ULTIMATE GTD KICK OFF EVENT (8,000,000 VND)

It takes a special kind of run to rise above a 1,212-player field, and that’s exactly what Tran Xuan Toan achieved in the VND 8,000,000 Kick Off Event at the Grand Loyal Poker Championship (GLPC) inside Hanoi’s Grand Vista Hotel.

After five starting flights and a fast-paced Day 2, Toan secured the VND 1,352,000,000 (~$51,305) top prize from an impressive VND 8.4 billion (~$318,000) prize pool. But it was the finale that had everyone talking, as heads-up play against Vu Van Tiep ended in a single hand. One shove, one call, and Toan lifted the trophy before anyone had time to blink.

Tiep still walked away with a strong result, pocketing VND 945,344,000 (~$35,875) for his runner-up finish, while Toan celebrated his biggest victory yet.

A total of 150 players returned for Day 2, but the field was quickly trimmed down thanks to the brisk 35-minute levels. With just five minutes left in Level 30, the clock was paused after Nguyen Hien Trung saw his short stack go into the middle with seven-five but couldn’t overcome the ace-king of Tran Xuan Toan.

Once the final table was set, it was China’s Yupeng Xie who took command with a stack worth nearly 70 big blinds. Nguyen Quang Hieu sat at the opposite end of the counts, and the two wasted no time getting involved in the first big clash of the finale.

Hieu looked set for a comeback when he picked up pocket jacks, but Xie woke up with aces. A clean board confirmed Hieu’s fate, sending him to the rail while Xie tightened his grip on the chip lead.

Duy Anh Nguyen and Jie Zheng were next to fall after the ever-rising blinds cut deep into their stacks, ending their runs in eighth and seventh place.

A dramatic three-way all-in soon followed that completely shifted the momentum. Haoran Sun got his short stack in with pocket aces against the ace-deuce of clubs held by Khoi Nguyen, while Toan came along with king-queen suited to put both opponents at risk. The flop came all clubs, giving Nguyen the flush and eliminating Sun in sixth place.

That hand opened the floodgates. Afu Wang was next to go after losing a flip with pocket eights against Toan’s ace-queen, finishing in fifth.

Moments later, another three-way all-in decided the rest. Toan’s pocket queens held strong against the ace-ten of Xie and the ace-jack of Nguyen. Being the shortest stack, Nguyen exited in fourth, while Xie followed in third.

When heads-up play began, it ended almost instantly. Toan moved all in on the button with queen-deuce, and Vu Van Tiep made the call with jack-five. The board ran clean for Toan, sealing his victory and wrapping up the Kick Off Event in the blink of an eye.

In the first hand of heads-up play, Vu Van Tiep shoved from the button for 28,000,000 and Toan Xuan Tran made the call, to determine whether Tiep would double or be eliminated in second:

Vu Van Tiep: : J♥ 5♦

Toan Xuan Tran: Q♥ 2♥

Tran paired his deuce on the 2♦ T♦ 6♣ flop, and stayed ahead as the 3♦ and 9♥ completed the board.

A total of 1,212 hopefuls entered and battled through three grueling days of poker at the Grand Loyal Poker Club, narrowing the field to the final two.

Toan Xuan Tran and Vo Quoc Van have showcased their capability, skill, and resilience, overcoming a tough mix of amateurs and pros to vie for the Kick Off Champion title. Stay tuned to see who claims the crown!

Toan Xuan Tran raised to 1,000,000 from the button whilst both blinds Yupeng Xie and Khoi Nguyen got the remainder of their stacks in the middle. Covering both of them, Tran made the call:

Khoi Nguyen: A♥ J♥

Yupeng Xie: A♦ T♦

Toan Xuan Tran: Q♠ Q♦

Neither Nguyen or Xie could connect with their ace on the K♠ 4♦ 8♥ 6♠ 2♦ runout, meaning Tran scored a brutal double elimination, taking him into heads-up play with a commanding stack, and Nguyen was sent out in fourth, and Xie in third.

Toan Xuan Tran moved all in from under the gun and Afu Wang called from the big blind to put himself at risk, and they showed their hands:

Afu Wang: 8♥ 8♠

Toan Xuan Tran: A♦ Q♥

The 9♣ 7♣ 3♥ flop looked promising for Wang, but the A♣ on the river gave Tran top pair, and the T♥ river confirmed Wang's exit in fifth.

