Day 1 of the Natural8 Open Super High Roller comes to a close with 16 players bagging up out of the 26 total entries. At the top of the leaderboard is 🇨🇭Fabian Rolli with a stack of 766,000, just edging 🇰🇷 Dennis Kim during the final hands called. Kim finishes as second best with a stack of 759,000. To round out the top three is 🇵🇭 John Costiniano with 717,000.

Action resumes at 12PM tomorrow, Friday, February 27. For those looking to jump in, registration is still open in Day 2 for two levels, closing at the start of Level 13.

Hyo Sung Kim enters Day 1 during the last level of play and proceeds to close the day winning the last two hands. The first one sees the pot grow to 50,000 by the time the flop lands . Seunghyuk Jung checks to Kim who bets 20,000 and heads to the turn with Jung calling.

Action repeats on the turn with Kim betting 32,000 and Jung check-calling. One last check lead for Jung on the river  and again Kim fires away for 50,000. This time Jung steps off the gas opts to fold.

Andrew Han reclaims some of the lost chips just before bagging up. With a pot of 52,000 already in the middle and a flop showing , Han calls hijack player Sung Jin Yung’s 20,000 bet. Both players check the turn   for a free river card of . Jung checks once more, Han puts him to the test with a bet of 35,000 then wins the pot with Jung sending his hand to the muck.

Andrew Han min-raises on the button only to be challenged by big blind Fabian Rolli with a three-bet to 60,000. Han tank-calls then both players keep it friendly at the flop . No more checking for Rolli on the turn as he sends out a delayed continuation bet of 40,000. Han gives it a short thought then lets go of his hand.

With the clock down to 10 minutes, the TD has called end of play at the last six hands per table.

On his second bullet, Andy Tsai three-bets all in with his last 124,000 and still isn’t able to shake off initial raiser Fabian Rolli from the hand. Upon showing, it’s a flip.

Andy Tsai:

Fabian Rolli:

Rolli quickly improves on the flop and with the rest of the cards turn and river, Rolli ships it and sends Tsai back to the rail.

Seunghyuk Jung min-clicks from middle position and heads to the flop with both blinds calling – small blind John Costiniano and big blind Nevan Chang. All three check it to the turn . Following a check from Costiniano, Chang changes up and leads 16,000. Initial raiser Jung tosses his hand to the dealer while Costiniano pays to go to the river where the finds the board.

Costiniano checks again, Chang puts him to the test with a much larger bet of 66,000, this time Costiniano doesn’t take the bait.

Level 10 is underway with blind at 4K-8K ante 8K. This is the last level of Day 1. Players can still enter for this event with registration closing at the start of Level 13 at Day 2. Currently 16 players remaining.

Following the loss to J0hn Costiniano, players fold to Meng Ling Lin on the button, she raises 12,000. Next door neighbor Frank Cucchiara takes a peek then goes all in. Lin calls and when they turn them over, it’s a flip with Cucchiara at risk of elimination.

Frank Cucchiara:

Meng Ling Lin:

With the flop running ,  Cucchiara jumps out front with a strong two pair but is quickly denied on the turn   giving Lin a set. The river is a miss for Cucchiara to get bounced out.

On a board of and 134,000 in the pot, Meng Ling Lin checks to button player John Costiniano. No freebies for Lin as Costiniano bets 85,000 to see his hole cards. Lin tanks then calls after burning through one.

Costiniano isn’t stealing as he turns over .

Hon Cheong Lee has had more success since re-entering, picking up another pot, this time against Seunghyuk Jung who opens for 12,000 at cutoff. After the button folds, Lee three-bets to 50,000 out of the small blind seat and Jung tank-calls.

At the flop of , Lee continues for 35,000 and the pot balloons further with Jung making the call. No slowing down on the turn for Lee who barrels 55,000 and still Jung sticks around to see the river land .

No more counting for Lee as he slides out 155,000 leaving just 1,000 behind. Jung tanks, using up one time extension then gives up his stake in the pot.

By the tine the board reaches the turn with cards showing , the pot is already at 49,000. Big blind Fabian Rolli checks to hijack player Andrei Cherkashin who takes a stab for 16,000 and Rolli calls. When the river completes the board, Rolli checks again, Cherkashin puts the brakes on as well and checks back.

Rolli is first to show and has two pair and claims the pot.

