SUPERSTAR CHALLENGE (80,000,000 VND)

After just three hands of hand-for-hand play, the bubble finally bursts!

Action ignited when Henri Hinds, fresh off a set-over-set victory, opened to 40,000. Jeremy Chan reraised to 370,000, leaving only 30,000 behind, and Henri called. After the flop A♦ Q♣ 4♠ , Jeremy snap-shoved all-in, and Henri quickly made the call.

Jeremy Chan: A♣ K♣

Henri Hinds: A♥ Q♥

Jeremy exclaimed, “This is the flop that I want!” But Henri just laughed: “This is my flop too.” The turn J♥ and river 6♠ offered no help for Jeremy, and he was sent home as today’s bubble. The tension finally broke, and the remaining players were safe in the money.

Congratulations to all the players who made it into the money!

It’s now bubble time at the Superstar Challenge! One more elimination before the remaining players secure a spot in the money.

In one of the most shocking hands of the day, Nguyen Quang Minh and Henri Hinds collided in a massive pot that left the table stunned.

From the button, Quang Minh 3-bet to 110,000, and in the small blind, Henri used his last time bank before 4-betting to 210,000. Quang Minh made the call, and the two went heads-up to the flop K♦ 7♥ 4♣ .

Henri c-bet 90,000, and Quang Minh called. On the turn 9♠ , Henri fired again for 125,000, and Quang Minh instantly shoved for 220,000. Henri snap-called.

Nguyen Quang Minh: 7♣ 7♠

Henri Hinds: K♥ K♠

The crowd leaned in as the cards were revealed, middle set versus top set. Quang Minh could only stare in disbelief as the river 9♦ hit, sealing his fate. Shaking his head, he quietly walked away from the table, leaving everyone speechless.

The only woman in the Superstar Challenge, Nguyen Thi Xoa, battled fearlessly against a tough field of high rollers. From the cutoff, she opened to 35,000, but the action quickly escalated. Wang Chen raised to 125,000 from the small blind, and Nguyen Dinh Hai Linh pushed all-in from the big blind. Thi Xoa made the brave call for her remaining 345,000, while Wang folded.

Nguyen Thi Xoa: T♠ T♥

Nguyen Dinh Hai Linh: Q♠ Q♥

Board: 5♦ 9♥ K♥ 2♦ K♦

The board brought no help for Thi Xoa’s pocket tens, and her run came to an end as Linh’s queens held strong.

Dinh Hai Linh Nguyen eliminated Chuan Feng in a dramatic river showdown. Action began when Dinh opened to 26,000, and Chuan moved all-in for 185,000. Dinh took a moment, then made the brave call to put Chuan at risk.

Chuan Feng: A♠ Q♣

Dinh Hai Linh Nguyen: J♠ T♥

The flop k7h 6♠ 4♥ kept Chuan safe, and the turn 5♦ brought no danger. But when the river J♣ hit, the entire table erupted except for Chuan, who quietly stood up, shook his head, and made his way out of the tournament area.

Nguyen Trung Kien has been quietly but steadily building his stack, and this hand added even more fuel to his rise. Facing Benjamin LeBlond’s 3-bet shove for 247,000, Nguyen didn’t back down and made the call.

Benjamin LeBlond: A♥ K♠

Nguyen Trung Kien: Q♦ Q♣

Board: 9♠ 7♣ 6♠ 8♦ 6♦

It was a classic flip, but this time Benjamin’s luck ran out as he failed to hit an ace or a king on the board. Nguyen Trung Kien scooped the pot and continued to build his growing stack.

Registration is now closed for the inaugural Superstar Challenge, with a total of 57 entries, 22 players remaining and 9 players in the money. The guaranteed prize pool has been doubled, promising even bigger stakes for the field as they battle it out down to the final table.

After being bust out in his first three hands of the Superstar Challenge, Benjamin LeBlond is back with double the starting stack. Action heated up when Jeremy Chan opened, and Benjamin raised to 56,000. Jeremy quickly shoved all-in for 189,000, and Benjamin didn’t hesitate to snap call.

Jeremy Chan: J♠ J♦

Benjamin LeBlond: A♦ K♥

It was a classic flip, and Benjamin flop K♠ T♣ 8♦ top pair, taking the lead. The turn 8♣ and river 3♦ were just a formality, and Benjamin scooped the massive pot and eliminated Jeremy.

The guarantee has officially been doubled, and excitement is reaching its peak at the Superstar Challenge. With just one last level remaining to register, players still have a chance to jump in and chase a share of the massive prize pool.

Henri Hinds opened to 13,000 from UTG+1. Yankai Zhang, who had just bought in, raised to 31,000, and Henri called.

On the flop A♠ 3♣ T♣ , Yankai led out with 20,000 and followed up with 52,000 on the turn 8♥ , both check-called by Henri. The river 6♣ came, and both players checked. Henri revealed A♦ 6♦ , giving him two pair on the river, while Yankai frustratingly mucked his hand.

Another player falls into the hands of Zhentao Long. Zhentao opened to 10,000, one player called, and Nguyen Viet An 3-bet to 56,000. Action returned to Zhentao, who raised to 150,000. Viet An quickly announced all-in for 251,000, and Zhentao didn’t waste a second calling.

Nguyen Viet An: A♥ K♣

Zhentao Long: Q♥ Q♦

Board: 3♠ 8♣ 6♣ 3♥ 5♠

It was a classic flip, and Zhentao’s queens held up, adding another massive pot to his towering stack. While collecting his chips, he joked to me, “Don’t put it—just lucky".

All Superstar Challenge players will receive a free food voucher, which they can use to enjoy dinner. After an intense day of action at the tables, this gives the players a chance to recharge and refuel before the next rounds.

