APT Main Event

50 qualifiers of the Day 3 leg of the APT Phu Quoc Main Event returned to the tables today at the Corona Resort & Casino to play down to the last 9 players to comprise the final table for tomorrow's final day.

795 registrants punched their VND 36,000,000 (USD 1,400) buy-ins for a shot to earn a share from the VND 25,000,000,000 (USD 1 Million) guaranteed prize pool. 119 made ITM on Day 2 with all players jockeying for a better spot up the payout ladder until 50 remained.

Today, those 50 went into another intense session of nearly 10 hours of poker action until the final table of 9 was reached.

The elimination of Dongyeol Choi in 10th place officially ended the day with "The Final Table 9" bagging up their chips for tomorrow's final day. All 9 who return will be locked in for a payout of at least VND 352,000,000 (USD 13,860). But, of course, the fight will be for the APT Main Event grand prize of VND 4,710,000,000 (USD 185,430) and the coveted Golden Lion APT Trophy.

Leading the final table with the biggest chip stack is David "Spade" Erquiaga of the Philippines with 5,470,000 chips. Erquiaga earned most his chips by making some key eliminations leading up to the final 9. Erquiaga has won several APT titles and other prestigious hardware to amass a total live earnings of nearly USD 1.8 Million. However, he has yet to win an APT Main Event. Maybe this time's the time.

Junseok Oh of South Korea bagged the second largest count with 5,080,000. Oh earned his way to the second spot by winning huge pots like the straight he had over Jinlong Hu. Oh has capped some nice championships and earned over USD 800,000 from live tournaments, but has yet to bag an APT trophy.

China's Jinlong Hu has the third top-stack with 4,470,000 chips. Hu moved up the ranks when he took all the chips of Kyosuke Nagami . Hu has been traveling around the world to play poker and has won some APT events in the past. Hu's Main Event final table appearance will catapult his earnings to over USD 600,000, and even more if he wins it all.

Some of the Day 3 hopefuls who were considered favorites to make it to the final included the likes of Dylan Foster, who unfortunately ran into a case of bad timing and settled for a 34th place finish.

Kyosuke Nagami of Japan had a great run, even making the day's best hand with a straight flush to make him a chip leader at one point, but was stopped short in 11th place.

David Mann of Canada had some brilliant moments to make a comeback, but ended his run in 17th place.

Day 2 chip leader Xuan Thieu Nghiem of Vietnam didn't find the momentum he had in the previous day and was eventually taken out by Erquiaga at 22nd.

Bracelet holder Motoyoshi Okamura of Japan was a top contender, but had to settle for a 14th place payout.

The APT Main Event Final Table continues tomorrow at 11AM and will play until a Main Event champion raises the APT Golden Lion Trophy. There are strict rules that will prevent any ICM deals, so the action is expected to be very competitive.

Meanwhile, here are the Final Table Chip Counts:

Day 3 of the APT Main Event is a wrap. A full recap will be posted shortly.

Action was picked up with David Erquiaga calling Dongyeol Choi's pre-flop all-in, putting Choi's tournament life on the line.

Dongyeol Choi: A♣ 3♦

David Erquiaga: A♦ J♥

The flop came down J♦ 6♥ 8♥ , drawing a cheer from Erquiaga as the window card gave him a pair of jacks. The turn 3♣ offered Choi a glimmer of hope with a pair of threes, but it was too little, too late.

The river Q♥ brought no miracles, sealing Choi's fate as he made his way off the tournament floor.

Jinlong Hu bet 260,000 and was met with a raise from Kyosuke Nagami to 1,250,000, leaving him just 70,000 behind. Hu responded by shoving all-in, and Nagami snap-called for his tournament life.

Kyosuke Nagami: A♦ Q♣

Jinlong Hu: A♣ A♠

Nagami’s frustration was evident upon seeing Hu’s pocket rockets, but he stoically awaited the board’s reveal.

The dealer spread 3♠ 4♣ 9♣ J♣ 7♠ , offering Nagami no lifeline.

With no outs to save him, Nagami was eliminated, leaving him to head off and enjoy Phu Quoc with his well-earned cash prize of VND 288,750,000 (~$11,370)

Action folded to the blinds to create a class Battle of The Blinds.

Small blind Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao just completed the blinds when big blind Do Tien Vu raised it to 300,000.

Table chip leader Bao then shoved all-in for 3,900,000, daring Vu to risk his tournament life.

Vu gave it some thought, used some time-bank tokens, convinced himself that unicorns do exist and made the call, risking his last 2,400,000 chips.

Do Tien Vu: A♥ 8♠

Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao: J♣ T♠

The flop came 6♥ 7♠ Q♣ . Both missed, but Vu remained ahead.

The A♠ on the river was a justified reward from the poker gods for the bold big blind stand.

Vu won the Battle of the Blinds in a huge way and jumped to the top of the table chip lead. Bao got completely crippled and put his stack in near-critical condition with the life support machine on standby.

Duy Nguyen Hoang went all-in for his tournament life after David Erquiaga opened for 225,000 on the button. After asking the dealer for a count, Erquiaga made the call.

