Main Event (16,500 NTD)

Day 1B of the Players Series Main Event concludes after twelve 50min levels with 46 out of 178 players advancing to Day 2 on Saturday the 21st at noon.

Taiwan's own Chen Po Jui was high up on the leaderboard since level 5 and continuously chipped up, maintaining an above 200BB stack throughout the second half of the day taking 340,500 into Day 2.

Singapore's Erwin Ng catapulted into 2nd on level 11 when he took out former chip leader Murly Manokharan after calling his 61BB check-jam with 3♦ 3♥ on 6♠ 8♣ 3♠ 5♥ 2♠ .

The next chance to qualify is Day 1D in roughly 11 hours on the 20th at noon with twelve 40min levels and late registration throughout the entire day.

Flight 1D: 12:00 pm, December 20

Flight 1E: 20:00 pm, December 20

Day 2: 12:00 pm, December 21

Day 3: 13:00 pm, December 22

Final Day: 13:00 pm, December 23

Full chip counts will follow shortly.

Chia Chin Liao raises to 3,000 from UTG and takes both blinds to the flop A♠ 9♦ 4♣ where a 7,000 continuation gets rid of one opponent. The turn Q♥ has Chia Chin Liao bet small for 5,000 which is still enough to make Tao Chu surrender as well.

With a 3,300 open from +1 and a 12,000 reraise from SB in front, BB Liang Yeh pumps it to 21,200 which has the SB tag along for the flop T♣ 4♣ 7♦ where the SB calls a jam with his remaining 18,700 having two overs and a flush draw A♣ Q♣ and Liang Yeh flips over A♦ K♦ . The board completes 8♦ and T♠ to thin out the field some more.

Hung Yu Liao picks up K♠ K♣ and Lee Yuan Hsu wakes up with A♠ A♥ . After a five bet shove to 62,100 from Lee Yuan Hsu, the betting is over and the the dealer gets involved, delivering 3♣ 9♣ 4♦ T♠ 9♦ for a double up going Lee Yuan Hsu's way.

A 3,000 open from LJ and the CO calling, Hong Yun Yao pumps it to 15,000 from the SB that has both opponents pay up to see the flop A♠ 2♠ 4♣ . A small 7,000 c-bet keeps only LJ Tao Chu around for the turn J♣ that gets checked around to complete the board J♠ . Another check from Hong Yun Yao prompts a jam from Tao Chu that sends Hong Yun Yao in the tank, but he opts to preserve his remaining 52,900 for a better spot.

The action folds to SB Chen Po Jui who makes it 3,000 and calls Manuel Geronimo's 9,400 reraise to see the flop A♦ K♠ Q♥ where a 7,000 c-bet and a call is all the action this hand has to offer. The turn Q♠ and the river 4♦ get checked to showdown with Chen Po Jui's A♠ 5♣ and Manuel Geronimo's A♣ J♦ chopping.

With the flop already revealed K♦ 8♣ 4♠ and 12,600 to play for we witness Lee Kun Han lead 3,000 from UTG, HJ Aaron Lam wants 6,700, the BB calls and we are back to Lee Kun Han sliding out 20,500, Aaron Lam adds another 42bb to make 70,700 total which gets the BB out of the way, but Lee Kun Han jams with the nuts K♠ K♥ and Aaron Lam quickly calls for all his 119,000 in chips, holding the 2nd nuts with 8♥ 8♦ . What a setup again. The dealer doesn't tamper with the outcome, completing the board J♠ and 9♥ to send Aaron Lam packing and Lee Kun Han into second place.

Picking up the action on the river 6♠ 8♣ 3♠ 5♥ 2♠ with 24,000 in the pot we see Murly Manokharan check-jam 73,500 after Erwin Ng wanted 16,000 with 3♦ 3♥ . Deep in the tank, Erwin Ng finds the call and is relieved when Murly Manokharan flips over 2♥ 2♣ to gobble up a pot that catapults him into the lead.

With a 2,400 open from UTG and a call from the CO, Leonardo Drago squeezes 7,500 from the button, but gives it up after CO Sam Chen Yu Hung announces all-in for 35,700.

