Poker Dream 18 (PD 18) Malaysia 2025 Recap – $1.13M Main Event, Malaysia Open, and Festival Champions

Poker Dream 18 (PD 18) Malaysia 2025 was hosted at the scenic Genting Highlands from August 7 to 18, delivering twelve days of non-stop poker excitement and record-breaking fields. The festival brought together poker enthusiasts from across Asia and beyond. Players ranging from seasoned professionals to ambitious newcomers packed the tables, chasing glory across a diverse lineup of events.

Main Event with MYR 5,000,000 GTD (~$1.13M)

The highlight was the MYR 5,000,000 GTD (~$1.13M) Main Event. From a massive field of 1,860 entries to the very top, Liew Kok Kong has etched his name in Poker Dream history as the Main Event Champion, lifting the iconic Golden Dragon Trophy and claiming MYR 880,000 (~$187K).

Liew Kok Kong made a deep run back at Poker Dream 13 in Kuala Lumpur (Nov 2024), finishing 45th for MYR 15,800 (~$3.5K). Less than a year later, he has transformed that near-miss into a career-defining triumph, embodying the spirit and glory of Poker Dream with confetti falling and a trophy in hand.

Other Events

Malaysia Open

The festival kicked off with the MYR 1,500,000 GTD (~$340K) Malaysia Open, MYR 2,045,511 prize pool generated from 2,010 entries, with a life-changing MYR 322,411 (~$70K) for Korea’s Kang Woojin, the champion.

Kang Woojin is not a newcomer to Poker Dream; he finally captured his golden moment — winning the Malaysia Open (Event #2) from a massive 2,010-entry field to secure MYR 322,411 (~$76K), the biggest score of his career.

His path to the trophy was paved with experience, including multiple cashes at Poker Dream 13 (Nov 2024) highlighted by a 3rd-place finish in the Mystery Bounty High Roller for MYR 131,000 (~$29K), and a recent deep run in the Mystery Bounty (Event #41) where he finished 12th during the same tour.

Myster Bounty High Roller

The adrenaline-charged MYR 1,000,000 GTD (~$227K) Mystery Bounty High Roller. The champion, China’s Teng Jiaqi has shown a clear flair for Mystery Bounty events at Poker Dream 18 Malaysia.

Before lifting the Mystery Bounty High Roller trophy for MYR 183,000 plus MYR 287,000 in bounties, he notched several deep runs across the series. Jiaqi placed 9th in MYR 2,100 Mystery Bounty, 37th in MYR 3,000 Mystery Bounty, and 7th in MYR 1,000 Mystery Bounty Turbo.

You can find the full list of events and their winners on the Poker Dream’s Facebook page.

Poker Dream’s trademark hospitality and player-first approach reinforced the brand’s reputation as one of Asia’s premier poker festivals — and one of the most exciting stops on the international circuit.

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