Level 9 is underway with blinds increased to 3K-6K ante 6K. So far, the event has attracted 22 entries with 17 players remaining. Registration is wide open, closing at the start of Level 13 at Day 2.

Small blind Nirunrut Rachburom and big blind Andrei Cherkashin face-off on a board of . Rachburom bets a light 12,000 onto a pot of around 60,000 only to be challenged with a raise ofd 75,000. Rachburom calls then shakes her head in disappointment upon seeing Cherkashin’s flush.

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With a fresh stack, Hon Cheong Lee quickly puts it to work. On a flop of and 102,000 in the pot, Lee adds more with a 25,000 bet, John Costiniano calls, and Soo Bum Kim check-calls to keep the three-way intact.

Kim leads with a check again on the river , Lee announces all in for 168,000, and this time the hand ends with Costiniano and Kim both letting go without a fight.

With the board already at its maximum showing and a hefty 164,000 weighing down the middle of the felt, John Costiniano checks to Hon Cheong Lee who slides out 134,000 leaving just 1,000 behind. Costiniano answers with a raise that forces Lee to commit the last chip behind then they turn them over.

Hon Cheong Lee: trips

John Costiniano: full house

Lee quickly gets up and heads to the registration booth and is back in with a fresh stack while Costiniano launches to the top of the leaderboard.

Players are back from the second and the last break of the day. Blinds are now up to 2K-5K ante 5K. A total of 19 have entered so far with 16 players remaining out of 20 entries. Registration is wide open for those that want to jump in.

Photo: Seunghyuk Jung

Catching the hand with a big pot of 70,000 weighing down the middle of the table and two players looking to claim it – Seunghyuk Jung and John Costiniano. Both players check the flop , then action resumes on the turn with Jung dipping in then sending out a bet of 35,000. Costiniano calls for the to come on the river.

Jung backs down and checks, Costiniano assesses the board then fires a 55,000 bet. Jung fast-calls .

Costiniano opens top pair however it’s not enough to claim the big pot with Jung flipping over a winning , top kicker.

On a board showing with 38,000 in the middle, Fabian Rolli and Andrew Han check it. Han has a pair with , Rolli has him beat with   higher pair to earn the pot.

Immediately following the win, Rolli picks up a larger pot that first opens with a raise of 10,000 from Frank Cucchiara at hijack. Michel Molenaar calls out of the button seat, then Rolli three-bets to 40,000. This is enough to push out Cucchiara while Molenaar calls for an expensive flop of .

Rolli continues to represent strength with a continuation bet of 28,000 and goes on to win the pot with Molenaar unwilling to make the call.

Level 7 is underway with blinds up to 2K-4K ante 4K. A few more players have joined the mix – Chih Wei Fan, Frank Cucchiara, and Andrew Han.

The hand opens with a 6,500 raise from cutoff player Hogyun Kang and it’s a three-way with small blind Hon Cheong Lee and big. blind Uh Sang Ahn both topping up.

After Lee passes up the flop , Ahn takes the reins for 7,500. Kang isn’t interested and folds while Lee continues to the turn . Lee checks again, Ahn sends out a much larger 28,000 bet and it’s enough to rake in the pot with Lee unwilling to go the distance.

Michel Molenaar claims a few pots in near succession to rise to 453,000. The first hand is against Nirunrut Rachburom with both players building a pot of 25,500 by the turn . After a check, Molenaar bets 10,000 and Rachburom calls to complete the board with the on the river.

Another check from Rachburom bring another bet from Molenaar of 35,000 and wins the pot uncontested.

After winning a smaller pot on the next hand, one deal goes by and Molenaar is involved again. With a pot of 18,500 preflop and a flop of   on the board, Fabian Rolli check-calls Molenaar’s 4,000 bet then folds to a 27,500 bet on the turn .

Level 6 is underway with blinds at 1.5K / 3K – ante 3K. Soo Bum Kim has jumped in to bring it up to 14 entries. Just before the change of level, Seunghyuk Jung claimed all of Junne Young Park’s chips. There are 11 players in the field. Evening warriors can still sign up with registration wide open.

Photo: Uh Sang Ahn

Three players build a pot of 19,000 before the flop comes . Out of the hijack seat, action is checked to Hogyun Kang who bets 6,000 that finds just one customer in Uh Sang Ahn on the small blind.