Patrick Liang starts us off with a raise to 2,500 from LJ to take BU and BB to the flop 7♠ 7♣ 3♠ . Another 2,500 keeps only BU Adrien Favre around to unveil the turn 9♠ . When Liang slows down to a check, Adrien Favre seizes the opportunity with an 8,000 bet to scoop up the pot.

First to act Adrian Favre raises to 2,500 and calls BB Manuel Geronimo's 7,000 three-bet to see the flop Q♣ J♣ 9♠ that gets checked to the turn 5♥ where Manuel Geronimo takes it down with a 13,000 lead.

Opening 2,500 from the button, Zi Jin Zhang watches BB Rene Mar David defend with a 9,000 three-bet, but pushes him out after announcing all-in for 34,400.

The player on the button picks up A♣ Q♣ and watches +1 limp, HJ raise to 3,500 before he announces all-in for 16,100. Hu Chung I successfully isolates with T♠ T♦ for another flip. The low board 3♠ 5♥ 3♥ 7♥ 3♦ sees another short stack bite the dust.

With a raise to 2,400 from UTG and a three-bet to 5,000 from the LJ, Jonathan Looi pumps it further to a total of 13,000 that only keeps LJ Leonardo Drago in the hand to see the first three community cards Q♦ 4♥ 7♥ . Checked to the four-bettor, another 8,000 go in the middle and get called to reveal the turn J♦ . Four checks and the river 9♥ later Leonardo Drago flips over Q♦ Q♣ to pick up the pot.

Starting us off with a raise to 2,500 from UTG, Adrien Favre takes HJ and CO to the flop T♥ 9♦ 2♣ . After c-betting 5,500 and the HJ folding Adrien Favre faces a 13,100 raise from Ching En Chen in CO, but continues his aggression by announcing all-in to incorporate the pot into his stack.

Kim Kunwoo's 2,400 raise from UTG finds three customers to see the flop J♠ 7♣ T♣ where he continues for 5,500 and only takes BU Jonald Garcia to the turn J♦ . Slowing down, Kim Kunwoo opts to check-call Jonald Garcia's 6,400 bet in position that completes the board Q♥ with Jonald Garcia sliding out a winning bet of 12,500.

Hu Chung I open-limps the SB, Jonald Garcia makes it 4,200 and the limper announces all-in after tanking for a while. Jonald Garcia lets it go.

Opening 2,500 from the HJ with 7♥ 7♦ , Poching Lee calls his opponents 20,300 jam out of the SB holding A♦ Q♦ and we go flipping. The dealer makes short work of the high cards by tabling 7♠ K♠ 2♦ K♣ T♣ to eliminate a player that left too fast to catch his name.

Isaac Hechanova kicks off the action with a 2,400 raise from LJ and BB Tirajad Sirimueanphong defends to see the flop T♠ 6♠ 4♣ . A 3,400 c-bet and a check-call is all she wrote to get to the showdown on 3♦ and Q♠ with Tirajad Sirimueanphong tabling the winner 6♣ 5♦ .

Picking up the action on 4♦ 7♣ 4♠ 7♠ A♣ and 24,000 in the middle, BB Tirajad Sirimueanphong leads 10,000, gets raised to 30,000 by Feng I Ling and calls to show 7♥ 9♠ to scoop the pot.

Initiating the action with a 2,000 open from UTG, Murly Manokharan opts to call when faced with a 6,900 three-bet from CO Jonald Garcia to unveil the flop K♠ T♠ J♥ . A 5,000 c-bet gets snap-called for the turn 8♦ to be checked to the river Q♦ that gives both players the nuts with their aces and all the chips go in, just to be separated again when Murly shows A♠ 9♣ and Jonald tables A♣ 7♦ .

Shen Hao raises 2,500 from CO and fills up when SB Issac Tam ups it to 7,500. The flop K♥ J♥ 9♥ prompts a 5,500 c-bet that gets raised to 12,000 and a call reveals the turn A♦. Switching to a check-jam for 29,500, Issac Tams K♣ K♦ needs the board to pair when Shen Hao tables A♥ 7♥ , but the river 7♦ eliminates him.

