Madness Kick Off

Nguyen Hoang Nam raised to 1,800,000 and called the 16,000,000 all-in re-raise by Guozil for a chance to win it all. Nam opened a better hand than Guozil, but the poker gods wiped that away when they threw two jacks on the flop to give Guozil a set.

Nguyen Hoang Nam shoved 7,800,000 all-in from under the gun and Pham Van Phu snap called from the big blind and put his last 5,000,000 in the middle.

Phu's kings looked good with Nam down to three outs. However, the poker gods decide these things and they threw an ace on the flop for Nam to take the lead to eliminate Phu.

Pham Van Phu was awarded VND 1,000,000,000 (~USD 40,000) for an amazing 3rd place run.

Pham Tien Dung shoved all-in from the small blind for 8,100,000 and was called by Herve Guozil. It was a flip between a small pair versus two over cards. However, the flip was immediately decided when the poker gods gave Guozil a set on the flop. Dung was drawing dead on the river and all he could do was tap the table "nice hand" and walk away.

Pham Tien Dung's 4th place run earned him VND 780,000,000 (~USD 30,700).

Herve Guozil pushed all his chips from under the gun and Pham Van Phu risked his 4,500,000 for a showdown.

Phu was ahead pre-flop and paired the queen on the flop to stay ahead and bag a much-needed doubleup.

Herve Gouzil raised 1,500,000 on the button and pressured big blind Thi Minh Hong Pham to go all in for her last 1,600,000.

Pham led before the flop and after the flop. However, the turn gave Gouzil a straight and had Pham drawing dead. Pham was the last woman standing in the Madness Kickoff, ending her wonderful run at 5th place for a pay of VND 608,592,000 (~USD 24,000).

Action folded to the blinds when big-stacked small blind Pham Van Phu applied the pressure and shoved all-in. Minh Quan Nguyen called for his last 2,000,000 chips.

Both paired their ace, but after the board ran out, Phu's hand was the better hand with the queen kicker coming into play. MInh Quan Nguyen was eliminated at 6th place and earned a share of VND 483,000,000 (~USD 19,000).

Nguyen Hoang Nam shoved 2,200,000 all-in from the button and was called by Pham Tien Dung on the small blind.

Both players missed the board, but the Ace-Jack suited of Nam made a better hand than Dung's and that was enough to win the pot and double up.

Trung Phong Nguyen raised to 675,000 from the hi-jack and called when chip leader Pham Tien Dung shoved all-in to put his tournament life at risk.

Dung flopped the top pair and while there was a threat of Nguyen making a flush, it did not happen. Dung's hand withstood the threat to take down the pot and show Nguyen the exit.

Trung Phong Nguyen made VND 383,000,000 (~USD 15,100) for his run.

Minh Quan Nguyen raised to 500,000 from early position holding K♥ Q♠. Graeme Travis Endersby shoved all-in for 2,500,000 from the button with A♠ K♣. Pham Tien Dung called in the small blind with Q♥ Q♣. Nguyen didn't complete to leave the two to the showdown.

Endersby didn't catch anything on the board and the queens of Dung won the flip to make Endersby the second victim to exit the final table.

Endersby made VND 290,000,000 (~USD 11,400) for his 8th place finish.

Minh Quan Nguyen raised all-in for 2,600,000 from the cut-off and Hoai Phong Ngo defended his big blind by risking his last 1,200,000 chips.

Ngo paired his eight on the flop and looked determined to double-up and make a successful big blind defense, but the poker gods decided to stir things up and threw a ten on the river to shift the win Nguyen's way.

Hoai Phong Ngo was the first final table casualty and earned VND 215,000,000 (~USD 8,400).

Graeme Travis Endersby raised to 300,000 from under the gun. Thi Minh Hong Pham shoved all-in from the small blind with Endersby calling to risk his last 1,800,000.

In a classic coin flip, Endersby's cards held to double him up and put a significant dent in Pham's stack.

With the blinds approaching and threatening, Andres Vasquez shoved all-in from under the gun for his last 890,000 chips. Thi Minh Hong Pham made the call from the hi-jack.

Pham flashed big slick which was ahead of Vasquez's Queen-Nine Off. Both players didn't hit anything on the board, but Pham's big slick was strong enough to defeat Vasquez and eliminate him from the tournament.

Andres Vasquez picked up VND 170,000,000 (~USD 6,700) for 10th place.

Action folded to the blinds when small blind Thanh Hung Tran pushed all-in for 1,320,000 and was called by Pham Tien Dung in the big blind.

