Kick Off

Le Giang Nam bags the chip lead at Kickoff Event Day 1A

After Vietnam’s cracked pocket Kings, he continued to ascend to wrap up Kickoff Event Day 1A as chip leader with 494,000 (33 bb). The opening heat attracted 141 entries (107 unique) with 18 advancing to the next round. When they return, each one is guaranteed to cash. Up next is Day 1B which runs on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 starting at 12pm local time.

Kickoff Event - Day 1A

Buy in: VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362) Guarantee: VN₫ 2,000,000,000 (~USD 81,930) Entries: 141 (107 unique) ITM: 18 players Chips in play: 4,230,000

On just the third hand for hand deal, the bubble burst with Chris Wang cleaning out a short stack. Wang pushed on the button with J♦ 4♦ , small blind called with A♥ 5♥ , the board K♦ 9♥ 8♥ 5♦ 3♦ .

Short stacked Lai Zhijian all in for his last 3 bb holding A♣ 5♠ and is sent packing by two callers, both with King-Queen that landed the straight on board T♦ 9♠ 8♣ J♥ 9♥ .

20 players remaining out of the 141 entry field. Bubble is near with just two spots to the money.

Two spots to the money here with 20 players remaining and ITM at 18. Le Giang Nam maintains his top spot with 450,000 in chips.

Another shorty goes bust with Young Hun’s Q♦ J♦ outdrawn by Le Giang Nam’s Q♥ 7♥ on a board Q♠ T♥ 6♣ 9♦ 7♦ .

Down to just 7.5 bb, Cao Kai Lin pushes all in on the button holding 8♦ Q♣ but is denied the blinds and antes. Big blind Tien Thanh calls with 8♥ 8♣ and proceeds to send Lin to the ground.

Facing a three-bet by button Chernyi Evegenii, USOP Ambassador Kyle Bao Diep calls for all of his chips with A♣ Q♠ , initial raiser Li Xialin folds, Evgenii turns over 8♠ 8♥ for a flip. The flop further improves Evegnii while giving Diep some hope for the nut flush, but as it completes 8♣ 7♣ 4♣ 2♠ K♠ , Diep misses and goes bust.

All in preflop with Young Hun’s A♦ Q♦ slightly ahead of Armon Van Wijk’s A♣ Q♠ . The slight edge made all the difference on board T♦ 6♦ T♣ 8♥ 3♦ .

Blinds are up as the number of players go down. 25 remaining with only 18 advancing to the next round. Li Xialin leads with 470,000 in chips.

Utg Li Xialin opens 16,000 and finds two callers to the flop T♥ J♥ 6♠ . All check to the turn 5♦ . Action checks to cutoff Kyle Bao Diep who bets 28,000, big blind Bjorn Vuilliomenet shoves, utg Li Xialin shoves, Diep gets out of the way.

Vuilliomenet 4♥ 7♥ Li A♥ 5♥

Vuilliomenet misses on the river Q♦ to lose it all to Li who catapults to the top.

Button Armon Van Wijk bumps it up to 15,000, small blind Young Hun shoves, Armon calls for everything and opens up 6♦ 6♣ which is still a flip against Young’s 8♥ 7♥ . The board favors Armon as it runs J♦ 2♠ T♦ 2♥ J♥ . Armon zooms to the top of the counts.

Heavy preflop betting war leads to Hyungtaek Jo at risk with J♥ J♦ against Kyle Bao Diep’s K♣ K♦ . Luck finds Hyungtaek with the turn spiking Q♣ 8♠ 5♦ J♣ 8♣ to avoid elimination.

Action folds to the small blind Chenxin Yu who shoves A♠ J♥ , Bopothukob Vorotnikov calls off his last 9 bb with K♥ J♠ and is rewarded on a board A♣ Q♥ 2♥ T♣ 3♣ .

The field is down to 29 players. Bagging time is at ITM of 18 players. Le Giang Nam maintains his lead with 300,000 in chips.

Chen Dong’s swingy day ends on a cooler with J♣ J♦ running into Cao Kai Lin’s Q♥ Q♦ .

Three players on a raised pot, flop comes 8♥ 5♥ 8♠ . Button Nguyen Manh Hung shoves, gets one fold and one caller in Li Chih Feng. Nguyen shows K♥ 9♥ flush draw, Li with A♦ J♣ , turn 4♣ is blank but the river 4♥ is one of Nguyen’s outs to double up.