Lam Yue Hin starts us off with a raise to 2,000 from +2, LJ Chu Che Chun three-bets to 5,500, Lam jams with A♠ K♠ and Chun calls 31,100 with J♣ J♦ and is at risk. The dealer tables Q♥ 2♥ 4♣ 3♥ 4♠ to double Chu Che Chun's chips.

After bleeding chips in the past few hands, Chun Wai Chan picks up A♣ Q♥ on the button to open for 3,000 and has an easy call for his remaining 21,800 when BB Kenneth Chuang jams. Not amused by Kenneth Chuang flipping over Q♠ Q♦ Chun Wai Chan hopes for an ace from space, but the dealer waits until the river 6♦ T♠ 3♦ 7♥ A♦ to deliver it, granting maximum excitement and a double up for Chun Wai Chan.

With the two players already all-in, we pick up the action with the dealer arranging J♦ J♣ for Chen Po Jui and 9♦ 9♣ for Jun Yi . No hits on A♦ 7♣ Q♦ 3♥ T♥ keep the favorite ahead, eliminating Jun Yi in the process.

Tsang Chi Hang's 2,000 raise from UTG sees both blinds defend for the flop K♠ 4♠ T♥ to be revealed. Checked to the preflop raiser, a 2,000 cbet goes over the line, the SB calls and BB Murly Manokharan raises to 6,000. Still liking his hand, Tsang Chi Hang jams for 26,400 to end the hand right here.

A 2,100 open from the CO gets three-bet to 6,000 from BU Chih Wang and SB Liu Yu Chi opts for a cold call. The initial raiser gets out of the way for us to lay eyes on the flop 6♣ 3♠ 2♠ where two checks take us to the turn 7♥ . Liu Yu Chi announces all-in for 5,700 and scoops up the pot.

Yu Chun Wang opens 2,500 from the button and BB Chi Jen Chen defends to see the flop J♠ 8♠ 8♥ where a 2,500c-bet is met with a check-raise to 6,500 from Chi Jen Chen to scoop up the pot.

With a raise to 2,500 from UTG, Chun Wai Chan takes BB Jonald Garcia to the flop A♣ Q♠ 5♦ that gets checked to the turn 9♦ where Jonald Garcia starts to lead with a 4,000 bet that gets called for the board to complete J♦ . Having rivered a flush with 6♦ 2♦ Jonald Garcia tries to get max value by putting his opponent all-in, but learns he's betting into the nuts after Chun Wai Chan calls 18,900 and flips over A♦ K♦ .

When the action gets folded to Hsiao Hao Wen in the small blind, 3,500 enter the middle, followed by a 13,000 three-bet from Gary Tan in the big blind. Wen fills up to see the flop T♠ T♣ T♥ and check calls 18,600 with 8♥ 8♠ after Gary Tan jams with A♦ J♥ . The dealer barely misses the underdog twice with Q♦ and 9♣ to grant Hsiao Hao Wen a double up.

UTG Tao Chu starts us off with a 2,100 raise and both blinds defend to see the flop K♦ 9♦ 2♣ for a 2,600 c-bet to hit the felt. Only SB Paul Yugendra calls for the turn 4♠ , but lets it go when facing another 12,500 bet from Tao Chu.

Opening to 1,200 from +1, Mark Ariel Solsona takes five lemmings to the flop 6♦ 6♣ 9♦ where he puts out a 4,000 c-bet that makes all of them fold.

Feng Yi Ping kicks off the action with a raise to 1,800 from +1 holding A♦ J♥ and calls an 11,300 jam from Hung Yu Liao on the button with K♣ K♦ . Having a player at risk, the dealer tables 2♦ 6♣ T♦ 9♣ K♥ and grants a double to Hung Yu Liao.

A 1,300 open from the UTG in front, +1 Tao Chu three-bets to 4,000 and takes LJ Zihan Weng to the flop K♦ 6♠ 5♠ where a 2,500 continuation gets called to reveal the turn 4♥ . Facing another 7,500 lead, Zihan Weng goes in the tank before throwing her hand in the muck.

With a 1,500 raise from CO, Gary Tan takes both blinds to the flop 2♦ T♠ Q♠ where a 2,000 c-bet takes us heads up with Cai Weiruo on the button to see the turn T♣ . A second barrel of 5,000 finds another call for the river 6♥ which has Gary Tan announce all-in to end the hand without a showdown.