Hijack Khoi Nguyen moved all in for 2,300,000, with small blind Haoran Sun calling to put himself at risk for around 2,000,000. Toan Xuan Tran also called from the big blind, which put two players at risk.

Haoran Sun: A♠ A♦

Khoi Nguyen: A♣ 2♣

Toan Xuan Tran: K♦ Q♦

Sun's bullets looked good for a triple-up, but the J♣ T♣ 8♣ flop gave Nguyen the nut flush, and the inconsequential 5♠ 7♦ runout completed the board, ultimately eliminating Sun in sixth place.

Jie Zheng shoved 1,300,000 from under the gun and got looked up by Vu Van Tiep in the big blind.

Jie Zheng: K♠ 2♥

Vu Van Tiep: T♦ 8♠

Zheng was ahead, but not for long as the T♥ 9♣ 5♠ flop gave Tiep a pair of tens. No kings appeared on the A♠ A♦ runout, and Zheng hit the rail.

Xie Yupeng limped from middle position and faced a shove from big blind Nguyen Duy Anh for his remaining 1,300,000 chips. Yupeng made the call and they turned their hands over:

Nguyen Duy Anh: 3♦ 3♥

Xie Yupeng: T♠ 9♦

Yupeng surged ahead on the T♣ A♥ 4♣ flop, leaving Anh drawing thin, either runner-runner for a straight or any remaining three.

The board ran out 8♦ J♥, eliminating him in eighth.

Nguyen Khoi raised to 2,000,000 from under the gun when hijack Afu Wang three-bet shoved his remaining 1,600,000 chips and they went to showdown:

Nguyen Khoi: J♦ K♣

Afu Wang: A♠ A♥

Wang's aces held firm as the dealer ran the 8♠ 7♦ Q♠ Q♦ 6♦ board out, giving him another double and denting Khoi's stack significantly.

Small blind Nguyen Duy Anh got it all in for 625,000 against big blind and covering stack Haoran Sun and they went to the flop:

Nguyen Duy Anh: Q♥ 7♠

Haoran Sun: 6♣ 3♦

Anh found his lady on the 8♣ Q♣ K♦ flop and little changed as the 5♦ 2♦ runout was completed, securing a much-needed double at Sun's expense.

Haoran Sun shoved 750,000 from under the gun and Yupeng Xie three-bet to 1,500,000 from middle position. Jie Zheng called on the button.

The flop came A♥ 8♦ 5♦ and Xie immediately shoved, which got Zheng to fold his T♠ T♣ .

Haoran Sun: K♣ 6♠

Yupeng Xie: Q♦ T♦

Amazingly, Sun was in the lead, but needed to fade a lot of outs as Xie had a flush draw with two live cards. The 7♥ turn and 6♥ river were complete bricks for Xie, and Sun survived.

Sun has Xie to thank for his survival, as Zheng would have had the best hand with his pocket tens.

After a series of orbits of not much action, Jie Zheng raised to 750,000 from early position and received two calls from in Afu Wang in middle position and Nguyen Khoi defending from the big blind.

The dealer turned over K♦ K♣ 4♦ for the flop and Khoi checked; Zheng moved all in for his remaining 325,000 whilst Khoi and Wang continued after a call.

The remaining two streets of 3♥ 7♦ went check-check from Wang and Khoi, and on showdown Zheng proudly flipped over K♠ 3♠ for a boat, raking in the 3,600,000-chip pot.

The remaining eight players are now on a 10-minute break. Here's a look at their updated stacks:

Tran Xuan Toan limped in from the small blind with A♣ 6♦ and Yupeng Xie raised to 650,000 out of the big blind holding 8♦ 7♣ . Toan called.

They watched the dealer put out a flop of 6♠ K♠ 2♣ , where Toan check-called a bet of 450,000 from Xie to the 6♣ turn, giving him trips. Toan checked again, then Xie bet 1,500,000. With around 2,400,000 behind, Toan put on the Hollywood act and then just called.

A 5♣ hit the river and Toan checked, Xie shoved, and Toan snap-called for his last 940,000, earning the pot with trip sixes.

Nguyen Duy Anh moved all-in for his remaining 270,000 chips following Afu Wang's 1,400,000 three-bet, and they flipped their hands to see if Anh would be leaving in eighth place:

Nguyen Duy Anh: A♦ Q♣

Adu Wang: J♠ J♦

Anh paired his ace on the 8♠ A♣ 8♦ flop, making a superior two pair, and stayed ahead for the remainder of the 4♠ T♠ runout, securing his double.

