Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier and Ka Chun Yuan conquer events at APT Taipei 2024

 

Another day of incredible poker at APT Taipei 2024 as Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier and Ka Chun Yuan fulfilled dreams and crushed hopes at Day 4’s richest events. Scroll down for the highlights.

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier denies Lester Edoc at $25K Superstar Challenge

Amid an anxious rail with thousands viewing via the live feed, triple-crown champion Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier came from behind to defeat Philippine ace Lester Edoc for the coveted $25K Superstar Challenge title. In an interview with APT, Grospellier was ecstatic,

“Even though I’ve already played poker for so many years, when you reach the final table it’s always so intense, with so much emotion. It means everything to me to win this trophy.”

Along with his first-ever APT hardware, Grospellier pocketed the NTD 11,632,810 (~USD 367,300) top prize, and though it paled in comparison to his highest score, it was the largest APT payout to date. For runner-up Edoc, getting agonizingly close to beating one of the world’s greats earned him a career high payout of NTD 8,402,000 (~USD 265,630). You can relive the thrill via the recorded livestream or continue below for the brief summary.

Event recap

For the first time in APT history, the brand introduced a jaw-dropping $25K buy in event dubbed the NTD 800,000 Superstar Challenge. Ambitious as it may have seemed, it brought together some of the world’s elite to compete in Taipei City, Taiwan for the first time. As the crowd watched on, 38 players ponied up, boosted further by 11 re-entries, for a prize pool of NTD 36,930,000 (~USD 1,167,615). Day 1 wrapped up with Lester Edoc leading the final 9.

While there were many worthy highlights leading to the finish, it was at six-handed where a new leader emerged. Roman Hrabec sent Lester Edoc down a notch with a straight over flopped top pair. At four-handed, the winds shifted in Edoc’s favor, eliminating China’s Biao Ding to even up with the leader. The trend continued at three-handed with Edoc winning two big pots off Hrabec before sending the Czech out in 3rd place.

Five hours in, heads up was reached. Edoc was on the cusp of glory with 79 bb and Bertrand Grospellier looking to spoil that moment with his 22 bb. Grospellier also had an ace under his belt, he was unbeaten in all in showdowns with five wins to stay in the running.

Kicking off heads up, Edoc took charge of the initial hands until his shove lost to Grospellier’s with a Queen turning up on the board . Grospellier won another showdown with over Edoc’s to switch the counts. For the first time since the start of the tournament, Grospellier was ahead.

It only took one more hand for Grospellier to seal the win and he did so in shocking fashion. Calling Edoc’s four-bet shove, Grospellier started off behind with to Edoc’s , however, with a Jack finding the flop , Grospellier paired up. Hope arrived for Edoc on the turn giving the Filipio the nut flush draw. The river crowned ElkY champion.

Date: March 1 to 2, 2024
Buy in: NTD 800,000 (~USD 25,900)
Entries: 49 (38 unique)
Prize pool: NTD 36,930,000 (~USD 1,167,615)
ITM: 7 places

Place	Player	Flag	Payout in NTD	in USD (approx)
1	Bertrand Grospellier	France	11,632,810	367,313
2	Lester Edoc	Philippines	8,402,000	265,298
3	Roman Hrabec	Czech Republic	5,355,000	169,087
4	Biao Ding	China	4,062,000	128,260
5	Klemens Roiter	Austria	3,139,000	99,116
6	Danny Tang	Hong Kong	2,401,000	75,813
7	Mikael Andersson	Sweden	1,939,000	61,225

First big title for Ka Chun Yuan at record-breaking APT National Cup

Hong Kong’s Ka Chun Yuan was the envy of many after he conquered the record-breaking APT National Cup for a career high payout of NTD 2,263,639 (~USD 71,485). Yuan claimed his first ever APT win and catapulted his total live earnings to over USD 100K.

The APT National Cup displayed the brand’s increasing popularity with a roaring 2,305 entries across five flights for a record-breaking NTD 19,899,065 (~USD 629,650) prize pool. With this massive turnout, it clearly distinguished the APT National Cup as a low tier major title. While 343 (14%) players earned a piece of the pot, only 134 (5%) advanced to the final day.

Leading up to the final table, defending champion Chia Yun Wu burned out in 33rd place, and was later followed by flight leaders Chi Hang Chang (26th), Yann Lormel (17th), Edilberto Gopez Jr. (15th), Chih Wei Fan (11th), and Pi Ying Hsu who bubbled to the final table in 10th place.

Taking a look at final 9 player stats, every finalist was seeking its first monster score. Interestingly, with an eighth-place finish, each one was already guaranteed a career high payout. After three hours of play, the table trimmed to just three players, and an ICM deal was quickly reached. In addition to the guaranteed payouts, another NTD 213,139 (~USD 6,730) was set aside for the winner. For the next hour, chip leader Yuan kept his opponents at bay to capture his first ever APT title. Relive the final race to victory via the livestream.

Buy in: NTD 10,000 (~USD 315)
Guarantee: NTD 15,000,000 (~USD 474,000)
Entries: 2,305 (1,046 unique)
Prize pool: NTD 19,899,065 (~USD 629,650)
ITM: 343 players (14 %)
Day 2 qualifiers: 134 players (5%)

*Three way ICM deal

Place	Player	Flag	Payout in NTD	in USD (approx)
1	Ka Chun Yuan	Hong Kong	2,263,639	71,485*
2	Cheng En Tsai	Taiwan	1,944,800	61,408*
3	Ting-Chieh Chen	Taiwan	1,607,626	50,762*
4	Sheng Chang Lu	Taiwan	873,000	27,640
5	Kuan Long Lu	Taiwan	730,000	23,115
6	Kwan Cheng	Taiwan	590,000	18,680
7	Dexter Brillo	Philippines	450,000	14,250
8	Po Chun Chang	Taiwan	323,000	10,230
9	Yiu Yeung Leung	Hong Kong	246,000	7,790

APT Taipei 2024 – Results

APT Taipei 2024 – Main Event

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) Taipei 2024 runs from February 28 to March 10 in Taipei City, Taiwan. Games are underway at the Asia Poker Arena and Chinese Mahjong League. The festival boasts a massive NTD 150 Million (~USD 4.8 Million) guarantee. 

Out of the packed lineup of 105 trophy events, the APT Main Event will be the most sought-after title with a substantial payout expected due to its NTD 65,000,000 (~USD 2,000,000) guarantee. This is the largest prize pool ever offered in Asia. The event runs March 3 to 9, 2024 with buy in set at NTD 70,000 (~USD 2,200).

The APT prides itself in its Main Event tournament structure and has been praised as one of the best in the region. Players start with a deep 40,000 stack (400 times the opening blind). Flight A blinds increase every 60 minutes, Flight B blinds increase every 45 minutes, and Flight C will see blinds increase every 30 minutes then 40 minutes at the start of Level 7. All entry flights play a total of 10 levels.

In 2023, Thailand pro Punnat Punsri clinched the APT Main Event for NTD 11,210,400 (~USD 364,300). He is on site and will be looking to defend his title.

Asian Poker Tour Taipei sets the bar high with over TWD 150 Million (~USD 4.8M) in guarantees