Superstar Challenge (66,000 NTD)

Chen Yu Hung leads the pack of 27 survivors with a towering stack of 1,311,000 heading into tomorrow's Final Day. He maintained his momentum by eliminating Dave Erquiaga with A♣ A♥, despite Erquiaga’s A♠ 8♦ hitting a pair on the board of 8♠ 9♥ Q♥ J♠ K♠.

Another stack surpassing the one-million milestone belongs to Belgium’s Kristof Segers, the decorated five-time CTP title owner. He capped off Day 1 with a chunky stack of 1,188,000 to begin Day 2. Hot on Kristof’s heels are Ori Kossonogi (998,000) and Ko Chia-Hsiang (930,000).

Other players advancing to Day 2 include Hsu Kai-Cheng (823,000), Ha Baron (740,000), Jason Lau (634,000), Martin Gonzales (536,000), and Adrien Favre (194,000).

Join us for highlighted coverage of the Final Day on Dec. 23rd, starting at 1:00 pm local time, to witness who will claim the championship title.

Day 1 of the Superstar challenge has come to an end. A full recap of the day's action and survivors' chip count will follow shortly.

A flop came A♠ 9♣ T♣ with around 40,000 chips in the pot, Kristof Segers bet 18,000 from under the gun and Murly Manokharan dropped in a call from late position. The 3♥ showed on the turn, and Segers checked to Manokharan, who bet 24,000. Segers stuck around to see a 4♠ hit on the river. The action went check-check. After Segers tabled K♦ J♦ for a missed straight draw, Manokharan flipped over a flopped top pair of ace with A♦ 5♣.

On a flop of 5♠ 6♦ 3♥, Eisuke Katsuren from the big blind, Kai Cheng Hsu from late position, and Hidenari Tomita from the hijack all checked . The 4♠ hit on the turn, and three players checked through again to see the 7♥ drop to the river, where Katsuren changed his strategy and led out for 20,000, which only Hsu called to take it to a showdown.

After Katsuren tabled J♥ 9♥ playing the board of straight but Hsu quickly flipped over A♣ 8♥ for a higher straight and collected the pot.

The action was picked up on the turn with a board showing J♥ A♣ 3♥ 8♥ and around 100,000 chips in the pot when Hsuan Cheng Lai checked from late position to Armon Van Wijk, on the button, who fired out 60,000, sending Lai into the tank. After a long time, Lai dropped in a call. The T♦ revealed on the river, where Lai checked over and Wijk fired a barrel of 110,000, leaving only 10,000 behind. Lai finally threw his cards back to the dealer after long consideration.

Tse Yueh Tsai opened to 16,000 on the button and received two callers from the blind – Murly Manokharan and Ori Kossonogi. A flop ran out K♠ A♦ T♠, And the blinds checked to Tsai, who continued with a bet of 17,000, which Manokharan got out of the way and Kossonogi called. The 2♥ hit on the turn, and the action went check-check. The T♣ dropped on the river, where Tsai check-folded after Kossonogi sent a bet of 20,000.

With a flop showing T♥ 8♦ 4♥ and 18,000 chips in the middle, Ori Kossonogi checked from the small blind, which Chi Jen Chen bet 10,000 from the big blind. Kossonogi dropped in a call. The 8♥ fell on the turn, and the action went check-check. The river brought an A♣, and Kossonogi fired out 47,000, sending Chen into the tank. After around 3 minutes, Chen eventually tossed his cards into the muck.

Adrien Favre raised to 12,000 from under the gun and Jason Lau defended from the big blind. A flop ran out 6♣ A♦ 9♥, and both players checked through to see the Q♠ fall on the turn, where the action went check-check again. The river brought the 7♣, and Lau fired a barrel of 13,000, which was enough to make Favre muck the hand.

With a board running out 9♥ 3♠ 2♥ Q♠ Q♦ and around 146,000 chips in the middle, Yu Ting Chen checked over from the hijack after tanking over 2 minutes. Kun Han Lee then fired out 100,000 on the button, forcing Chen to muck the hand.

Kibum Park opened from under the gun to 12,000 and received two callers – Hsuan Cheng Lai from the hijack and Ko Chia Hsiang from the big blind.