Nguyen Quang Hieu shoved the button for 640,000 and Yupeng Xie made it 1,500,000 from the small blind to isolate.

Nguyen Quang Hieu: J♠ J♥

Yupeng Xie: A♥ A♣

Hieu needed a lot of help, but never found it as the A♠ T♥ Q♥ T♣ Q♠ runout left him on the sidelines as Xie made top boat.

Nguyen Khoi raised to 325,000 from early position and hijack Afu Wang three-bet shoved for around 2,000,000, which Koi called to Wang at risk:

Nguyen Khoi: J♠ J♦

Afu Wang: K♥ K♣

Wang's tournament life was on the line and he needed to fade a jack. The 5♥ A♥ Q♠ 8♠ 4♦ stayed clean for him and he secured a healthy double.

Under the gun Tran Xuan Toan raised to 300,000 and found one caller in Afu Wang on the button, and they went heads-up to the flop.

Toan checked the Q♣ Q♦ 4♥ flop and Wang fired off 400,000 into the middle, which was enough to throw Toan off the pot, giving Wang a small but essential boost to his stack.

Hijack Haoran Sun raised to 250,000 and big blind Nguyen Khoi went all in for 3,100,000, and Sun called to put Khoi at risk:

Nguyen Khoi: A♣ K♦

Haoran Sun: A♠ Q♦

The 2♣ 9♣ 9♦ flop brought out some chop possibilities but as the J♥ and T♦ completed the board, Khoi secured the double-up.

With the elimination of Nguyen Hien Trung just a short while ago, the final nine has been reached and they will be moving to the final table, which will be featured on the live stream - this can be found on USOP's Facebook page.

After another all-in battle just a few hands prior, Tran Xuan Toan and Nguyen Hien Trung got it all in again, with Trung at risk:

Nguyen Hien Trung: 5♠ 7♠

Tran Xuan Toan: A♥ K♣

Trung unfortunately fell victim to Toan's overcards as the 4♣ 8♥ 2♦ 4♦ 8♦ runout had him out-kicked by Toan, and kicked out in tenth place.

Nguyen Koi raised to 1,100,000 from under the gun and small blind Le Ngoc Minh three-bet shoved for his remaining 1,530,000 stack. Koi made the call and they revealed their hands:

Le Ngoc Minh: A♠ J♦

Nguyen Koi: A♥ K♦

Minh was behind and needed a substantial amount of help from the dealer to keep him in the running for the final table. Unfortunately, no such help came on the T♠ 2♦ 5♠ 2♠ A♦ runout, giving them both top pair but Minh being out-kicked by Koi.

Le Ngoc Minh opened to 600,000 from under the gun and Chak Hei Chan called off his stack of 250,000 from the button. Yupeng Xie also called from the big blind.

When the flop came K♦ 2♠ 6♥ , Xie check-folded to Minh's shove of 335,000.

Chak Hei Chan: A♥ 2♦

Le Ngoc Minh: K♣ 4♣

Chan had a pair of deuces, but needed to overcome the pair of fours that Minh held. That never happened, though, as the 7♦ 8♦ runout meant he was out in 12th.

Nguyen Hien Trung raised to 280,000 from under the gun and faced a three-bet shove to ~2,700,000 from small blind Tran Xuan Toan, who had the smaller stack. Trung thought on it for a moment before making the call:

Tran Xuan Toan: T♠ T♥

Nguyen Hien Trung: A♦ Q♣

Toan's tens held firm through the 7♦ 3♠ 5♣ K♦ K♥ runout, leaving Trung with a severely crippled stack.

Button Nguyen Hong Quan got all 1,600,000 of his chips into the middle, with hijack Nguyen Hien Trung looking to eliminate him and boost his already hefty stack:

Nguyen Hong Quan: A♦ Q♦

Nguyen Hien Trung: 5♠ 5♣

Quan needed to survive the flip, and the J♦ K♠ 7♠ flop looked promising for a straight draw, but the remainder of the 8♣ 2♦ runout couldn't tip the scales Quan's way and sent him home in 13th.

A very strange situation just played out, which left Haoran Sun with a one-round penalty.

Sun had opened to 200,000 in the hijack and Chak Hei Chan made it 400,000 on the button, leaving 30,000 behind. When it got back to Sun, he called.

On the 3♠ 8♥ A♦ flop, Sun checked and Chan bet his last 30,000. Sun folded, but the floor were called to give a ruling as there were 1,000,000 already in the pot with the dead small blind.

