Main Event

Zhi Buhui raised to 1,200,000 on the button and called the 4,200,000 re-raise of Choi Hun Tae in the small blind. Both were given a flop of A♦ K♣ 3♥.

Choi bet out 6,500,000 and Zhi called. The turn cam 3♣. Choi check called the 3,000,000 bet of Zhi to open a Q♣ river. Choi pushed all-in for 20,000,000. Zhi thought hard, threw i a time-bank card and threw in his cards to the muck.

Zhi Buhui extracted 4 million from Zhou Ledong when Zhi made the 2,000,000 call with a pair of jacks, catching Zhou bluffing.

The more painful hit came when Zhou raised on the button fro 1,600,000 with J♥ 9♠ and was called by big blind Choi Hun Tae with Q♥ 9♦ . The flop came 9♣ 2♣ 6♥ to give both players top pair.

Zhou bet out 1,000,000 and Choi called. The turn came 2♠. Zhou bet 3,000,000 and Choi called. The 3♥ came on the river and Zhou fired another 3,500,000 and Choi just called. Choi's queen kicker was put into play to defeat Zhoiu and cripple his stack.

Action folded to the blinds. Zhi Buhui just called on the small blind with K♥ T♦. Big Blind Choi Hun Tae three-bet re-raised all-in and Zhi called and put his last 11,000,000 at risk.

Board ran 9♣ 6♠ 6♦ 2♥ 6♦ to give Zhi the win and the double up.

Zhou Ledong raised on the button to 1,200,000 with J♣ 9♥. Small blind Zhi Buhui called with 9♦ 8♦. Big blind Cho Hun Tae three-bet re-raised to 6,500,000 with 4♦ 4♥. All folded - and Cho took down a decent pot.

Choi Hun Tae raised to 1,300,000 on the button with K♦ 2♠. Big blind Zhi Buhui defended with A♣ 3♦. Flop came 5♦ 6♥ 7♣. Zhi checked and Choi min-bet 1,000,000. Zhi folded.

Zhang Yankai had 10,000,000

THE STRAIGHT HOOK

Zhi Buihui raised to 1,000,000 on the button with K♦ 8♦ and Zhang Yankai three-bet re-raised to 2,400,000 on the big blind with Q♦ 9♠. Flop arrived K♥ T♠ 3♦. Zhang made a bet of 1,300,000 and Zhi raised his top pair to 4,000,000. Zhang folded, and was left with 6,200,000 chips.

THE BODY SHOT

Action folded to the blinds and small blind Zhang raised to 1,200,000 with A♣ 7♦. Big blind Zhou Ledong re-raised all-in, holding A♥ T♣. Zhang folded and was left with a stack of 5,000,000.

THE UPPERCUT

On the next hand, Zhang raised 1,000,000 on the button with 5♥ 4♣. Big blind Zhi Buihui called to see a A♥ 2♥ 9♣ flop. Both checked to see an 8♠ turn. Zhi check-called the 900,000 bet of Zhang to see a river 6♥. Both checked and Zhi booked the win with a pair of eights. Zhang was left with 3,100,000.

FINAL FOUR CHIP COUNTS

Action folded to the blinds and Zhi Buhui just limped and Choi Hun Tae checked to see a flop of A♥ 3♠ 4♠ . Zhi check-called the 450,000 Bet of Choi to see a J♦ on the turn, giving Choi the lead with a two-pair. Zhi check-called again when Choi fired 1,600,000. An A♣ came on the river. Zhi checked, perhaps to induce another bet, but Choi was wise enough to check behind.

Zhi took down the pot and made a small scratch on Choi's stack.

Everyone has been avoiding Choi Hun-Tae and Jon Rounce-Sue on their big blinds. So, it's a bit of a headliner for this battle to take place.

Choi Hun-Tae raised from the hi-jack to 950,000 with 8♥ 7♥ and Jon Rounce-Sue was so happy to see action - after being avoided - and called to defend his big blind with Q♣ 6♣.

The flop came K♥ 7♣ 4♥. Rounce-Sue checked and folded when Choi bet 1,000,000.

