APT Main Event (36,000,000 VND)

Jinlong Hu of China emerged victorious in the VND 36,000,000 APT Phu Quoc Main Event, taking home VND 4,710,000,000 ($185,430). He outlasted a field of 795 entries (400 unique), dominating the heads-up match against South Korea’s Junseok Oh. With a 5:1 chip lead, Hu quickly sealed the win, while Oh earned VND 2,865,000,000 ($112,795) for his runner-up finish.

With an online bracelet and nearly USD 600,000 in live tournament earnings already to his name, Hu can now add an APT title to his growing list of accomplishments. This win not only secures his second major live tournament victory but also advances him 36 places on the China All-Time Money List, landing him at #59.

APT Host Greg Liow had a chance to speak to Hu, via the aid of a translator, after his momentous victory:

I think the biggest challenge for me is that in my previous two main event final tables, I finished at ninth and eighth, and both performances were poor. So, this time, I obviously hope to break through and challenge myself to win the championship.

I think there are two key moments for me. The first was when I made a re-jam with 10-8 suited from the big blind. There was an Indian player who opened, and I re-jammed. He snap-called with ace-king. But this hand with 10-8 suited, I had pushed it three times before, and each time I won it at the final table. So, I was confident this time as well, and I ended up winning with two pairs.

The second key moment was when my biggest competitor, David, and I both had strong hands. I opened with ace-queen suited, and he re-jammed. We were heads-up, and I called, and I won. After I won that hand, I felt that I was definitely going to win because I had a huge chip advantage, and my toughest competitor was out.

I think, firstly, the Golden Lion trophy is one of the best-looking trophies I’ve ever seen, second only to the WSOP gold bracelet. Secondly, because APT is the Asia Poker Tour, it represents the highest level of poker competition in Asia, so it holds a very special meaning for me.

Final Table Action

In just five hands, Pham Ngoc Bao from Vietnam saw himself walking towards the payout counter when his ace-jack offsuit bumped into the champion’s ace-queen suited which turned a two-pair eliminating Bao so early in the day. Bao went home with a significant ninth place cash prize of VND 352,000,000 (~$13,860).

Despite having doubled up twice, China’s Chuhao Zhang found himself in a pinch when he tried to steal the blinds on the button by jamming with ace-eight offsuit, only to be called by Vietnam’s Do Tien Vu, who won with ace-ten high. Instead of the blinds, however, Zhang was able to snatch a well-deserved reward of VND 445,000,000 (~$17,520) for finishing eighth.

Another finalist who attempted to stay in the game through several double-ups was India’s Deepankur Gupta. In a pivotal hand for the champion, Gupta went all-in with ace-king, hoping for another double-up against Hu’s ten-eight suited. Although Gupta was ahead until the flop, fortune turned against him when Hu hit a pair on the turn, eliminating him from the tournament in seventh place. Gupta walked away with VND 642,500,000 (~$25,295).

Haozhao Wang from China, struggling after being blinded out due to a lack of playable cards, was forced to shove all-in for his tournament life with jack-six offsuit. The action unfolded in a battle of the blinds against Vu, who called with king-ten offsuit. Vu paired his king on the turn, sealing Wang's fate and sending him to the payout counter to collect his sixth place prize of VND 902,500,000 (~$35,530).

David Erquiaga from the Philippines, who entered the final table as the chip leader, lost a crucial hand that shifted the chip lead to Hu. From there, a series of unfortunate exchanges followed, culminating in Erquiaga shoving all-in with pocket deuces against Hu’s ace-queen suited. Hu paired his queen on the flop, sealing Erquiaga’s fate. Erquiaga exited in fifth place, taking home VND 1,202,500,000 (~$47,340) to some time in the sun and beach.

Australia’s Minh Truong Trang defended his blind by shoving all-in with king-nine offsuit in response to Hu’s aggression. After a brief tank, Hu called with ace-eight suited and caught two-pair on the flop, making Trang another of his eliminations and widening the gap between Hu and the remaining two players. Trang exited the tournament in fourth place, earning VND 1,525,000,000 (~$60,040).

Down to three players, Hu’s lead was double the combined stack of Vu and Oh. With that ratio, it wasn’t that long before Vu became the next casualty in Hu’s felting spree.