Duy Nguyen Hoang: A♥ T♣

David Erquiaga: 9♦ 8♦

The flop came down 7♦ T♥ 9♠ , giving Hoang top pair, but Erquiaga connected with middle pair and an open-ended straight draw.

The turn J♠ completed Erquiaga’s straight, leaving Hoang dismayed.

The river A♣. improved Hoang to two pair, but it was too little too late as Erquiaga scooped the pot, sending Hoang to the rail with VND 258,250,000 (~$10,170).

Minh Truong Thang raised to 175,000 from under the gun and found one challenger in Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao on the button, who had pocket threes in his hole.

Both players were presented a flop of 5♥ 9♥ 3♣ , giving Bao a set of threes.

Thang led out with 175,000 and Bao just slyly called.

With a Q♥ on the turn, Thang tapped his option over to Bao, who fired 450,000. Thang thought about it, but counted out the chips to make the call.

The river showed a J♥ . With four hearts on the board, Thang pushed a cool 700,000 to the middle and Bao had to let go of his set.

This pot inched Thang closer to the table chip leader's stack.

Action was picked up with Junseok Oh and Jinlong Hu in a complated hand and a pot worth almost a million in chips.

The board displayed Q♠ J♣ T♦ 4♣ 6♣

Oh checked to Hu, who contemplated what to do next with such a huge pot. To the absolute dismay of Oh, Hu checked.

Oh couldn't help verbalizing his complaint as he showed his hand K♠ 9♦ repeatedly saying, "Why didn't you bet?"

Hu showed his hand Q♥ : J♥ , and said smiling "I cannot"

Action folded to the blinds with small blind Wang Haozhao raising to 240,000 with A♦ Q♠ . Big blind Deepankur Gupta defended with Q♣ J♥ .

Both players were given a flop of K♥ 2♥ 4♣ .

Haozhao led with 160,000 and Gupta called to open a Q♥ fall on the turn.

Both players had made a pair, but Haozhao had the better kicker and Gupta picked up a flush draw.

Haozhao fired a second barrel of 300,000 with Gupta just calling behind.

The river came 7♣ and both were satisfied with the pot to check it down.

Haozhao showed the better kicker and Gupta mucked.

Hyunsick Jang open-jammed 235,000 chips all-in for his tournament life from middle position. David Erquiaga, the current chip leader in the cutoff, flat-called. When action reached the big blind, Jinlong Hu made a bold three-bet to 600,000, and Erquiaga called once again.

The flop came down 7♠ Q♣ T♥ .

Without hesitation, Hu shoved all his chips into the middle. Erquiaga folded, allowing Hu to win the side pot of about 700,000 immediately.

Hyunsick Jang: K♠ 6♥

Jinlong Hu: K♥ K♣

Jang, facing a nearly impossible situation, began packing up his chips as soon as the hands were tabled.

The turn 9♦ and river 9♣ were dealt, and Jang was eliminated, sent to the payout counter to collect his VND 258,250,000 (~$10,170).

Jinlong Hu opened for 500,000 from the hijack, only to face an all-in shove from Hyunsick Jang in the small blind, risking his tournament life.

Jinlong Hu: A♥ Q♣

Hyunsick Jang: A♦ K♣

Jang was ahead pre-flop, needing to hold onto his lead with Big Slick. The flop came down 6♦ 3♠ J♥ , keeping Jang in the lead.

But when the turn Q♠ hit the board, Jang groaned in frustration, clearly unhappy with the turn card.

The river 7♥ did nothing to help him, and Jinlong Hu doubled up at Jang's expense.

You know how it is in the movie business - some times when the main stars are in need of rest, they bring in the stand-ins or the body doubles.

There are no doubles here. Just an entire change of cast to make for a different kind of drama at the APT livestream.

Joining the featured table after the dinner break are table chip leader Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao of Vietnam along with supporting actors - Deepankur Gupta of India, Minh Truong Thang of Australia, Do Tien Vu of Vietnam, Wang Haozhao of China and Zhang Chuhao also of China.

Thirteen players are back from the dinner break, fully recharged and ready to dive back into the action.

Players are on a much-needed one-hour dinner break.

Minh Truong Thang opened to 125,000 and got an all-in jam from Motoyoshi Okamura in small blind risking his tournament life. Everyone else folded to Thang who made the call

Motoyoshi Okamura: A♣ 2♦

Minh Truong Thang: A♦ K♦

The flop came down A♠ 8♣ Q♥ with Thang hitting a pair on the flop, Okamura knew what was going to happen next.

The turn A♥ solidified Thang's lead with trips and a king kicker.

The river 7♥ was dealt and Okamura hit the rails.

Action was picked up with Dinh Tien Thanh open-jamming all-in for 520,000 in the hijack for his tournament life, and Deepankur Gupta called from the small blind.

Dinh Tien Thanh: A♠ 3♦

Deepankur Gupta: K♦ K♣

Thanh hit a pair on the flop K♥ A♣ 2♣ , but Gupta caught a set, evoking an exasperated groan from Thanh. He immediately stood up, seemingly resigned to his fate.

The turn K♠ only worsened Thanh’s situation, giving Gupta quads and effectively sealing Thanh's elimination.

The inconsequential river 4♠ was dealt, confirming his exit from the tournament.

