IPG Hefei Main Event | Pu Jiankun led from the bottom to the top to claim the title, while Wang Yujian made a comeback with a short stack to finish as runner-up.

On August 8, 2026, the IPG Grand Finals Qualifier in Hefei reached its main event final. After seven days of competition, only 8 players out of 812 entries advanced to the final table to compete for the main event championship.

The final lasted about five and a half hours. Beijing's young player Pu Jiankun maintained his chip lead from the previous two rounds all the way to the end, defeating Wang Yujian, who came from a short chip position, in the champion heads-up match to officially lift the championship trophy.

With only 8 players remaining from 812 entries, Pu Jiankun starts the competition with a huge advantage.

The IPG Hefei Main Event saw a total of 812 entries. From 122 players advancing in the first round, to 18 remaining in the second round, and finally to the 8-player final table, Pu Jiankun maintained his lead throughout the later stages of the tournament.

Before entering the final table, he had already been the chip leader for two consecutive rounds, entering the final battle with a clear chip advantage. On the other hand, Wang Yujian started the game with one of the shortest stacks in the final table, but made a comeback all the way, eventually meeting Pu Jiankun in the championship heads-up match.

IPG Hefei Main Event Final Rankings

The original article did not disclose the specific prize money figures for each place in the main event, therefore this article will not supplement any unconfirmed prize money information.

Zhao Zhicheng's pocket eights collided with his pocket nines, making him the first player eliminated from the Financial Times.

About an hour into the final table, the first player was eliminated.

Level 29, blinds 40K/80K/80K. Zhou Jun opened the pot from the HJ position with pocket 9s. Zhao Zhicheng, who started the final table with 1.45 million chips that day, got pocket 8s from the small blind and pushed in his remaining 1.1 million chips. Zhou Jun called.

Public sign:

A♠ Q♣ 2♣ 7♥ K♠

Zhao Zhicheng was unable to hit the 8-pointer to complete the comeback and ultimately finished the main event in eighth place.

Wang Yujian flopped two pairs, eliminating seventh-place Wang Yaodong.

Shortly after Zhao Zhicheng left the game, short-stacked Wang Yaodong folded all his cards in early position and then went all-in for about 1.1 million from the small blind with K♦7♣. Wang Yujian called from the big blind with A♥10♠.

Flip the card:

A♦ 10♥ 4♥

Wang Yujian hit two pairs, leaving Wang Yaodong with only a few chances to improve on the last two streets. The turn 8♠ and the river 9♣ failed to change the outcome, and Wang Yaodong finished in seventh place.

This elimination also marked an important step for Wang Yujian in accumulating experience from the short code region.

Pu Jiankun's AQ card resulted in a straight on the turn, while Tang Haowei finished in sixth place.

Near the end of Level 29, Pu Jiankun raised to 180K from the BTN position with A♠Q♦, Wu Wenjie in the small blind called with K♣Q♣, and Tang Haowei in the big blind went all-in with pocket sixes, leaving him with 1.3 million.

Pu Jiankun then went all in again, and Wu Wenjie chose to fold.

Public signs issued:

Q♣ K♣ J♠ 10♠ 3♥

Tang Haowei's pocket sixes had limited pre-flop lead, and Pu Jiankun hit a Q on the flop, followed by a 10 on the turn to complete an A to 10 straight, eliminating Tang Haowei in sixth place.

Zhou Jun's pocket 2 collided with pocket Aces, resulting in him finishing fifth and being eliminated.

Entering level 30, blinds 50K/100K/100K.

Pan Junjie opened the pot from the CO position with pocket aces and two big blinds. Zhou Jun, in the big blind, received pocket twos and, after a long deliberation, poured in all of his remaining 1.1 million chips. Pan Junjie immediately called.

Public sign:

J♦ K♦ 3♣ 7♥ 10♥

With no 2 appearing on the board, Pan Junjie's pocket aces held onto his advantage, and Zhou Jun finished the game in fifth place.

In the four-person stage, the two major sizes are leading, and the shorter sizes are directly competing.

After Zhou Jun left the field, only four people remained.

At this point, Pu Jiankun and Wang Yujian both had over 10 million chips, forming a clear two-strong pattern; Pan Junjie had about 2.1 million chips and Wu Wenjie had about 1.4 million chips, while the two short-stacked players faced significant blind pressure.

Shortly afterward, the two short-code cars collided head-on.

Pan Junjie went all in for 2.1 million with 6♦4♦ from the BTN position, while Wu Wenjie called all in with A♣Q♥ from the big blind.