Action folded to the blinds. Small blind Choi Hun Tae just called and Big Bling Zhang Yankai checked to see a friendly flop of T♣ 8♠ 2♥. Both check to see a 7♥. Both check again to see a 8♦ river. Choi led out with a min-bet of 400,000 and Zhang called to win the pot with his pair seven making a better two pair.

Action folded to the blinds, Zhi Buhui limped then called the 725,000 raise of Choi Huntae on the big blind. Zhi held 8♦ 6♦ while Choi had K♠ K♣.

The flop J♥ 8♠ 7♦ . Choi led out with 600,000 and Zhi called to see a J♦ on the turn. Both checked to see a 6♠ on the river. Choi bet out 2,500,000 and Zhi called and drooped a sigh when he saw the kings.

Zhi Buhui raise to 600,000 from the hi-jack and Choi Hun Tae called from the hi-jack. The flop arrived Q♣ 9♣ 4♥ and both checked to see a 2♠ on the turn. Zhi checked and Choi bet 1,000,000. Zhi raised to 2,500,000 and Choi re-raised all-in. Zhi called.

Zhi flipped over A♥ A♦ and Choi showed Q♦ T♠. A river A♠ added more oomph to the double-up.

Zhou Ledong raised to 600,000 form UTG+1 with 9♦ 9♣. Choi Hun Tae three-bet re-rasied to 1,500,000 on the small blind with A♥ Q♠. Zhou called to see a flop of J♦ 2♥ 2♠. Both checked to see a 5♥ on the turn.

Choi tapped his option over to Zhou, who obliged with 800,000. Choi then raised to 2,500,000. Zhou called to see an 8♥ river. Choi fired 11,000,000. Choi thought long and hard, thought if hidden underwater cities exist and eventually folded.

Cho Hun Tae raised from under the gun to 675,000 with K♣ Q♣. Zhou Ledong made the call on the button with A♦ 7♦. Big blind Zhi Buhui also called to see a flop of 7♥ 2♥ 5♠.

Action checked to Choi who c-bet 700,000 and found the same callers. Action checked to Zhou on the button, who fired 1,300,000 and everyone folded.

Choi Hun Tae raised to 700,000 from cut-off, but got no customers and wins the blinds.

Jon Rounce-Sue raised to 1,400,000 from UTG+1 to win the blinds.

Jon Rounce-Sue raised to 600,000 from UTG with A♣ 4♠ and big blind Zhou Ledong defended with an all-in, holding A♠ K♥. Rounce-Sue folded.

Joris Michl raised to 600,000 from the cut-off, holding A♣ 6♥ and was three-bet re-raised to 1,800,000 by small blind Zhou Leding, holding K♥ J♠. Michl let go.

Jon Rounce-Sue raised to 500,000 from UTG+2, holding K♥ T♠. Choi Hun Tae three-bet re-raised to 1,700,000 from the cut-off with A♠ Q♠. Small blind Jun Li woke up with Q♥ Q♦ and put his last 4,800,000 chips all-in from the small blind. Rounce-Sue folded and Hun Tae made the call.

The board to the turn completed 3♠ 8♦ 5♥ 5♠ ,adding a flush draw to Choi's outs, but it was a Barry Greenstein A♦ on the river that won the pot for Choi, eliminating Li in 8th place.

Jun Li gets to take home a well-earned VND 1.17 Billion (USD 46,127).

Choi Hun Tae raised to 550,000 from UTG+1 and called the 1,500,000 re-raise of Zhang Yankai in the hi-jack. Choi held 9♦ 8♦ and Zhang held A♦ Q♠.

The flop arrived A♠ J♥ T♣. Both checked to see a 8♥ turn. Choi fired 550,000 and Zhang called to see a 2♥ river. Choi fired 3,000,000 and made the winning hand of Zhang fold.

A few hands after - all folded to Choi for a walk. It seems everyone wants to avoid the big stack.

In the next hand, Joris Michl raised from early position to 500,000 with Q♣ J♣. Small blind Choi Hun Tae challenged with T♣ 8♣. The flop came 7♠ 5♣ 3♥ and both checked to see a 4♦ turn. Choi bet 375,000 and made Michl fold.

