Joseph Cheong: WSOP Bracelet Winner and Tournament Star

Joseph Cheong has spent more than 15 years competing at the highest levels of tournament poker, building a résumé that extends far beyond the result that first made him famous. Best known for finishing third in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, Cheong later won a WSOP bracelet, accumulated four WSOP Circuit rings and became the Asian Poker Tour's all-time money leader.

His longevity is reflected in his career earnings. As of August 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Cheong with more than $21.3 million in live tournament cashes. His results span the WSOP, Asian Poker Tour, World Poker Tour, European Poker Tour and numerous high-stakes events around the world.

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Who Is Joseph Cheong?

Joseph Cheong is a Korean-American professional poker player who was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to the United States as a child.

He attended the University of California, San Diego, where his academic background included psychology, mathematics and economics. Poker became his professional focus after college, and he soon developed into an accomplished tournament player both online and live.

Online poker players also know Cheong by the screen name "subiime."

His career is primarily associated with no-limit hold'em tournaments, although his results demonstrate considerably broader experience. Cheong has reached major finishes in pot-limit Omaha and no-limit 2-7 lowball events in addition to his extensive hold'em résumé.

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The 2010 WSOP Main Event Breakthrough

Cheong's career changed dramatically during the 2010 World Series of Poker.

Playing in his first WSOP Main Event, he advanced through a field of 7,319 entries and reached the November Nine, the group of finalists who returned months later to determine the world champion.

Cheong entered the final stages as a legitimate championship contender. He eventually reached three-handed play against Jonathan Duhamel and John Racener before finishing third for $4,130,049.

Duhamel went on to defeat Racener heads-up for the championship.

The $4.13 million payout remains the largest live tournament cash of Cheong's career and instantly established him as a major name in tournament poker.

The result proved to be much more than a single breakthrough score. Cheong continued competing internationally for years afterward and eventually built career earnings exceeding five times the amount he won in that Main Event.

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The Famous Joseph Cheong vs. Jonathan Duhamel Hand

One hand from the 2010 Main Event became inseparable from Cheong's poker story.

During three-handed play, Cheong and Duhamel became involved in an escalating preflop confrontation. Cheong raised from the small blind, Duhamel three-bet, Cheong four-bet and Duhamel responded with a fifth bet.

Cheong then moved all in holding ace-seven offsuit.

Duhamel called with pocket queens.

The queens held, leaving Cheong with fewer than 10 million chips after he had committed more than 95 million. PokerNews described the confrontation at the time as the largest pot in WSOP history.

Cheong was eliminated several hands later.

The hand generated years of discussion because of the enormous stakes and Cheong's willingness to apply maximum pressure with a relatively weak starting hand. It also contributed to his reputation as a player willing to make aggressive decisions rather than simply wait for premium holdings.

Whatever judgment is made about the hand in isolation, Cheong's career after 2010 demonstrated that his Main Event run was not a one-time performance.

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Life After the 2010 Main Event

A multimillion-dollar Main Event score can define a player's entire career. Cheong instead continued producing significant tournament results across several continents.

At the 2011 WSOP, he returned to cash in the Main Event, finishing 114th for $54,851. A year later, he made another deep Main Event run and finished 116th for $52,718.

Cheong also came extremely close to winning his first bracelet in 2012. He reached heads-up play in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Mixed-Max event before finishing runner-up to Aubin Cazals for $296,956.

That same year, Cheong reached the final table of the WSOP Europe Main Event, finishing fourth.

Another bracelet opportunity arrived in 2014 when Cheong finished runner-up in the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball event for $55,309.

Those close calls became an important part of his WSOP résumé. Despite his Main Event final table and several other deep runs, a bracelet remained missing for nearly a decade after his breakthrough.

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Joseph Cheong Wins His First WSOP Bracelet

The wait ended in 2019.

Cheong entered the $1,000 Double Stack No-Limit Hold'em event at the World Series of Poker and navigated one of the largest fields of the summer.

The tournament drew 6,214 entries.

Cheong reached heads-up play against David Ivers and completed the victory to earn $687,782 and the first WSOP bracelet of his career.

The bracelet filled one of the few obvious gaps on his tournament résumé. By that point, Cheong had already been a WSOP Main Event finalist, recorded numerous WSOP cashes and reached multiple previous heads-up matches for bracelets.

Nearly nine years after his 2010 Main Event breakthrough, he was officially a WSOP bracelet champion.

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WSOP Circuit Success

Cheong's World Series accomplishments also include success on the WSOP Circuit.

His first Circuit ring came in 2010 at Harrah's Rincon, before his famous Main Event run later that year. He won a no-limit hold'em event for $17,541.

In 2018, Cheong captured another Circuit ring by winning the $2,200 High Roller at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas for $65,399.

His Circuit résumé continued growing after that. As of August 2026, the official WSOP player database credits Cheong with four WSOP Circuit rings in addition to his WSOP bracelet.

That combination gives Cheong championship results across both the WSOP's flagship bracelet series and its broader Circuit competition.

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Major Success on the Asian Poker Tour

Cheong's career has also developed an important second chapter in Asia.

One of his largest victories came in April 2013 at the Asian Poker Tour Manila Millions. The HK$1 million buy-in tournament attracted a small but elite high-stakes field, and Cheong emerged as the champion.

He earned $1,343,370.

Only his 2010 WSOP Main Event finish has produced a larger live tournament payout.

More than a decade later, Cheong returned to regular APT competition and began adding significantly to his record on the tour.

At APT Jeju in 2025, he won the Zodiac Classic for approximately $174,710. The victory gave him his second Zodiac Classic title, making him the first player in the APT's modern era to win both the Zodiac Classic and Superstar Challenge twice.

