’s aces. Zongjun survived, eventually reaching the final three before finding out how quickly a premium hand can turn into a losing one.

Dutch tournament veteran Rob Hollink also suffered a painful exit during the Superstack. Hollink’s A♠ 6♠ flopped trip sixes against Zhou Yuda’s pocket aces, but an ace on the river gave Yuda a higher full house and eliminated Hollink alongside Manaka Kuichi, who held pocket jacks.

WPT Seoul 2026: What’s Next?

The Inspire Superstack was only the opening act of WPT Seoul’s first festival at INSPIRE Entertainment Resort. The series features 45 numbered events across October 30 to November 9, including Pot-Limit Omaha, bounty tournaments, satellites and high rollers.

The headline tournament is the WPT Seoul Inspire Championship, carrying a KRW 1 billion guaranteed prize pool. It begins on November 5 with four starting flights spread across three days, before the remaining players return for Day 2 on November 8 and the final day on November 9.

Tournament director Danny McDonagh, whose career includes running major events across the Asia-Pacific region, is overseeing proceedings. With the festival now underway, attention will turn to whether the Championship’s four starting flights can generate enough entries to clear the billion-won guarantee.

Nagano has already secured his place in the festival’s results book. For Zongjun, there will be plenty more opportunities to find pocket kings, although he might prefer that nobody turns up with Big Slick next time.