Bjorn Vuilliomenet calls a 52,000 three bet and is behind A♣ J♠ to the at-risk player’s A♦ K♦ . Not for long though with the board J♣ 8♣ 3♥ T♣ A♥ to ship it.

Le Giang Nam calls Brenton Buttigieg’s 15,000 three-bet to see the flop T♠ 9♠ 5♦ . Le check-calls another 15,000 bet then both head to the turn K♠ . Le switches up with a 35,000 bet, Buttigieg shoves (85,000), Le calls and shows Q♦ J♦ straight ahead of Buttigieg’s K♦ K♥ set. The river 6♣ finishes off Buttigieg in brutal fashion.

Blinds up, 49 players remaining. Still a way’s to go with only 18 players advancing to the next round.

Following a 5,000 raise, Jun Li three-bets all in for 26,500, small blind Brenton Buttiegieg calls and goes head to head with Li after initial raiser folds. Li turns over K♠ K♦ and is looking good for an easy double up against Buttigieg’s 9♥ 9♣ , but when the flop runs 9♠ 4♥ 4♦ , Buttigieg improves to a full house leaving Li to hunt for his own bad beat card. The turn Q♠ is no help but the river K♣ is the money card. Li banks the higher full house to deny Buttigieg his early suck out.

All in player shoves 20 bb with A♥ J♥ then falls to Kyle Bao Diep’s A♣ Q♥ on a board 9♦ 3♦ 5♠ A♠ T♠ .

All in preflop, Tien Thanh way ahead with K♥ K♠ against a short stack’s J♣ J♠ . No help comes for the at risk player to join the railbirds.

Another batch of players met the rail to bring the field down to 58 players. Action continues until 18 players is reached.

Tran Duc Kien (Keni Tran) min-raises then snap calls Sergei Poltavets’shove. Tran is ahead Q♠ Q♣ to Poltavets’ A♥ T♥ . With the flop quickly Q♥ 6♣ 4♠ , Tran moves further ahead then ships it with K♣ turn and 6♦ river. Poltavets is eliminted.

Li Chih Feng three-bets from lojack and is called by the initial raiser for a flop 6♥ 6♣ 8♥ . Li c-bets a huge 30,000 then faces a check-call all in. Li calls and both show overpairs. Li is ahead J♠ J♦ of 9♠ 9♥ . The turn T♦ and river 5♥ secures the win and the bust out.

Blinds up, 67 players left out of 141 entries. They play down to ITM of 18 players (12.5% of the field).

Chen Dong Yol opens 4,000 from utg, big blind Tommy W. three-bets all in for 18,500. Chen calls and sees his A♦ Q♣ is behind Tommy’s A♥ A♠ . Chen proceeds to pay up after the board J♥ K♦ 3♣ 4♦ 4♠ .

Bjorn Vuilliomenet shoves his last 6 bb and finds two callers. At the flop A♠ J♥ 7♥ , Chenxin Yu bets for a side pot but no taker. Yu opens up A♦ T♦ top pair, Vuilliomenet is ahead A♥ Q♣ better kicker. Drama lands on the turn T♠ as Yu improves, but not for long with the river K♠ for a winning straight to Vuilliomenet.

Registration for Kickoff Day 1A closes at 141 entries. 81 players remaining. They will play down to ITM (12.5% of the field) of 18 players. Chenxin Yu maintains his lead and widens it to 170,000 (113 bb).

Kickoff Event Day 1A now enters its last level of registration. There are currently 130 entries with 88 seated. Buy in is VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362). Starting stack is 30,000.

Heavy preflop action sees lojack limp, button three-bets, small blind Chenxin Yu four-bets, big blind five-bet jams wiht 8♥ 8♠ , two folds follow, then Yu calls with K♠ K♥ . Board runs clean for a huge scoop and a bust. Yu takes the lead.

Another ten entries picked up to bring the tally to 111. Level 11 at approximately 16:40. Blinds increase every 25 minutes. Buy in is VN₫ 8,800,000 (~USD 362). Starting stack is 30,000.

We have now reached triple digits with 101 entries on record. Registration closes at the start of Level 11 at approximately 16:40. Among the sluggers are Anatolii Gorbushin, Michael Kim Falcon, Tran Duc Kien (Keni), and USOP Ambasador Kyle Bao Diep. 

Besides the cards, time is flying with four levels in the bag. Players are now entering level 5 with 78 seated out of 86 total entries. Currently in the lead is Baatar Munkhsukh with 85,000 (212 bb). Still time for latecomers to jump in with registration closing at the start of Level 11 at approximately 16:40.