Globally renowned brand World Poker Tour (WPT) has been running its Prime series at the Crown Poker Club in Hanoi, Vietnam. The event is currently on its sixth day with games kicking off on May 16 and running through May 29. Here are some side stories to enjoy.
Miroslaw Klys sets record of 48 flags at WPT Prime Vietnam
Poland’s Miroslaw Klys made headlines at the festival by adding a 48th flag to his Hendon Mob cashes. The globe-trotting Klys broke a three-way tie to solidify his position as one of the most accomplished players in the world. The record was broken on May 20, 2023 at the Hyper Turbo NLH where Klys came back from less than a small blind to the money in 5th place.
“My first time to Vietnam and I cash on my first tournament. This is #48. I had a hard time in Portugal and Greece. Before coming here I tried and I couldn’t cash. I will go back again and try after this trip.”
Klys went on to reach another final table, cashing out in 4th place at the Pot Limit Omaha event.
How Klys reached ITM
With 18 remaining and only top 5 paid, Klys went all in on the flop with 
then tripled up when it completed 
. Still very short, Klys managed to stay afloat to reach the final table where he tripled up for the second time, holding 
over 
and 
. On Kly’s third showdown it was a double up with pockets Jacks over pocket Fours, however on his fourth, his top pair was crushed by a straight on the river. He walked away with his first-ever tournament cash payout in Vietnam.
Nguyen Huu Vinh draws the biggest bounty
79 players returned to the Mystery Bounty event, each one eligible for a bounty draw once they eliminated a player. On his third attempt, Day 1C chip leader, Nguyen Huu Vinh pulled the coveted top mystery bounty prize of VN₫ 250,000,000 (~US$ 10,650) and is now guaranteed to earn more than the 4th place prize pool payout. At the time of posting, Nguyen finished 8th for a combined payout of VN₫ 365,000,000 (~US$ 15,550).
Thanh Tien Dinh takes early lead in WPT Player of the Festival race
With the completion of the first 12 eligible events, the battle for the WPT Player of the Festival title is well underway. Currently leading the pack is Thanh Tien Dinh, who has 775 points for three cashes which includes a victory at the Event 5: Turbo NLH. However, the competition is far from over.
Thanh Hung Tran is nipping at Dinh’s heels, currently occupying the second rank with 725 points. Tran’s two side event victories have significantly contributed to his overall standing. WPT Opener Avneesh Munjal sits in the third position with a total of two cashes, accumulating 630 points. After finishing in 2nd place at the Bounty Event, Chu The Dan catapulted from outside the top 10 and into 4th rank. He sits with 550 points.
More points to be won with the festival ongoing until May 29. This title is well worth the effort with the champion awarded a US$ 5,000 WPT Passport to any 2023 WPT Main Tour.
| Rank | Player | POF Points |
| 1 | Dinh Tien Thanh | 775 |
| 2 | Thanh Hung Tran | 725 |
| 3 | Avneesh Munjal | 630 |
| 4 | Dan The Chu | 550 |
| 5 | Truong Toan Chan | 500 |
| 6 | Trung Gia Nguyen | 475 |
| 7 | Nhat Ta Vu | 450 |
| 8 | Dhaval Mudgal | 425 |
| 9 | Anh Tuan Nguyen | 375 |
| 10 | Anton Lu | 375 |
Tricia David
Tricia David has long experience as a recreational poker player and has been covering poker events since 2010 for numerous outfits in Asia. She spent one year working part time with Poker Portal Asia then became editor and lead writer for all event coverage of the Philippine Poker Tour (PPT). Under the PPT, she overlooked content for their website, and produced live updates on all their events. In addition, she served as the live and online events website content writer for the Asian Poker Tour. Currently, she does live events reporting in Asia for online news site Somuchpoker and is also one of their news contributors.
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