Tran was ahead and extended the lead by spiking a four on the flop. However, the poker gods threw a king on the river to switch the momentum to Dung and eliminate Tran from the table.

Tran made a payout of VND 170,000,000 (~USD 6,700) .

Action folded to the blinds when small blind Pham Van Phu made a min-raise to 240,000 and Duc Hieu Nguyen shoved all in for 900,000. Phu snap called.

Nguyen couldn't believe he rain into aces and knew his tournament life was over the minute the turn came.

Nguyen earned a cash of VND 170,000,000 (~USD 6,700).

Action was folded to the blinds. Small blind Pham Van Phu raised to 300,000 and big blind shoved behind all-in for 950,000. Phu called instantly.

Both players missed the board, but the Big Slick was ahead, stayed ahead and was good enough to win the pot and eliminated Thinh.

Tran Van Thinh earned VND 170,000,000 (~USD 6,700) for his effort.

Duy Thuc Nguyen pushed his last 270,000 all-in from under the gun and Minh Quan Nguyen made the call from the small blind.

Duy Thuc Nguyen led all the way until the poker gods decided to end his run by throwing a jack on the river for Minh Quan Nguyen.

Duy Thuc Nguyen was awarded VND 130,000,000 (~USD 5,100) for his effort.

Duy Thuc Nguyen raised to 220,000 from the lo-jack and Pham Van Phu three-bet to 520,000. Nguyen shoved all-in and Phu risked 2,030,000 and made the call.

The queens stayed ahead all the way and even spiked a river for emphasis. Phu doubled up and Nguyen was left with desperate crumbs.

Pham Van Phu pushed 940,000 al-in from the button and Herve Guozil defended the big blind with a call.

Guozil flopped a pair five, but Phu made a set that turned into a boat by the river to give him a crucial double-up while denting Guozil's stack.

With the blinds threatening around the corner, Rudolf Domin decided to push his desperate short stack of 320,000 all-in. Thi Minh Hong Pham defended the big blind with a call.

The flop gave Pham top pair, but the turn gave Domin some outs. However, even the poker gods don't agree with that kind of miracle, and Domin had to settle for elimination.

Rudolf Domin won a share of VND 130,000,000 (~USD 5,100)

With the blinds coming, Nguyen Minh Viet took a risk and shoved his last 505,000 all-in. Nam Hoang Nguyen defended the big-blind with a call.

Both players missed the board completely, but Nam Hoang Nguyen was fortunate to have the better hand, winning the pot with a queen-high and eliminating Nguyen Minh Viet from the event.

Nguyen Minh Viet earned a payout of VND 108,000,000 (~USD 4,200)

Both Vu Hoai Lam and Pham Tien Dung pushed all their chips in the middle with Lam at risk for his last 1,195,000 chips.

Dung showed big slick and Lam showed jacks for a classic coin flip.

Dung's jacks held to eliminate Lam and boost his stack towards the top of the chip count leaderboard.

Lam earned VND 108,000,000 (~USD 4,200) for the 18th place finish.

Trung Phong Nguyen raised to 175,000 from the cut-off and called the all-in shove of Thai Quang Nguyen for 610,000 on the button.

Aces vs Jacks.

Earlier, Trung Phong Nguyen cracked aces and he felt maybe karma might come back in this hand. However, the poker gods threw an ace on the flop to give him a set and assure him the win.

Thai Quang Nguyen's jacks didn't stand a chance and had to give up his seat.

Thi Minh Hong Pham raised to 160,000 and was three-bet by Khanh Ngoc Nguyen to 325,000. Pham fired back a four-bet to 600,000 putting Nguyen all-in for all his chips and tournament life. Nguyen made the call.

Pham went ahead on the flop by pairing the ace. By the time the board was completed, Pham had improved to a nut flush to end Nguyen's Madness Kickoff journey.

Duc Minh Nguyen raised all-in for 345,000 from middle position and was called by Rudolf Domin from the cut-off.

Domin was head on the flop, but Nguyen overtook when he paired his ace on the turn. Domin felt distraught and Nguyen was excited to double up, but the poker gods threw a ten on the river to give Domin a set and Eliminate Nguyen from the tournament.

These poker gods are sure exciting.

UTG player raised to 120,000 when Chuh Chieh Liu shoved 610,000 all-in from the lo-jack. Minh Quan Nguyen called from the button and UTG stepped away.