After some deliberation, the tournament director decided to allow the fold as Sun's cards had made their way to the middle of the table, but gave him an orbit penalty as it could be construed as collusion.

No accusations made, but the message was clear.

Yupeng Xie opened to 200,000 from middle position and Haoran Sun three-bet to 525,000 in the cutoff. Jaehong Jung was in the big blind and shoved just shy of 2,000,000, and Xie shoved behind. Sun folded.

Jaejong Jung: Q♦ T♦

Yupeng Xie: J♠ J♥

Jung had taken the aggressive route, and it cost him his tournament life as the A♣ 8♣ 4♥ J♦ 2♣ runout left him on the sidelines as Xie improved to a set.

Shortly after securing a crucial double to stay afloat, Tran Anh Dung got his stack (~900,000) into the middle again, this time with Le Ngoc Minh looking to take him out:

Tran Anh Dung: 9♠ 9♣

Le Ngoc Minh: A♥ Q♦

The J♠ Q♠ Q♥ flop immediately spelled trouble for Dung, who's luck has seemed to have run out.

The 5♦ K♥ turn and river failed to provide the outs he needed and sent him home in 15th.

Chak Hei Chan opened with a large raise to 750,000 from middle position, and Tran Anh Dung called for his short stack of 340,000 from the small blind.

Tran Anh Dung: A♦ K♣

Chak Hei Chan: Q♥ J♥

Chan had live cards, and even turned a flush draw, but couldn't catch up on the 5♥ T♠ 6♦ 6♥ T♦ runout, which earned Dung a double.

Small blind Do Quang Thang got the remainder of his 680,000 stack into the middle, with Nguyen Hong Quan looking to bust him in middle position:

Do Quang Thang: A♣ 7♠

Nguyen Hong Quan: A♠ T♦

The 3♠ 3♥ 8♥ 5♠ Q♠ runout provided no help for Thang and he was sent to the payout desk in 16th place.

Three players had seen a flop of 4♥ Q♠ J♣ , and with around 900,000 in the pot, Junhao Zhang bet 250,000 on the button once it checked to him. Haoran Sun was the only player to call.

Both checked the T♥ turn to the J♥ river, where Zhang shoved just under 2,000,000 when the action was on him. Sun let out a sigh, but then tossed a chip high in the air and into the pot, which signified a call.

Zhang then sheepishly flipped over A♣ T♣ for a pair of tens, but Sun had that beat as he rivered trips holding A♦ J♦ to scoop the massive pot, which sent Zhang out.

On a board of 6♥ 9♠ K♣ 7♦ , Yupeng Xie had fired 350,000 into a pot of around 700,000 from the big blind. Junhao Zhang was under the gun and called.

The river brought a Q♦ and Xie wasted no time in moving all in for 1,325,000. Zhang went into the tank and burned through three time banks before he eventually flicked in the call.

Xie then revealed a set with 6♠ 6♦ , which was best against the pair of kings that Zhang held with K♠ J♦ .

Jie Zheng moved his entire ~750,000 stack into the middle from the small blind, and big blind Tang Nhon Quang was debating making the call. After burning through two time banks he eventually stuck his stack into the middle, and the cards were shown:

Tang Nhon Quang: A♠ 4♥

Jie Zheng: T♦ 7♠

The 8♣ 7♥ 6♥ flop put Zheng in decent contention with a pair and straight draw, then the T♣ on the turn gave him two pair. Quang failed to improve on the K♥ river, and was ultimately eliminated.

Ming Hoang Nguyen had his stack of around 800,000 in the middle and at risk against Vu Van Tiep.

Ming Hoang Nguyen: T♠ T♥

Vu Van Tiep: A♣ Q♣

Nguyen needed to win a flip, but it didn't look good for him as the 4♣ A♠ J♥ flop gave Tiep a pair of aces. No tens appeared on the 7♥ 6♠ runout, and Nguyen exited in 19th.

Tang Nhon Quang shoved for 710,000 from under the gun and was put at risk by Nguyen Hong Quan from the cutoff.

Tanh Nhon Quang: J♠ J♥

Nguyen Hong Quan: A♣ K♥

Quang extened his lead on the J♣ 5♥ Q♠ flop with a set of jacks, but his early celebrations were cut short when he realized he needed to fade a ten. The K♠ 9♦ runout wasn't enough to help Quan, which meant Quang doubled up.

