Sun Sets Victory: Haoran Sun Triumphs in 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Poker Exhibition Championshp
The 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition Championship, held from August 1 to 5 at UOB LIVE inside Bangkok's Emsphere Mall, was a historic event in the Asian live poker scene. With a massive field of 2,337 entries, the tournament was a marathon of competition[1][4].
The event, though not an official World Poker Tour (WPT) event, carried the prestigious WPT Prime branding[5]. It marked the first time Thailand hosted an official WPT Prime tournament series, a significant milestone for Thai poker[4].
The final hand of the tournament saw Haoran Sun, a Chinese engineer and poker player, secure the victory with a pair of fives (5♥ 5♣)[2]. Sun's win marked the first-ever victory in the WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition Championship[1][4].
The journey to the final table was fraught with eliminations. Amit Ashkenazi, Manabu Sato, Hoai Lam Vu, Shaohung Yu, and Chi Wei Lo were among the players who were sent to the rail[1]. The final table was set between Sun and Philipp Zukernik, a poker player with both Canadian and Czech passports, who finished as runner-up[1].
Zukernik's elimination by Sun resulted in a consolation prize of 7,620,000 THB (~$234,699)[1]. As the champion, Sun walked away with a significant prize of approximately THB 11,477,000, equivalent to about USD 353,497[5].
The tournament was hosted by PokerTalk Thailand and WPTGlobal, attracting broad attention as a landmark event in Asian live poker, showcasing a large, high-stakes field and rewarding a major first prize in a new Asian WPT Prime stop[1][4][5].
[1] PokerNews. (2025). 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition Championship Final Table Results. [Online] Available at: https://www.pokernews.com/tournaments/2025-wpt-prime-thailand-exhibition-championship-final-table-results-27592
[2] PokerNews. (2025). 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition Championship: Haoran Sun Wins His First Title. [Online] Available at: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025-wpt-prime-thailand-exhibition-championship-haoran-sun-wins-his-first-title-27593
[3] PokerNews. (2025). 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition Championship: Day 5 Recap. [Online] Available at: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025-wpt-prime-thailand-exhibition-championship-day-5-recap-27591
[4] PokerNews. (2025). 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition Championship: Day 4 Recap. [Online] Available at: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025-wpt-prime-thailand-exhibition-championship-day-4-recap-27589
[5] PokerNews. (2025). 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition Championship: Day 3 Recap. [Online] Available at: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025-wpt-prime-thailand-exhibition-championship-day-3-recap-27587
The 2025 WPT Prime Thailand Exhibition Championship, though not considered an official sports event, managed to make headlines in the news as it marked a significant milestone for Thai sports with the introduction of high-stakes casino gaming. With Haoran Sun, a Chinese engineer and poker player, securing the first-ever victory in this tournament, the event showcased an international field of players and attracted attention from both sports and casino news outlets.