JInlong Hu raised to 120,000 from the hi-jack with David Erquiaga defending from the big blind.

Both players were given a flop of Q♠ 9♥ 4♥ . Erquaiga check-called the 85,000 bet to open a 7♣ turn. Erquiaga tapped his option to Hu, who fired 245,000.

Erquiaga thought a bit and counted off some chips to raise to 625,000. Hu made the call to be shown a 7♥ on the river.

Erquiaga fired 650,000 and Hu made the call.

Erquiaga showed K♥ 8♥ for flush. Hu showed : Q♥ J♥ for a runner-up flush.

Even Erquiaga felt the pain of Hu when he saw his cards, but that didn't stop him from stacking Hu's chips.

He won back more than had he lost in the earlier hand against Hu, and also jumped back to the top of the chip counts.

Phao Ngoc Thanh opened to 125,000 from the hijack, and Motoyoshi Okamura called.

The flop came down J♥ 2♦ 6♠ , and both players checked.

On the turn 6♠ , Bao led out with a bet of 100,000, and Okamura raised to 300,000. Bao made the call.

The river 8♠ saw Okamura fire a bet of 400,000, but Bao calmly called.

Okamura revealed Q♥ 5♠ as a bluff, only to be met with Bao’s winning hand of A♣ A♦ for a pair of aces.

David Erquiaga raised from the cut-off to 130,000. Junseok Oh called from the small blind, and then Jinlong Hu pushed all-in for 1,100,000 from the big blind.

Erquiaga made the call and Oh stepped out of the way . David made a small celebration when he found out he was ahead when the cards were flipped.

David Erquiaga: A♥ 9♦

Jinlong Hu: Q♣ J♠

However, the flop came 6♣ Q♥ 6♦ , pairing Hu's queen. Erquiaga needed one of three aces, but the poker gods threw a 3♠ on the turn and a T♥ on the river instead.

Erquiaga's chip lead stack gets severely dented, but still keeps him among the top. Hu, of course, has his stack built to a more confident tower.

Minh Truong Thanh opened for 125,000 under-the-gun and was called by Pham Ngoc Bao on the button. The blinds folded, and the dealer flopped A♣ 9♠ J♥ . Thanh led out with 100,000, and Bao called.

The turn brought the A♦ , and Thanh checked to Bao, who took the opportunity to bet 175,000. Thanh called.

The river was the 4♠ , and once again, Thanh check-called Bao’s hefty bet of 525,000.

Bao revealed A♥ T♦ , and with much regret, Thanh mucked his hand, visibly frustrated by how the hand had played out.

Duy Nguyen Hoang raised to 125,000 from UTG+1 when Tuong Tran Khac shoved all-in for 660,000 from the cutoff.

Duy Nguyen Hoang : A♥ A♣

Tuong Tran Khac: T♦ T♣

The flop came A♦ 5♥ J♣ to give Hoang a set. The turn 5♦ had Khac drawing dead. The 3♦ on the river didn't even matter.

Junseok Oh raised to 125,000 from the hi-jack and Kyosuke Nagami defended the big blind.

The flop came 3♥ 8♥ 9♠ . Nagami check-called the 130,000 bet of Oh to see a 3♠ turn. Both players check to see a T♥ on the river.

Nagami led out with 120,000 and was raised by Oh to 420,000. Nagami just made the call.

Junseok Oh showed A♥ Q♥ for the nut flush and Nagami flashed a J♥ 9♥ for a weaker flush.

Action folded to David Erquiaga on the button, who raised to 125,000 with A♠ J♥

Choi Dongyeol three-bet from the small blind for 325,000 while holding K♦ J♠

Erquiaga pushed back with a four-bet to 1,000,000 and Dongyeol gave that "just-because-you-have-a-big-stack" look while sending his cards back to the dealer.

Hyunsick Jang min-raised to 100,000 from the button with a hand of A♥ 4♠ and Kyosuke Nagami defended from the big blind with K♠ J♦ .

Both players were peeled a flop of K♦ 7♠ 6♥ , giving Nagami top-pair. Nagami tapped his option Jang, who fired 85,000. Nagami called.

The T♣ came on the turn. Nagami again check-called Jang's second barrel of 200,000.

A 2♦ fell on the river and Nagami checked again. Jang put on the brakes and checked behind.

Nagami showed the top-pair and Jang sent his cards to the muck.

With 16 players remaining, tournament directors made another seat re-draw. Following the reshuffling of players, we have come to another new set of actors to play for the cameras in the APT livestream.

Entering the featured table are: Japan's Kyosuke Nagami Philippines' David Erquiaga China's Jinlong Hu, Vietnam's Duy Nguyen Hoang and Tuong Tran Khac South Korean's Hyunsick Jang, Dongyeol Choi and Junseok Oh

Erquiaga will be leading the featured table with 4,220,000 chips followed by a not-so-distant Junseok Oh with 2,595,000.

All the rest have over 1 Million more or less, but all that can change in one big hand.

The final 16 players have returned from the break. With the final table in sight, the action is bound to be fierce and intense as each contender vies to make it to the Final 9.