Public sign:

4♣ 9♦ 5♣ 10♠ 2♠

Pan Junjie hit a 4 on the flop to overtake Wu Wenjie and ultimately eliminate him. Wu Wenjie finished fourth, and the tournament officially entered a three-way battle for the championship.

Pu Jiankun's A-9 completed a straight on the turn, reversing Pan Junjie's pocket queens.

In the three-person stage, Level 31 with blinds of 60K/120K/120K, a crucial pre-flop showdown will directly determine the champion heads-up matchup.

Wang Yujian opened the pot with K-7 from the button, and Pan Junjie, in the small blind, received pocket queens and 3-bet to 760K. Pu Jiankun, in the big blind, re-raised to 1.6 million with A♥9♥. Wang Yujian folded, Pan Junjie went all-in, and Pu Jiankun called after a long deliberation.

Flip the card:

8♦ 6♥ 10♣

Pan Junjie still holds the lead with pocket queens, but Pu Jiankun has already made a straight draw.

The turn card was the 7♥, giving Pu Jiankun a straight of 6 to 10, allowing him to overtake his opponent from behind. The river card, the J♠, prevented Pan Junjie from regaining the lead, and the latter ultimately finished in third place.

With 14.9 million to 9.5 million, the rising star and the veteran enter the final one-on-one battle.

After Pan Junjie was eliminated, Pu Jiankun and Wang Yujian officially entered Heads-Up.

On one side is Pu Jiankun, a young player from Beijing who has maintained his chip lead for two consecutive rounds, and on the other side is Wang Yujian, a veteran who has made a comeback as a short chipper in the Final Four.

After the one-on-one match began, Wang Yujian quickly caught up through several small and medium-sized pots, bringing the two back to almost the same starting line, and the suspense of the championship increased again.

A Jack on the river rewrote the championship game, with Pu Jiankun winning a super pot with two pairs.

The most important turning point of the entire championship duel occurred in level 31.

Pu Jiankun folded with J♣Q♦ and called, while Wang Yujian checked with Q♣9♦.

Flip the card:

2♦ 9♦ 3♣

Wang Yujian hit top pair and checked, Pu Jiankun bet 180K. Wang Yujian raised to 680K, and Pu Jiankun called.

The turn card was 8♥. Wang Yujian continued to apply pressure, betting 1.7 million, and Pu Jiankun called again.

After the river card J♠ landed, Pu Jiankun hit two pair of J and 9. Wang Yujian, unaware that his hand had been overtaken, continued to bet 680K.

After a long deliberation, Pu Jiankun immediately raised his bet to 6.5 million, creating immense overpot pressure. Wang Yujian, after much thought, chose to call, ultimately seeing Pu Jiankun reveal two pairs.

This pot caused Wang Yujian's chip count to drop to approximately 1.9 million, becoming the true watershed moment in the championship battle.

A-7 defeats K-9, Pu Jiankun delivers the final blow.

Despite suffering a heavy blow, Wang Yujian immediately completed a double-up, briefly extending her hopes of winning the championship.

But by this time, Pu Jiankun had already surpassed 20 million chips, and the gap between the two sides remained huge. Soon, the final hand arrived.

Wang Yujian: K♣9♠
Pu Jiankun: A♠7♦

Wang Yujian went all in with the remaining chips, and Pu Jiankun called.

Public sign:

Q♠ 2♦ 2♥ 2♠ A♠

After the Ace landed on the river, Pu Jiankun completed a stronger hand with the Ace, officially ending the tournament. Wang Yujian finished as runner-up, while Pu Jiankun became the champion of the 2026 IPG Grand Finals Qualifier Hefei Main Event.

From consecutive CL to the final champion

The most notable feature of Pu Jiankun's championship run was that he maintained his lead until the very end.

He became the chip leader in the second round of the main event, and once again led by a large margin when the final table of eight was formed in the third round. At the final table, he eliminated Tang Haowei and Pan Junjie one after another, and made two pair on the river in the crucial heads-up pot, dealing a heavy blow to Wang Yujian. Previous reports indicated that he led the eight-man final table with 10,640,000 chips in the third round.

Wang Yujian's performance also became another key storyline of the game. From entering the final table with a short stack to accumulating over ten million chips, and then briefly tying the gap in the early stages of heads-up play, this veteran was just one step away from completing a comeback.

In the end, Pu Jiankun led the way to the championship after 812 entries. As he lifted the "Ruihu" trophy, symbolizing the highest honor in the main event, the IPG Hefei Station officially came to a close; the next IPG station is scheduled to move to Jiuhua Mountain from September 17th to 23rd.

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