Grand Loyal Poker Championship – Hanoi 2025

Viet Nam, Grand Loyal Poker ClubEVENT #1

2025.10.10 - 2025.10.12Add to Calendar

U Series Of Poker

Blind level

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Entries

49/388

Total Chips

11,640,000

Average

237,551

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 2:52:27 PM

Aleksei Varashev Hopes Hanoi Will Bring Him the Warm Up Crown

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Day 1c of the Warm Up event at the Grand Loyal Poker Championship (GLPC) drew 388 entries, bringing the total field to 771 across the first three starting flights. After a full day of play inside the Grand Vista Hotel, 49 players secured their seats for Day 2, led by Aleksei Varashev of Russia, who bagged a commanding 764,000 to top the counts.

The Russian player is no stranger to making deep runs across the Asian continent, as he has no less than eight final table appearances, including multiple in Vietnam and three right here in Hanoi.

Vietnam’s Nguyen Khoi (701,000) and China’s Liu Shu (622,000) rounded out the top three, while several local contenders including Le Van Binh (448,000) and Nguyen Duc Hieu (447,000) also advanced.

Play ended dramatically when Shu Liu moved all in with pocket eights from early position to isolate Nguyen Thanh Trung’s short stack of 25,000, who held ace-seven. No one else called, and when the board ran out dry, Trung became the unfortunate bubble. Once the hand was complete, Nguyen Quang Viet said he had folded kings preflop. When the river fell, he saw that his kings would have been cracked, proving once again that sometimes, folding really is winning.

With Day 1d and 1e now underway, all survivors will return in the money on Sunday, October 12, to play down to a winner. Action resumes at 12 p.m., with blind levels increasing to 35 minutes, and the final table will be live-streamed on the USOP Facebook page.

Keep it right here with Somuchpoker to see who has what it takes to get their hands on the crown.

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 2:00:17 PM

End Of Day Chip Counts

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Player	Chips
AV Aleksei VarashevRussia	764,000(96 BB)
NK Nguyen KhoiViet Nam	701,000(88 BB)
SL Shu LiuChina	662,000(83 BB)
LV Le Van BinhViet Nam	448,000(56 BB)
ND Nguyen Duc HieuViet Nam	447,000(56 BB)
NT Nguyen Trung QuanViet Nam	434,000(54 BB)
LS Laksh SinghIndia	396,000(50 BB)
HV Hieu Van LeUnited Kingdom	390,000(49 BB)
TT The Thanh HoangViet Nam	359,000(45 BB)
HV Hoang Van PhongViet Nam	354,000(44 BB)
PV Pham Van ThanhViet Nam	354,000(44 BB)
NH Nguyen Hong QuangViet Nam	352,000(44 BB)
MT Minh Thang TranViet Nam	351,000(44 BB)
TX Tran Xuan DuyViet Nam	346,000(43 BB)
YX Yupeng XieChina	334,000(42 BB)
XD Xuan Dat MaiViet Nam	317,000(40 BB)
TV Tran Van HaoViet Nam	288,000(36 BB)
NP Nguyen Phong ThaiViet Nam	280,000(35 BB)
TN Tang Nhon QuangViet Nam	260,000(33 BB)
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	238,000(30 BB)
NT Nguyen Trung PhongViet Nam	219,000(27 BB)
HH Huy Hoang NguyenViet Nam	215,000(27 BB)
KA Khayal AbbasovAzerbaijan	201,000(25 BB)
TM Thi Minh Hong PhamViet Nam	200,000(25 BB)
DA Duy Anh NguyenViet Nam	197,000(25 BB)
NV Nguyen Van PhuongViet Nam	193,000(24 BB)
NQ Nguyen Quang HieuViet Nam	184,000(23 BB)
MH Minh Hoang NguyenViet Nam	180,000(23 BB)
KH Kun Han LeeTaiwan	165,000(21 BB)
NT Nguyen Thi Tuyet TrinhViet Nam	164,000(21 BB)
NK Nguyen Kim TuanViet Nam	163,000(20 BB)
SB Son BeomseokSouth Korea	156,000(20 BB)
DD Duong Dac DungViet Nam	150,000(19 BB)
NQ Nguyen Quang VietViet Nam	143,000(18 BB)
NV Nguyen Vu CuongViet Nam	139,000(17 BB)
TX Tran Xuan ToanViet Nam	128,000(16 BB)
GS Georgios SkarparisCyprus	126,000(16 BB)
PD Pham Duc HanhViet Nam	97,000(12 BB)
PD Pham Duc LongViet Nam	75,000(9 BB)
KZ Koh Zhi YuanSingapore	75,000(9 BB)
NT Nguyen Trong HungViet Nam	71,000(9 BB)
MH Manh Hoang Nguyen	70,000(9 BB)
ZW Ziwei WangChina	70,000(9 BB)
RN Roman NikulinRussia	66,000(8 BB)
PZ Peng Zhang (5)China	59,000(7 BB)
HL Huawei LiuChina	42,000(5 BB)
NV Nguyen Van TanViet Nam	39,000(5 BB)
VH Vu Hoang DatViet Nam	21,000(3 BB)
TX Tongfei XuChina	20,000(3 BB)

