MINI MAIN EVENT (12,000,000 VND)

Day 1c of the Mini Main Event at the Grand Loyal Poker Championship (GLPC) in Hanoi smashed expectations, drawing an impressive 415 entries, significantly outpacing the earlier flights and showcasing the event’s growing intensity. Emerging from the pack was Bo Zhang, who claimed the chip leader mantle, bagging 1,220,000 chips by the day’s end. With almost $300,000 in live earnings but no recorded cashes in Vietnam, Zhang’s commanding performance could set him off on a deep run during tomorrow’s Day 2.

Zhang dominated from the outset, utilising sharp instincts and calculated plays to build his stack. A pivotal moment came when Auyush Arya fired a massive 300,000 bet into a pot of around 90,000 on the river; Zhang had to exhaust his time banks before making a heroic call. Arya revealed ace-six for a busted bluff, while Zhang tabled king-eight, securing the 300,000-chip pot with just top pair on a draw-heavy board; a call that left Arya crippled and gave Zhang a huge leg up during the latter stages of the day.

The bubble phase was a rollercoaster, marked by a series of short-stack double-ups that prolonged the tension. Ngoc Ha Nguyen, who had survived the soft bubble with a double-up holding ace-king, found herself in the spotlight again. Shortly after her earlier escape, she picked up Big Slick once more, only to run into Le Viet Anh, a relentless force who had already notched multiple eliminations, including a rivered ten to crack pocket fours in an earlier hand. This time, Le held pocket queens, and the flop delivered a crushing queen-seven-four, giving him a set. With no help on the turn or river, Nguyen became the bubble girl, sending the remaining 52 players from Day 1c through to Day 2.

The full chip counts for Day 1s will be released soon. Stay tuned to Somuchpoker for updates on the final flights and to see who surges into the lead heading into the pivotal Day 2 showdown!

After surviving a previous hand on the soft bubble with ace-king to double up, Ngc Ha Nguyen found herself in the spotlight again. Nguyen moved shoved again, however her luck ran out against Le Viet Anh, a relentless player who had already taken out multiple opponents, including a rivered ten to crack pocket fours earlier. They showed their hands:

Ngoc Ha Nguyen: A♥ K♣

Le Viet Anh: Q♠ Q♣

The flop was brutal for Nguyen; Q♥ T♠ 2♣ gave Anh a set, the 2♦ on the turn bumped him up to a boat - leaving her drawing dead, and the 7♠ completed the board to eliminate her as the unfortunate bubble girl.

52 players from this flight will return in the money to battle it out on Day 2 tomorrow! Stay tuned for a full recap of the action today.

With 53 players remaining and 52 qualifying, play has been slowed to hand-for-hand until one more player has been eliminated.

Hijack Cong Khuong Nguyen raised to 12,000 and was called by big blind Xuan Dung Nguyen.

Both checked the T♣ T♥ 5♠ flop, and Dung Nguyen fired 10,000 off on the 2♦ turn.

On the Q♥ river, Dung Nguyen check-called a 18,000 bet from Khuong Nguyen, who when flipped over his hand to reveal Q♠ T♦ - making a boat on the river.

It didn’t take long before Zhang Bo added another big stack to his chips.

UTG Zhang Bo open and called the 3-bet of Victor Lam for 30,000. Lam c-bet for 25,000 on the flop 9♦ 9♥ 7♥ , Zhang quickly put one stack of 25,000, and Lam snap all-in for 130,000.

Zhang Bo: 9♠ 6♠

Victor Lam: K♣ K♥

Zhang flop trips while Lam need a king to survive. The turn 7♣ and river 8♦ brought no king, sending Lam out. Zhang successfully cracked Lam’s kings and now sits with a million in chips.

After struggling to make it through Day 1a yesterday, Le Viet Anh is now in a commanding position as the Day 1c bubble looms - with just over 10 players to go, he took out Wong Ka Fai in brutal fashion, adding to his ever-growing chip stack.

Fai moved all-in preflop, with Anh making the call looking to take him out:

Wong Ka Fai: 4♣ 4♥

Le Viet Anh: A♦ T♠

The board looked good for Fai’s double as it ran out 3♥ Q♥ Q♦ 5♣, but the T♦ on the river sealed Fai’s fate and sent him out just before the money.

After one orbit, action returned to Zhang Bo and Arya Aayush. One orbit ago, Arya doubled up against Zhang, but this time Zhang claimed it all.