Players are on a 25-minute break to redraw the last 16 players

Action was picked up pre-flop with David Mann at risk and Junseok Oh all-in.

David Mann: 5♣ 5♠

Junseok Oh: J♣ J♠

The flop came down 8♠ T♠ 9♠ , keeping Oh in the lead and leaving Mann praying for a miracle. However, with Oh's flush and straight draws also in play, the odds were heavily against Mann.

The turn T♥ and river 4♠ sealed Mann's fate, eliminating him from the tournament.

Action was picked up on a completed board with David Erquiaga and Si Ng Pun, their stacks in the center of the felt, with the latter at risk of his tournament life.

Si Ng Pun: T♦ T♣

David Erquiaga: Q♠ J♥

Board: J♦ J♠ 9♦ K♥ 4♦

Erquiaga flopped a set of jacks, and although Pun had outs to improve, the poker Gods didn't deliver in his favor, leading to his elimination from the tournament.

Hu Jinlong raised to 100,000 from the cut-off and was called by Duy Nguyen Hoang at the small blind and Jang Hyunsick on the big blind.

Three players were shown a flop of T♦ Q♦ 7♣ .

Hoang was ahead, holding an A♥ J♥ but Jang Hyunsick could make the best improvement with a flush, hiding 9♦ 8♦ in his hole. Hu Jinlong also had promising outs with his K♦ J♠

Action was checked to pre-flop raiser JInlong, who obliged a bet of 125,000 which everyone else called to see a turn 3♦

Hoang tapped his option over to Hyunsick, who also checked his turned flush. Jinlong obliged again with 250,000 second barrel. Hoang stood down and Hyunsick re-raised it to 600,000.

Jinlong thought about it, but decided to let it go, and ship the big pot to Hyunsick.

Action was picked up with Tharit Nanthana all-in for his tournament life and called by Minh Truong Thanh

Tharit Nanthana: K♠ Q♥ Minh Truong Thanh: J♠ J♦

The flop came down 4♦ 6♣ 6♥ , keeping Thanh in the lead and leaving Nanthana hoping for one of his overcards to connect.

Unfortunately, the turn T♦ and river 6♦ brought no help, resulting in Nanthana's elimination from the tournament.

The APT Main Event featured table usually changes its players after every break, but it seems like the big wigs from behind-the-scenes enjoyed their performance so much that they've kept their characters on for a second episode.

Featured Table Chip Counts:

Lights! Camera! Action!

The break is over, and all 20 players who returned are now guaranteed a minimum cashout of VND 183,250,000 (~$7,215). The day will conclude once the final table is set, so stay tuned for more riveting poker action.

Players are on a 15-minute break.

David Erquiaga opened the action on the button with a raise to 90,000, prompting a call from David Mann in the small blind. However, Xuan Thieu Nghiem shifted the momentum by three-betting to 400,000 from the big blind.

With the action back to Erquiaga, he jammed all-in for nearly a million chips. Mann quickly folded, and Nghiem, now at risk, snap-called. A♠ the call was made, Erquiaga confidently called Nghiem's hand, confirming his read.

Xuan Thieu Nghiem: T♥ T♦

David Erquiaga: J♠ J♦

The dealer spread a flop of 7♣ 3♦ 4♦ , keeping Erquiaga's jacks ahead while leaving Nghiem with limited outs. The turn 5♦ and river 3♠ brought no help to Nghiem, sealing his fate and eliminating the former Day 2 chip leader from the tournament.

Hu Jinlong raised to 85,000 from the cutoff, holding A♦ K♦ with Yita Choong defending the big-blind with an all-in for 830,000. Jinlong snap called for a duel.

Hu Jinlong: A♦ K♦

Yita Choong: K♠ T♠

The flop came 5♦ 6♦ 4♦ giving Jinlong the nut-flush. The Q♦ on the turn added more salt to the wound and the Q♠ river was just a formality.

After a quick chip count, it was discovered that Yita Choong was covered and was asked to give up his seat from the featured table and from the main event.

Exit stage right, please.

Action was picked up with Junseok Oh, under-the-gun, calling the all-in shove of at-risk player ChuHao Zhang for nearly 700,000 chips in a preflop clash.

ChuHao Zhang: T♦ T♥

Junseok Oh: A♦ Q♣

The flop landed 6♦ 5♦ T♣ , giving Zhang a commanding set and bringing a wide smile to his face. Oh, already anticipating the outcome, began counting his chips to hand over. The turn 9♠ and river A♠ sealed the deal, and the dealer slid the pot toward Zhang.

Lee Koangho pushed all in for 875,000 from the hi-jack and Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao jammed his stack from the small blind just to make sure the big blind wouldn't join in.

Lee Koangho: A♣ Q♦

Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao: J♦ J♣

Bao was ahead pre-flop and maintained the lead when the flop of 5♣ 9♣ 5♥ arrived. The turn 5♦ put a choke hold on Koangho's tournament life and the river 3♠ finally ended him.

Bao's huge win brought him to the top of the chip lead in the feature table. Koangho, meanwhile, finished his Main Event run and can catch the sunset on the beach.

Action was picked up with David Erquiaga in the small blind betting 200,000 on the turn. David Mann responded by shoving all-in for his tournament life with 775,000 on a board of 6♣ 8♦ J♠ 7♣ .