Looking at A♥ A♠ in the HJ, Jun Yi opens 1,200 and finds welcome opposition in SB Leung Yiu Yeaung three-betting to 4,500. An 11,000 four-bet is answered by a jam with Q♠ Q♣ and all eyes go to the dealer. Delivering a full house on the board J♠ J♦ 5♠ 5♦ 5♥ keeps the aces ahead and leave Leung Yiu Yeung with nine big blinds.

A 1,200 raise from +1 finds three customers to see the flop A♥ 4♣ 2♠ that gets checked around to the turn 8♦ . With another check in front, Lin Zhen Yi forks out a small 1,500 feeler that gets +1 and CO to fold, but Ling Yen Huang makes it 3,300 from the SB. Undeterred by the small size of the raise, Lin Zhen Yi three-bets 13,500 to scoop a nice pot.

First to act Cai Weiruo kicks of the action with a 1,200 raise and takes HJ, BU and the SB to the flop 7♠ 6♣ 2♠ . Checked to HJ Hu Chung I, a tiny 900 lead goes into the middle, followed by a call from Gary Tan on the button and a check raise to 3,300 from SB Hin Ng. Only Gary Tan elects to call for the turn 7♣ where he matches another 6,000 from his opponent to complete the board K♣ . Hin Ng tries to figure out how to extract max value with 6♥ 6♦ full house, lands on 18,000 and Gary Tan pays off and mucks.

Facing a 1,000 open from the CO, Gary Tan tries to defend his SB with a 3,200 three-bet, but has to let it go when Hu Chung I jams for almost two starting stacks.

UTG opens 1,000 to take HJ and BU to the action flop 8♦ T♠ 7♥ where a 2,000 c-bet crosses the line, followed by a raise to 7,000 from HJ Chen Po Jui, a call from the button and a 28,300 jam from the preflop aggressor. Chen Po Jui jams to successfully isolate and dominates with T♣ 8♣ against his opponents T♦ 7♦ . The dealer seals it on the turn T♥ and drops an insignificant 6♣ after.

Zihan Weng starts us off with a raise to 1,100 from +1, BU Paul Yugendra pumps it to 3,000 and the initial raiser fills up to see the flop T♠ 8♠ 8♣ . Donk-betting 2,000 finds opposition in the form of a 6,000 raise that gets answered by Weng to see the turn 3♦ . Opting to check, Zihan Weng lets it go after being faced with an 11,100 jam from her opponent.

With a 1,100 raise from HJ and a call from CO in front, Leonardo Drago three-bets 4,000, but watches BB Ma Chun Yu defend with a cold four-bet to 10,100. Drago makes the call for the flop 9♣ 3♣ 4♣ and takes it down with a 15,000 bet against a missed c-bet from his opponent.

Cho Ming Hang opens 1,300 from +1 and takes LJ Wei Jen Wang to the flop 2♠ J♦ 7♣ where a check-call of 2,200 has the dealer table the turn 6♥ that gets checked around to complete the board A♠ . Checked to Wang again, 3,700 go into the middle to end the hand without a showdown.

Poching Lee kicks off the action with a raise to 1,000 from UTG, LJ calls and HJ Leung Yiu Yeung pumps it to 3,300. both opponents fill up and we get treated with 2♠ K♠ 3♣ . Checked to the three-bettor, 3,000 go over the line, but Poching Lee's 8,000 raise takes it down.

Making it 1,000 from UTG, Bui Jui Chen takes HJ Hu Chung I to the flop 9♥ A♣ 6♦ where a 1,200 bet finds a check-call from the preflop aggressor to present the turn Q♦ that gets checked to the river J♥ . Bui Jui Chen slides out a massive 8,000 over-bet which takes it down.

Poching Lee opens 1,000 from HJ to take button and BB to the flop 6♦ 8♣ 9♣ that gets checked around to the turn 4♥ . A delayed c-bet of 1,500 finds two calls to bloat the pot and the board completes 3♠ . Taking over the action with a 4,800 lead and no takers, BB Chen Kulev banks a decent sized pot.