With 70,000 in the middle K♦ T♦ Q♣ 5♣ , big blind Arya lead out for 45,000, and Zhang made the call. Arya then announced a 300,000 big bet on the river . Zhang used all of his time bank and made the call.

Arya Aayush: A♠ 6♣

Zhang Bo: K♥ 8♠

Arya’s bluff was shown and he couldn’t believe the call from Zhang, who revealed only a top pair on a very drawing board.

Arya Aayush put a max value for his aces against chip leader Bo Zhang.

UTG Arya open and Zhang call on the button. Arya fire 8000 on the flop J♣ 5♠ 5♥ but Zhang made it 18000. Arya just call. Arya check raise the turn 5♣ for 60000 when Zhang bet 15000. Zhang just call. Arya push all of his chips for 129000 on the river 7♦ . Zhang use a time bank and made the call.

Arya Aayush: A♣ A♥

Zhang Bo: J♦ 2♦

Arya showed his rockets and got full value, stopping the non-stop aggression of Zhang.

A regular on the Vietnamese circuit, and knocking on the door of Vietnam's top-ten All-Time Money List, Trung Quan Nguyen is back at the Grand Loyal Poker Club aiming to continue his recent success on home soil. He's currently sitting at around 240,000 in chips, higher than the 170,000 average stack but still with some work to do if he's to take a commanding stack into Day 2 tomorrow.

In a recent hand of cautious play, Nguyen checked his big blind after a limp from button Tianhao Zheng and a call from small blind Trung Chien Nguyen. Action was checked right through the 5♥ 7♦ K♥ 7♥ board until the A♦ river, where Zheng slid 27,000 into the middle. Chien Nguyen folded instantly, but Quan Nguyen checked his cards, asked the current pot amount, and let out a hearty laugh before ultimately folding to one of the shorter stacks at the table.

Nguyen Ngoc Dai leads the pack after scooping a huge pot right before the break, flopping two pair against Xuan Tuan Nguyen to secure the top spot on the leaderboard.

Players are now on their fourth scheduled break of the day. During this time all 500-denomination chips will be exchanged.

The VND 10 Billion guaranteed prize pool has officially been broken!

After drawing 289 entries in Flight A, 203 in Flight B, and a massive 415 in today’s Flight C, the guarantee was shattered midway through Flight D, which already has 144 entries and counting.

With registration still open and one more flight (Flight E Turbo) to go, the Mini Main Event is set to soar to record-breaking numbers!

After being moved to a new table, Zhang Bo shows no signs of slowing down. His aggressive style continues as he keeps raising and winning pots just like before. No matter where he’s seated, Zhang remains in full control. Confidently pushing his massive stack and keeping the pressure on every player around the table.

Hand 1

Duc Dong Dang raised to 6,000 from under the gun but was three-bet by Li Lok Ching one seat to the left; once the 3♥ 4♥ Q♦ flop hit Dang check-raised to 30,000 after Ching put 14,000 into the middle. Ching let the hand go.

Hand 2

Georgios Skarparis raised to 6,500 from the hijack, Ching got involved again and made the call from the big blind.

Ching check-called Skarparis' 7,000 continuation-bet following the 4♣ 5♥ T♣ flop; Ching checked again on the 8♥ turn but faced a second barrel of 14,000. He folded after a brief moment.

Hand 3

Skarparis got involved again and raised to 6,500, with big blind Ledong Zhou defending. Zhou check-called a further 5,000 from Skarparis after the dealer spread the 5♠ 6♥ 2♣ flop.

Zhou check-folded to Skarparis' 21,000 bet once the 8♣ hit the turn.

On average there has been one elimination per minute since registration closed at the start of level 11 a short while ago. Here's a look at some of the unlucky players not making it to the money bubble.

Players still have Day 1d and turbo flight 1e taking place later today for another shot at returning to Day 2!

Action folded to the button where Tianhao Zheng raised to 5,000, and Trung Chien Nguyen defended his big blind. On the flop Q♥ 5♥ K♥ , Zheng continued for 7,000, but Trung fired back with a raise to 21,000, which Zheng called. Trung kept the pressure on with a 20,000 bet on the turn Q♣ , and Zheng used a time bank before making the call. On the river 9♣ , Trung moved all in for his remaining 27,000, and Zheng called once more.