With a massive pot in the middle, Kyosuke Nagami, under the gun and still in the hand, made the call. Erquiaga folded, leaving Mann and Nagami to battle it out in a heads-up showdown.

David Mann: T♥ 9♦

Kyosuke Nagami: J♣ J♦

Nagami flopped a set of jacks, but Mann had turned a straight to take the lead. The river brought the 2♦ , cementing Mann's win and allowing him to scoop a massive pot, breathing new life into his tournament run.

Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao raised to 80,000 from under the gun with A♣ T♥ : and Hyunsick Jang defended his big blind with K♦ Q♦

The flop came 4♣ 4♠ T♠ Jang check-called the 55,000 bet from Bao to see a 8♥ on the turn.

Both players checked to see a free 6♣ on the river.

Jang came out firing with 150,000 to steal the pot, but Bao made the call and showed the winning hand.

Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao raised to 65,000 from the hi-jack with 4♠ 4♦ : and Do Tien Vu was the only one who made the call from the cut-off with A♠ 5♠.

Both players were shown a flop of A♥ A♣ 3♠ , giving Vu a set of acs. Bao led with a 40,000 bet and Vu just called to see a 6♦ on the turn.

Bao fired another barrel for 70,000 with Vu raising to 170,000, forcing Bao out of the pot.

Seats were redrawn after the break, shuffling the remaining 23 players around.

In the featured table, the players who will be offering their academy-winning performances include:

Table chip leader Hyunsick Jang of Korea with 2,000,000 chips; returning supporting cast of Do Tien Vu of Vietnam, Yita Choong of Australia and Koangho Lee of South Korea; plus some fresh faces like Deepankur Gupta of India, Kyongrok Moon of South Korea, Jinlong Hu of China and Pham Ngoc Bao of Vietnam.

With the seats redrawn and stacks chipped up, 23 players return to the action getting much closer to to the goal for the day - to make it to the final table and, ulitmately, be the last man standing.

Please stay tuned for more updates. The feature table is being streamed (30-minute delay) in the social media channels below.

Youtube

Twitch

Players are on a 20-minute break.

Kyosuke Nagami min-raised to 60,000 from under the gun and got called by Nghiem Xan Thieu from the small blind and Shi Bei from the big blind.

The flop came 3♥ 5♥ 4♦ . All players checked to see a freebie A♣ on the turn. Both blinds checked and Nagami bet 100,000.

Thieu stepped out of the way and Bei raised to 250,000. Nagami made the call and a 2♥ landed on the river.

Bei shoved all-in for his last 190,000 and Nagami instantly called.

Bei flipped over 3♠ 2♦ - he turned a straight, but the straight on the board didn't need his hole.

Nagami, however, flipped an A♥ 4♥ to show a wheel straight flush, eliinating Bei from the Main Event.

The action picked up with Minh Truong Thanh raising to 175,000 on the button, only to have Wang Haozhao shove all-in for his tournament life.

Wang Haozhao: A♣ J♣ Minh Truong Thanh: 9♦ 9♥

The flop came down T♣ 3♥ 3♠ , keeping Thanh ahead with his pocket nines and putting Haozhao at risk of elimination.

However, the turn A♦ gave Haozhao a much-needed pair of aces, offering a glimmer of hope. A♠ if on cue, the river Q♦ sealed the deal, confirming his double-up and relieving his tension as he stayed in the fight.

The action picked up with Tharit Nanthana all-in for his tournament life, putting 350,000 chips in the middle. He was called by Junseok Oh.

Tharit Nanthana: Q♥ Q♦

Junseok Oh: 5♠ 5♣

The flop came down 6♥ 3♦ 7♥ , giving Oh a gutshot straight draw and putting Nanthana's queens at risk. But the turn Q♠ was a game-changer, improving Nanthana to a set of queens and solidifying his lead. The river J♠ confirmed the double-up, sending Nanthana back into the game with a much-needed boost.

Yoon Sehoon raised to 65,000 on the button with A♣ 2♦ a and Nghiem Xuan Thieu defended his big blind with A♦ 4♠

Both players were paired top pair on a flop of J♠ 9♣ A♠ Thieu double-tapped his option over to Sehoon, who fired 50,000. Thieu then check-raised to 125,000 and Sehoon completed to see a 5♣ turn.

Xuan fired 100,000 and Sehoon didn't feel too comfortable with his kicker and surrendered even if it looked like they were headed for a split.

Thieu improved his stack while Sehoon was put in critical danger.

Shi Bei made a min-raise to 60,000 from the button with A♠ 9♥ then called the three-bet of Kyosuke Nagami for 275,000 on the big blind, who held A♣ K♥

Both players were treated to a flop of 4♣ 5♥ 5♠ Ngagami led with 180,000 and didn't scare Shi Bei away to see a 8♣ on the turn.

Both players slowed to see a free 4♥ on the river. Both players had the same hand and would've chopped the pot. But....

Nagami then shoved all-in for 1,900,000, covering Bei's stack and putting him at risk. Bei didn't make the call and awarded the huge pot to Nagami.

