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!

Oh Jin Wook (UTG+1) kicks of a series of back-and-forth bets with a pre-flop raise of 24,000. Sun Min Jui (UTG+2) three bets 50,000 and Wook four-bets 100,000. Min Jui five-bets all-in prompting Wook to call all-in with 532,000. The players show their hands with Wook holding K♠ K♦ and Min Jui holding A♣ A♦ . The board ran 9♠ A♥ 2♥ 7♣ 6♦ . Min Jui's set if aces knocks out Wook. Min Jui gains a significant lead.

Chien Hsun Wang (UTG+2) raised 24,000 pre-flop and Sun Min Jui (HJ) calls to see the flop Q♥ 3♣ 9♣ . Min Jui calls Hsun Wang 24,000 bet and the turn brings Q♦ . The players check to see the river 7♥ . Hsun Wang bets 45,000 while Min Jui folds.

Sun Min Jui (UTG+1) raises 2,000 pre-flop while Ferdinand Lu (UTG+2) and UTG+3 calls. The flop brings 6♥ A♦ 7♥ . Min Jiu bets 3,500 and the rest call to see the turn 3♥ . Again Min Jui bets 70,000 and Lu calls all-in with 24,400 and UTG+3 folds. The players go into showdown. Min Jui had A♠ A♥ while Bong Lu had T♥ 9♥ . The river brings 10c . With a flush Lu takes the pot.

With 50,800 in the middle across board A♠ A♣ 5♣ 8♠ and Wah Qi Le all-in, a side pot was seen brewing between Lobsang Tsewang and Sun Min Jui. Sun bet 10,000, followed by a final 32,100 on river 8♥ . Lobsang check called one street yet folded after Sun pulled a hefty bet.

Wah Qi Le 6♦ 6♣

Sun Min Jui A♦ A♥

No match against quad aces, Wah bound for the exit not long after.

Sun Min Jui raised to 2,200 following two limps and saw Wah Qi Le on the big blind, push all-in for 7,000 total. All else folded, leaving only Sun with the call.

Running a flip, Sun missed to pair up on board Q♠ 3♦ 3♥ 6♣ 9♠ , keeping Wah in the Main Event games.