NLH Master - Day 2

After an intense eleven-hour battle, Ha Seong Min's determination paid off with a victory at today’s NLH Master games. Ha triumphed over a massive field of 521 entries and secured a career best score of NTD 870,000 (~USD 26,275) for his impressive display. In addition to his winnings, Ha earned his first ever TMT trophy, proudly resembling the map of Taiwan.

Reflecting on his triumph, Ha related to SMP team that he feels proud of his recent feat and had an undeniably great experience at the world-class venue (CTP Asia Poker Arena). As for his celebration, Ha plans to toast his victory with friends over drinks - a well deserved moment to remember in time!

[Event Recap]

Only 79 runners returned to the felt this Wednesday, January 15th, each guaranteed a share of the NTD 6,822,500 (~USD 206,045) prize pool. By midday, more than half the field had already been eliminated with Ha stacking atop the charts. The South Korean contender stormed to the lead as the final three tables approached after a mishap from Day 2 frontrunner Zheng Xuan Cai awarded Ha an eighty big blind pot straight away. Ha carried this advantage all the way through the final table, allowing him to kick off the action with a third of the chips in play in arm.

With a commanding position, Ha extended his lead even further, having delivered the first three eliminations by the first hour. His momentum however, soon hit a major bump following five costly showdowns that saw his stack dip below the average. Despite the setback, Ha’s aggression allowed him to bounce back in the game with Australia's Jonty O'Brien bearing the brunt of it. Local runner Tai Yu Cheng on the other hand, managed to catch a double bust, eliminating both Lance De Vera and O'Brien in third and fourth place respectively, to come into heads up play with a 20 big blind lead.

The final two contenders agreed to an ICM deal right before the duel began, guaranteeing Cheng a bigger payout of NTD 919,500 (~USD 27,770) and only the trophy left to be decided. It took just half an hour for Ha to clinch the win, with the final hand seeing his pocket sixes hold over Cheng's queen-nine of spades.