WPT Asia Series Leaderboard Champion CHINGWANGLAO Interview

Many believe that winning a series leaderboard title is all about endurance. But ChingWangLao would tell you—it’s actually a game of precise calculation.

To fully understand the WPT Asia leaderboard rules, he exchanged over a dozen emails with customer support. To maximize point efficiency, he even chose to skip high-guarantee weekend events. In this massive battlefield with a total prize pool of ¥150 million, this Polish player stood out among 1.5 million entries with a near-ruthless strategy, ultimately claiming the ¥1 million leaderboard champion prize.

The recently concluded WPT® Asia Series attracted players from 94 countries, with over 1.5 million entries, generating an impressive ¥150 million total prize pool.

From the leaderboard with a total prize pool of ¥3 million, the top prize of ¥1 million was claimed by ChingWangLao from Poland.

Today, we’ll take a deep dive into his winning strategy—from bankroll management to tournament scheduling—revealing a practical path that everyday players can learn from to level up their game.

Q1: How did it feel the exact moment you confirmed you had locked in the top spot on the leaderboard and won the RMB 1,000,000 grand prize?

A1: The first feeling I experienced was pride and happiness.  

Finally, I could tell myself that I was the best at something.  

The stress gradually decreased, and there was really a lot of it because I skipped the last day of competition due to exhaustion.  

Maybe there will be an opportunity to talk about this later.  

Q2: Leaderboard grinds are physically and mentally taxing. How did you maintain your focus and stay tilt-free throughout such an intense schedule? 

A2: As for physical exhaustion, I had planned the entire series.  

I knew which days I would play and which I would have off.  

Thanks to that, I could rest a bit. Unfortunately, in the last week of the competition, I had to change my plans and play 6 sessions in a row, which was very hard on my health.  

Maintaining focus was difficult because the sessions lasted 16–17 hours.  

I think the most important factor was avoiding external distractions. Complete silence and having no obligations during the series were very important.  

Of course, in my case, you can’t avoid emotions.  

There were moments when I had everything under control, and there were also times when I was very nervous and frustrated with everyone around me.  

Q3: Key to Success: What do you think was your biggest edge?

A3: I think the key to success was thoroughly analyzing the series rules, developing an appropriate strategy (which took the most time), and planning out the entire month.

I exchanged a dozen or so emails with support to clarify certain points in the rules.

The most important thing at the very beginning is to quickly decide whether we can afford a month of playing without any obligations.

Then, establishing the entire strategy.

There were many aspects to consider.

Right from the start, I knew that to score a lot of points, you have to play loosely in the re-entry phase and try to accumulate as many chips as possible. This required a significant financial investment.

I had to analyze what losses I might incur throughout the entire series by implementing this strategy.

The calculations worked out well, so that issue was already resolved.

Information about the series came out quite late, so there was really very little time to make a decision.

I think I knew as early as 12 p.m. that I would be participating in this series.

On the same day, I was already playing phase tournaments to accumulate as many chips as possible for Day 2. (It later turned out that my strategy ruled out phase tournaments.)

Another strategy involved playing more than 7 tables.

At the WPT, the table limit is 7, and there were often more than 10 tournaments running at the same time. I figured that to earn extra points, I would sit out tournament where I had a big stack and try to double up in another tournament during the late stages.

Setting the game schedule.

From the start, I knew I wanted to play 4 days a week, excluding Saturdays and Sundays, because the fields, guaranteed prize pools, and duration were larger, which translates to a lower chance of earning points.

It seemed like I was ready for 1 session.

Theory and strategy are one thing, and practice is another.

The first two sessions were bad for me.

I didn’t know exactly which tournament to play to maximize my chances of scoring points.

I learned from my mistakes, but I stuck to my strategy the whole time.

By the third session, I knew exactly what to do.

That’s when the real battle began.

Q4: Out of all the platforms available, what made you decide to dedicate your grind to this WPT Global series?

A4: Currently, I play cash games on WPT Global.  

From time to time, I check the site to see if any good promotion has appeared.  

That was the case this time as well.  

The large cash prizes definitely motivated me to play this series.  

I have a lot of experience playing rankings (2 years ago, 2nd place in the annual POY ranking).  