Choi Hun Tae of South Korea doesn't have a complete resumé in Hendon Mob. However, the few listings that are there have show some cashes in the recent APT Phu Quoc. Choi has over US$ recorded total live earnings.

JP Rounce-Sue of Australia already made a final table appearance this series in the Superstar Challenge, but he was the first casualty then. Hopefully, Rounce-Sue goes deeper this time and even maybe bag the championship as well.

Joris Michl of the Netherlands has some cashes in this series and also a title in the 8-handed Hyper Turbo. Michl was recently crowned as Korea Poker Cup Main Event champion last month and will look to win another Main Event championship here in the USOP Hai Phong Grand Finale.

Zhang Yankai of China has already made a final table appearance this series in the Big Hunter event and had two final table appearances in last September's USOP Hai Phong. Now may be the time for this final table apperance to result in a championship.

This is the third final table appearance of China's Zhou Le Dong this series. Zhou's best finish was a runner-up at the Sunday Superstack. Maybe this time, Zhou will be the champion.

Ian Modder of Canada has nearly USD 500,000 in total live earnings, but his recent recorded live earnings haven't been that significant. In fact, if those Hendon Mob records are right, this will be Modder's first final table appearance in a very long time. Another fact is that Modder hasn't won a championship since March 2019 when he won the Opening Highroller at the Japan High Roller Festival.

Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Son doesn't have anything recorded in the Hendon Mob database since 2022. But there's more to poker than what is recorded.

Zhi Buhui last 5 recorded cashes show two championships, including a USOP Danang win last March in a NLH Hyper Turbo event.

Jun Li of the United Kingdom has over 50 cashes and multiple final table appearances since March this year. Li also has three championships since that time - a Zodiac Event in APT Taipei, a 10/10/10 Event in USOP Danang and a Super Stack classic in RDPT Jeju.

Final Table Live Stream Link:

Main Event Final Table Live Stream

Action fell to the blinds when small blind Choi Hun Tae raised all-in to pressure short-stacked big blind. Big blind Adam Martinsson defended. Choi showed Texas Dolly T♣ 2♣ against Martinsson's A♠ 3♣.

Board completed 8♦ J♦ 7♦ 9♣ 8♥ , giving Choi a straight on the turn and ending Martinsson's run at 10th place, short of the final table.

Choi Hun Tae raised to 600,000 from the cut-off and big blind Zhi Buhui defended to see a flop of A♣ Q♠ 9♠. Both checked to see a 7♠ turn. Zhi checked and allowed Choi to bet 500,000. Zhi called to see a 9♦ river. Zhi tapped his option to Choi who fired 1,500,000.

Zhi tanked and analyzed the hand, wondered if aliens were among us and made the call. Choi showed A♦ 8♠ for a pair of aces and Zhi mucked.

Choi Hun Tae raised to 550,000 and Jon Rounce-Sue defended the big blind to open a flop of J♥ 4♥ 5♣. Rounce-Sue check-raised the 700,000 bet of Choi to 1,900,000. Choi called to see a 3♥ turn. Rounce-Sue led for 750,000 and tank-called the all-in raise to 3,275,000. Choi showed A♠ J♦ and Rounce-Sue showed J♣ T♦. Both hit top pair, but the better kicker belong to Choi. The river 7♠ didn't matter.

Choi Hun Tae raised to 500,0000 but folded when Nguyen Tien Son raised to 3,325,000.

Next hand Choi raised to 600,000 and called the 3,600,000 three-bet all-in re-raise of Zhi Buhui.

Choi showed 7♥ 7♦ against Zhi's 9♣ 9♠. Board completed K♠ Q♠ Q♣ A♣ 5♣ to damage Choi and double-up Zhi.

Adam Martinsson raised all-in for 1,000,000 from under the gun and was called by big blind Choi Hun Tae. Martinsson showed 4♦ 4♣ against the 5♠ 6♦ of Choi. The board ran 4♠ 8♣ J♠ T♦ Q♣. Martinsson's flopped a set and brought him a double-up.