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 1:49:03 PM

Shu Liu Delivers The Bubble!

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Shu Liu made a power move from UTG+1, shoving over Nguyen Thanh Trung’s 25,000-chip all-in and isolating the table. No one else dared to call. No help from the board, Nguyen Thanh Trung will exit as today's bubble.

Adding to the tension, Nguyen Quang Viet said to his fellowmen that he folded kings. All of the Vietnamese shout to him when the river 8♠ comes. If he called, his Kings will be cracked and there will be a double elimination. Like the old saying goes, "Sometimes, folding is winning".

Player	Hand	Chips
SL Shu LiuChina	8♦8♣	627,000(78 BB)
TT Thanh Trung NguyenViet Nam	A♥7♠	busted

Board:9♥6♦4♣9♦8♠

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 1:35:25 PM

Abbasov Survives on the Bubble Against Duy

Level 18: 4,000 / 8,000 ante: 8,000

Khayal Abbasov

Tran Xuan Duy opened to 17,000 from under the gun and got a call from another player in middle position. Khayal Abbasov then three-bet to 85,000 from the big blind, leaving himself just 3,000 behind. Duy called, and the other player folded.

Abbasov checked the 5♣ 2♣ 3♦ flop, and then called off his remaining 3,000 when Duy bet.

Khayal Abbasov: A♣ K♦

Tran Xuan Duy: A♥ Q♠

Abbasov was glad to be ahead, but he was the only one that was happy about it as the rest of the field were rooting against him.

A 3♣ turn added some extra protection for Abbasov in the form of a flush draw, and the K♥ river locked up the double-up for him.

Player	Chips
TX Tran Xuan DuyViet Nam	360,000(45 BB)
KA Khayal AbbasovAzerbaijan	210,000(26 BB)

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 12:57:58 PM

Lee Raises Out Binh

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Kun Han Lee opened to 12,000 from middle position and Le Van Binh made it 30,000 to go from the big blind. Lee quickly called.

On the A♥ 2♣ 3♦ flop, Binh led for 6,000, which Lee called to the J♥ turn. Again Binh put out 6,000, and this time Lee bumped it up to 22,000. Binh took some time to recheck his cards, then elected to fold, which allowed Lee to boost his stack to around 180,000.

Player	Chips
LV Le Van BinhViet Nam	340,000(57 BB)
KH Kun Han LeeTaiwan	180,000(30 BB)

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 12:56:58 PM

Chip Leader Shu Liu Extends His Lead

Level 17: 3,000 / 6,000 ante: 6,000

Shu Liu

Shu Liu, the current chip leader, just added more to his growing stack after winning a flip against Pham Cong Khanh. He’s now sitting comfortably with 718,000 in chips, tightening his grip on the top spot as the day goes on.

Player	Hand	Chips
SL Shu LiuChina	A♥K♦	718,000(120 BB) 107,000(18 BB)
PC Pham Cong KhanhViet Nam	T♣T♠	busted

Board:A♠7♥9♣5♠2♣

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 12:42:02 PM

Nguyen Khoi Hits Quads

Level 16: 3,000 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Just three hands later, Nguyen Khoi found himself in another massive pot after 4-bet shoving against Pham Duc Dung’s 3-bet. Pham called off, putting all his chips on the line, and Khoi was behind with only two outs.

