Mystery Bounty ($565)

Loong Yuen Hong of Malaysia opens from the D for 16,000 and gets a call from Indonesia’s Roy Adi Putra from the SB.

The flop shows 3♦ 5♠ 3♣ as Adi Putra checks. Loong then shoves his remaining 142,000 to the center of the table and gets called.

Loong shows 6♣ 6♥ while Adi Putra has him by one point: 7♦ 7♣ .

The last two community cards to arrive are the Q♥ and Q♠ as Loong—the Flight A chip-leader—is now out in 16th place and the Indonesian nears the 400,000 chip mark.

Malaysia’s Loong Yuen opens the action from the D for 12,000 and gets called by Huynh Ngoc Thai of Vietnam from the SB. Short-stacked Hong Sung Heon of Korea 3-bets all-in from the BB for his last 87,000 and gets a call from Loong. Huynh then decides to 4-bet shove to 204,000 and the Malaysian still decides to make the call.

Hong tables A♥ 9♦ while Loong shows 2♦ 2♠ and is disappointed to know that Huynh holds 7♦ 7♥ .

The flop instantly gives the Vietnamese icon a lock on the hand: J♥ Q♦ 7♠ as he gets an almost unbeatable set. The turn has both Hong and Loong drawing dead as the 6♠ arrives. The 9♠ on the river officially ousts the Korean in 18th place and brings Huynh to the half-million chip mark.

In a hand already in progress, Korea’s Hong Sung Heon in the +1 position is in a tussle with Loong Yuen Hong of Malaysia in the BB. There’s already 28,000 in the middle and a flop of J♦ T♥ 6♦ .

The turn card is the 9♦ as Loong checks and Hong fires 18,000 which is called by the Malaysian. The river is the 5♣ as Loong checks again. The Korean unloads for 55,000 as Loong check-raises all-in. Loong covers Hong. The Korean goes into the tank and burns two Time Bank cards in an effort to make sense of the move. Hong’s ordeal ends when he folds.

Loong now climbs to exactly 400,000 in chips and is closer to hanging with the big stacks.

Loong Yuen Hong of Malaysia opens from the +1 position for 6,000 and France’s Jean Dufour 3-bet shoves right beside him in the +2 for all his chips worth 75,500. The action gets folded back to the Malaysian who snap calls.

Dufour shows A♠ J♦ while Loong flips over A♥ A♣ .

The flop gave the Frenchman a glimmer of hope: K♣ Q♣ 6♦ , but no help came from the last two community cards as the Q♦ and the 8♦ completed the runout and eliminates Dufour.

Loong is yet to draw his bounty.

Turabayev barrels away

Kazakhstan’s Alan Turabayev opens from the +1 position and gets calls from the HJ of Flight A chip leader Loong Yuen of Malaysia and the blinds.

The flop is 8♠ J♣ 7♣ as it is checked back to Turabayev who CBets it to 17,000. Loong calls and the blinds fold. It is heads up to the turn which bring in the 5♦ . Turabayev shoves his remaining 50,000 and Loong elects to fold. Here we go.

With the action folded to Loong Yuen Hong, he raises it to 4,500 from the D. Yu Lin from Taiwan goes for a 3-bet shove from the BB for his last 67,500. Loong calls.

Yu turns over A♣ K♦ while Loong has an inferior A♥ Q♣ .

The flop appeared safe for Yu: 5♣ 7♣ 5♦ although chop out became available. The turn is the 5♠ and their kickers still play, until the river arrives and it is the Q♥ giving Loong a full house to eliminate Yu.

Loong now has the most chips at this juncture.

THe money bubble now looms.

Chaiwat Prajuabjinda open shoves his remaining 45,000 from the CO and is met with a quick call from Loong Yuen Hong in the BB.

Prajuabjinda tables Q♦ Q♠ but quickly frowns when he sees that Loong has A♦ A♣ .

The subsequent runout did not even provide a sweat card: 6♣ 8♣ K♦ T♥ T♦ as Prajuabjinda exits and gives Loong a shot at closing in on the chip-leaders.

There are now only eight players remaining with six to make it ITM.

Loong Yuen Hong had A♣ J♥ against an all-in player who had K♦ J♦ on a board of 3♥ 5♦ 7♣ 9♠ Q♥ to eliminate the player and have his stack rise to almost 90,000 to keep pace with the leaders.

Loong Yuen Hong flopped a set holding 2♦ 2♣ on a board that went 9♣ 2♥ T♠ J♦ A♦ and busted out a player who had A♥ K♥ to amass 80,500 in chips and stay in pace of Vietnam’s Nguyen Quang Huy for the overall chip lead.