Jon Rounce-Sue raised to 400,000 on the button and small blind Sarah Pham and big blind Choi Hun Tae called. The three were given a flop of 3♦ 5♥ Q♥. All checked for a free turn 4♦. Pham led with 700,000 with only Choi Hun Tae staying.

The river was a 2♠. Pham spent two-time bank cards before deciding to bet all-in for 1,200,000. Choi HUn Tae snap called and showed the A♦ 2♥ to make a wheel straight. Pham flipped over a second-best Q♣ J♣ for a pair of queens that were not enough for her to continue her Main Event journey, ending at 12th place.

Jon Rounce-Sue raised to 400,000 from the cut-off and Choi Hun Tae defended the big blind to see flop of K♥ K♦ T♣. Choi check-called the 250,000 bet of Rounce-Sue to see a 6♠ turn. Choi checked and folded to the 1,100,000 bet

Action folded to the blinds. Small blind Sarah Pham just completed and big blind Choi Hun Tae checked his option for a friendly flop of A♠ T♣ 3♦. Both checked to see an A♣ turn. Pham led out with 175,000 and Choi Hun Tae called to see a 6♣ river. Pham checked and Choi Hun Tae bet 425,000. Pham tanked, threw in a time-bank token and also threw in the towel.

Choi Hun Tae raised to 325,000 from the cut-off and then added the change to match the all-in shove of small blind Zhang Zijing for 850,000.

Choi Hun Tae showed K♦ 2♦ while Zhang Zijiing had an advantageous K♠ Q♥.

The board fell 8♦ T♦ 7♥ which opened up a flush draw for Choi Hun Tae. The turn T♠ still had Zhang ahead, but the poker gods love a dramatic river and showed the 3♦ for the flush, eliminating Zhang at 16th place.

MAIN EVENT FINAL DAY UPDATED CHIPCOUNTS

Tobias Bui raised to 125,000 from the button and small blind Choi HunTae three-bet re-raised to 600,000. Bui considered his options, used a time bank before re-popping to 1,150,000. Choi Hun Tae made the call to see a flop of K♥ T♦ 4♠.

With over 2 million in the pot, Choi Hun Tae bet all-i for 1,310,000 an Bui made the snap call. Bui showed A♣ A♦ for a pair of aces and Choi Hun Tae showed A♠ Q♠ with nothing but a gut-shot straight draw.

However, the poker gods threw in a J♦ on the turn to give Choi Hun Tae a straight and Bui desperate to split the pot at most. However, the brick 6♦ didn't help and heartbreak could be felt while the chips were shipped to Choi Hun Tae.

Cho Hun Tae went all-in for 1,375,000 from UTG +1 and the big blind Zhou Ledong defended. Choi Hun Tae showed A♣ K♠ against Zhou's Q♣ Q♥. A coin flip.

The board ran A♦ 2♥ 8♠ 2♣ 4♥. The ace pair of Choi Hun Tae gave him a big double up.

Choi Hun Tae raised to 100,000 from the cut-off and was called by Adam Martinsson on the button and the big blind. Three players were shown a flop of Q♣ Q♥ J♦. The big blind checked and allowed Choi Hun Tae to bet 110,000. Martinsson was the only caller to see a 3♥ on the turn.

Both players checked to see a Q♦ river. Choi Hun Tae checked and Martinsson fired 450,000. Choi Hun Tae folded.

The hi-jack raised to 40,000 and Choi Hun Tae called from the cut-off. Small blind Lei Yang three-bet re-raised all-in for 160,000. Hi-jack folded, but Choi Hun Tae stayed on for a showdown.

Choi Hun Tae showed K♠ Q♠ versus the 9♣ 9♦ of Yang. The board completed K♦ 6♦ 4♠ 6♥ 3♠ to book the win for Choi Hun Tae with a pair of kings, busting out Lei Yang from the Main Event.

Choi Hun Tae raised to 30,000 from UTG +1 then called the three-bet re-rase of 95,000 from Nguyen Duy Anh on the next seat. The flop came 8♦ 9♦ T♣ and Hun Tae check-called the 70,000 bet to open a 8♠ turn. Both check and saw a 5♦ river. Hun Tae bet all-in, but Anh didn't want to play.