Jinho Hong: WSOP Bracelet Winner and Former StarCraft Pro
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Jinho Hong has built one of the most distinctive careers in South Korean poker, moving from professional StarCraft competition into international tournament poker and becoming a World Series of Poker bracelet winner.
Known as "YellOw" during his esports career, Hong produced his biggest poker breakthrough during the summer of 2022. He first won the Wynn Summer Classic $3,500 No-Limit Hold'em Championship for $696,011, then captured his first WSOP bracelet less than two weeks later.
As of September 28, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Hong with $3,067,270 in live tournament earnings and a career-best cash of $696,011. The database also lists him seventh on South Korea's all-time live tournament money list. Those figures can change as additional tournament results are recorded.
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Who Is Jinho Hong?
Jinho Hong is a South Korean professional poker player and former professional StarCraft competitor whose tournament résumé includes a WSOP bracelet, major victories in the United States and Asia, and more than $3 million in recorded live earnings.
His competitive gaming background is an important part of his poker story. PokerNews described Hong as a former professional StarCraft player when covering his major 2022 tournament victories, while his "YellOw" nickname remains associated with both his esports career and his poker database listings.
Hong's publicly recorded poker results stretch back to 2015. His early results were concentrated primarily in Asian tournaments before his international schedule expanded to include the World Series of Poker, Wynn events in Las Vegas, European Poker Tour festivals, World Poker Tour events and other major series.
His recorded results are overwhelmingly in No-Limit Hold'em tournaments, making tournament poker the clearest description of his primary competitive discipline.
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Jinho Hong's Breakthrough in Poker
Hong recorded several live tournament cashes before 2022, including a runner-up finish in a 2019 tournament in Taiwan worth $43,716. His career moved to another level during the 2022 summer tournament season in Las Vegas.
The first major breakthrough came at the Wynn Summer Classic.
2022 Wynn Summer Classic Championship
Hong entered the $3,500 No-Limit Hold'em Championship at Wynn Las Vegas and outlasted a field of 1,428 entries.
According to PokerNews coverage of the event, the tournament generated a $4,605,300 prize pool. Hong defeated Andrew Moreno heads-up to earn the championship trophy and $696,011.
The result remains the largest live tournament cash of Hong's career as of September 28, 2026.
Hong discussed the connection between his gaming background and poker after the victory, telling PokerNews that professional gaming had helped develop skills such as multitasking. His transition followed a path also taken by other competitive gamers who later reached poker's highest levels, including former StarCraft professional Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier.
The Wynn victory proved to be the beginning of a remarkable stretch rather than an isolated result.
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Jinho Hong Wins His First WSOP Bracelet
Less than two weeks after his Wynn championship, Hong won Event #76 of the 2022 World Series of Poker, the $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty No-Limit Hold'em tournament.
The official WSOP results record 865 entries and list Hong as the winner for $276,067.
Hong defeated Thailand's Punnat Punsri heads-up to secure his first WSOP gold bracelet. PokerNews reported that the victory carried particular significance for Hong even though the Wynn championship had produced a larger payday.
The bracelet established Hong as a WSOP champion and completed a summer in which his two biggest achievements came only days apart.
As of September 28, 2026, Hong's official WSOP player profile lists:
One WSOP bracelet
One WSOP win
Zero WSOP Circuit rings
Four WSOP final tables
72 WSOP cashes
His WSOP résumé continued to grow after the 2022 victory.
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Major Results After the Bracelet
Hong followed his breakout year with several significant finishes across the United States, Asia and Europe.
At the 2023 World Series of Poker, he reached the final table of the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout. Hong finished fourth from a field of 735 entries and earned $208,158.
Later that summer, he returned to South Korea and won a WFP Syndrome 6 Main Event in Incheon for approximately $188,000 according to The Hendon Mob.
Another six-figure victory followed in November 2023 at the U Series of Poker in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Hong won the ₫250 million Billionaire Club Challenge. The Hendon Mob event results list 72 total entries, including re-entries, and credit Hong with a $211,342 result.
Those performances showed that Hong's success was not limited to the extraordinary run he produced in Las Vegas during 2022.
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Jinho Hong at the World Series of Poker
Hong's bracelet remains the centerpiece of his WSOP record, but he has produced several other deep runs at WSOP festivals.
Before winning his bracelet in 2022, Hong finished 11th in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed event for $52,414.
His fourth-place finish in the 2023 $5,000 Freezeout generated another $208,158 and brought him within three eliminations of a second bracelet.
That second bracelet remained within reach again in 2026.
Runner-Up at the 2026 WSOP Europe
Hong made one of his deepest WSOP runs since his bracelet victory at the 2026 World Series of Poker Europe in Prague.
He reached heads-up play in the €1,650 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em event, which attracted 902 entries.
The official WSOP results show Hong finishing second to Portugal's Pedro Faustino. Hong earned €147,440, which The Hendon Mob converted to approximately $170,193 for its live earnings database.