His results have also made him the tour's career money leader.

As of July 2026, the Asian Poker Tour listed Cheong with $2,419,566 in career APT winnings, the highest total in tour history.

That record gives Cheong a distinctive place in Asian tournament poker in addition to his much better-known WSOP accomplishments.

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Joseph Cheong's Major Poker Accomplishments

• Third place in the 2010 WSOP Main Event for $4,130,049

• Winner of the 2013 APT Manila Millions for $1,343,370

• Winner of the 2019 WSOP $1,000 Double Stack for $687,782 and his first bracelet

• Four WSOP Circuit rings as of August 2026

• Runner-up in the 2012 WSOP $5,000 Mixed-Max event

• Fourth place in the 2012 WSOP Europe Main Event

• Runner-up in the 2014 WSOP $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball event

• More than $21.3 million in recorded live tournament earnings as of August 2026

• More than $2.4 million in APT winnings and the Asian Poker Tour career earnings lead as of July 2026

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Playing Style and Poker Reputation

Cheong's public poker reputation has long been connected to aggression and an ability to apply pressure in tournament situations.

The 2010 Main Event amplified that reputation because of the enormous six-bet pot against Duhamel, but evaluating Cheong solely through one famous hand misses the larger picture.

Tournament longevity requires adaptation.

Cheong has remained competitive through substantial changes in poker strategy, from the post-poker-boom environment of the late 2000s to an era increasingly shaped by solver study, sophisticated preflop ranges and highly experienced international tournament fields.

His résumé also crosses different tournament structures and poker variants. While no-limit hold'em accounts for most of his biggest scores, his final tables in pot-limit Omaha and 2-7 lowball show that his tournament experience is not confined to one game.

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Joseph Cheong in 2025 and 2026

Cheong remains an active tournament player rather than simply a recognizable name from the 2010 poker era.

His 2025 schedule included a victory in a Single-Day High Roller at the Korea Poker Cup in Jeju and the much larger Zodiac Classic title at APT Jeju.

He remained active on the Asian Poker Tour in 2026, including an eighth-place finish in the APT Jeju Classic High Roller. The APT has identified him as its all-time money leader, and Cheong has become a regular presence again as the tour has expanded its high-stakes schedule.

Cheong also returned to Las Vegas for the 2026 World Series of Poker.

He cashed in several bracelet events, including a 369th-place finish in the WSOP Main Event for $40,000 and a 43rd-place finish in the $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event for $16,364.

Those results add to a record that now stretches across well over a decade of major tournament competition.

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How Much Has Joseph Cheong Won in Poker?

Live tournament earnings are constantly changing as players record new cashes.

As of August 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Joseph Cheong with more than $21.3 million in live tournament earnings.

His largest cash remains the $4,130,049 he earned for third place in the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

His second-largest recorded live score is the $1,343,370 victory in the 2013 APT Manila Millions.

Cheong has accumulated the rest through a long series of results rather than relying only on those two tournaments. His career includes six-figure scores at the WSOP, WPT-related events, European Poker Tour festivals, Asian Poker Tour events and other international high-stakes tournaments.

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Why Joseph Cheong Matters in Poker

Cheong occupies an unusual position in modern tournament poker.

For many casual fans, he will always be associated first with the 2010 WSOP Main Event. Finishing third in poker's world championship in front of a massive television audience made him recognizable during one of the game's most visible periods.

His subsequent career is what gives that breakthrough lasting significance.

Cheong eventually won the bracelet that had repeatedly eluded him. He collected four Circuit rings. He passed $20 million in live tournament earnings. He became the Asian Poker Tour's career money leader. More than 15 years after his Main Event final table, he was still cashing in the WSOP Main Event and competing in high-stakes tournaments internationally.

That combination of an iconic early result and sustained success makes Cheong more than a former November Niner.

He remains an active international professional whose career connects the poker-boom generation with the modern tournament era.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many WSOP bracelets does Joseph Cheong have?

Joseph Cheong has one WSOP bracelet as of August 2026. He won it in the 2019 $1,000 Double Stack No-Limit Hold'em event, defeating a field of 6,214 entries for $687,782.

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How many WSOP Circuit rings does Joseph Cheong have?

The official WSOP player database lists Joseph Cheong with four WSOP Circuit rings as of August 2026.

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How did Joseph Cheong finish in the 2010 WSOP Main Event?

Cheong finished third in the 2010 WSOP Main Event. He earned $4,130,049 after reaching three-handed play with eventual champion Jonathan Duhamel and runner-up John Racener.

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What is Joseph Cheong's biggest poker cash?

Cheong's largest live tournament cash is $4,130,049, earned for his third-place finish in the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

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How much has Joseph Cheong won in live poker tournaments?

As of August 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Cheong with more than $21.3 million in live tournament earnings. The total will continue to change as he records additional results.

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What is Joseph Cheong's online poker name?

Cheong is widely known online by the screen name "subiime."

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Did Joseph Cheong win the APT Manila Millions?

Yes. Cheong won the HK$1 million buy-in APT Manila Millions in 2013 and earned $1,343,370, the second-largest live tournament cash of his career.

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Is Joseph Cheong the Asian Poker Tour's all-time money leader?

Yes. As of July 2026, the Asian Poker Tour listed Cheong with $2,419,566 in career APT winnings, the highest total in tour history.

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Is Joseph Cheong still playing poker?

Yes. Cheong remained active throughout 2025 and 2026, competing on the Asian Poker Tour and at the World Series of Poker. He recorded multiple cashes at the 2026 WSOP, including another cash in the Main Event.