NLH Master (15,000 TWD)

Chan Sim open shoved 255,000 in on the cutoff and was tank called by Zheng Xuan Cai right on the big blind.

Dominated, Zheng once again booked the loss after failing to improve on board A♥ 2♣ T♣ 3♠ 6♣ .

Up against a button open and a call from Ha Seong Min, Zheng Xuan Cai on the big blind, squeezed all-in for over a million in chips. Ha called off his entire 766,000 with a premium pair, alarming bells on the table with 80 big blinds right in the middle.

Board J♣ 2♣ 5♥ A♦ 8♦ offered no help to Zheng's demise, sending him plummeting down below the average stack.

Kai Hung Hu opened 30,000 utg, joined by two other players onto flop Q♣ 6♠ T♦ . Hu continued for 25,000, check called by Zheng Xuan Cai on the small blind. On turn 9♦ , Zheng took the lead for 100,000, and successfully convinced Hu to lay it down.

Zheng Xuan Cai opened utg and called 20,000 more following a raise from Kai Hung Hu. On flop 9♥ Q♠ 7♣ , Zheng check called another 40,000, and went on to lead 130,000 on turn J♣ . Hu took a minute and eventually laid it down.

This Wednesday is about to get more exciting with another TMT highlight set to crown a winner! Two NLH Master heats ran through to start the week and attracted a 521-strong entry field, easily breaching its initial NTD 4,000,000 (~USD 120,800) guarantee. Well over the expected turnout, 79 players are due to return to battle in a bid to claim the lion's share of the NTD 6,822,500 (~USD 206,045) prize pool.

Both flights played down to ITM, where all 79 runners have secured a minimum share of NTD 30,000 (~USD 920). The main attention however, remains to be on the million dollar NTD 1,048,500 (~USD 31,665) listed top prize, where one will rise to claim later this evening.

Local runner Zheng Xuan Cai topped the initial flight with a massive 884,000 (147 BB) chip count, more than enough to come in as the Day 2 overall frontrunner. Denmark's Michael Kim Falcon on the other hand, shipped the lead over yesterday's games and brings in a mighty 784,000 (131 BB) to take the second spot. Next in the running, Jun Zhong Wang sits at quite a distance with 526,000 (88 BB), rounding up the top three counts.

Action will resume at 11:00 sharp, right at CTP Asia Poker Arena, Taipei! Stay tuned for updates as SMP brings you all the latest directly off the floor.

NLH Master

Date/s: January 13-15, 2025

Buy-in: NTD 15,000 (~USD 460)

Guarantee: NTD 4,000,000 (~USD 120,800)

Prize pool: NTD 6,822,500 (~USD 206,045)

Entries: 521

ITM: 79 places

Day 1A: 231 entries / 35 qualified

Day 1B: 290 entries / 44 qualified

Day 2/ Final: 79 players

Top Ten Day 2 Qualifiers