Chip leader Zhentao Long continues to dominate the field, surpassing the 1 million mark in chips.

The board Q♣ 9♦ 3♣ 9♥ 5♣ was already out with 211,000 in the middle when small blind Shuphala Vongsounthon led out for 55,000. From the big blind, Nguyen Viet An raised to 125,000. Shuphala quickly responded with an all-in, putting Viet An to the test.

After using two time banks, Viet An decided to fold. Shuphala then kindly turned over 6♣ 7♠ revealing a flopped full house and taking down the pot.

Chip leader Zhentao Long continues to build his stack. Action began when Tran Minh Thang opened to 10,000, and Zhentao 3-bet to 25,000. Tran then shoved for 126,000, and Zhentao quickly made the call.

Tran Minh Thang: Q♥ J♣

Zhentao Long: 5♥ 5♠

It was a classic flip, and the flop Q♣ 9♦ 3♣ favored Tran. By the turn 9♥ , Zhentao looked resigned to defeat, until the river 5♣ delivered one of his two outs, sending Tran to the rail and boosting Zhentao’s already massive stack.

After a quick bust-out, Nguyen Quang Minh is back in action with a fresh stack. Moments later, he found himself in another big hand against Peter Kiem, who had just landed and jumped straight into play.

Action began when Peter 3-bet shoved for 50,000, and Quang Minh who is the initial raiser made the call.

Peter Kiem: A♥ Q♣

Nguyen Quang Minh: K♠ J♥

The dealer spread the flop K♥ K♦ J♠ , giving Quang Minh a full house right away. Peter was almost drawing dead and could only watch as the dealer revealed the turn 5♠ and river 2♣ ending his run before it could even begin.

Thi Xoa Nguyen stands out as the only woman in this male-dominated field. Born in Vietnam and now residing in France, she boasts over $1.1 million in total live earnings on The Hendon Mob. Nguyen is no stranger to high roller action. She played in the previous Triton One Jeju series, where she came close to capturing a Triton trophy, finishing as the runner-up in the $9,000 No Limit Hold’em – Triton One Mystery Bounty 8-Handed event.

Preflop action built a pot of 48,500 in the middle. After the flop 2♠ 2♦ 6♠ , Yuan Sun moved all in for 127,000, and Nguyen Quang Minh called and was behind, hoping for a spade.

Nguyen Quang Minh: A♠ Q♠

Yuan Sun: T♠ T♦

The turn 4♥ blanked, but the river 9♠ delivered the spade Quang Minh needed, eliminating Yuan from the tournament.

It didn’t take long before the guarantee was breached. Players still have plenty of time to jump in, as registration is only halfway through.

After folding his first three hands, Arya finally got involved and made it count in a big way. Action starts when Nguyen Van Chien opened to 2,000, with two players making the call. Arya, sitting in the big blind and fresh off a new buy-in, raised it up to 15,500.

Van Chien wasn’t backing down and he 4-bet to 42,000. Arya went deep into the tank, burning through four of his five time bank and then shoved all in. Van Chien snap-called, but Arya had him crushed and held to score a massive early double-up.

Another player who joins the Superstar Challenge after busting out from the Ultimate GTD Kick-Off Event is none other than Oliver Joe.

After busting out in 96th place in the Ultimate GTD Kick-Off Event, Xuan Dat Mai quickly jumped into the Superstar Challenge.

Sean Ooi was the next player to be eliminated and decided to take a break. He has not re-entered yet, but there’s still lots of time to rebuy.

Before the end of Level 1, Nguyen Van Chien was eliminated by Shuphala Vongsounthon but quickly re-entered the tournament with a rebuy.

It didn’t take long for the first knockout to happen, just three hands into the Superstar Challenge, and Canada’s Benjamin LeBlond is already out.

The action began when Thailand’s Phanlert Sukonthachartnant 3-bet to 7,000 facing an open raise. Benjamin LeBlond 4-bet to 15,000, and Phanlert responded with a 5-bet to 37,000, which Benjamin called.

On the flop 9♥ 3♣ J♣ , Phanlert continued for 30,000, and Benjamin made the call. The turn T♣ brought the fireworks and Benjamin fired 30,000, only for Phanlert to check-raise all in. Benjamin quickly tossed in a chip to call, putting his tournament life on the line.

Phanlert revealed A♥ A♠ , while Benjamin showed A♦ K♣ , drawing to a gutshot and a one-card flush. The river T♠ bricked out, sealing Benjamin’s fate and giving Phanlert a monster early pot.

But Benjamin is not done yet. After a quick re-entry, Benjamin LeBlond is back at the table, ready to take another shot at the Superstar Challenge trophy.

Seats are now open for the Superstar Challenge! Even before registration officially starts, nine players have already taken their seats.

All eyes are on the GLPC Hanoi 2025 Superstar Challenge, one of the most anticipated events of the series. With VND 2 Billion guaranteed and a VND 80 Million buy-in, this event promises intense action and a star-studded field.

Each player will start with a deep 200,000 stack (333 big blinds), and blinds will kick off at 300/600. Levels will run for 40 minutes each until a winner is crowned, but if a final table deal is made, the levels will be shortened to 20 minutes.

This two-day event will begin today at 12:00 local time and will play down until the final 9 or final table is set. Registration will remain open until the start of Level 13 at 20:30, giving players plenty of time to join the action. A little bonus for the grinders, 15% of the field will make the money, compared to the usual 12.5%, giving more players a chance to cash.

Set inside the luxurious Grand Vista Hotel, players can expect VIP treatment from start to finish, the perfect setting for one of the most prestigious events of the series.

Event starts 12:00 local time..