Global Poker Championship | Zhang Congya wins $300,000 in Cyprus, bringing her career winnings close to $950,000 and returning to the top of the Chinese women's poker leaderboard.

On September 23, 2026, Chinese female poker player and CoinPoker brand ambassador Zhang Congya won the Global Poker Championship held at Merit Crystal Cove in Northern Cyprus, earning $300,000 and breaking her personal record for the highest single live tournament winnings.

This event had a buy-in of $2,200 and a guaranteed prize pool of $2 million. Zhang Congya started the final day ranked 12th and entered the nine-player final table with the shortest stack of the event. However, she successfully doubled up in the six-player stage and then eliminated her opponents one after another, eventually entering the Heads-Up with a chip lead of more than 75%.

The championship match lasted only about 20 minutes before she defeated Russian player Sergei Petrushevskii's 55 with a score of JJ, officially winning the championship.

This victory also increased Zhang Congya's total live tournament winnings to $949,946, approximately RMB 6.45 million, and returned her to the top of the Chinese Women's Poker Leaderboard.

The winner won $300,000 after a $2,200 buy-in.

This year's Global Poker Championship is being held in Merit Crystal Cove, Northern Cyprus, and offers a guaranteed prize pool of $2 million for the participants.

Zhang Congya ultimately succeeded in reaching the top, winning the highest single prize of her career.

Key event data

It's important to note that the $2 million is the guaranteed prize pool for the event, not the confirmed final prize pool. The original article also did not provide the complete number of participants or the final table prize rankings, so no further calculations are possible.

On the final day, 16 players returned, but Zhang Congya only ranked 12th.

This championship was not won by leading all the way.

When the final day of competition began, there were 16 players left on the field, and Zhang Congya was ranked only 12th on the scoreboard.

She must find the right opportunity with a short chip to continue her journey to the final table.

Although she made it to the final nine, she still had the fewest scorecards when the Final Table was officially formed.

For a tournament with a champion's prize of $300,000, this means she must first solve the problem of short-chip survival before she has a chance to compete for the championship again.

TT beat Paul Esau's AJ, completing a significant double-up at the six-handed table.

The key hand that truly changed the situation for Zhang Congya occurred when there were only six players left.

At the time, German player Paul Esau was the chip leader.

Zhang Congya received:

TT

Esau holds:

AJ

Both players went all-in pre-flop.

The community cards ultimately failed to help Esau hit an Ace or Jack, and Zhang Congya successfully defended her pocket 10s, completing a crucial double-up.

This pot brought her back into contention for the championship and laid the foundation for her subsequent comeback.

AQ crushes AT, eliminating the German chip leader.

Not long after, Zhang Congya and Paul Esau clashed again.

This time she holds:

AQ

Esau received:

AT

The two sides have once again entered an all-in showdown.

Zhang Congya maintained her lead with a powerful kick and successfully won the pot.

Esau finished the race in 6th place, with the following results:

$65,000

With the German player leaving the stage, the Global Poker Championship officially entered the final five-player competition.

Zhang Congya has gradually transformed from a short-stacked player who needed to double her chips into a major competitor at the poker table.

From shortest stack to chip leader, Zhang Congya takes over the five-player table.

After entering the five-player table, Zhang Congya's score continued to increase.

She, who was originally ranked last at the nine-person final table, has gradually taken the initiative.

During the dinner break, she successfully overtook the other players and became the chip leader.

After the break, Zhang Congya continued her offensive, eliminating the remaining opponents one after another.

By the time she finally reached Heads-Up, she had mastered:

Over 751 TP3T total scoreboard

She faced off against Russian player Sergei Petrushevskii in a one-on-one championship match.

In just 20 minutes of head-up play, JJ defeated 55 to secure the championship.

Zhang Congya entered the one-on-one duel with a clear advantage and did not let the match last long.

About 20 minutes later, the final hand that would determine the champion was revealed.

Zhang Congya holds:

JJ

Sergei Petrushevskii received:

55

Both sides put all their scoreboards into the center.

In the end, Zhang Congya's pocket Js successfully maintained the lead, defeating Petrushevskii's pocket 5s to win the Global Poker Championship.

From finishing 12th on the final day with the shortest stack at the nine-player final table, to entering Heads-Up with a chip lead of over 75%, Zhang Congya completed the most important comeback of the tournament.