Trung Chien Nguyen: K♠ 7♠

Tianhao Zheng: K♦ 9♥

Trung looked defeated as the cards were revealed and was behind Zheng but the river came to his rescue, resulting in a chop pot that kept him alive.

Pham Dong Dang raised to 6,000 from under the gun and was called by cutoff Duy Anh Pham and big blind Shuphala Vongsounthon.

On the T♣ 6♣ T♠ flop, both Dang and Vongsounthon check-folded to Pham's 15,000 bet.

He cheerfully showed his T♥ 6♥ hand after some encouragement from the table.

Jie Zheng, Aditya Agarwal and Linghui Dai got it all in preflop in a dramatic three-way all-in:

Aditya Agarwal: 9♠ 9♥

Jie Zheng: J♦ J♣

Linghui Dai: A♣ 7♦

I looked like Zheng was poised to triple-up during the 8♠ 3♦ 4♣ 8♣ flop and turn, but Dai paired his ace on the A♥ river, securing him the pot and sending short stack Agarwal out.

A few hands later, Zheng was also eliminated.

Happy Birthday to one of Asia’s most hardworking and respected Tournament Directors — Tony Lin!

Tony began his poker journey dealing cash games in Australia before moving up to become a Floor Staff member at the Asian Poker Tour (APT). His dedication and professionalism quickly stood out, and by 2023, he had already stepped into the role of Tournament Director, making waves across the Asian poker scene.

In just a short time, Tony has built an impressive résumé, directing major events such as APT, USOP, Players Series, WPC, and now, the GLPC. His passion, leadership, and commitment to fairness have earned him the respect of players and staff alike.

Let’s all wish Tony Lin a wonderful birthday filled with success, happiness, and even more wisdom to share with the poker community!

Chip leader Zhang Bo continues his dominance on the table after raising in three consecutive hands.

First hand, Zhang opened from hijack and Jeongwoo Shin defended his big blind. Zhang fired on the flop 4♥ 6♥ T♠ , got called, and fired again on the turn A♠ making Shin fold his hand.

On the next one, Zhang opened again from early position, small blind called but big blind Linghui Dai shoved which made Zhang fold this time.

And on the third hand, Zhang opened from early position and Jie Zheng on the cutoff 3-bet to 9000. Zhang quickly moved all in and Zheng folded.

Zhang Bo continues to build his stack and is now the first player to hit the 300k mark.

Level 11 has commenced, meaning registration has officially closed for Day 1c of the Mini Main Event, leaving just two more flights for anymore hopefuls wanting a shot at returning for Day 2. The field swelled in the last couple of hours to 415 entries (276 unique), dwarfing its predecessors.

Players will no play down to the money bubble, with only 52 ITM places available.

Players are now on their third scheduled break of the day. There will now be a chip race for 100-denomination chips, and this will be the final break before registration closes.

Manh Hoang Nguyen raised to 2,100 from middle position and was called by Nang Kien Hoang on the button.

Both players checked through the T♦ A♦ J♣ flop to the 7♦ turn, where Nguyen check-folded to Hoang's 3,000-chip bet.

Hand 1

Hijack Yupeng Xie raised to 1,800 and was called by Zixu Wang on the button.

Xie continued for 2,000 following the A♥ 3♣ 6♣ flop, and Wang hung around.

Xie fired again on the J♠ turn, this time for 5,500—Wang quickly got out of the hand.

Hand 2

Duc Canh Cu raised to 2,000 and got it through.

Hand 3

Cu raised to 2,000, then called Xie’s 5,500 three-bet.

On the K♣ 5♣ A♦ flop, Cu check-called Xie’s 3,500 continuation-bet.

Action repeated on the 6♥ turn, this time to the tune of 7,500.

On the 2♠ river, Cu checked again. Xie gripped his full stack and was ready to move all-in, and Cu immediately grabbed his and moved, ready for the call. This startled Xie slightly, and he then thought on his action for a moment with a timebank, before ultimately deciding to check back.

Just as well, as once Cu revealed he had the superior hand with A♠ 9♦, Xie mucked and Cu expressed frustration at his eagerness, conscious it cost him some extra chips.

Players are on their second scheduled break of the day.

Youssef Zereg opened to 1,200 from the cutoff and was called by button Xuan Duy Tran and big blind Quang Vu Dinh.

The 2♠ 5♦ 5♣ flop hit the felt and Dinh checked; Zereg continued for 1,200 and both players stuck around.

On the K♣ turn Zereg fired again, this time for 2,000. Neither player wanted to see the river after that.