The HJ kicks us off with a 900 raise, the button calls and SB Po Theng Huang wants 3,300. The initial raiser gets out of the way and BU Joe Keating calls to see the flop Q♦ 5♦ 8♥ . Leading 2,600, Joe Keating faces a 7,700 check-raise from his opponent, calls and watches the dealer table the 2♠ . Po Theng Huang leads 13,000 holding 8♦ 8♠ set, Keating jams with A♠ Q♠ top pair top kicker and Huang calls for 35,200. With the result already determined, the dealer flips over 2♥ and Po Theng Huang picks up a massive pot.

With a 5,400 pot to fight for and 5♣ 3♦ 2♦ already on the board, CO Murly Manokharan leads 3,000, faces a 9,000 raise from our action player Tang Ngong in the SB and announces all-in with 6♠ 6♦ . Tang Ngong goes deep in the tank, but finds a call for his remaining 41,500 with bottom pair and back door flush draw Q♦ 2♠ . The dealer completes the board 5♠ and J♠ to push another massive pot into Murly Manokharan's direction.

Chen Po Jui starts us off with a 1,000 open from LJ, the CO calls and BB Isaac Hechanova defends with a 3,800 three-bet. Chen Po Jui four-bet jams almost 40,000 to grab the pot without the dealer getting involved.

Getting into the heads-up action on K♦ 7♣ 4♠ 4♥ and a bloated pot of 24,300 we see two checks and the river 5♠ is revealed. Chun Wai Chan jams with K♣ K♥ and Yue Hin Lam snap calls for 12,900 holding 7♠ 7♥ to see the cooler and starts packing.

Folded to Poching Lee in the SB, 700 go into the middle and BB Eisuke Katsuren defends to see the flop K♦ 9♥ A♦. A 1,000 c-bet is answered to present the turn J♣ that gets checked around and the board completes Q♣ . Holding J♦ T♦ straight, Eisuke Katsuren wants some value with a 2,700 lead and his opponent obliges.

Picking up the action on the turn 3♣ 2♣ 5♣ 9♦ and 5,000 in the pot we see Ko Chia Hsiang lead 3,500 from +1, SB Geronimo Manuel raises to 8,500 and Hsiang fills up for the river 5♦ . Geronimo Manuel leads 15,500 with 3♦ 3♠ , gets jammed on by Ko Chia Hsiang with 2♠ 2♦ and calls to take down a massive pot early in the game.

Hung Yu Liao makes it 700 from the button, SB calls and BB Leonardo Drago three-bets to 3,300. Keeping his foot on the gas, Hung Yu Liao separates 8,600 from his stack and the BB calls for the flop K♥ 6♦ 8♦ . Drago check-folds to a 5,500 c-bet.

Joe Keating kicks off the action with a 600 raise from UTG to take the button and both blinds on a family trip to the flop T♦ 6♠ Q♣ . A 1,200 continuation gets rid of the BB for the turn 3♦ to be revealed where the action is checked to Issac Tam on the button, making it 3,600. UTG Joe Keating pays up and we see the board complete 7♣ heads up where Issac Tam bets another 9,000 to scoop the pot.

Yang Lin opens 1,000 from the button and calls a 3,200 reraise from BB Yiu Yeung Leung to see the flop K♦ J♠ 6♣ that gets checked to the turn 9♠ . Yiu Yeung Leung lays out a delayed c-bet of 6,200 to end the action.

With a raise to 600 from CO and a call from the button, SB Tang Ngong three-bets to 3,000 and takes his two opponents to the flop K♣ J♦ 7♦ where he c-bets 3,000. CO Murly Manokharan calls and Wu Chiayun increases to 8,000 which has only the cutoff pay up to see the turn 2♦ that gets checked to complete the board A♠ . Taking over the reins, Murly Manokharan leads 16,000 with A♥ J♣ two pair, gets called and is allowed to scoop the pot against a muck.

Having a pristine stack in front, Ko Chia Hsiang initiates the action with a 500 raise from UTG and watches LJ Tang Ngong pump it to 1,700 with BB Murly Manokharan defending big. Ko Chia Hsiang tries to end the hand with a 30,000 jam holding 4♣ 4♥ , but is rather perplexed when Tang Ngong jams with 8♣ 8♥ and Murly Manokharan calls for 22,200 with Q♦ 9♦ . With two players at risk, the dealer tables A♣ J♣ J♠ K♦ T♠ , giving Murly Manokharan a straight for a triple up, Tang Ngong a small side pot with his under pair and sends Ko Chia Hsiang to the rail after having just taken a seat.

