APPT Main Event ($1,750)

After a riveting day of intense ups and downs, 26 runners trudge on to Day 2 of the APPT Cambodia 2025 Main Event at the NagaWorld Integrated Resorts here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where 172 saw action in Day 1B of the competition.

Former APPT Cambodia Main Event champion Alexander Puchalski of Canada finally made it through to Day 2, albeit with the shortest stack among the qualifiers and is joined by the likes High Roller Turbo winner Nikesh Chawla of India, WPT Championship Event Final Table participant Neng Zhao of Australia and multi-titled Vietnamese icon Nguyen Huu Dung.

The biggest stack, however, belongs to Bo Su of Taiwan who used a late crippling of erstwhile big stack Craig Jones when the Englishman had Q♦ Q♥ against the A♠ T♠ of the Taiwanese player and eventually lost most of his stack on a board that went 4♣ T♥ 7♣ A♣ 8♥ . The result of that encounter gave Bo a stack of 509,000 and ended with 521,000 which dwarfs the stack of Day 1A chip leader Nguyen Hoa Trinh of Vietnam who carries 375,000 into Day 2.

Bo’s only cash on record is an 54th place finish in the WPT Championship Event here earlier this year but is poised to make a major splash if he can build on his edge heading into the deep waters of the competition.

Second in chips is Li Shankui of China with 487,000 while third is Vietnam’s Tran Hai Ha with 451,000.

Day 1C will happen on Saturday (May 10) still at 11: 30AM (UCT+7) while the Turbo version (Day 1D—20minute blinds) occurs later on at 6:30PM.

Romit Advani of India opens from hijack for 5,000 and gets called by China’s Hu Jinlong in the cutoff. However, by the time it gets to the SB Matthew Russell, he 3-bets it to 16,500. The earlier participants decide to make the call.

The flop is A♣ K♦ J♥ as Russell CBets to 15,000 and takes the pot with zero resistance.

Australia’s Matthew Russell opens from UTG for 2,200 and get the blinds to call.

The flop is T♥ 6♠ 4♥ and the two Chinese players in the blinds (Li Shankui in the SB and Hao He in the BB) both check. Russell CBets to 3,500. The blinds still call. The turn is the J♦ as this time. Li leads out for 12,000. Hao and Russell make the call. The river is the 4♠ and now Li bombards it for 30,000. Hao and Russell fold.

Hao’s plummet from chip leader to middling stack is alarming while Li is beginning gain momentum.

India’s Sumit Sapra starts the action from UTG for a raise to 1,600 and gets called on the hijack by Hao He of China. Australian Matthew Russell, however, 3-bets it from the cutoff to 5,100 and gets called by the initial participants.

The flop comes 8♥ 3♦ 6♠ as it is checked back to Russell who CBets to 7,000. He gets no callers.

Russell’s stack now goes over the century mark and is shaping up to be one of the early chip leaders of this Day 1B.

Matthew Russell of Australia opens from the +1 position for 600 and gets called by Ireland’s Patrick Clarke in the hijack, Gu Huidong of Macau, China in the SB and Vietnamese player Le Buu Nghia I the BB.

The flop shows 2♠ 2♣ J♥ as all four players opt to check. The turn is the 3♥ as Gu checks. Le now leads out for 1,500 as Russell folds. Clarke makes the call and Gu steps aside. It is now Heads Up to the river where the J♦ appears. Le bumps it up to 6,000 as Clarke tanks and consequently decides to fold.

Clarke’s stack drops to just over 10,000.