Table 33 is drawing attention in the tournament with a truly international mix of players.

Representing countries from around the world, the table features Patrik from Hungary, Harsh from India, Anh Duc from Vietnam, Ziwei from China, Doyeon from South Korea, and Thi Minh from London.

Fresh off a rebuy, Pham Duy Anh made a huge impact in a three-way all-in, taking out Bae Juno and Nguyen Manh Ha before the flop.

Pham Duy Anh: Q♣ T♣

Bae Juno: A♠ 4♦

Nguyen Manh Ha: 7♣ 7♥

The flop T♥ K♣ 2♥ gave Pham a pair, and neither Bae nor Nguyen improved on the turn 5♦ or river 8♦ , sending both back to the registration desk while Pham’s stack surged.

Several players have already crossed the 100,000-chip milestone in the Mini Main Event, putting themselves in a strong position for the next stages.

Ke Chen raised to 1,000 from the big blind, and only small blind Soma Surjit joined him to the flop.

The spade-studded 5♠ 7♠ 8♠ flop hit the felt, and Surjit led out for 2,200, which Chen called.

Action repeated on the T♦ turn, this time to the tune of 4,500.

Surjit fired a third barrel on the J♠ river, and after a brief sizing up of his opponent, Chen made the call to see Surjit’s 9♠ 5♣ for a flush. Unfortunately for Surjit, Chen tabled A♦ T♠ for a higher flush.

In such a male-dominated field, it's great to see the women coming out to represent during GLPC Hanoi!

One of the early USOP Main Event Champions is back in action at Day 1C of the Mini Main Event. Ngoc Dai previously won the USOP Main Event in Hanoi in April 2023, outlasting a field of 870 entries to claim VND 3,550,000,000 (~USD 135,000).

His most recent triumph came at the Hyper Turbo High Roller “Win the Button” event at the last APT Phu Quoc, earning VND 120,990,000. With multiple wins and impressive feats to his name, Ngoc Dai is certainly a player to watch in this tournament.

Seongmin Lee raised to 900 from middle position and received two calls from Tien Duong Nguyen one seat over and big blind Soonjo Kwon.

The T♠ 5♣ 9♦ flop hit the felt, and Kwon checked; Lee fired off 1,000, then called Nguyen’s 2,600 re-raise. Kwon didn’t hang around.

On the 6♠ turn, Lee checked, and Nguyen slid 6,000 into the pot. Lee then moved all-in for his remaining 25,500 chips. Nguyen thought for a brief moment before placing his stack in for the call:

Seongmin Lee: K♠ Q♣

Tien Duong Nguyen: J♦ T♥

The K♣ landed on the river, pairing Lee’s king and crippling Nguyen in the process.

During the next hand in a three-way all-in, Nguyen was eliminated.

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

Action was intense with 19,500 in the middle 5♣ K♠ K♦ 3♣ . After the turn, bracelet winner Georgios Skarparis checked from the small blind. Le Ngoc Giao fired 7,200 from UTG, and cutoff Lee Hongrye called. Action returned to Georgios, who shoved for 26,500. Ngoc quickly answered with an all-in for 23,300, while Hongrye used his entire time bank and decided to save his remaining 5,800.

Le Ngoc Giao: 5♥ 5♦

Georgios Skarparis: K♥ T♣

Before showing the hands, Georgios admitted he knew he was behind and he really was when Ngoc revealed his pair of fives for a full house. But the drama wasn’t over. When the dealer tabled the river 3♠ , Georgios improved to a higher full house. Ngoc removed his mask, unable to believe what had just happened.

Van Chien Nguyen raised to 600 from under the gun and received calls from Warren Rustad in middle position, plus both blinds Sangmin Kim and Van Tam Vu, and they headed four-ways to the flop.

Both blinds checked once the 4♥ 4♦ K♥ hit the felt, when Nguyen sent 1,100 into the pot. Rustad fired back 3,000 with a confident demeanour, prompting both blinds to fold. Nguyen, the table chip leader, took his time before ultimately deciding on a fold.

Duc Trong Nguyen raised to 600 from middle position and received three calls on the way to the flop: Georgios Skarparis one seat over, small blind Van Truyen Bien, and big blind Yuequan Jia.

Action was cautious through the 6♦ A♥ 6♥ flop to the 8♥ turn.

On the 4♥ river, both blinds checked, but as soon as Skarparis flicked 1,200 into the middle, the folds came hard and fast, with Nguyen showing his pocket jacks as he folded.

