Continuing a trend that has been ongoing since opening day, the World Poker Championship is well on its way to crushing its ₫10 Billion MAIN EVENT guarantee with 139 turning up for Day 1A. It took nearly 13 hours for the heat to end. 17 players bagged up led by rising young star Hai Nam Hoang aka Luckyman9999 with 494,000 (62 BB) in chips.
It was no surprise to see Hoang up top. During the last half of 2022, he emerged into the live tournament scene, cashing in 9 events, of which 7 were final tables. Among his best finishes were two Super Star Challenge runner-ups, and in December, he carried the lead into the Hanoi Super Series Main Event final table exiting in 6th place. Starting the new year strong, Hoang has already cashed at the WPC Kick Off Event with a 6th place finish.
Joining Hoang into the next round were 16 other survivors that included Korea’s Jae Hyung Park who trailed the leader by less than 3 BB, HSOP Main Event champion Nguyen Van Que, WPC Short Deck champion Kim Suk, Philippine player Jeorge Lagatuz, and decorated Indian pro Akshay Nasa. All of the Day 1A qualifiers will enjoy a two day break before returning to action on Friday, January 13.
Among those that missed the mark were Jason Kyle Magbanua, Robert Kiss, Nguyen Quang Huy, Nguyen Quang Minh, Zhao Feng, and Jacky Wang. Luckily there are still three more qualifying heats to try to secure a piece of the brewing big pot.
End of Day 1A – 17 players
| Luckyman9999 | Vietnam | 494,000 |
| Park Jae Hyung | Korea | 474,000 |
| Park Je Young | Korea | 409,000 |
| Luu Danh Tuan | Vietnam | 359,000 |
| Mr Big | Vietnam | 357,000 |
| Kim Suk | Korea | 299,000 |
| Shalala | Vietnam | 273,000 |
| Apoorva Goel | India | 219,000 |
| Nguyen Viet Anh | Vietnam | 199,000 |
| Nguyen Van Que | Vietnam | 174,000 |
| Jeorge Robin Lagatuz | Philippines | 153,000 |
| Phan Xuan Quy | Vietnam | 150,000 |
| Akshay Nasa | India | 147,000 |
| John | Vietnam | 125,000 |
| Nguyen Thi Thuy Duong | Vietnam | 120,000 |
| Lee Seok Jun | Korea | 116,000 |
| Bull Nguyen | Vietnam | 102,000 |
Chips in play: 4,170,000
Average stack: 245,294
Main Event details
If you are just hearing of the World Poker Championship festival it is the richest series ever staged in Vietnam history featuring a jaw-dropping $1M guaranteed prize pool. The event kicked off January 3 at the Grand Loyal Poker Club in Hanoi, and will run through January 15.
In partnership with the Hanoi Series of Poker, the Main Event guarantees a hefty ₫10 Billion (~$425,080), which is ₫2B more than its inaugural run. With Day 1A in the books, there are still three entry flights remaining for those trying to reach the next round. Up next is Day 1B which kicks off on Wednesday, January 11 at 11am.
Dates: January 10 to 14
Buy in: ₫25,000,000 (~$1,060)
Guarantee: ₫10,000,000,000 (~$425,080)
Day 1A: 139 entries, 17 advanced (completed)
Day 1B: Wednesday, January 11
Day 1C: Thursday, January 12
Day 1D (Turbo): Thursday, January 12
- Day 1A, Day 1B, and Day 1C will see blinds increase every 40 minutes
- Day 1D (Turbo) will see blinds increase every 25 minutes.
- Registration closes at the start of Level 7
- All Day 1 heats play to the money (ITM) or 12.5% of the field
Entering players will start with a deep 30,000 stack which is 150x the opening blinds of 100-200-200 BBA. This is an unlimited re-entry tournament. Players are allowed multiple stacks but only the best stack advances.
Day 2: Friday, January 13
Day 2 qualifiers: 17
Day 3 / Final Table: Saturday, January 14
- 30-seconds action clock will be in play starting Day 2
- Day 2 onwards will see blinds increase every 60 minutes
- Day 2 will play down to the final 9 players
- Redraw at final 24 players and final 9 players
For players still making their way to the festival, no need to look further for accommodations. You can book a room onsite at the Grand Vista Hanoi.
World Poker Championship – ePlayer Booklet
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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