Red Dragon Cup PLUS | Zeng Zhaoheng crowned champion, Dragon Awakening opening match, breaking personal best record

On July 10, 2026, the Red Dragon Cup PLUS Summer Jeju Station #3 Dragon Awakening Opening Tournament officially concluded. Hong Kong player Tsang Siu-hang continued his strong performance from the first round, steadily advancing throughout the final round, ultimately defeating Bai Boyang to win the championship, securing his first Red Dragon tournament trophy and setting a new personal record for the highest single tournament prize money.

The opening tournament of the "Awakening of the Dragon" event attracted 240 participants, including many professional poker players and promising newcomers from home and abroad. After the first round, only 37 players successfully advanced to the final round. Zeng Zhaoheng topped the leaderboard in the first round with 770,000 chips, and maintained a steady pace in the final round, ultimately advancing to heads-up and claiming the title.

Zeng Zhaoheng fought his way from chip leader to champion.

After entering the final round, Zeng Zhaoheng continued his hot streak from the previous day, gradually widening his lead with his chip advantage and control of key hands. In the later stages of the final table, he faced Zhu Hao's A9 with pocket fours in the four-player stage, and hit a straight on the river to complete a crucial comeback, further solidifying his position as the chip leader.

In the three-player stage, Zhang Tianwei and Bai Boyang had similar chip counts, and the two exchanged attacks and defenses multiple times. Bai Boyang once dealt a heavy blow to Zhang Tianwei with his pocket Kings, but Zeng Zhaoheng ultimately seized the opportunity to eliminate Zhang Tianwei, bringing the match to a heads-up match against Bai Boyang.

The heads-up match lasted about 40 minutes. Although Bai Boyang tried to break through several times, Zeng Zhaoheng consistently used his huge chip advantage to apply pressure. In the final hand, Bai Boyang limped in with A♣9♣, and Zeng Zhaoheng raised to 775,000 with A♦K♣. Bai Boyang then went all in, and Zeng Zhaoheng quickly called.

The community cards were 2♠6♥T♥4♣6♣, and Zeng Zhaoheng secured the victory with a superior Ace-high hand, officially becoming the champion of the 2026 Red Dragon Cup PLUS Summer Jeju Station Dragon Awakening Opening Tournament. Bai Boyang took second place, and Zhang Tianwei finished third.

Final table: Nine players start, elimination occurs on the first hand.

At noon local time on July 10, 37 players who had qualified returned to the arena to compete for the championship trophy of the Dragon Awakening Opening Tournament. Less than three hours into the competition, Vietnamese player PHAM NGOC QIOC BAO, holding Q♣J♥, lost to Guo Rong's pocket 10s, finishing in 10th place, thus officially forming the nine-player final table.

The final table saw an elimination on the very first hand. Xu Chenyi went all-in from the U-1 position with A♣T♣, only to be called by Gu Rong from U-2 with Q♠Q♣. The flop came Q♥K♥5♣, giving Gu Rong a significant lead with a set. The turn A♥ gave Xu Chenyi a pair, but the river 9♥ failed to provide a straight out, ending Xu Chenyi's run in ninth place.

Subsequently, short-stacked Chen Jingling called Zhu Hao's all-in with A♣T♥ from the CO position, who had A♦3♦. The flop came 2♦K♣3♣, giving Zhu Hao a pair. The turn, Q♥, gave Chen Jingling a straight draw, but the river, K♦, failed to change the situation, and Chen Jingling was eliminated in eighth place.

Beckham was the best female athlete, but finished in sixth place.

In the seven-player phase, Xiao Bei, captain of the Red Dragon Women's Team, repeatedly doubled up against Peng Sishu, gradually changing the game's momentum. Later, in the blinds, Xiao Bei went all-in with J♥J♦, and Peng Sishu called with A♥6♦. After the community cards T♠9♣Q♣J♣9♦ were dealt, Xiao Bei completed a full house, and Peng Sishu finished in seventh place.

However, Xiao Bei failed to maintain this momentum into the later stages. First, in a hand where AJo faced Bai Boyang's KQo, she was overtaken on the turn, significantly reducing her chip count. Then, she went all-in with 5♠5♣, only to be called by Zhang Tianwei's Q♣Q♦. The community cards 7♣4♦9♠T♥6♠ failed to help, and Xiao Bei ultimately finished in sixth place, becoming the female player with the best result in this year's Dragon Awakening opening tournament.

Zeng Zhaoheng's crucial comeback victory against Zhu Hao laid the foundation for the championship.

In a six-player game, Guo Rong went all-in for 1.4 million from the small blind with J♥T♦, and Zeng Zhaoheng called from the big blind with A♣8♣. The flop of 3♠8♥4♠ gave Zeng Zhaoheng a pair to take the lead. The turn Q♦ gave Guo Rong a straight draw, but the river K♦ failed to complete the hand, and Guo Rong finished in fifth place.

Entering Level 28, Zeng Zhaoheng continued to apply pressure as the chip leader. He went all-in for 3.6 million from the button with 4♥4♦, and Zhu Hao from the big blind called with A♠9♥. The flop of 3♠3♣A♥ gave Zhu Hao an Ace pair and the lead, while the turn 2♠ gave Zeng Zhaoheng a straight draw. The river 5♦ completed Zeng Zhaoheng's A-to-5 straight, narrowly eliminating Zhu Hao, who finished in fourth place.

This hand became a crucial turning point in the later stages of the finals. Zeng Zhaoheng not only eliminated a major competitor but also further extended his lead, laying the foundation for the subsequent three-way battle and heads-up match.

Results of the opening match of the Dragon Awakening tournament

Match data compilation

The Qinglong Cup PLUS kicked off simultaneously, with Ye Zhi and Peng Shunqing leading their respective groups.

While the finals of the opening tournament of Awakening of the Dragon were underway, another key event in this series, the #15 Azure Dragon Cup PLUS, was also taking place on the other side of the field. The first round of the quick matches for Groups A and B was also being held.

Group A started at 12:00 noon local time, coinciding with the opening tournament finals. After registration closed, this group attracted 126 participants. Following a simultaneous bubble period of approximately 3 hours, 19 players successfully advanced to the second round of the finals, with Ye Zhi becoming the chip leader in Group A with 928,000 chips.

The Group B Turbo tournament began at 7 PM, with 64 entries and 10 players advancing. Peng Shunqing secured the Group B chip lead with 681,000 chips and will continue his pursuit of the Azure Dragon Cup PLUS championship in the second round.

Today's Champion Honors

With the conclusion of the Dragon Awakening opening event, the Red Dragon Cup PLUS Summer Jeju Station witnessed its first major championship story. Zeng Zhaoheng fought his way from first-round chip leader to the final crown, demonstrating not only a stable rhythm but also seizing decisive opportunities in several crucial all-in duels.

Next, the focus of the series will shift to the second round of the Blue Dragon Cup PLUS and subsequent key events. As more players advance from the group stage, the battle for the championship in Jeju will continue to heat up.

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