A flop ran out A♣ T♦ 6♥, and Hsiang checked to Park, who continued with a bet of 12,000. Only Hsiang dropped in a call to the K♥ turn, where Hsiang check-folded after Park sent a chunky bet of 42,000.

Baron Ha raised to 12,000 from under the gun and Shung Er Sua three-bet to 25,000 on the button. Ha stuck around to see a flop come 6♠ Q♦ 9♥, which Ha checked to Sua, who continued with a bet of 17,000, forcing his opponent to fold.

The action was picked up on the turn with a board showing 9♥ 5♦ A♥ A♦ and around 170,000 chips in the middle. Kai Cheng Hsu bet 55,000 from the small blind and Adrien Favre dropped in a call from late position. The J♣ fell on the river, where the action went check-check. After Hsu tabled A♠ Q♣ for trips of aces, leaving Favre no choice but to toss his cards in the muck.

Adrien Favre limped in from early position and Jason Lau checked from the big blind. A flop came 9♦ J♣ 3♥, and Lau check-called after Favre led out for 8,000. The T♦ fell on the turn, where Lau fired 10,000, forcing Favre to muck the hand.

With a board showing 6♥ 2♠ 2♥ 6♣ and around 41,000 chips in the middle, Kibum Park checked over from the small blind. Armon Van Wijk also checked over from the cutoff. Both players saw the 9♠ fall on the river, and the action went check-check.

After Park showed K♥ Q♠ for king high, Wijk quickly tabled A♣ K♦ for ace high to collect the pot.

Ori's pocket Nines held and sealed Hoang's elimination.

Erquiaga improved to trips of tens and sending Chan out of tournament.

The action was picked up on the turn with a board showing A♠ Q♥ J♠ 2♠. Jason Lau from the big blind, Adrien Favre from under the gun, and Kai Cheng Hsu on the button all checked through to see the 3♣ fall on the river, where Lau fired 10,000, forcing the other two players to fold.

A flop filled out 8♣ 8♥ Q♣, and both players checked through to see the 6♥ fall on the turn, where Armon Van Wijk bet 9,000 and Pau Sanroma called. The river brought a 2♣, which Wijk fired out 26,000. This didn’t deter Sanroma from dropping in a call. After Wijk tabled 7♠ 5♣, Sanroma showed 9♣ 9♦ and collected the pot.

With a board showing 4♣ 2♠ 6♣ 9♦ J♥ and around 60,000 chips in the middle, Suparerk Totsaponvisad checked the action from the cutoff after around two minutes. Jung Hyun Kim then fired out 65,000 on the button, sending his opponent a tough situation. After tanking for a long time, Totsaponvisad eventually dropped in a call. Kim tabled Q♠ T♠ for a bluff while Totsaponvisad flipped over pocket 7♣ 7♠, securing him the sizable pot.

Hidenari Tomita opened to 7,000 on the button and received two callers from the blinds – Adrien Favre and Eisuke Katsuren. The flop filled out T♦ 7♣ 8♦, and three players checked through to see the 9♥ fall on the turn, where was another check round. The river showed an A♠, and Favre bet 20,000, which only Tomita dropped in a call to take it to a showdown. After Favre flipped over K♠ 4♠ for a bluff, Tomita tabled A♣ 8♣ for two pair and collected the pot.

The action was picked up on the river with a board spreading 9♥ 4♥ 2♥ A♦ 2♠ when Martin Gonzales fired 30,000 from under the gun, sending Po Yun Hui on the button into the tank. After a long time, Hui eventually tossed his cards into the muck.

Martin Rundulf Gonzales opened from the hijack to 6,000 and Baron Ha defended from the big blind.

Both saw a flop of Q♥ 2♥ 6♠ and checked through to the J♥ turn, where the action went check-check again. The river brought a board-pairing J♠, and Ha bet 5,000, forcing Gonzales to fold.

The action was picked up on the river with the board showing 9♣ T♦ A♣ 7♣ T♠ and around 65,000 chips in the middle. Kun Han Lee checked the action from late position to Dave Erquiaga, from the cutoff, who fired out 80,000, sending Lee into the tank. After over 1 minute, Lee finally returned his cards back to the dealer.

