With the bright lights and the cameras of the live stream, the players seem a little star-struck and no one seems to want to get out of line where their play can be critiqued by the watching stream. As a result, the action is a little slow to start.
Lee Kuan Lee tried to get something going with an open to 54,000 from the hijack, with Jae Wook Shin coming along for the ride one seat over, before Ling He shut them both down with a shove from the small blind and both players folded.
Alex Lindop opened the action to 50,000 from middle position the next hand, with He the only caller on the button. Lindop checked the flop over to He, who took a stab for 50,000, only for Lindop to check-raise shove for over 600,000 - which was more than He had. The Chinese player took the hint and folded.
Lee Kuan Wee took a hand off Alex Lindop in a battle of the blinds, with the Brit limping preflop and then calling a Wee raise to take the action to the flop of . Lindop checked, and with over 200,000 in the pot, Wee continuation bet for 100,000, which was enough to get it done.
The hand following, action folded around to David Erquiaga in the hijack, and he made it 54 to go, with big blind Jae Wook Shin the only caller. There was no betting in the hand with both players checking the flop, the turn and the river. Shin rolled over but had been rivered by Erquiaga, who showed to claim the pot.
Cards are now in the air, though the first two hands dealt were uneventful as the players ease themselves into the action. Blinds are still at level 24 - 12,000/24,000 with a 24,000 big blind ante for another 48-minutes.
David Erquiaga got a walk in the big blind in the first hand dealt, and the first flop of the day came the hand aftereard, with the UK's Alex Lindop opening the action from under-the-gun with a min-raise. Only big blind Kuang Hung Lee called, but quiickly check-folded on the flop to Lindop's 60,000 continuation bet.
Player's are in the midst of being introduced and seated on the feature table on the stage, and there will be a live Twitch stream of the final table with a 15-minute delay which you can view HERE.
It's almost game time in the Poker King Cup Main Event, so stick around as we discover who has the right to call themselves the inaugural Poker King Cup Taiwan Main Event Champion and claim the TWD 1,639,000 (~$52,300) top prize.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the grand finale of the inaugural 2019 Poker King Cup Taiwan Main Event, playing out at the poker tables of the Chinese Texas Hold’em Poker Association in Taipei, Taiwan.
This is it folks, we are playing for all the marbles here. Just nine players remain of the 306-strong field, all playing for the lions share of the TWD 7.42M (~$236,530) prize pool.
The winner will walk away with the TWD 1,639,000 (~$52,300) top prize, in addition to the trophy, title and something money can't buy – the honor of becoming the first-ever PKC Taiwan Main Event Champion.
Currently, the favorite to achieve this prestigious accomplishment is Hong Kong’s Wai King Cheung, who is the man coming in with the chip lead and a stack of 2,135,000. With just over $31,000 in live tournament winnings, Cheung is in a great spot to make his first major title win a memorable one.
Wai King Cheung
However, first he must get past South Korea’s Jae Wook Shin, who sits at No. #15 on the South Korea All Time Money List with live tournament winnings of over $293,000 and seven live tournament titles on his poker resume. Shin will be returning second in the counts with a stack of 1,648,000.
Jae Wook Shin
Then there is Taiwan’s Chou Chien Fa who, in addition to the home advantage, will be returning third in the counts with a stack of 1,234,000. While Fa has only four live cashes on his poker resume, one of these was a runner-up finish in (at the time) the largest Red Dragon Main Event in history for live winnings of over $258,000. Fa also topped the Day 1C and Day 2 counts and looks extremely comfortable piloting a big stack so cannot be counted out.
Chou Chien Fa
While these are the only returning players to boast seven-figure stacks, there is still plenty of talent remaining in the field. The UK’s Alex Lindop may be returning sixth in the pecking order, but the Brit is a seasoned tournament professional who boasts over $918,000 in live tournament winnings and also holds a prestigious World Series of Poker bracelet, making him the most decorated player at the final table by far.
Alex Lindop
The man sitting just ahead of Lindop in the counts, David Erquiaga has also impressed this series, and with over $134,000 in live tournament winnings the Filipino player has showcased all the skills necessary to hoist the trophy should the cards fall his way.
David Erquiaga
PKC Taiwan Main Event Final Table Draw
Seat
Name
Country/Region
Chip Stack
Big Blinds
Seat 1
Wai King Cheung
Hong Kong
2,135,000
89
Seat 2
Jae Wook Shin
South Korea
1,648,000
69
Seat 3
Chou Chien Fa
Taiwan
1,234,000
51
Seat 4
Yu You Ci Tsai
Taiwan
995000
41
Seat 5
David Erquiaga
Philippines
862000
36
Seat 6
Alex Lindop
United Kingdom
722000
30
Seat 7
Lee Kuan Wee
Malaysia
645,000
27
Seat 8
Ling He
China
466,000
19
Seat 9
Kuang Hung Lee
Taiwan
426,000
18
The exciting conclusion to this thrilling poker series plays out at 1:00 p.m. local time (GMT+8) on Tuesday, August 20, with 48:12 remaining on level 24 with blinds at 12,000/24,000 with a 24,000 big blind ante. The PokerNews live reporting team will be here with exclusive blow-by-blow action, so stick with us as we make history and crown the inaugural PKC Taiwan Main Event Champion.
flop over to He, who took a stab for 50,000, only for Lindop to check-raise shove for over 600,000 - which was more than He had. The Chinese player took the hint and folded.
. Lindop checked, and with over 200,000 in the pot, Wee continuation bet for 100,000, which was enough to get it done.
flop, the 
turn and the 
river. Shin rolled over 
to claim the pot.
flop to Lindop's 60,000 continuation bet.
