DBPT S4 Huludao Station | Main Event: 451 entries, 48 advance to Day 2, Tongtong successfully enters the money in her first appearance.

On September 24, 2026, the DBPT City Intellectual Competition S4 season entered its third day of competition, with the first round of the main event officially concluding. Day 1C and Day 1D quick matches were held that day, and after all four starting groups were completed, the total number of participants in this main event was determined to be 451.

The four groups generated a total of 51 qualifying spots. After deducting 3 players who qualified twice, a total of 48 different players qualified for Day 2. According to this year's competition rules, the successful qualifiers have also entered the prize pool.

The highlight of the final day of the first round, besides last year's champion Li Chenglin being eliminated in a three-way all-in, also included Tongtong, a female player from Shenyang. This interior designer, who only started playing international poker this April, successfully advanced to the second round with 166,000 chips in her first official tournament.

DBPT S4 Main Event Group 4 has concluded, with 451 entries yielding 48 Day 2 players.

The main event of this year's DBPT S4 was held at the Baida Wanmei Hot Spring Hotel in Huludao, Liaoning.

On September 22, Day 1A kicked off, with 119 participants and 14 advancing. The following day, Day 1B attracted 160 participants, resulting in 18 advancing spots.

On September 24th, the last two starting groups took to the field. Group C started at 13:00, while the quick matches in Group D began at 20:00.

Group C ultimately attracted 151 participants, with 16 advancing; Group D's fast-track race recorded 21 participants, with 3 successfully advancing.

DBPT S4 Main Event Round 1 Complete Data

Because this competition allowed players to participate again after qualifying, three players qualified repeatedly in the first round.

therefore,After deducting 3 duplicate spots from the 51 qualifying slots, 48 players actually advanced to Day 2.

According to the official report, players who advance repeatedly will also receive an iPhone 17 as an additional reward.

Last year's champion, Li Chenglin, was eliminated in Group C, failing to defend his title.

Another key highlight of Day 1C is the return of Lee Seong-rim, the champion of the previous DBPT S3 main event.

He continued to strive for advancement in this S4 tournament, but lost several important pots in the later stages of the competition, ultimately failing to advance beyond the first round.

One hand at level 17 became a crucial turning point for him.

The blinds at that time were 6,000/12,000/12,000.

The player in the MP position raised to 35,000, and Li Chenglin 3-bet to 100,000 from the BTN position.

MP player calls after thinking.

The card is flipped:

J-3-7

MP checked, Li Chenglin bet 80,000, and his opponent called.

After the turn cards were dealt, the MP player quickly went all-in with the remaining 146,000 chips.

After a long deliberation, Li Chenglin chose to fold, losing this important pot.

This hand caused his chip count to drop from above average to below average, putting him under greater pressure from his short stack in subsequent engagements.

All-in by three players: JJ hits three of the three, Lee Sung-rim's AQ eliminates him.

Level 18, blinds increased to 10,000/15,000/15,000.

Li Chenglin is once again embroiled in a game that will determine his fate in the next round.

At that time, the player in the UTG position raised to 50,000, and a female player in the BTN position went all-in with less than 100,000 chips.

Lee Sung-rim, holding approximately 150,000 chips in the BB position, also opted for an all-in.

After the action returned to UTG, the opponent thought for a moment and then called.

Three parties reveal their cards

Lee Seong-rim's AQ suppressed BTN's A3, but he had to defeat UTG's JJ to win the entire pot.

Community cards: Q-5-J-6-8

The flop came up with both a Q and a J.

Lee Seong-rim hit a pair of Qs, but the UTG player also hit three Js with JJ, maintaining the lead.

Neither the turn card 6 nor the river card 8 changed the outcome.

Ultimately, the UTG player won the pot with three Jacks, eliminating two opponents in one go.

Lee Seong-rim, the champion of the previous DBPT S3 main event, has thus ended his journey in the S4 main event, failing to qualify for the second round.

Tongtong participated in her first official tournament and successfully advanced with 166,000 chips.

Besides the previous champion being eliminated in the first round, Day1C also features another character story.

Tongtong, a female player from Shenyang, successfully entered the money in her first official poker tournament.

Tongtong currently works in full-service interior design and has her own studio.

In an interview with PokerChina on September 24, she revealed that she had not been involved in international poker for very long, and that she did not actually sit at a poker table for the first time until April of this year.

Now, just five months later, she has already secured her first official tournament Day 2 ticket.

Tongtong's results in this main tournament

For Tongtong, this advancement brought both excitement and some regret.

She used up some of her chips in the final stages of the first round, eventually sealing the bag with 166,000, making her a short-stacked player in the advancing lineup.