But the poker gods had other plans. Khoi spiked a set on the flop and sealed the deal with quads on the turn, sending Pham to the rail and adding another huge stack to his growing pile.

Player	Hand	Chips
NK Nguyen KhoiViet Nam	T♥T♣	560,000(112 BB) 135,000(27 BB)
PD Pham Duc DungViet Nam	J♠J♣	busted

Board:A♣T♦2♠T♠A♦

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 12:28:36 PM

Khoi Dispatches Ding

Level 16: 3,000 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Nguyen Khoi

Nguyen Khoi's stack has grown to over 400,000, with a portion of that coming from Yujia Ding, who just hit the rail.

Nguyen opened middle position to 11,000 and Ming Thang Tran called on the button. Ding was in the small blind and shoved 20,000, then he got some protection as Khoi isolated with a four-bet to 50,000. Tran folded.

Yujia Ding: K♥ 7♥

Nguyen Khoi: A♣ K♦

Ding was dominated, and didn't find any path to victory on the 5♣ J♦ 2♠ Q♣ 3♥ runout, which ended his run just a few spots away from the money.

Player	Chips
NK Nguyen KhoiViet Nam	425,000(85 BB)
YD Yujia DingChina	busted

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 12:11:01 PM

Xie Min-Bets the River Into Dung's Straight

Level 16: 3,000 / 5,000 ante: 5,000

Pham Duc Dung opened from under the gun and Yupeng Xie defended his big blind.

On the 7♥ T♥ J♦ flop, Xie check-called a bet of 12,000 from Dung to see the 8♥ turn, where both checked.

A 3♠ on the river saw a min-bet come in from Xie for just one big blind, which Dung snapped off.

Xie then revealed Q♥ 8♣ for a turned pair of eights, but Dung had that beat with A♦ 9♥ for a rivered straight.

Player	Chips
YX Yupeng XieChina	215,000(43 BB)
PD Pham Duc DungViet Nam	170,000(34 BB)

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 12:01:11 PM

One Card Flush, Two Players Down

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

The board was already out, the cards were face up, and Aleksei Varashev was calmly scooping in the massive pot. His runner-runner flush crushed Nguyen Thanh Tung’s pocket aces and Le Ngoc Giao’s flopped top set in one dramatic showdown. With that huge win, Aleksei surges to the top of the counts.

Player	Hand	Chips
AV Aleksei VarashevRussia	A♠Q♥	580,000(145 BB)
TT Thanh Trung NguyenViet Nam	A♥A♦	busted
LN Le Ngoc GiaoViet Nam	7♣7♥	busted

Board:7♦3♠2♠Q♠T♠

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 11:59:55 AM

Skarparis Moving Along Nicely

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Georgios Skarparis, although wrapped up in a blanket, has picked up some heat as of late, and has a stack of around 170,000 to attack the nearing bubble with.

Skarparis just opened from middle position to 8,000 and Nguyen Ngoc Viet called on the button.

A simple continuation-bet of 9,000 got the job done for Skarparis on the A♥ 5♠ 2♦ flop, which helped pad out his stack a little more.

Player	Chips
GS Georgios SkarparisCyprus	170,000(43 BB)
NN Nguyen Ngoc VietViet Nam	120,000(30 BB)

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 11:42:13 AM

Another Huge Pot For Phong

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

Hoang Van Phong won a huge pot earlier with a flopped set of tens, and recently he just raked another after getting his stack in the middle against Thanh Trung Nguyen.

Hoang Van Phong: K♥ K♦

Thanh Trung Nguyen: J♠ J♦

Both have good hands, but Phong's was best and he retained his lead through the 5♣ T♥ 9♠ flop. A Q♠ on turn meant they swapped out as each needed the other's card to make a straight, which is exactly what Phong did on the J♣ river.

After that hand, Phong's stack moved to around 325,000, while Nguyen's plummeted to around 80,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
HV Hoang Van PhongViet Nam	325,000(108 BB)	125,000
TT Thanh Trung NguyenViet Nam	80,000(27 BB)

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 11:41:26 AM

Locals Leading The Way

Level 15: 2,000 / 4,000 ante: 4,000

Only 77 players remain out of 388 entries here at Day 1C of the Ultimate GTD Kick Off Event, with 49 spots will make the money.