The runner-up finish gave Hong another major WSOP final table and demonstrated that he remained capable of competing deep into large international fields four years after his first bracelet.
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Jinho Hong's Career Earnings
As of September 28, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Jinho Hong with $3,067,270 in live tournament earnings.
His largest recorded live cashes include:
$696,011 for winning the 2022 Wynn Summer Classic $3,500 No-Limit Hold'em Championship
$276,067 for winning the 2022 WSOP Poker Hall of Fame Bounty and his first bracelet
$211,342 for winning the 2023 USOP Da Nang Billionaire Club Challenge
$208,158 for finishing fourth in the 2023 WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout
Approximately $170,000 for finishing runner-up in the 2026 WSOP Europe €1,650 Monster Stack
Live tournament earnings are database figures rather than a measure of poker profit. They record tournament cashes without subtracting buy-ins, travel expenses, backing arrangements or other costs.
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From StarCraft to Professional Poker
Hong's esports background separates his career from that of most tournament professionals.
Before becoming internationally recognized in poker, he competed professionally in StarCraft under the nickname "YellOw." PokerNews repeatedly referenced that background while reporting his 2022 Wynn and WSOP victories.
Hong himself has connected skills developed through professional gaming with his performance at the poker table. After his Wynn championship, he specifically pointed to the multitasking demands of competitive gaming as useful preparation for poker.
The connection also places Hong within a small but notable group of elite gamers who successfully transitioned into major poker competition.
Rather than arriving from a conventional poker background, Hong brought years of experience in another strategy-based competitive environment and eventually converted that experience into tournament success on several continents.
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What Is Jinho Hong's Playing Style?
Reliable published sources do not establish a simple label such as tight-aggressive or loose-aggressive for Hong, so it would be misleading to assign one.
His tournament record provides a clearer description. Hong is primarily a No-Limit Hold'em tournament competitor with results across large-field championships, bounty tournaments, high rollers, freezeouts and turbo formats.
His strongest results also span very different tournament environments. He has won a 1,428-entry championship at Wynn, captured a WSOP bounty bracelet, won significant Asian events and reached heads-up play at WSOP Europe.
That record supports describing Hong as an experienced international tournament player without relying on subjective claims about his table style.
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Why Jinho Hong Matters in Poker
Hong's significance extends beyond his tournament earnings.
His path from professional esports to a WSOP bracelet illustrates the overlap between competitive gaming and poker, particularly in areas such as decision-making under pressure, strategic adjustment and sustained concentration.
His accomplishments also give him an important place in modern South Korean tournament poker. As of September 28, 2026, The Hendon Mob ranks him seventh among South Korean players in recorded live tournament earnings.
His 2022 bracelet victory gave South Korean poker another champion on one of the game's most visible stages, while his later results in Asia, Europe and North America have kept him active internationally.
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Is Jinho Hong Still Playing Poker?
Yes. Hong's tournament record shows regular live activity through September 2026.
His most significant result of the year was the runner-up finish in the WSOP Europe Monster Stack in April. He then recorded multiple cashes during the 2026 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
Hong continued competing in Asia during August, making several cashes at the Quads Poker Championship in Hanoi, including seventh-, eighth- and ninth-place finishes in high roller events.
His results then extended into the 2026 WSOP Super Circuit Canada festival in Kahnawake. The Hendon Mob records three cashes there between August 29 and September 9, including a 43rd-place finish in the C$1,500 Monster Stack.
That schedule confirms that Hong remains an active international tournament player rather than a player whose résumé is limited to his 2022 breakthrough.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Jinho Hong have?
Jinho Hong has one WSOP bracelet as of September 28, 2026. He won it in the $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame Bounty at the 2022 World Series of Poker.
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How much has Jinho Hong won in live poker tournaments?
The Hendon Mob lists Jinho Hong with $3,067,270 in live tournament earnings as of September 28, 2026. Tournament earnings databases change as new results are recorded.
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What is Jinho Hong's biggest poker cash?
Hong's largest recorded live tournament cash is $696,011. He earned it by winning the $3,500 No-Limit Hold'em Championship at the 2022 Wynn Summer Classic.
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Did Jinho Hong play professional StarCraft?
Yes. Hong was a professional StarCraft player known as "YellOw" before establishing himself as an international poker tournament player.
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Does Jinho Hong have a WSOP Circuit ring?
No. The official WSOP player database lists Hong with zero Circuit rings as of September 28, 2026.
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Has Jinho Hong won a WPT title?
Hong has recorded World Poker Tour cashes, but the World Poker Tour player database does not list a WPT title for him as of September 28, 2026.
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Is Jinho Hong still active in poker?
Yes. Hong recorded tournament cashes through September 2026, including a runner-up finish at WSOP Europe, multiple WSOP Las Vegas cashes, several high roller results in Vietnam and three cashes at WSOP Super Circuit Canada.