Nguyen's big slick was dominant from the start and kept its course to stay ahead to eliminate Liu from the event.

UTG+2 raised to 110,000. Hung Ha Xuan three-bet all-in for 250,000. Tran Van Thinh four-bet to 845,000. UTG+2 stood down for only the two players to battle it out.

Xuan must've been pleased to see his Big Slick in good shape when they showed their cards. However, Xuan was crushed when the dealer flopped two queens to give Thinh a set. Xuan's hopes ended on the turn, where he was drawing dead and when the hand completed, Xuan was headed for the exit.

Dai Duong Nguyen liked his cards enough to shove all-in for his last 700,000. Thi Minh Hong Pham re-raised all-in from the button for good measure to keep the fight between two players.

The flop gave Pham a set and had Nguyen drawing dead by the turn. Pham earned the massive pot and sent Dai Duong Nguyen to the exits.

Qiang Bao Ho raised to 85,000 from under the gun and called the 800,000 all-in shove by Hoang Giang Luong for a showdown.

Luong's nines looked good, but Ho's jacks were prettier, and eventually prevailed until the end, sending Luong out of the tournament.

Kunal Patni shoved all-in for his last 270,000 from the hi-jack and was called by Hongshuang Hu in the small blind.

Patni was dominated pre-flop and even though both spiked the queen, Hu had the better kicker and went on to take all of Patni's chips and send him to the payout cage.

Nguyen Van Cuong shoved 210,000 all-in and was called by Nguyen Tuan Anh.

Another classic flip of Over cards vs small pair. Nguyen Tuan Anh was ahead on the flop, but Nguyen Van Cuong turned a pair king to give the lead and hang on to make a crucial double up just a little away from the danger zone, but still not quite out.

Wongyu Kang raised all-in from under the gun for 190,000. Small blind Duy Thuc Nguyen also re-raised all-in just in case the big blind had thoughts of jumping in.

Classic flip of two overs vs smaller pair.

The flop added more outs for Kang but none of them came in the turn or river. The chips were shipped Nguyen's way and Kang went the other way to the exit.

Minh Thang Tran raised to 60,000 from UTG+1 and was re-raised to 200,000 by Hoang Giang Luong in the lo-jack. Tran then shoved all-in for 885,000. Luong went into the tank, analyzed possible stack damage, looked at his cards, riffled some chips, threw in three time-bank cards, thought why Americans changed "football" to "soccer" and then threw in a chip to make the call.

The flop gave Luong top pair for the overtake. The turn improved Luong to a set, but Tran still had outs. When the river threw a brick, Luong could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Luong's stacked jumped to the higher part of the chip count leaderboard while Tran's name was crossed out of the tournament roster.

Nelson Dong shoved all-in for 180,000 from UTG+2 and Khanh Ngoc Nguyen accepted the challenge to defend his big blind.

Nguyen's hand was the favorite pre-flop and stayed on course to book the win, taking Dong out from his seat and out of the tournament.

Under The Gun player raised to 50,000, but got out of the way following a 150,000 three-bet Vu Hoai Lam and a four bet to 400,000 by Khanh Ngoc Nguyen. Lam moved all-in for 585,000 and Nguyen hesitated for a moment, but made the call.

Aces vs Queens.

To avoid any anxiety, the poker gods gave Lam the set and left Nguyen drawing dead by the turn.

Lam double up and crossed the million mark while Nguyen was sent back down below.

Lo-jack Duc Thuy Nguyen raised to 55,000 and called the 295,000 all-in shove of Thai Quang Nguyen from the small blind.

A classic flip between a small pair versus two over cards.

Flop gave Thai Quang Nguyen the lead and the turn extended the lead even more. Duy Thuc Nguyen two outs were still alive, but none came on the river and left him dead.

Georgios Skarparis shoved 160,000 all-in from early position. Leong Kei Hong followed with 125,000 all-in of his own. Kitae Oh didn't want to feel left out and called from the small blind.

Kings vs Queen vs Jacks. These poker gods really know how to make an action flick.

The board was going according to plan until the poker gods threw a jack on the river to give the worst hand the come-from-the-bottom victory.

Hong tripled up from the main pot. Skarparis got eliminated by Oh's Kings. Oh won, but lost.

What a script!

Eugene Co raised to 40,000 from the hi-jack when Chenghong Lu three-bet to 100,000 in the small blind. Truong Giang Pham then four-bet to 220,000 to defend the big blind.