Adrien Favre opened to 5,000 from under the gun and received three callers – Murly Manokharan from the cutoff, Suparerk Totsaponvisad on the button, and Tzu Chun Lin from the big blind. A flop came K♠ J♦ 9♥, and Lin checked to Favre, who continued with a bet of 10,000. Only Totsaponvisad dropped in a call. The A♣ hit on the turn, and the action went check-check. The river showed 5♣, prompting a bet of 15,000 from Favre, which forced Totsaponvisad to fold.

Murly Manokharan opened to 5,000 on the button and Jung Hyun Kim defended from the big blind. A flop came J♥ 2♠ 3♣, and Kim checked to Manokharan, who continued with a bet of 7,500. Kim dropped in a call. The 6♦ hit on the turn, where the action went check-check. The river brought a 4♦, which Kim changed his strategy and fired out 20,000, forcing Manokharan to fold.

The action was picked up on the turn with a board spreading 6♠ J♠ 7♠ 8♥ when Murly Manokharan checked from the small blind to Yeongseon Son, from under the gun, who also checked. The river brought the 5♠, and the action went check-check. After Manokharan tabled 9♦ 8♠ for a rivered flush, Son threw his cards into the muck.

Mark Gruendemann raised to 4,000 from late position, and Yeongseon Son three-bet to 15,000 from the cutoff. Gruendemann dropped in a call.

The flop came 6♠ 5♠ 9♣, and Gruendemann checked to Son, who continued with another bet of 15,000, which Gruendemann called. The turn brought an 8♥, and Gruendemann checked over again. Son then fired a barrel of 40,000, forcing his opponent to fold.

Tang Chi Ngong opened to 4,000 from under the gun and received three callers – Pau Sanroma from late position, Baron Ha on the button, and Martin Rundulf Gonzales from the big blind. A flop came Q♠ 5♣ 8♣, bringing flush and straight draw possibilities, and all players checked through to see the 3♠ fall on the turn, where Ha fired out 10,000 after a string of checks from every player, which only Gonzales dropped in a call. The river brought a 4♣, and both players checked to a free showdown. After Gonzales tabled 5♥ 2♠ for a flopped pair of fives, Ha flipped over pocket Sixes, collecting the pot.

Adrien Favre opened to 4,000 from the hijack and received two callers, Kai Cheng Hsu from the cutoff and Murly Manokharan on the button. A flop filled out 8♠ A♦ 6♦, which Favre and Hsu checked to Manokharan, who fired 8,000. Only Favre dropped in a call to see the 5♥ hit on the turn, where Favre check-called after Manokharan fired another barrel of 24,000. The river brought a J♥. Favre kept his strategy and checked to his opponent, and Manokharan sent another chunky bet of 25,000, sending Favre into the tank. Eventually, Favre threw his cards into the muck.

Po Yun Hui opened to 3,000 from the cutoff and received two callers from the blind – Adrien Favre and Kai Cheng Hui.

Three players saw the monotone flop show 3♥ 8♥ 6♥ and all checked through to the 4♦ turn, where Favre checked to Hsu, who then led out for 7,000. Only Hui dropped in a call. The river brought the 7♦, and Hsu fired 6,000, which Hui snap-called. Hsu swiftly tabled a flopped pair of treys with A♥ 3♣, which still couldn’t best a straight from Hui’s 7♣ 5♣.

The action was picked up on the turn with a board showing 4♥ 5♣ 7♣ 9♥ and around 38,500 chips in the middle. Chih Sheng Chan checked from the big blind to Baron Ha from under the gun, who also checked. An 8♥ hit on the river, where the action went check-check again. Chan quickly showed 4♣ 3♣ for a flopped pair of fours, but it was not enough against a higher pair of sevens from Ha’s K♦ 7♦, securing him the pot.