There were already around 500,000 in the middle on a J♣ 4♠ 2♥ flop when Le Ngoc Minh bet 280,000 from the big blind. Nguyen Truong Thinh was in the cutoff and shoved, and Minh called off his stack of 615,000 total.

Le Ngoc Minh: J♦ 6♦

Nguyen Trung Thinh: K♦ Q♠

Minh had paired his jack, but still needed to fade the overcards of Thinh. That's exactly what he managed to do as the 3♠ 7♣ runout stayed low, earning Minh a double-up

The action was joined on a board reading 7♠ A♥ 6♥, big blind Afu Wang had check-called a 150,000-bet from Nguyen Minh Hoang in middle position, into an already very inflated pot.

Both players checked through the 5♥ turn, onto the Q♠ river where Wang led out for 255,000. Hoang burned through a time bank before ultimately tossing in the call, to his frustration as Wang had turned a straight with his 8♣ 9♦ hole cards.

Hoang flashed the A♠ away from the table before mucking his hand.

Thi Hoa Mac shoved 575,000 from early position and Yupeng Xie reshoved the hijack for around 1,300,000.

Thi Hoa Mac: Q♥ J♥

Yupeng Xie: 7♥ 7♦

Mac needed to win a flip, and got off to a pretty good start as the A♥ J♣ Q♣ flop gave her two pair. Xie wanted a seven, but he never got it as the A♦ 5♦ runout meant he had to fork over the chips.

Short stack Evgeny Boldyrev got the remainder of his 340,000 stack into the centre of the table, prompting folds around until big blind Duy Anh Nguyen made the call, turning over his hand to Boldyrev's absolute worst nightmare:

Evgeny Boldyrev: K♦ Q♣

Duy Anh Nguyen: A♥ A♠

Dismayed would be an understatement to describe Boldyrev as the dealer ran the 4♦ 4♥ 2♠ 5♣ 6♥ board out, sending him out in 26th position following the three table redraw.

"I couldn't do anything else" he said to a tablemate as he left with his things.

Le Ngoc Minh raised to 100,000 from under the gun with only Junhao Zhang calling from the big blind.

Once the dealer fanned the 5♦ 3♣ Q♣ flop, Minh continued for 80,000, prompting a swift fold from Zhang.

In the next hand, blinds Zhang and Minh were joined by Nguyen Dang Truong, who limped from under the gun, with Zhang calling and Minh checking.

The 8♠ 2♦ 5♣ hit the felt, and Zhang got out of the way with a check-fold to Minh, who repeated his earlier action of an 80,000 post-flop bet. Truong, not so easily deterred, re-raised with a shove for the rest of his short stack. Minh instantly flicked his cards into the middle.

Cutoff Kamal Kumar got the last of his ~200,000 stack in against big blind and covering stack Chak Hei Chan, and cards went on their backs:

Kamal Kumar: 8♠ 8♣

Chak Hei Chan: J♦ J♣

The board ran out clean for Chan with 6♣ 2♠ 5♣ 3♠ A♠ hitting the felt, and Kumar was sent packing.

Players are now on their second 10-minute break of the day.

Tang Nhon Quang min-raised from the button and was called only by Haoran Sun in the big blind.

Both players checked through the 5♣ 6♠ T♥ flop to see the 9♠ turn, where Sun led out for 75,000 and Quang stuck around.

On the 9♦ river, Sun fired a final barrel, this time to the tune of 125,000. Quang checked his cards for a final time before ultimately dropping them back into the middle.

Small blind Nguyen Dang Truong got it all in with the covering stack against button Dhaval Doshi, who confidently made the call:

Dhaval Doshi: Q♣ 6♣

Nguyen Dang Truong: A♠ 9♦

Truong was vocal in his elation as the dealer laid out the A♥ 8♠ T♥ flop. Doshi gathered his things as the 7♥ Q♥ runout completed the board and sending him out of the Kick Off event.

Sometimes, poker is a cruel, cruel game, as Himanshu Chhikara just found out.

The pot had already swollen to around 500,000 on a board of J♠ K♣ Q♦ 7♠ when Chhikara checked out of the big blind. Haoran Sun was on the button and fired 225,000, then Chhikara shovd for around 400,000. Sun had his opponent slightly covered and quickly called.

Himanshu Chhikara: A♠ A♦

Haoran Sun: Q♥ 6♦

Chhikara had the bullets and just needed to fade a queen or a six on the river to scoop a humongous pot. Sun was at risk of becoming a short stack, but instead he sprang up towards the top of the leaderboard when he made trips on the Q♠ river.

