"Making 2 Billion Won from Poker" Hong Jin-ho Wins Another 270 Million Won Prize at International Tournament

2 Billion KRW at the World-Renowned WSOP

Former professional gamer turned professional poker player Hong Jin-ho secured 4th place at a world-renowned poker tournament, winning prize money exceeding 200 million KRW.

From the 4th to the 7th (local time), Hong Jin-ho participated in the 12th event of the ‘2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP)’ held in Las Vegas, USA, the ‘$5,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em.’ Hong finished in 4th place, receiving a prize of $208,158 (approximately 271.85 million KRW).

[Photo by Hong Jin-ho, captured from Facebook]

On the third day of the competition, the 6th, he started the game with an average below 1.28 million chips but steadily increased his stack to 6 million chips with his characteristic resilience, making it to the final four.

The ultimate winner of this event was Jeremy Ayer from the United States, who was awarded $650,000 (approximately 848.9 million KRW). The runner-up was Felipe Ramos from Brazil, who took home $400,000 (approximately 522.4 million KRW).

Hong Jin-ho ended the tournament in 4th place after losing most of his chips while defending against an ‘all-in’ play by Japanese player Nozomu Shimizu, who finished 3rd and received $280,000 (approximately 372.66 million KRW).

After the match, Hong posted on his social media, saying, “A 4th place finish with some regrets,” but added, “Since it’s still early in the series, I will manage my mentality well and aim for better results.”

The WSOP is a globally prestigious poker tournament often called the ‘World Cup of Poker,’ attracting tens of thousands of participants from various countries every year. Last year, Hong Jin-ho won the 76th event of the WSOP, becoming the fourth Korean national to win a WSOP bracelet.

At that time, he earned $276,000 (approximately 307.2 million KRW), and with this recent prize, his total earnings amount to $556,670 (approximately 727 million KRW). Hong recently appeared on MBC’s ‘Radio Star,’ where he revealed, “As of last year, I was ranked number one in poker domestically,” and “My total poker winnings have reached 2 billion KRW,” drawing significant attention.