Baron Ha opened to 3,500 from the cutoff and Pan Sanroma made the call on the button. Murly Manokharan then three-bet to 12,000 from the small blind. Only Sanroma dropped in a call. Both players read a flop of J♣ 7♣ 4♠ and checked through to the 7♥ turn, where Manokharan fired out 10,000. Sanroma stuck around to see a K♦ fall on the river. Manokharan then bet 5,500 and Sanroma called. Manokharan quickly tabled A♠ K♥ for rivered two pair, leaving his opponent no choice but to muck the hand.

Adrien Favre opened to 5,000 from the cutoff and Kai Cheng Hsu called from the button. Both players saw a flop of 5♦ 6♦ 3♥, bringing flush and straight draw possibilities, and the action went check-check. An 8♣ fell on the turn, where Favre bet 6,000. Hsu stuck around. The river brought a 2♦, and Favre fired a barrel of 11,000, which didn’t deter his opponent from making the call. After Favre showed Q♥ Q♠, Hsu quickly mucked his cards

Kai Cheng Hsu opened to 3,000 from the cutoff and Pau Sanroma three-bet to 9,000, sending Hsu into the tank. Eventually, Hsu threw his cards into the muck.

Kun Han Lee opened to 3,000 from the cutoff and Murly Manokharan defended from the big blind. Both players saw a flop come 7♠ 9♦ 8♦ and the action went check-check. The 4♦ hit on the turn, where Manokharan changed his strategy and bet 5,000, forcing Lee to fold.

A monotone flop ran out K♥ J♥ 6♥ with around 5,000 chips in the middle, and Adrien Favre checked from the small blind to Kai Cheng Hsu from the big blind, who also checked the action. The board-pairing 6♠ came on the turn, and the action went check-check again. The river brought the 9♦, and both players checked to a free showdown. Favre quickly flipped A♣ 2♣ for one pair of sixes, which was enough to make Hsu muck the hand.

The action was picked up on the turn with a board showing 2♦ T♠ 7♦ J♠ and round 49,000 chips in the middle. Kai Cheng Hsu checked the action from under the gun, and Wu Chia Yun fried out 15,000 on the button, which Hsu put in a raise to 55,000. Yun stuck around. The 3♣ came on the river, where Hsu shoved all in after tanking for over 1 minute, and Yun called off his remaining chips to put himself at risk. After Hsu tabled T♦ T♥ for a flopped set, Yun tossed his cards into the muck.

Po Yung Hui opened to 2,000 on the button and received two callers from the blinds – Murly Manokharan and Kai Cheng Hsu. The flop filled out J♠ 6♠ K♠, bringing flush and straight draw possibilities, and all three players checked through. The turn brought a 5♦, which Manokharan checked over, and Hsu led out for 3,500, and it was enough to make the other two players to fold.

Chih Sheng Chan raised to 2,000 on the button and Po Yung Hui dropped in a call from the small blind. Both players read a flop of A♣ 7♠ 9♥, and Hui led out for 5,000. Chan stuck around to see a 6♠ hit on the turn, where Hui fired out 8,000, leaving Chan no choice but to muck the hand.

Chih Sheng Chan opened to 2,000 from under the gun and received two callers, Murly Manokharan from the small blind and Kai Cheng Hsu from the big blind.

The flop came Q♦ 8♥ J♥, and three players checked through to see the 4♥ fall on the turn, where Manokharan checked to Hsu, who then bet 4,000, forcing his two opponents to fold.

Play has begun, and cards are in the air for Day 1of the CTP PS Superstar Challenge. Players are now on their journey toward Day 2.

Good afternoon from a lovely day in Taipei.

Today promises more high-stakes action as Day 1 of the NTD 66,000 Superstar Challenge kicks off at 4:00 pm local time. as the series’ highest buy-in event, featuring a prize pool of NTD 3,000,000, poker elites are set to battle for both prestige and the substantial rewards on offer.

Challengers will start with a stack of 250,000 and compete through ten 40-minute levels. Blinds begin at 500/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante. Two 15-minute breaks are scheduled—after Level 4 and Level 7.

Registration remains open until the start of Level 13 in Day 2, around 2:35 pm on Monday, Dec 23rd. Shot clocks will be in use from the outset.

Stay tuned for the coverage of the thrilling event and find out who will step up to showcase their skills.