The pot swells further on the turn with Kang betting 20,000 that Ahn check-calls to bring the river . One more check from Ahn gives Kang to greenlight to bet but he opts to check back. Ahn turns over and wins the pot with Kang mucking.

Nirunrut Rachburom limps in from early position then folds after the heavy action that follows. Iat Man Leong raises to 5,000, small blind Sung Jin Yung three-bets to 57,500, Leong goes all in, and Yung snap-calls.

Iat Man Leong:

Sung Jin Yung:

Leong is flipping to stay alive however the flop quickly crushes his hopes with an ace on the board and when it completes , he gets up to go as Yung drags in the pot.

The players are back from the first 15-minute break of the day. Only 12 players in the field with 13 total entries. Registration is open all day long for any evening warriors looking to jump in. Starting stack is a deep 250,000. Blinds are now 1K-2.5K ante 2.5K.

John Costiniano and Uh Sang Ahn are the last two vying for a pot of 43,000 on a board showing . Ahn checks on the big blind, Costiniano bets overpot of 45,000, and Ahn makes the call.

On the river , Ahn checks again, Costiniano bangs out 82,000, and this time Ahn goes deep into the think tank. After spending three time extensions, Ahn calls then mucks when Costiniano reveals .

As Costiniano ships it, Ahn says “nice hand”, then later adds, “I was thinking of shoving.”

On a board showing and around 31,500 in the pot, big blind Fabian Rolli bets 22,000 that gets Nirunrut Rachburom to fold while small blind Sung Jin Yung tanks. After a minute, Yung calls then quickly mucks to Rolli’s straight.

Seunghyuk Jung opens from the button and the blinds call for three-way action to a flop of . The blinds check to the aggressor Jung who continues for 5,000 and only small blind Hogyun Kang pays to see the turn fall .

Jung continues the barrage with a 15,000 bet and still, Kang pays up to take the bout to the river with the finding the board. Kang checks once more, Jung fires 36,000, and that does the job with Kang folding.

Ever since Wang Chihyuan took his seat, he has been the most aggressive player at his table, repeatedly testing his opponents. While that aggression has paid off in several hands, it eventually cost him all of his chips. On the flip side, after Hogyun Kang dropped to 41,000 in a hand against John Niko Costiniano, he grinded back to 168,000 before meeting up against Wang in a preflop all in clash.

The hand first opens with a raise from Uh Sang Ahn for 5,000, Wang three-bet to 14,000 on the button, then big blind Kang four-bet to 30,000. Ahn gets out of the way and Wang goes all in. Kang fast-calls.

Wang Chihyuan:

Hogyun Kang:

Wang is flipping and with the board running , he packs up with Kang’s pocket pair standing firm. Wang still has plenty of time to get back in the game with registration open all day long.

Level 4 is underway with the blinds up 1K-2K ante 2K. No new arrivals with 13 entries so far. Registration is wide open for anyone that wishes to jump in.

Three players build a pot of 14,500 preflop then check it to the turn . Michel Molenaar takes a stab for 4,000 and still doesn’t shake the others with button player Sung Jin Yung and big blind Nirunrut Rachburom both calling. After the dealer opens on the river, all three players return to being friendly with checks all around.

Rachburom is first to show and turn over straight and wins the pot with no one able to produce better.

Following a raise, Fabian Rolli three-bets to 11,000 then down the orbit big blind Iat Man Leong defends with a four-bet to 30,000, Rolli answers with a five-bet to 55,000, and Leong tames the heat with a call.

No slowing down for Rolli who fires 25,000 on a flop of and Leong check-calls. On the turn , Rolli is given the go ahead again and this time announces all in. Leong has much less behind and opts to preserve it.

Four players in preflop for 4,000 head to a flop of where small blind 🇵🇭 John Niko Costiniano leads 5,000. Middle position 🇹🇼 Wang Chihyuan and button player 🇰🇷 Hogyun Kang call to take the action to the turn. Action checks to Kang who slides out a 15,000 bet which only Costiniano calls to complete the board with the river .

Again Costiniano opens with a check, Kang drills another bet of 35,000, this time Costiniano answers with a raise to 106,000, and Kang tank-calls.

Costiniano flips over full house and ships in the big pot.