It’s the local players who are shining brightest so far, dominating the chip counts as they look to secure their seats for Day 2!

Here are your current chip leaders:

Player	Chips
TT The Thanh HoangViet Nam	365,000(91 BB)
MT Minh Thang TranViet Nam	342,000(86 BB)
SL Shu LiuChina	335,000(84 BB)
HV Hoang Van PhongViet Nam	325,000(81 BB)
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	315,000(79 BB)
PV Pham Van ThanhViet Nam	311,000(78 BB)
ND Nguyen Duc HieuViet Nam	309,000(77 BB)
NK Nguyen KhoiViet Nam	296,000(74 BB)
NT Nguyen Thi Tuyet TrinhViet Nam	288,000(72 BB)
LV Le Van BinhViet Nam	205,000(51 BB)

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 11:00:10 AM

Sogani Lays Down Top Pair

Level 14: 1,500 / 3,000 ante: 3,000

With around 35,000 already in the middle on a board of A♠ K♥ 6♦ 7♥ , Kumar Sogani checked from the big blind and Yujia Ding bet 14,000 from under the gun. Sogani called.

A 3♥ completed the runout and Sogani quickly tapped the table, only for Ding to throw out another bet of 30,000. Sogani didn't look comfortable and eventually flashed the A♣ as he folded. Ding didn't show, so Sogani will never know if he made the right fold or not.

Player	Chips
YD Yujia DingChina	110,000(37 BB)
KS Kumar Sogani	100,000(33 BB)

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 10:11:27 AM

Phong's Set Holds Strong

Level 12: 1,000 / 2,000 ante: 2,000

A flop of J♦ 2♣ T♠ was already showing in a pot between Nguyen Trung Chien and Hoang Van Phong. After a series of bets and raises, Chien called the shove of Phong, which left a pot of around 200,000 up for grabs.

Phong had a set with T♥ T♣, but needed to hold against the open-ended straight draw of Chien, who held K♦ Q♥.

The 4♣ turn didn't offer any help to Chien, and neither did the 7♦ river, which meant he was left with around 6,000 in his stack, while Phong bounced up the counts to around 200,000.

Player	Chips
HV Hoang Van PhongViet Nam	200,000(100 BB)
NT Nguyen Trung ChienViet Nam	6,000(3 BB)

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 9:53:49 AM

Day 1C Closes With 388 Entries!

Level 11: 1,000 / 1,500 ante: 1,500

Day 1C of the Ultimate GTD Kick Off Event has officially come to an end with a total of 388 entries, including 133 re-entries. Players will battle it out until only 49 remain, securing their place in the money.

With 169 players still in the field, the race to survive continues as everyone aims to bag chips for Day 2 and move one step closer to the title!

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 8:22:38 AM

Shu Liu's Miracle Comeback

Level 9: 500 / 1,000 ante: 1,000

Shu Liu

The 4-bet preflop action built a pot of 27,000, and the cards were all revealed after the flop 5♥ Q♥ K♣ . Pham Quang Van, holding K♦ Q♦ , flopped top two pair, dominating Shu Liu's 5♣ 4♣ , who had only bottom pair.

Shu moved all in for 48,000, almost drawing dead, faced a near-impossible situation — until the turn 6♣ and river 7♣ delivered a miraculous runner-runner flush.

The table gasped, stunned by the improbable comeback, but Shu remained calm, almost as if he had already known the cards would fall his way.

Player	Hand	Chips
SL Shu LiuChina	5♣4♣	123,000(123 BB) 62,500(63 BB)
PQ Pham Quang VanViet Nam	K♦Q♦	27,300(27 BB) -60,500(-60 BB)

Board:5♥Q♥K♣6♣7♣

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 8:09:36 AM

Full House In The Field

Level 8: 400 / 800 ante: 800

Seats are full, tables are full. The Ultimate GTD Kick Off Event is buzzing with action! Over 200 players are currently in play, and the total entries have already reached 320. Three more levels before registration closes before the start of level 11.