"Sorry, sorry," Sun kept repeating.

Despair for Chhikara, delight for Sun!

The action was joined on a board reading A♥ 8♣ 3♥ 7♣, with Nhu Hieu Mai in the tank after Chen Hao moved all-in.

Mai used his timebanks, letting the dealer peel them off one by one as he deliberated, before finally tossing in the call:

Nhu Hieu Mai: A♠ 2♦

Chen Hao: A♣ 2♠

With no draws on the table, a chop seemed inevitable, and the T♣ river confirmed it, splitting the pot evenly between the two players.

Nguyen Trong Hung raised to 45,000 in middle position and Aditya Sushant three-bet shoved 105,000 from the hijack. When it got back to Hung, he took just a few seconds before he called.

Aditya Sushant: A♠ 6♠

Nguyen Trong Hung: K♠ K♣

Sushant needed to find an ace, but there were none in sight on the Q♥ 3♣ T♣ 9♣ 2♥ board, which meant he hit the rail.

Yupeng Xie min-raised, and only big blind Pham Quang Van called to stay in.

Xie’s lone 45,000-chip barrel proved sufficient to force Van out, who check-folded when the 4♣ 7♣ J♠ flop was revealed.

Nguyen Hien Trung raised to 30,000 from the button, and big blind Kang Taehyeon re-raised to 100,000, with Trung opting to call.

The dealer fanned the A♥ K♣ 2♦ flop, and Taehyeon check-called an 80,000-chip bet from Trung.

The 2♥ landed on the turn. Taehyeon took charge by putting 100,000 into the middle, and Trung made the call.

Both players checked the 6♠ river. Trung asked Taehyeon if he had pocket tens, and he responded by showing J♣ 9♣, to Trung’s surprise, who then flipped over K♠ T♥ for second pair.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Trinh shoved from middle position for 145,000 and Tuan Thanh Nguyen called from the next seat.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Trinh: 4♠ 4♦

Tuan Thanh Nguyen: A♥ K♠

Trinh needed to a win a flip to stay alive, and the 8♠ 5♦ 3♣ flop got her off to a good start. A 6♥ turn added a straight draw, but it was still just an ace or a king that she needed to dodge.

That dodge was successful as the Q♥ rolled off on the river, earning Trinh some valuable chips.

Yansong Wu raised to 30,000 from under the gun, with Tang Nhon Quang moving all in for 175,000 from middle position. After confirming the count, Wu called, revealing their hands:

Yansong Wu: 9♣ 9♦

Tang Nhon Quang: Q♥ J♥

The board ran out K♥ 3♠ 7♠ Q♦ T♣, with Quang hitting a queen on the turn to secure a double-up, significantly denting Wu’s stack.

Kai Li raised to 25,000 from middle position and Van Quoc Vo defended from the big blind.

Action checked through the 5♣ J♦ 7♣ flop to the 7♠ turn, where Vo bet 23,000. Li called.

The 3♣ river saw Vo shove 75,000, most of his stack. After a minute’s thought, Li folded, conceding the pot to Vo.

Players are now on their first scheduled 10-minute break of the day.

Son Beomseok shoved for 155,000 from middle position and when it got to Aditya Sushant in the big blind, he took one peek at his cards and called.

Son Beomseok: A♥ 6♥

Aditya Sushant: Q♠ Q♦

Beomseok needed some help, but didn't find much to work with on the 3♠ T♠ T♣ flop. A K♠ on the turn removed one of his outs as Sushant picked up a flush draw, but that didn't matter as Beomseok drilled the A♣ on the river to earn himself a double-up.

Nguyen Dang Tu got the majority of his 140,000 stack in (leaving around 20,000 behind) from under the gun and big blind Chen Hao re-raised all-in looking to take him out. However, the dealer informed both players that there had been a rule violation and that Hao could only call, leaving their hole cards face down as the flop was fanned out.

Once both players saw the 2♦ 8♠ 3♥ board, Hao stuck a 25,000 chip into the middle and Tu moved his remaining stack in, and cards went on their backs:

Nguyen Dang Tu: A♠ 9♠

Chen Hao: J♣ J♠

The remainder of the 9♦ T♣ runout did little to save Tu, who was sent out in the early stages of the final day.

There were already around 90,000 in the middle on a flop of T♠ A♠ 3♠ when Hoang Van Phong checked from early position and Ashwin Vijayvergiya bet 20,000 in middle position. Phong then came back with a raise to 56,000, which Vijayvergiya called.