However, successfully entering the prize pool has already achieved her important goal for her first competition.

Tongtong's journey began with a skiing trip in Xinjiang, and she ended up at the poker table.

Tongtong's connection with international poker began during a trip to Xinjiang this April.

She went skiing in Koktokay at the time.

After finishing her activities on the snow mountain, she met up with friends from different regions at a bar and experienced international poker for the first time.

Initially, this was just an additional form of entertainment during the trip.

However, as she spent more time with the game, she gradually became interested in the strategies and decisions involved and began to actively study GTO (Game Theory Optimal).

She found that while international poker is easy to learn, the amount of thought required increases as one goes deeper into the subject.

This competitive nature, which combines strategy, psychology, and uncertainty, led her to decide to dedicate more time to its study.

From skiing and diving to skydiving and poker, Tongtong is passionate about exploring new fields.

Before getting into poker, Tongtong had tried many different sports.

Skiing, diving, skydiving, and kitesurfing are all activities she has spent time learning.

She mentioned that she had traveled to different Southeast Asian countries many times in the past to explore the underwater world for diving purposes.

After completing hundreds of dives, she started kitesurfing.

This year, international poker has gradually become her primary interest.

As a designer, she is used to dividing her life into different parts, such as work, daily life, and exploring new things.

Now, poker has become one of the activities she prioritizes when scheduling her time.

34 diamonds hit the bottom pair, four delayed cards were discarded after consideration.

When asked about her most memorable hand from Day 1, Tongtong shared her experience of holding 3♦4♦.

She opted for a 3-bet, and eventually two opponents called.

According to her observations, one of her opponents played a more relaxed and aggressive style, while the other played a relatively tighter style and placed bets more directly.

Flip the card: QQ-4

Tongtong hit a pair of 4s, and with the community cards, she made two pairs.

She opted for a large bet, successfully causing her tighter opponent to fold, but another more aggressive player continued to call.

During the turn, Tongtong chose to pass.

The opponent immediately went all in.

Faced with this attack, she used all four of her deliberation cards and, after a long period of consideration, finally decided to fold.

The opponent then revealed:

5♠6♠

This hand affected her emotions to some extent and made her realize once again that in tournaments, you can't judge your betting behavior solely based on whether your opponent has a strong hand.

Since the original text did not provide the turn card or the full bet amount, it is impossible to confirm whether the opponent had a straight or flush draw at that time, and it is not appropriate to directly define this hand as a pure bluff.

Use the opponent's preconceived notions about female players to find opportunities to attack.

In the interview, Tongtong also mentioned that female players may face some preconceived notions at the poker table.

Some players believe that female players tend to have a tighter pool range and a relatively lower frequency of bluffing.

She said that from the early stages of learning poker, she began to pay attention to how to take advantage of her opponents' expectations.

For example, try to contest the pot from a suitable position, or choose to launch an attack on the river based on the community cards and the opponent's actions.

For her, the real pressure came not from gender, but from the playing style of each opponent and the specific hand.

This successful advancement also gives her the opportunity to continue accumulating experience in official tournaments in the second round.

My goal after making it into the top tier for the first time: to play every hand well.

Although she successfully qualified for Day 2, Tongtong did not rush to set a requirement for herself that she must win the championship.

She said she hopes to handle each hand well in the next stage first.

As long as the scoreboard remains, the opportunity to continue competing is preserved.

For her longer-term goals, she hopes to achieve something memorable in the next six months, whether it's making it to the Final Table or winning a championship.

However, she is currently more focused on continuous learning and understanding the decisions she makes in different hands.

From her first encounter with poker in Xinjiang this April to stepping onto the DBPT S4 official stage in September, Tongtong has completed the first step from enthusiast to live tournament participant.

Day 2 will begin on September 25th, with 48 players continuing to compete for the main event title.

With the conclusion of the last two starting groups on September 24, the first round of the DBPT S4 main event has been completed.

A total of 451 people participated in the main tournament, and the four groups produced a total of 51 qualifying spots. After deducting duplicate qualifying spots, 48 players will enter the second round on September 25.

Previously, Xia Xin, the third-place finisher in the previous main event, led Day 1A with 1,030,000 chips, while Zhao Jianbo took the chip lead on Day 1B with 1,298,000 chips.

After the final two groups conclude, all the advancing players will regroup to continue competing for the later stages of the main tournament.

For Tongtong, 166,000 chips means there is still considerable pressure to survive in the second round, but she has successfully achieved her first official tournament prize pool.

With last year's champion Li Chenglin eliminated in the first round, the DBPT S4 main event will welcome a new champion.

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