Level 3 is underway with blinds up 1K-1.5K big blind ante of 1.5K. The field has increased to 13 players with 🇵🇭 John Niko Costiniano and 🇹🇭 Nirunrut Rachburom as the new arrivals.

Out of the hijack seat, 🇹🇼 Wang Chihyuan opens for 2,500 then defends by calling cutoff player 🇰🇷 Seunghyuk Jung’s 8,000 three-bet. Both players proceed to check down the board . 

Wang turns over two pair and it’s good to claim the pot with Jung mucking.

Battle of the blinds preflop between 🇰🇷 Sung Jin Yung and 🇫🇷 Fabian Rolli leads to a bloated pot of 8,000 before the dealer fans the flop . Yung slides out 3,000 and Rolli matches up to take the action to the turn.

Again Yung holds control with a bet of 11,500 and Rolli calls once more. When the river completes , both players check.

Yung shows and shakes his head disappointedly upon Rolli revealing top pair.

As soon as 🇹🇼 Wang Chihyuan takes his seat, he drives the action with his foot firmly on the pedal. One of the hands opens with a 2,500 raise from 🇰🇷 Hogyun Kang, and the blinds both call – Wang and 🇰🇷 Seunghyuk Jung.

Three-way action to the flop sees everyone check for a free turn card . No   more freebies as Wang bets 4,000 that only Jung calls. Another barrel by Wang on the river with a larger 12,00 bet, and as soon as Jung calls, Wang tosses his hand in the muck.

Level 2 is underway. Blinds repeat 500 / 1K – Ante 1K. Registration is wide open for those that want to jump in late.

Following a 2,500 raise by 🇰🇷 Uh Sang Ahn at under the gun, 🇭🇰 Hon Cheong Lee defends his big blind with a three-bet to 13,500. Ahn wants to continue and tops up to bring a flop of . No stopping Lee who fires 10,000 and still Ahn sticks around to the turn where both players tap felt. 

Action returns on the river with Lee sending out 15,000, Ahn calls then folds to Lee’s .

🇳🇱 Michel Molenaar enters three consecutive hands with success in the first two. The first one sees a board with

🇫🇷 Fabian Rolli pressuring on the turn with a raise to 14,000 that Molenaar calls. On the river , both players slow down and check. Molenaar is first to show and it’s good enough as Rolli chuckles while folding.

Next hand sees an open from 🇰🇷 Sung Jin Yung for 2,500, one player calls, then Molenaar three-bets to 15,000 and wins the pot with no takers. The third consecutive hand folds to Molenaar on the button, he raises to 3,000 and big blind Yung defends.

Molenaar continues for 2,500 on a flop of , Yung check-calls then switches up on the turn , firing 8,000. Molenaar backs down and folds.

The cards are in the air at the Natural8 Open Super High Roller, with eight players taking their seats for the opening deal and claiming 50% cash back on their tournament fee. Registration remains open throughout the day.  Among the early birds are Seunghyuk Jung, Fabian Rolli, Hon Cheong Lee, Iat Man Leong, and Hogyun Kang.

The first high roller spotlight of Players Series Championship III Taipei 2026 belongs to the Natural8 Open Super High Roller, set to light up the felt today at 4PM. Headlined by a TWD 1,500,000 guarantee, this marquee event carries a TWD 50,000 (~US$1,629) buy-in and immediately establishes itself as a serious early battleground on the schedule.

The structure provides ample room for action from the start. Each player begins with 250,000 in chips — a deep 250 big blinds for the first two levels at 500-1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante. Day 1 runs ten levels of 40-minute blinds, with unlimited re-entries available throughout. Late registration remains open for two additional levels on Day 2, making it ideal for evening warriors and those joining the tournament the following day.

There is also an early incentive for punctuality. The first 16 players to collect their starting stack and have their chips in play before the first hand is dealt receive 50% cash back on the tournament fee, provided play begins on time.

Looking back, this event has built momentum with each championship edition. Previous runs saw the prize pool surge from TWD 3.4 million to TWD 5.1 million, fueled by growing international attendance. Expected contenders include defending champion and two-time finalist 🇭🇰 Dicky Siu Hang Tsang, as well as 🇲🇴 Chan Man Lok, who also reached back-to-back final tables in this event.

Stay tuned to this page for fresh stories and updates throughout the day.