Japan's Kyosuke Nagami started at the feature table with 570,000 chips and has scooped some sizable pre-flop pots with some daring three-bets and four-bets. Of course, it's helped that's he's had high pocket hands.

In the most recent han,. Zhang Chuhao and Kyosuke Nagami built a pot of 540,000 when Chuhao called Nagami's 200K three-bet to see a flop of 4♥ A♣ T♣

Nagami flopped a set with A♦ A♥ in his hole and led out for 50,000. Chuhao made a gamble with his K♣ Q♥ : hoping for a gut-shot.

The turn came 4♦ , giving Nagami a boat. He led out for a teasing 60,000, but Chuhao decided to surrender.

Kyosuke Nagami now leads the chip count of the featured table.

Action was picked up with Nang Quang Nguyen all-in for his tournament life against Wang Haozhao pre-flop.

Nang Quang Nguyen: A♦ J♣

Wang Haozhao: A♠ K♥

The flop came down 2♣ 9♥ 4♣ maintaining Haozhao's lead. With neither player hitting the board with the turn 2♠ and river 7♣ , Haozhao won the pot with ace-high with his king kicker.

Deepankur Gupta raised to 50,000 from middle position, and both Junseok Oh and Motoyoshi Okamura called from the small and big blinds, respectively.

The dealer revealed the flop: 9♦ 5♣ 6♥ — a relatively dry board, which all players checked. But things quickly escalated on the turn, 5♥ . Oh checked, and Okamura took the initiative, firing 65,000 into the pot. Gupta folded, but Oh cranked up the pressure with a substantial raise to 165,000. Okamura, after some thought, made the call.

The river brought the A♠ , and with the pot growing, Oh wasted no time, shoving 300,000 into the middle. Okamura, feeling the heat, could only let his hand go, conceding the pot to Oh in a fierce display of aggression.

Dongyeol Choi opened to 55,000 on the button and received a call from Tharit Nanthana in the small blind. However, Pham Ngoc Bao wasn’t having it and raised to 200,000. Choi called, and Nanthana folded, setting up a heads-up match.

The flop came down A♥ 6♦ J♣ , and Bao led out for 130,000. Choi called. On the turn, 9♣ , Bao fired again, this time for 400,000, and Choi made another call.

The river was J♥ , and Bao, unsure of Choi’s hand, checked. Choi took the opportunity to go all-in for around 800,000. Bao, clearly perplexed by the move, decided to muck his hand.

Choi gave Bao some relief by revealing one card — A♦ , prompting Bao to ask him to show the other card. Choi simply mucked his second card, before saying, "Aces."

Yoon Sehoon raised to 50,000 from under the gun with Yita Choong three-betting to 135,000 the next seat over. From the hi-jack, Shi Bei four-bet to 300,000. The entire table eventually folded, handing over a juicy flop without showing a card.

Shi Bei held A♦ A♣

A new set of players have taken over the featured table set and will be under the lights and cameras for the APT Main Event livestream.

Among them are Zhang Chuhao and Shi Bei of China, Lee Koangho and Yoon Sehoon of South Korea and Yita Choong of Australia. Do Tien Vu of Vietnam leads the featured table with 2,000,000 chips. Day 3 chip lead starter Nghiem Xuan Thieu is also at the table with 1,700,000 chips.

Kyosuke Nagami of Japan has the shortest stack of 570,000, but is not really in imminent danger.

Play has resumed with 31 players returning to the field, all now just a few steps away from their ultimate goal: the prestigious APT lion trophy and the top prize of VND 4,710,000,000 (~$185,430).

Players are on a 15-minute break.

It started with this hand:

Dinh Tien Thanh made a 40,000 min-raise from the hi-jack with Dylan Foster defending the big blind.

The flop came 9♥ Q♣ 6♥ and Foster checked his option to Thanh, who obliged with a 30,000 bet.

Foster then re-popped to 95,000. Without much fuss, Thanh fired back to make it 225,000. Foster then made a final push for all his chips up to 623,000.

Thanh thought about his options and decided to risk his last 547,000.

Foster showed K♣ T♥ for a gut-straight draw, which trailed to Thanh's K♠ Q♦ with a top pair. and a kicker that negated Foster's king.

The board completed 5♥ and K♦ to give Thanh a winning two-pair and a huge double up to 1,200,000 chips. Foster, meanwhile, was left disheartened and with a dented stack of only 76,000.

In the following hand:

Foster jammed the last 76,000 all-in from the small blind with A♦ 7♦ and was called by Wang Haozhao with J♠ J♣ on the button, who only had to add a few more chips after his initial 40,000 min-raise.

The flop came 2♠ A♥ 4♣ to give Foster the lead with a top-pair and maintained that lead when the board ran 3♠ 4♠ .

Two hands after:

Foster shoved 192,000 all-in with K♠ J♠ from the cut-off and was defended by his nemesis Thanh on the big blind with 7♥ 7♣ .

The flop peeled 4♦ 7♠ 4♣ giving Thanh a fullhouse. Foster grabbed his beer and his things and stood up to watch the remainder of the board complete on his way out.

The board finished 8♣ 8♦ improving Thanh's full-house, giving him the pot and sending Foster out of the Main Event to enjoy the beaches of Phu Quoc.