Skarparis responded in turn by showing his own J♥ for a rivered flush.

"You have two, I have one better!" he added.

Kun-Han Lee raised to 500 from the button, and big blind Nguyen Van Tan defended.

Both checked the 4♦ Q♠ 6♠ flop through to the 5♣ turn, where Tan led for 1,100, and Lee called.

Tan fired 2,000 on the 4♣ river, forcing Lee to fold as Tan claimed the pot.

_______

In the next hand at table 39, button Ashwin Vijayvergiya raised to 400, and big blind Nguyen Cao Cuong called.

Cuong check-folded to Vijayvergiya’s 500 continuation-bet after the A♥ 7♥ J♦ flop.

_______

In the third hand, Anthony Eady raised to 500, called by Lee, before small blind Cuong three-bet to 2,000; only Lee continued.

Cuong bet 2,300 on the K♠ 8♦ 4♠ flop, with Lee raising to 4,600, and Cuong called.

After a check from Cuong on the 2♦ turn, Lee fired off 6,000, and Cuong called again.

After the 7♦ river, Cuong checked, then called Lee’s 15,000 all-in after using a couple of timebanks. Lee revealed 4♣ 4♥ for a flopped set, while Cuong’s queens were no good and he took a major hit, leaving him with just a few thousand in chips.

Tran Xuan Duy staged a lucky escape after spiking trips on the river to stay in the game.

Action began when Xuan Duy opened from under the gun and faced a 3,500 3-bet from Nguyen Van Chien in the small blind. Xuan Duy quickly shoved for 7500, and Van Chien called.

Tran Xuan Duy: 8♦ 6♦

Nguyen Van Chien: A♦ 9♥

The flop T♠ 5♦ 2♥ brought no help for Xuan Duy, but he caught a pair on the turn 6♥ and completed trips on the river 6♠ to survive, while Van Chien’s early big stack took only a slight hit.

Cutoff Tran Tien Ly raised to 300 and was called by button Jimmy Liu and big blind Abhinav Singh.

Singh and Liu called Ly's 500 continuation-bet following the 5♣ 8♦ 4♦ flop, and both players checked through the T♣ turn.

On the 6♠ river, Singh led out for 1,500. Both Ly and Liu couldn't find a call and Singh was awarded the modest pot.

Himanshu Chhikara’s bluff didn’t get through against Nguyen Van Tan.

The board 2♥ 3♣ 9♦ 5♣ T♦ was already up and have 8,700 on the middle when Van Tan bet 3,600 on the river, and Himanshu raised it to 11,000 trying to represent strength. Van Tan tanked for a while before making the call. Himanshu showed K♦ J♥ for a bluff, but Van Tan revealed 3♦ 2♦ for a runner-runner two pair, catching Himanshu in the act.

Nguyen Anh Duc raised to 300 from middle position and Victor Lam three-bet to 1,200 from the button. Both Duc and Xuan Dat Mai made the call.

The 7♥ 8♥ 9♣ flop checked through to the 5♣ turn, where Mai fired off 2,000, and only Lam stuck around.

Action slowed again on the T♠ river, both players opted to check with Mai showing K♦ 7♠, but being beaten out by Lam's A♠ T♣ for a rivered top pair.

Ilia Timofeev opened to 300 from under the gun and was called by cutoff Van Phuong Nguyen, small blind Chung Ky Bang and big blind Suckchai Preecha.

All four players checked through the 2♥ T♠ 6♠ flop through to the J♦ turn, where both the blinds checked. Timofeev then fired 1,000 into the middle, just enough to shake everyone off the pot.

Day 1c of the VND 12,000,000 Mini Main Event at the Grand Loyal Poker Championship, powered by USOP, gets underway at 11 a.m. local time. The event boasts a massive VND 10 billion guaranteed prize pool and gives players a 30,000 starting stack with multiple re-entries available throughout the day.

Following this flight, Day 1d will begin at 4 p.m., while the turbo-format Day 1e will close out the night at 9 p.m. Each starting flight plays 30-minute levels (20 minutes for the turbo), with survivors advancing to Day 2 on Wednesday where levels increase to 35 minutes.

Play starts with blinds of 100/100, and breaks are scheduled every three-four levels. Redraws will take place on Day 2, again at the final three tables, and once more for the final table, which will be streamed live.

Event starts 11:00 local time..