APPT Main Event ($1,750)

India’s Sameer Agarwal opens from the +1 position for 2,000 and gets Alexander Puchalski of Canada to defend his BB.

The flop is K♦ A♣ 7♣ as Puchalski checks. Agarwal CBets for 2,000 anew and gets called by the Canadian. The turn is the 6♣ as both opt to check and the river is the J♦ . No further action ensues.

Agarwal shows A♥ 2♦ for top pair. Puchalski mucks.

From the +1 position, Vietnam’s Tran Minh Thang raises to 1,600 and gets called in the lowjack by Zhang Lei of China and a BB defense from former APPT Cambodia Main Event titlist Alexander Puchalski of Canada.

The flop goes 5♣ 6♦ 3♠ as all three players opt to check. The turn is the 9♦ as the Canadian takes the betting lead for 1,000. Tran folds but Zhang elects to call. It is Heads Up to the river where the 5♥ arrives. Puchalski bets 6,000 and gets no more resistance from his Chinese opponent.

Puchalski chose to join in the later stages of Day 1A and is already making his presence felt.

A couple of past APPT Cambodia titlists are already in the trenches with Canada’s Alexander Puchalski and 2023 champ Chao Ting Cheng of Taiwan slugging it out early.

Korea’s Donghyup Kim (the Main Event runner-up last November here) is also in action along with 2023 APPT Main Event king Yuanning Wu.

In all, 25 players comprise the early combatants in Day 1A.