Pham Ngoc Bao opened to 40,000 from middle position, and after action folded around, Do Tien Vu called from the button. Chun Chi Liu, sitting in the small blind, raised the stakes by shoving all-in for nearly 200,000, putting his tournament life on the line.

Vu glanced at his cards, shared a brief exchange in the vernacular, and then made the call.

Chun Chi Liu: A♣ Q♦

Do Tien Vu: T♦ 9♦

Bao was hopeful for a double-up and looked to the board with anticipation. The dealer revealed 3♦ J♠ K♦ , keeping Bao in the lead with a straight draw. Vu, though initially behind, now had both a flush and straight draw, giving him numerous outs to win the hand.

The turn brought the 5♦ , completing Vu's flush. He offered an apology to Bao, as the river 5♥ sealed Bao’s exit from the tournament.

Featured table seat mates Lu Chun Chieh and Dylan Foster just cheers-ed a bottle of brewski with Foster commenting, "He's trying to get me drunk, so I can play better."

Laughs from the table. Laughs are always a good thing.

Dinh Tien Thanh peeked into pocket queens from under the gun and made a min-raise when Nang Quang Nguyen re-popped to 110,000 from the next seat with an A♦ 8♦ .

Thanh took another peek at his Q♠ Q♥ , threw in a few time-bank cards, wondered if a samurai sword would be efficient against zombies, then just made the call.

The flop came 8♣ 2♠ 3♠ which both checked to reveal a J♣ on the turn.

Thanh then fired all-in for 387,000.

Nguyen went into some deep breathing meditation while chucking some time-bank tokens, before also chucking his cards to the muck.

On a completed board with short stacked player Su-Jui Chiu all in and at risk with Pham Ngoc Bao....

Su-Jui Chiu: K♥ K♦

Pham Ngoc Bao: 8♦ : 8♠

Board: 2♣ T♣ 6♥ A♥ 9♦

Chiu was ahead pre-flop and kept the lead all the way through the river. He scooped the pot for a much-needed double up.

Duy Nguyen Hoang raised to 42,000 from the cut-off with a hand of Q♥ Q♦ : Quang Trung Dinh defended the big blind with a hand of K♣ 5♣ .

The flop came Q♠ 8♣ 3♣ giving Hoang a set and also giving Dinh a flush draw. Dinh check-called Hoang's 30,000 bet to see a 8♠ turn.

Dinh checked his option and Hoang fired a an affordable 65,000 for his full-hose. Dinh called to see a river despite drawing dead.

The river K♠ came giving Dinh a king top-pair - or so it would seem. Dinh tapped his option to Hoang who led with 200,000 and Dinh called to discover his misfortune when Hoang flipped over his wonderful boat.

Hoang now is the featured table chip leader.

Action folded to the blinds when small blind Dylan Foster took a peek at his cards and jammed all-in for 634,000. Big blind Sakan Dhangwatnotai liked what he saw with his cards and risked his tournament life and his last 160,000 with a call.

Dylan Foster: J♣ 9♥

Sakan Dhangwatnotai: A♣ 7♥

The flop came A♥ 2♠ 8♣ to give Dhangwatnotai the lead with top-pair ace. The turn threw a J♠ to add some nervous energy, but the Q♠ quieted it down to award the pot to Dhangwatnotai, who made a crucial double-up.

Action was picked up with four players's stacks shoved in the middle on a completed board - Amit Kaushik in small blind, Bui Le Ahn in big blind, Pham Ngoc Bao in middle position and Wattana Luangsuwimon on the button. Kaushik, Ahn and Luangsimon were all at risk as they were covered by Bao.

Amit Kaushik: K♥ K♦

Bui Le Ahn A♦ K♣

Wattana Luangsuwimon: 5♥ 5♣

Pham Ngoc Bao: A♥ A♣

The flop came down 5♦ 4♦ A♠ , giving Luangsuwimon a set of fives but Bao the higher set of aces, securing him the lead. The turn 7♦ offered Ahn outs with a flush draw that Bao needed to dodge. The river 4♥ gave Bao a boat - aces full of fours - sending the other three players sailing away to enjoy the beaches of Phu Quoc.

Action folded to Motoyoshi Okamura on the dealer button who made a min-raise to 32,000 with Quang Trung Dinh defending the big blind.

Okamura had 6♦ 6♣ in his hand and made a set on the flop of 7♥ 6♥ J♦ Okmaura fired 40,000 and Dinh made a quick call with a hand of T♦ 5♥

The J♣ turn gave Okamura a full house and both players checked it down to see a 4♦ on ther river.

Dinh tried to make a play at the pot with a bet of 85,000, but Okamura - with the winning hand - made a small raise to 200,000. Dinh didn't bother to poke the bear any further.

On a flop of J♠ 5♥ 7♦ Yita Choong bet 35,000 to be called by the man immediately to his left, Day 2 chip leader Xuan Theiu Nghiem.

On the turn K♠ Choong fired another 130,000 and got called by Nghiem again. Finally on the river T♦ Choong had to throw a time bank to think of his strategy to win the pot. After a while, he shot out a hefty 305,000 that finally made Nghiem muck his hand.