Kai CocklinKai Cocklin

10/11/2025, 7:25:29 AM

Skarparis Joins the Field

Level 7: 300 / 600 ante: 600

Georgios Skarparis

Cyprus’ Georgios Skarparis knows exactly what it takes to capture World Series of Poker gold and is now looking to add another strong result to his poker resume here in Hanoi. The accomplished Cypriot claimed his maiden WSOP bracelet in 2024, winning the $1,000 Mini Main Event in Las Vegas for $554,925 after topping a field of more than 6,000 players. It was a breakthrough victory that firmly established him on the international stage.

Skarparis has also enjoyed success in Vietnam, where he won the VND 7,000,000 No-Limit Hold’em Tuesday Special during the USOP Hai Phong, earning VND 140,000,000 for his first recorded win on Vietnamese soil.

Now sitting on around 35,000 in chips, Skarparis is once again testing his skills against a tough field. With a WSOP bracelet already to his name and proven success in Vietnam, the Cypriot is one to keep an eye on as the tournament continues.

Player	Chips
GS Georgios SkarparisCyprus	35,000(58 BB)

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 6:44:08 AM

USOP Main Event Champion Choi Hun Tae Returns

Level 5: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Choi Hun Tae

One of the many USOP Main Event Champions, Choi Hun Tae, is here at the Grand Loyal Poker Championship Hanoi 2025. Fresh off winning his first trophy, he’s already back in the table, ready to try his luck at winning another trophy. His known as one of the player who proves even the small player can win big. Choi is someone everyone will be keeping an eye on.

Player	Chips
CH Choi Hun TaeSouth Korea	30,000(75 BB)

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 6:08:21 AM

First Break, Top Chip Count

Level 5: 200 / 400 ante: 400

Player	Chips
VQ Van Quoc VoViet Nam	83,500(209 BB)
NT Nguyen Trung PhongViet Nam	81,700(204 BB)
XT Xinxing TangChina	81,400(204 BB)
MV Mai Van SonViet Nam	70,600(177 BB)
TN Tran Ngoc QuangViet Nam	66,100(165 BB)
VC Van Chien NguyenViet Nam	65,000(163 BB)

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 5:17:13 AM

Like A Boss!

Level 4: 200 / 300 ante: 300

Xinxing Tang

The pot had grown to 8,400 , and the tension at the table was visible. Tang Xinxing, last crowned Player of the Series at the USOP Hai Phong, casually bet 7,000, his eyes not on the felt but glued to his phone, completely unbothered by the action around him.

Zaitsev Evgenii, still no idea from yesterday’s “mucked chop” mistake, decided to push his luck, check-raising all in for 25,000 with two pair. The table leaned in, waiting to see if Tang would fold or react. But Tang didn’t even look at the board. With the same calm he had shown since the start of the day, he called.

When his cards revealed a full house, the outcome was sealed, Zaitsev’s tournament run ended, and Tang simply stacked the chips, still absorbed in his phone as if nothing had happened. Zaitsev could only watch his tournament end as Tang, like a boss, stacked the chips one-handed without even looking up.

Player	Hand	Chips
XT Xinxing TangChina		62,400(208 BB) 29,500(98 BB)
EZ Evgenii ZaitsevRussia	A♥Q♣	busted

Board:8♦7♣A♠7♥5♦

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 5:02:28 AM

Players Keep Pouring In!

Level 3: 100 / 200 ante: 200

The field continues to grow rapidly! With just three levels completed, Day 1C of the Ultimate GTD Kick Off Event has already crossed 100 entries, and more players are still joining the action as registration remains open.

Derick ElominaDerick Elomina

10/11/2025, 4:01:27 AM

Day 1C Of Ultimate GTD Kick Off Event Begins!

Day 1C of the Ultimate GTD Kick Off Event has officially begun with 20 early entries taking their seats. Registration will remain open until 16:30, before the start of Level 11, giving players more time to join the action. Unlike the previous flights, there will be no more chip leader bonus for this round.

Just yesterday, the guaranteed prize pool was increased from VND 7 Billion to VND 7.2 Billion, making the event even more exciting for everyone. Day 1A drew 222 entries with 28 survivors, led by Nguyen Dang Truong who bagged 868,000 chips and earned the VND 15 Million chip leader bonus. Meanwhile, Day 1B attracted 161 entries, with 21 players advancing led by Nguyen Hien Trung, who ended the flight with 745,000 chips and the same VND 15 Million bonus.

Event starts 11:00 local time..