APT Main Event

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 #58 With A♣ 8♠ , Junseok Oh, under-the-gun, raised to 320,000 and won the pot.

Hand #59 Do Tien Vu with A♦ Q♥ on the button raised to 325,000 and David Erquiaga in small blind three-bet to 900,000 holding Q♦ 9♠ . Vu went all-in and Erquiaga folded.

Hand #60 Vu woke up to A♠ A♥ in cut-off and raised to 325,000 and won the pot.

Hand #61 Jinlong Hu got a walk.

Hand #62 Minh Truong Thang shoved all-in for 1,000,000 on the button holding A♠ 2♥ and won the pot.

Hand #50 David Erquiaga raised to 350,000 with A♠ 7♥ in hi-jack to be called by Minh Truong Thang on the button holding K♦ Q♦ . The flop dropped 4♠ 6♣ A♥ and got checked by both players. The turn K♠ also got a check-check. On the river 2♥ Erquiaga bet 700,000 and Thang folded.

Hand #51 Jinlong Hu raised to 320,000 on the button holding 7♣ 6♣ and got called by Do Tien Vu in big blind with K♦ 8♦ . The flop dropped T♠ 4♠ J♦ . Vu check-folded his hand after Hu bet 225,000. Hu scooped the pot.

Hand #52 Junseok Oh raised to 320,000 with A♦ T♠ under-the-gun and Erquiaga with A♠ 3♦ in the big blind three-bet to 900,000. Oh called. The flop was dealt 7♦ 9♥ 8♣ which got checked by Erquiaga. Oh bet 500,000 and Erquiaga folded.

Hand #53 Vu raised to 320,000 with K♣ Q♠ on the button and Oh in big blind made the call with 5♦ 3♦ . The dealer flopped 2♠ A♠ K♦ . Oh check-called after Vu bet 250,000. The turn 2♠ got a check-check. Then on the river 2♦ , Oh bet 550,000 after action was passed to him. Vu folded and Oh scooped the pot.

Players are back from the break with 7 players left on the final table and Junseok Oh leading in chips.

Hand #35 Minh Truong Thang with K♠ T♠ in small blind shoved all-in for 65 big blinds and won the pot.

Hand #36 David Erquiaga with Q♠ Q♦ raised to 250,000 UTG+1 and won the pot.

Hand #37 Jinlong Hu with 6♦ 4♦ raised to 250,000 on the button and got called by Do Tien Vu with Q♥ T♦ in the big blind. The flop dropped T♠ 3♥ 2♥ . Checked to the button, Hu bet 200,000 and Vu called. The turn 6♣ was check-called by Vu again after Hu bet 420,000. The river J♣ was checked by both players and Vu won the pot.

Hand #38 Erquiaga got a walk.

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.

Hand #10 Minh Truong Thang raised to 225,000 with Q♠ Q♥ under-the-gun and won the pot.

Hand #11 Haozhao Wang raised to 200,000 holding A♥ K♣ and got called by Minh Truong Thang with J♣ 4♣ . The flop dropped K♠ 7♣ : 5♥ Thang checked and Wang bet 100,000 and won the pot.

Hand #12 Do Tien Vu with 4♥ 4♣ raised to 200,000. Jinlong Hu in big blind made the call. The flop dropped 6♥ T♠ 5♠ . Both players checked until the turn J♥ . Action was passed to Vu on the K♣ river. Vu bet 275,000 and won the pot.

Hand #13 David Erquiaga raised to 210,000 wth A♣ T♥ : 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 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.

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).

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A total of 753 entries made up the four Day 1 flights with an additional 42 more entered just before Day 2 started for a final total of 795 registrants. A total of 334 hopefuls began the Day 2 leg, competing to survive through ten (10) 60-minute levels and advance to Day 3 of the APT Phu Quoc Main Event to earn a payout from the VND 25,000,000,000 (USD 1,000,000) guaranteed prize pool.

When the day came to a close, there were 50 players remaining. Each of them are guaranteed a payout of VND 87,500,000 (USD 3,345), but all eyes are on the grand prize of VND 4,710,000,000 (USD 185,430) that comes with a prestiigous APT Golden Lion Trophy.

Sitting at the chip leader throne with the largest stack at the end of the day was Nghiem Xuan Thieu of Vietnam with 1,703,000 chips. Fellow countryman Do Tien Vu occupied the seat next to him with 1,547,000 chips while China's Jinlong Hu filled the last podium seat with 1,523,000. Hu started Day 2 as the chip leader and still maintained the right course to land him among the top three.

Other notables to make it through include the Philippines' David Erquiaga who bagged a top ten stack of 1,154,000, and Australia's Dylan Foster who will be hoping to spin his 602,000 stack up in an attempt to make an eighth career APT final table.

Among those with top stacks to begin the day, but failed to advance to Day 3 were Dylan Foster, Noparat Kongjai, Angunsri Suchart and Nevan Chang - who busted at the bubble at the same time as Cao Tran Ngoc.

The double-bubble Chang and Ngoc chopped the 119th place payout, gaining some consolation.

The remaining 118 players who made it to the payout circle still continued to compete until the 10-levels were done for the day with a field of 50 still in contention.

Day 3 resumes at the 11:30am local time (GMT+7) and will play down until a final table is formed or if ten 60-minute levels are concluded - whichever comes first.

MAIN EVENT DAY 2 TOP TEN STACKS

David Erquiaga opened under the gun for 24,000, and Nang Quang Nguyen, sitting directly to his left, three-bet to 100,000. Gia Trung Nguyen then decided to up the stakes further with a four-bet to 210,000.

Erquiaga folded quickly, while Nang Nguyen glanced at Gia Nguyen with a perplexed expression, carefully separating the 210,000 from his stack before ultimately folding.

as Gia Nguyen raked in the pot, Toung Tran Khac leaned over to his seatmate Shardul Aramudha, remarking that he didn’t want to shove with king-jack but, given the other players’ stack sizes, he might have no choice if the opportunity arose.

as always David Erquiaga can be observed being involved in many pots. In this level, he first had to fold to a raise to 175,000 by Thieu Xun on the turn after betting 55,000 into a pot of around 70,000 on 9♥ 8♥ 4♥ 4♠ .

On the very next hand, he defended his big-blind against the early-position open raise by Gia Nguyen, and then called a 30,000 bet on J♥ 9♣ 2♦ . The turn was a 3♦ and the aggressor Nguyen continued with a 75,000 bet. Dave Spade called once more and the river brought the T♦ . Both players checked and Erquiaga took down the pot with A♥ J♦ .

Action was picked up with David "Spade" Erquiaga raising The Naing's 15,000 bet on the river, prompting The Naing to go into the tank. After much deliberation, The Naing shoved all-in, and Erquiaga snap-called.

David "Spade" Erquiaga: 7♣ 7♦

The Naing: Q♥ J♣

Board: 6♠ 9♥ 4♣ 8♦ T♣

Both players made a straight on the river, with The Naing hitting the higher straight. It was a heartbreaking near-miss for Erquiaga, who left the table frustrated by the turn of events.