I think the main factors in participating were the high prizes and the one-month duration of the series.  

Q5: As our champion, how would you rate your experience with the WPTG app?

A5: Unfortunately, I have a lot of reservations here.  

The software is practically lagging all the time when playing 7 tables.  

Opening the tournament lobby causes a freeze for a few seconds.  

Additionally, the correct tournament lobby never opens.  

During a re-entry, the software experiences a big lag for several seconds.  

I think interactive icons are nice, but only if the software doesn’t experience performance issues.  

All problems had been previously reported/described on Discord.  

I want to emphasize that the fault lies with the software because I consulted this with several players. Despite having a very good computer, almost everyone has the same problem.  

The same applies to cash games. There are also many issues there that need improvement.

Q6: How do you feel about the overall ecosystem on WPT Global? 

A6: I think that currently the ecosystem on WPT is the best among all the software.  

Unfortunately, bots are appearing, and I would like the fight against them to be even stronger.

Q7: What are your observations on the playing styles in this Asian series?

A7: Asian players often have their own distinct playing style.

I play cash games on the WPT every day, so I know them inside out, and I don’t think much can surprise me anymore. 

Q8: For players looking to follow in your footsteps and boost their careers through leaderboards, what is the best piece of advice you can give them?

A8: It's hard to answer that question.

I think it’s important for beginners to familiarize themselves with how these rankings work. Above all, gain experience. You can try your hand at weekly rankings to start with, if they’re available. 

It’s important to assess what you can afford, because participating in a ranking like the Asia Series is a huge logistical challenge. 

Q9: Despite the heavy volume, do you still find time for daily hand reviews? What specific areas of your game are you currently focusing on improving?

A9: Right now, I'm focusing on cash games.

I really enjoy playing MTTs, of course, and I feel great about it, which is why I decided to participate in this festival.

To achieve very good results, you have to devote a lot of time to studying.

Right now, I’m devoting an average amount of time or not much at all, so after a win, that will be a reason for me to be more willing to sit down and analyze.

Q10: How did you manage the mental and bankroll pressure that comes with inevitable downswings?

A10: I didn't have any issues with the downswing here. 

I calculated right at the start how much I could potentially lose and was fully aware of it.

Of course, I assumed I had to finish in the top 3 of the rankings.

In the end, my loss was almost 2.5 times lower than I had anticipated.

I think that in the worst-case scenario, I would have worked the entire month for free. 

Q11: How do you plan to use the RMB 1,000,000 prize?

A11: I’ll use part of this amount to grow my bankroll.

The rest might go toward investments or simply to secure my financial future.

Of course, a small portion will be set aside for a party with friends!!! 

I definitely won’t want to play at higher stakes at this point.

I’ll focus more on improving my game at the current stakes. 

Q12: As a professional, how did you manage to balance your daily career and personal life with the significant time commitment required for this leaderboard?

A12: Playing for a whole month makes it impossible to balance with my personal life. In my case, it’s a bit easier because I don’t have kids.

But I do have a fiancée who always supports me in everything I do! 

Q13: What do you think the return on investment (ROI) will be for participating in this Asian series?

A13: Ultimately, the result is great.

The level of play at a festival like this is never very high.

I focus on the most critical phase of the tournament.

On top of that, there’s the constant monitoring of the tournament lobby. 

I think it’s hard to play a tournament like this at a very high poker level with all that going on.

However, judging by the number of tournaments I’ve won, I think my play was consistent :P

Q14: Compared to other major series you’ve played, what aspects of WPT Global’s scoring system or tournament structure did you find more fair or engaging?

A14: I think the scoring system was perfectly designed.

Anyone could participate.

There were no buy-ins at the $2,000–$3,000 level, so everyone had an equal chance.

You could maximize your points by playing every day, but honestly, I don’t know who was able to play every possible day. I saw that there were a few people in the top 10 who played more than 25 days.

The person who worked on the entire Asia series did a great job 

Q15: What new features or types of events would you like to see WPT Global introduce in the future?

A15: At this point, I would like WPT to focus primarily on software issues. This is the most important thing for players.

Of course, more major festivals would be very welcome!