Opening 600 from the CO, Yeung Yiu Leung takes button Chia Chin Liao to the flop Q♦ 9♣ 3♣ and continues for 1,000. Chia Chin Liao raises to 2,800, gets called for the turn J♣ to make the board more dangerous and Yeung Yiu Leung takes it down with a 9,000 lead, slightly higher than the pot.

With a limp from UTG and a raise to 800 out of the button in front, BB Tang Ngong increases the fee to 2,800 and both opponents pay up to see the flop A♣ 9♠ 5♦ . A 2,600 lead is only called by BU Chun Wai Chan for the turn 6♦ where the chips go flying. Tang Ngong jams his remaining 21,200 and puts Chun Wai Chan in a tough spot, but eventually makes the call for 19,000 with A♥ 7♥ , falls short of Tang Ngong's A♦ Q♣ and needs a reload to continue after the river 5♣ didn't help him.

Yang Lin three bets 1,600 from the button after Dave Lin opened 500 just in front. A call presents the flop 2♣ 4♣ 5♣ where another 1,800 gets check-called for the turn A♣ that gets checked around to the river 9♦ . Dave Lin switches gears with a 3,000 lead that goes unanswered.

After raising to 300 from the button, Chia Chin Liao faces opposition from SB Joe Keating who wants 2,200 to continue. With the action back to Liao, a 6,200 four-bet wanders over the line and gets called by Keating for the flop J♣ 3♣ 4♦ . A 2,500 c-bet gets check-called for the turn 5♣ where Chia Chin Liao bets another 3,000. Joe Keating announces all-in for 19,900 and Chia Chin Liao lets it go after tanking for a while.

Gregory Leung opens 300 from UTG, the HJ calls and CO Yi Hung Chen pumps it to 1,200. Only the initial raiser comes along to see the flop 6♦ 5♥ 4♥ where a 1,700 continuation goes into the middle. Undeterred by the low cards, Gregory Leung pays up with A♦ K♣ to see the turn 2♦ that gets checked to complete the board A♣ . Gregory Leung check-calls a large sized bet of 4,600 again and top pair is good against Yi Hung Chen's king high K♠ Q♦ .

Joe Keating kicks us off with a 200 raise from UTG, the SB fills up and Chia Chin Liao makes it 1,200 from the BB. Joe Keating stays around to see the flop Q♥ 5♠ 5♦ and calls a 700 c-bet for the turn 2♥ to be revealed. Another 2,000 takes it down for Chia Chin Liao.

Picking up the action on A♦ 4♦ 7♣ and 7,400 in the pot, it is Tang Ngong making the first move from +2 with a 3,200 bet to take BU Hin Ng to the turn 8♠ . Another 7,000 get called again for the board to complete T♥ and a friendly check check. Hin Ng's top pair A♣ K♥ is good against a missed flush and straight draw for Tang Ngong with 5♦ 2♦ .

Shuffle up and deal! Flop well to everyone trying their luck today!

After a three day break, the Players Series NTD 15 Million guaranteed Main Event resumes at the CTP Asia Poker Arena in Taipei City, Taiwan. Today's action, December 19, features two entry heats with Day 1B (50 min blinds) starting at 12pm, followed by Day 1C (30 min blinds) at 7pm. Keeping in line with affordability for all, the buy in has been set at NTD 15,000 (~US$ 460). Players can jump in anytime as registration is open all day and closing when Day 2 begins.

For players that enjoy a deep starting stack, arriving early pays off with 30,000 to play with, which is a very liberal 300 times the opening blinds. At the end of 12 levels, the remaining players will bag up and head on to Day 2.

So far, 32 players successfully battled through Day 1A's field of 125 entries to secure a spot at Day 2. Liao Bo Lin set the bar for the incoming flight with 361,500 bagged, equivalent to 180 bb.

Somuchpoker will be onsite to bring you the action from start to finish. Once this flight ends, we jump to Day 1C.