Hu, holding queen-eight offsuit, strategically trapped Vu into believing he had a weak hand, despite hitting two-pair on the flop. Vu, taking the bait, shoved all-in with jack-ten, hoping to complete his straight draw. Missing his draw entirely, Vu exited in third place with VND 2,025,000,000 (~$79,725).

It’s heads-up! The match lasted just an hour and a half, during which Oh found himself mostly card dead. Unable to find the right spot or hand to shove, he eventually took a stand with eight-six suited against Hu’s king-seven suited. Hu’s hand held up without improvement, securing the win. Despite his elimination, this marked Oh’s biggest career achievement and a significant milestone in his poker journey.

So who won in the end? None other than Hu who took home VND 4,710,000,000 ($185,430) and a very precious APT Lion Trophy . Congratulations to all the players.

Hand #18 Jinlong Hu with Q♠ J♥ raised to 210,000 in middle position and got called by Junseok Oh with J♦ 9♦ in the big blind. The flop dropped T♣ 6♦ 5♣ . Action passed to Hu who bet 375,000 and won the pot.

Hand #19 Deepankur Gupta raised to 240,000 with A♥ 7♠ : on the button. Junseok Oh with A♠ K♣ in small blind three-bet to 650,000. With action back to the button, Gupta four-bet to 1,200,000. Oh jammed all-in and Gupta folded.

Hand #20 David Erquiaga with K♥ J♦ raised to 240,000 in hi-jack and got three-bet to 880,000 by Jinlong Hu with Q♠ Q♥ in the big blind. Erquiaga folded and Hu won the pot.

Hand #21 Do Tien Vu raised in middle position to 250,000 with 7♦ 4♦ and won the pot.

Good morning from the tropical paradise of Phu Quoc, Vietnam, where the ocean breeze and the bright sun will share its energy for this historic day in the Asian Poker Tour!

The APT Phu Quoc 2024 Main Event is set to wrap up today at the Corona Resort & Casino and crown a champion with the final table all set to take action. 795 registrants - the largest field in the APT's Phu Quoc-based tourneys - shared a dream to earn a share in the VND 25 billion (~USD 1 million) prize pool. 119 players would be awarded a piece of the prize pool pie with the biggest share of VND 4,710,000,000 (~USD 185,430) and a coveted 24-karat Gold Lion APT Trophy going to the champion.

After several days of competitive tournament poker, only 9 players remain to fight for the top prize. The Philippines' David "Spade" Erquiaga, one of the more renowned poker pros of Asia, sits as the chip leader entering the final table with 5,470,000 chips (109 BB) and looks to be on course for another major title.

South Korea's Junseok Oh comes to the final table with the second largest stack of 5,080,000 chips (102 BB). Oh makes a personal achievement as he makes his first APT final table appearance and his largest APT payout. It could also be his first championship.

China's Jinlong Hu holds the third rank with 4,740.000 chips (95BB). Hu has traveled around the world to pursue his dream of playing poker. Bagging a title in Phu Quoc can add another worthy feather to his global cap of poker achievements.

Vietnam's very own Do Tien Vu has the 4th spot with a stack of 4,630,000 (93BB). Vu recently took down Event 41: Turbo - Double Stack in this APT Phu Quoc series and hopes the win streak will also land him the Main Event title.

Minh Truong Thang of Australia is at the middle of the pack with a fifth-ranked 3,900,000 chips (78 BB) This final table appearance will mark his largest career payout.

India's Deepankur Gupta has the sixth biggest chip count with 3,380,000 chips (68BB). Gupta has had much success in live tournaments and online poker for a combined earnings of over USD 1 Million. A win here will add nicely to his portfolio.

Seventh in the chip count is China's Wang Haozhao with 2,025,000 (41 BB). Haozhao has some small cashes in live tournaments, but this one will be his biggest payday yet.

Second to the bottom is Pham Ngoc Quoc Bao of Vietnam with 1,965,000 chips (39BB). Bao did have a commanding chip lead at one point in the tournament and has the capability to bounce back. Certainly, this final table appearance wil be one of his biggest live earnings.

Chuhao Zhang of China has the shortest stack with 515,000 (10BB) and will have to play well and get lucky to keep in contention for the championship. This will be his first career cash ever.

For a more detailed look into the players, you can check out the profiles of the **APT Phu Quoc Main Event Final Table** players here.

Follow all the drama and the action at the livestream via the official APT Youtube Channel

Live updates will also be given via the APT Blog.

Meanwhile, here is the final table seating and the chip counts:

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:

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.

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.