NAGAWORLD Kickoff ($500)

After a very long six-handed match, the field is now one less player as Dinh Van Tien bows out. From the small blind, Adam Lydford pushed K♠ 3♠ and Dinh risked with A♣ 4♦ . The board favored the lesser hand, improving it to top pair that held through the runout 9♠ 9♦ K♥ 7♥ 2♣ .

Dinh Van Tien raises 100,000 and gets to see a flop with the blinds tossing in the call. Dinh continues fro 150,000 on a board of 2♣ 7♣ A♦ and only small blind Van Xuan Nguyen wants to see the turn which comes Q♦ . Liking what he sees, Nguyen leads out 165,000 and Dinh calls. With the river 5♦ , both check it then Nguyen wins with A♠ 5♠ .

Down to 250,000 (6 bb), Dinh Van Tien found a spot to send it all in and got called by big blind Van Xuan Nguyen. Dinh showed T♦ T♣ , Nguyen with J♦ 9♦ , the board ran K♥ T♦ 3♥ J♠ 6♠ .

Two hands after, DVT shoved again and Nguyen called again. It was a flip with DVT ahead 9♥ 9♠ against Nguyen's A♦ Q♦ . The board ran out KsKd 8♣ 5♥ 8♥ and DVT shipped another.

Dinh Van Tien went head to head against Van Xuan Nguyen, both highly aggressive at this six handed table. Dinh raised 50,000 on Nguyen's big blind who defended. At the flop 3♠ 9♦ J♠ , Nguyen check-called a 150,000 continuation bet from Dinh to see the turn 3♥ pair the board. Dinh fired 135,000, this time Nguyen check-raised all in and after a time-bank, Dinh let Nguyen have the pot, saving his last 7 bb.

Next hand Dinh shoves 175,000 and Cheng Zhang isolates. Dinh opens A♥ 5♠ , Zhang is ahead with A♣ Q♣ . The poker gods saved Dinh on a board A♦ 3♦ 5♥ 2♥ 9♠ to sit back down and collect a double up.

Hoseong Ha got pummeled into 7th placing losing back to back hands. The first was the costliest against Adam Lydford who kicked it off with a 50,000 raise. Ha defended his big blind then both checked the flop 5♥ J♠ J♥ .

When the turn came T♥ , Lydford bet a light 50,000 that Ha check-called to complete the board 3♥ . Another check from Ha prompted a bet of 110,000 from Lydford. Ha answered with a jam for 1,060,000 then crashed right into Lydford's A♥ A♣ flush after the call was made. Ha had K♦ 5♦ bluff.

The next hand, Dinh Van Tien shoved 295,000, Ha joined for 70,000 then lost the flip with 7♥ 7♦ against Dinh's A♠ Q♥ on a board A♣ 9♣ A♥ 2♣ 5♥ .

The Final Table of the NagaWorld Kickoff is set! One of the nine remaining players will be the first big winner of the festival and collect the $18,203 top prize along with the big spadie on display.

Table 7 was expected to be an action-heavy felt and sure enough, the starting hand already saw a big pot that opened with a 12,000 raise from David Koy. Several spots down at cutoff, Dinh Van Tien (DVT) and small blind Christian Cloutier called.

Three-way to the flop 2♠ K♣ 4♣ , brought another 14,000 from Koy, DVT raised is up to 36,000, Cloutier got out of the hand while Koy paid to see the turn T♣ . Checked to DVT, he fired 41,000 and it was enough to claim the pot.