$300,000 sets a new career record, surpassing his WSOP Main Event performance.

This victory also rewrote Zhang Congya's personal prize money record.

Before winning the Global Poker Championship, her biggest single live tournament winnings came from the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

At that time, Zhang Congya obtained:

61st place

Takeaways:

$150,000

The Cyprus title now brings in $300,000, exactly double the previous highest single prize in his career.

Zhang Congya's two representative on-site competition results

Within just a few months, she first achieved a significant run in the WSOP Main Event, and then won a six-figure dollar prize in Cyprus.

These two achievements combined amount to $450,000.

The live tournament has a total prize pool of US$949,946, which is approximately RMB 6.45 million.

According to a report by China Poker Network on September 23, Zhang Congya has accumulated 97 prize money finishes since she first entered the prize money in a live tournament in December 2023, as of September 2026.

Following this victory, her live tournament career statistics are as follows:

In less than three years, Zhang Congya has accumulated nearly $950,000 in live tournament winnings and achieved 20 Final Table results.

It is important to note that the accumulated prize money for live events is the sum of prize money earned from all previous events, and is not equivalent to the actual profit after deducting buy-in and entry costs.

Returning to the top of the Chinese women's poker leaderboard

In addition to breaking the prize money record, Zhang Congya also climbed back to the top of the women's rankings with this championship.

According to a report by China Poker Network, after winning the Global Poker Championship, she returned to:

China's No. 1 Women's Poker Leaderboard

The world women's rankings are now as follows:

9th place

From finishing 61st in this year's WSOP Main Event to winning the Cyprus title, Zhang Congya has consistently achieved success in tournaments of varying buy-ins and entry sizes.

From first entering the top ranks at the end of 2023 to becoming one of the world's top ten women's rankings.

Zhang Congya's first live race bonus lap record came in December 2023.

Since then, her competition footprint has gradually expanded to multiple countries and regions.

According to the original text, she participated in live events at the following locations:

Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, the United States, Cyprus, Spain, and Australia.

The competition series covers:

WSOP, WSOP Circuit, EPT, Triton One, APT, Poker Dream, King Poker Cup, Red Dragon Poker Tour, MPP and WPT, etc.

Through experience accumulated in different regions and competition systems, Zhang Congya gradually established her personal record of live competition results.

Zhang Congya: I was a little nervous on the final day, but I always believed in myself.

After winning the championship, Zhang Congya gave an interview, talking about her feelings about the victory.

She said that her primary emotion was actually calmness and composure.

Looking back on her overall performance in 2026, she believes she has grown rapidly that year and is full of confidence in her current competitive state.

When asked how to survive in the final day under short code conditions, Zhang Congya frankly stated:

"I played very well on Day 2 and I'm very satisfied with myself. I was a little nervous on Day 3 because the scoreboard was short, but I believed in myself and kept going."

She also mentioned that she had many favorable starting hands in the short stack stage and successfully won the key all-in duel, which made the entire advancement process gradually smoother.

I'm proud of the Chinese athletes and I appreciate their experience competing in Cyprus.

When asked about the potential impact of this championship on Chinese poker, Zhang Congya also shared her views on the Chinese poker player community.

She said she was proud of this group and thought every Chinese athlete who traveled a long way to participate was outstanding.

She also highly praised the live competition experience in Cyprus and Merit.

For Zhang Congya, this victory not only broke her personal prize money record, but also marked an important championship achievement in a high-stakes overseas tournament.

After finishing 61st in the WSOP Main Event, he set a new record by winning the $300,000 championship.

In the summer of 2026, Zhang Congya gained attention for finishing 61st in the WSOP Main Event and winning $150,000.

Now, in less than a season, she has raised her personal highest single live prize to $300,000 in Cyprus.

The process of winning this Global Poker Championship is also representative.

He finished 12th out of 16 on the final day, with the lowest chip count at the nine-player final table. He then doubled up by defeating Paul Esau’s AJ with TT, followed by eliminating his opponent’s AT with AQ, and finally entered the heads-up championship with a chip advantage of over 75%.

With JJ successfully defeating Sergei Petrushevskii's 55, Zhang Congya officially won her fourth live tournament title in her career.

A career-high prize of $300,000, accumulated prize money approaching $950,000, and a return to the top of the Chinese women's points leaderboard are her latest significant achievements for the second half of 2026.

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