Co shoved all-in for 610,000. Lu called. Usually, it would stop there, but Pham joined in.

Big Slick vs Kings vs Aces. Poker gods cooler special.

Aces hold and take two players out, bringing Pham a commanding chip lead.

Jinlong Hu raised to 200,000 frmo the hi-jack when Eugene Co shoved all-in for 280,000 from the cut-off. Hu added the required change for a showdown.

The board ran clean for Co and his tens went on to double him up. Meanwhile, the once chip leader Jinlong Hu was left with a very desperate and critical stack.

Guillem Segarra raised to 45,000 from under the gun and was three-bet all in by Minh Quan Nguyen in the small blind for 295,000. Segarra thought about it, examined his chip stack and used two time-bank tokens before finally also throwing a chip to call.

Nguyen flopped top pair, but it also gave Segarra outs. The turn even added more anxiety, but Nguyen finally found relief on the river with a crucial double up.

Duc Hieu Nguyen raised to 50,000 and called the 250,000 all-in of Quang Vu Din for a showdown.

Dinh was ahead, but the flop made things nervous when it offered win more outs. However, the board steered clear of any bumps and Dinh was able to double up and denting Nguyen's stack.

Thi Minh Hong Pham raised to 30,000 from under the gun and was three-bet to 100,000 by Hiep Quoc Vo the next seat over.

Pham answered by a four-bet to 200,000 and Vo pumped the volume by shoving all-in. Pham made the snap call and risked her last 430,000 chips.

Pham's aces had to avoid any scary flush or straight draws and the flop and turn already assured the pot to taker her among the top in the chip count leaderboard.

Vo was left with crumbs and must rebuild.

Tam Van Vu raised to 30,000 from under the gun and called the all-in of Tingjia Cao for 140,000 from the small blind.

Cao wasn't too happy to see his hand dominated, but was ecstatic when there was one of three jacks on flop to give him a pair and the lead.

Cao's hand held to double him up and put a dent in Vu's stack.

Nhat Duong Hoang raised to 30,000 on the button and was three-bet raised to 90,000 by Duc Minh Nguyen on the small blind.

Hoang answered by moving all-in and Nguyen made the call, putting his last 370,000 chips at risk.

Nguyen's kings held strong to double him up and put some serious pain on Hoang's stack.

Gerardo Lubas Sr. and Douglas Patterson had all their chips in the middle with Patterson at risk with his last 320,000 covered by Lubas Sr.

Patterson was ahead and a turned set ensured the pot his way for a huge double up.

Minh Dat Dang shoved 75,000 all-in from UTG +2 and was called by Kitae Oh on the button.

Dang's pocket fives were behind Oh's pocket queens. The flop gave Oh a set and made sure Dang would not catch up. Dang drew dead on the turn and headed for the exit when the hand was done.

Jia Li raised to 24,000 from under the gun when Yongyi Liu three-bet to 60,000 from the small blind. Li answered with an all-in shove and Liu responded by risking his tournament life and his last 250,000 chips.

Liu was ahead pre-flop and the board avoided everything that would bring a bad beat to the kings. Li booked a crucial double up while Li was left with crumbs.

Jinlong Hu raised to 25,000 from UTG+2 with the button calling. Big blind Duc Hieu Do three-bet to 100,000 with Hu four-betting to 200,000. The button stepped down and Do jammed his last 266,000 chips in the middle. Hu called for a big action showdown.

Hu showed ladies while Do showed fish hooks. The dominating queens stayed true to its course and removed Do from his seat while awarding the pot to Hu to take the event's chip leader throne.

Son Din Nguyen shoved 151,000 all-in from under the gun and Lee Jonggu risked his last 90,000 with a call on the button.

Nguyen was ahead all the way with Jonggu halfway out the door when a jack snagged on the river to book Jonggu the double up and keep his Madnedss Kickoff hopes alive.

Haohui Ma raised to 20,000 from UTG+2 and called the all-in shove of Tran Van Thinh for 120,000 on the button for a duel.

Ma opened a pair of pocket sevens while Thinh showed the better pocket kings.

Kings held on to double Thinh and cripple Ma.

Hoai Phong Ngo raised to 20,000 from under the gun when Jinafeng Sun shoved all in for 89,000 in the small blind. Ngo made the call for a showdown.

Sun's big slick was ahead, but the flop did provide a gut-shot straight draw as an out for Ngo with the turn adding outs for an open-ended. Luckily for Sun, the river bricked Ngo and allowed him to double up.