Kornprut Sriminingmongkolkul opened from the button and Justin Tsui three-bet from the big-blind. The flop came down J♣ T♣ 4♦ and Tsui did not hesitate long and jammed all-in for a bit over pot size, equalling 24,000. The Thai player thought about it for a few seconds before making the call.

Justin Tsui: Q♥ Q♣

Kornprut Sriminingmongkolkul: 9♦ 8♦

The Australian Tsui was in a great spot to double-up early on on Day 2, but after the 6♣ turn came the 7♦ river which gave the Thai player a straight, busting Tsui. The Aussie has re-entered the tournament already.

After the action folded to the blinds, Yixuan Dong, short-stacked with 120,000 in the small blind, open-jammed all-in for her tournament life and was called by Kyosuke Nagami in the big blind.

Yixuan Dong: A♦ 8♣

Kyosuke Nagami: K♦ 7♦

Dong paired her eight on the flop of 6♥ 8♥ 4♥ , but Nagami gained a gutshot straight draw. The turn 6♣ kept Dong in the lead, and the river 3♦ secured her the much-needed double-up to stay in the tournament.

The action unfolded on a completed board with two players' stacks in the center of the felt. Hoang Hai Long was all-in for his tournament life with approximately 400,000 chips and was called by Hyunsick Jang.

Hoang Hai Long: 9♥ 9♠

Hyunsick Jang: A♣ K♦

Long was ahead with his pocket nines on the flop of 8♣ T♥ 3♦ , but the turn Q♣ gave Jang a gutshot straight draw, adding to his outs. In a dramatic twist, the river J♠ completed Jang’s straight, sending Long to the payout counter.

Lights! Camera! Action!

And by action, we mean tons of poker action!

Some of the players in the APT Main Event featured table, who will be showing off their most serious poker faces for the next two levels via the APT livestream are:

Thailand's Sakan Dhangwatnotai, Japan's Motoyoshi Okamura, Australia's Dylan Foster, Wang Haozhao of China, Liu Chun Chieh of Taiwan with local favorites Nang Quang Nguyen and Quang Trung Dinh of Vietnam.

Quang Trung Dinh has the biggest stack at the featured table with 1,000,000. Dinh has made 3 final table appearances in different poker events this 2024 and will look to take his big stack for a final table finish in this Main Event.

Play has resumed at Level 21 with 50 players still in contention.

The feature table will be live-streamed on the social media channels listed below, with a 30-minute delay to maintain game integrity. Live updates will synchronize with the stream.

Youtube

Twitch

The APT Phu Quoc Main Event continues its adventure today at the Corona Resort & Casino in Phu Quoc, Vietnam. A total of 795 contenders began the journey to be among the top 119 players who would be fortunate enough to earn their share from a guaranteed prize pool of VNS 25,000,000,000 (USD 1 Million).

Yesterday, that milestone was reached and journeymen, who made it far enough to enter the privileged payout circle, were awarded. However, the adventure is still not done as there are 50 more hopefuls, who will continue to fight tooth and claw for the grand prize of VND 4,710,000,000 (USD 185,430) and the coveted APT Golden Lion Main Event Trophy.

Today's chapter opens with Nghiem Xuan Thieu of Vietnam as the likely top candidate to be crowned, sitting on the highest stack of 1,703,000 chips. Not that far behind is fellow Vietnamese Do Tien Vu with a worthy stack of 1,547,000. However, that can be easily surpassed by third-ranked Jinlong Hu of China who has a very close stack of 1,532,000.

Nghiem Xuan Thieu has already tasted victory in this series, raising the APT champion's trophy in the No Limit Hold'em - Sunday Superstack (Event #12). The same goes for Do Thien Vu, who topped the Turbo - Double Stack (Event#41).

Jinlong Hu may have not made a mark in this series yet, but his total live earnings of nearly USD 600,000 will attest that he is a heavy consideration.

David "Spade" Erquiaga of the Philippines is among the top ten with 1,154,000 chips. Erquiaga has earned over USD 1.7 Million in tournament cashes and has multiple APT trophies in his collection among other prized hardware from other prominent events. His most recent win was the Omaha Masters - PL Omaha High (Event #22) from this series.

China's Kaihua Huang is another top 10 bet with 903,000 chips. Huang already earned a championship this series as the winner of Super Hyper Turbo (Event #11).

Some other notable names in the field are Nang Quang Nguyen of Vietnam, Junseok Oh of South Korea, Australia's Dylan Foster, Ronald Haverkamp of the Netherlands and Chun Liu of Taiwan.

Yixuan Dong is the only female left at the felt, and will have to do some work to improve her bottom stack of 160,000.

Action resumes today at Level 21 with blinds at 8,000/16,000 and a big blind ante of 16,000. Play will end after the conclusion of ten (10) 60-minute levels or a final table of the top 8 players is formed - whichever comes first.

Those who make it to the end of the day will be back tomorrow to finish the final chapter and crown an APT Phu Quoc Main Event Champion.

For all the APT Phu Quoc Main Event Information just click on the relevant links:

Day 3 Seat Draw

Complete Chip Counts

Payouts & Prize Pool

Livestream Links:

YouTube

Twitch