TMT Main Event (9,000 TWD)

After a relentless 20 levels of high-octane poker action, the curtain has finally dropped on Day1D of the Taiwan Millions Tournament 17 (TMT17) Main Event. Out of a field of 618 entries, only 49 battle-hardened survivors have punched their tickets to Day 2. With a jaw-dropping NTD 32,500,000 (~USD 1,000,000) guaranteed prize pool up for grabs, the stakes have never been higher. Expect to see a flood of players returning for redemption in the upcoming heats, running from Friday, January 17th, through the weekend.

Leading the charge is none other than Hong Kong’s own Ka Chuen Yip also known as Michael Yip, who sits atop the chip count mountain with a staggering 1,270,000 chips (105BB). Yip’s journey to dominance was a rollercoaster of twists and turns, but he emerged victorious, clinching the top spot after a pivotal showdown against Deng Deng Kai. Yip’s daring all-in play sent Kai packing, boosting his stack to a formidable 590,000. His momentum didn’t stop there—later, in Level 20, Yip snapped up another huge pot, showing down trip eights to obliterate Jeong In Jae’s hopes, catapulting himself to the peak of the leaderboard. Michael Yip is currently the overall chip leader of all the day 2 qualifiers.

Among the notable names advancing to Day 2 are Jeffery Lee from the USA, carrying 410,000 chips (34BB), David Erquiaga from the Philippines with a solid 512,000 (42BB), and Korea’s Park Jae Yun, who bagged 365,000 chips (30BB).

Date/s: January 12, 15-20, 2025

Buy-in: NTD 9,000 (~USD 280)

Guarantee: NTD 32,500,000 (~USD 1,000,000)

Starting stack: 25,000

Day 1A - Early Bird: 901 entries, 136 ITM / 73 qualified

Day 1B Turbo: 400 entries, 60 ITM/ 32 qualified

Day 1C: 662 entries , 100 ITM / 53 qualified

Day 1D: 618 entries,93 ITM / 49 qualified

Day 1E: Friday, January 17

Day 1F Turbo: Friday, January 17

Day 1G: Saturday, January 18

Day 1H Turbo: Saturday, January 18

Day 2: Sunday, January 19

Day 3/ Final: Monday, January 20

as the dust settles on Day1D, the anticipation is palpable. With four more heats set to fire up this weekend, the stage is set for an epic showdown. Who will rise, who will fall, and who will claim the lion’s share of the million-dollar prize pool? Stay tuned as the action continues to unfold in TMT17’s Main Event!

Hon Lee Ni shoved his last 75,000 against an open and was called by David Erquiaga right behind.

Drawing slim, Hon failed to catch up on board 8♥ 6♦ J♠ 6♠ T♣ , ending his run entirely.

Shu Ke Dar raised all-in on the small blind for 104,000 and was snap called by David Erquiaga right behind.

In rough shape, Shu dodged elimination, having ran a flush on board T♥ Q♥ 2♥ 8♠ 9♥ to survive through.

Vying for 34,000 in the center across board J♥ 7♦ 8♣ 4♥ , action was caught on David Erquiaga firing a bet of 20,000. Player utg check jammed 133,000 total, called by Erquiaga with top pair.

David Erquiaga Q♠ J♠

UTG A♥ T♥

With the player at risk drawing to a ton of outs, none unfortunately showed on river 7♣ , shipping Erquiaga a nice boost.