WARM-UP ($565)

Vietnam’s Hoang Duy Nguyen closed out Day 1 of the Won Poker Cup III Warm-Up event as the runaway chip leader, bagging a commanding 796,000 chips. He leads the 22 players who have secured seats for the final day—12 qualifiers from Day 1A and 10 from Day 1B.

With 95 entries recorded for Day 1A and 82 more for Day 1B, the event attracted a total of 177 entries, surpassing its guarantee and pushing the prize pool to $85,845.

Nguyen’s dominance was built on a foundation of strategic aggression and well-timed shoves that kept opponents off balance. His disciplined yet daring play allowed him to steadily grow his stack and separate himself from the rest of the field.

Trailing him are Jin Lin (395,000), the Day 1B chip leader, and Mr. Zou (389,000). Both players hold less than half of Nguyen’s stack, putting him in a commanding position heading into the final stretch.

The Day 1A field, though compact, featured several notable names, making it a minefield for anyone hoping to advance. Among them was Anzhela Vasylenko, the defending WPC II Ladies Tournament Champion, who showcased fearless play and well-timed pressure against her tablemates. She capped off her run by eliminating Jian Lin in a late pot, possibly leaving him with the false hope of sneaking into the money.

Day 1B offered an even stiffer challenge. With rising blinds and mounting pressure, players were forced into action at a much faster pace. Unfortunately for J.C. Sayo, he became the Day 1B bubble boy after his shove with A♦ 7♥ couldn’t crack Tan Lining’s pocket tens, ending his run just short of the money.

Other players advancing to the final day include Quang Huy Nguyen (146,000) and Khayal Abbasov (197,000), both well-positioned to make deep runs as the tournament reaches its conclusion.

Sacha Bayard raised to 10,000, only to see Anzhela Vasylenko shove all-in. Bayard called, putting his tournament life at risk.

Sacha Bayard: A♠ T♠

Anzhela Vasylenko: J♣ J♥

The board ran out 2♥ Q♣ 9♠ K♠ 4♣, and without an ace in sight, Bayard was forced to leave the floor as Vasylenko scooped the pot.

Alfie Adam shoved all-in from under the gun for 77,000, and Anzhela Vasylenko, on the button, quickly followed with an all-in of her own — pushing the blinds out of the way and putting Adams at risk.

Alfie Adam: A♥ 8♥

Anzhela Vasylenko: 8♦ 8♠

Vasylenko’s snowmen held firm on the 7♥ 4♣ 9♥ flop, though Adam picked up a flush draw for some life. The J♣ on the turn added potential for a chop, giving Adam a few more outs. But the river blanked, missing all of them, sending Adam to the rail while Vasylenko stacked the pot and chipped up.

The blinds, Anzhela Vasylenko in the small and Hoang Nam Nguyen in the big, decided to join Gagandeep Malik under the gun in a hand after the early-position player bet 1,200.

The flop came 7♣ 4♠ Q♣, and the trio checked.

Vasylenko led with 1,600 on the turn, K♣, and got called by her fellow big blind. Malik decided he'd seen enough of the hand and folded.

Vasylenko bet another 6,200 on the river, 8♥, and Nguyen decided he wanted to see her hand and called.

Vasylenko showed J♣ 9♣ for the flus. Nguyen mucked, leaving the table to wonder what he could have possibly had on that hand.

Alfie Adams raised to 1,200 under the gun and was met with an unexpected response — four callers from the unknown lowjack, Anzhela Vasylenko in the cutoff, Hoang Nam Nguyen on the button, and Gagandeep Malik. Unimpressed by the growing pot, Hoang Nguyen decided to take control with a three-bet to 8,500, forcing all the other players to fold.

Jo Seng Mok opened to 500 in late position and got called by Anzhela Valysenko to his left. Khin Naing, with other plans, three-bet to 2,000 making Mok fold. Vasylenko called to see the flop.

Vasylenko checked the Q♥ 2♥ 2♦ flop. Naing kept the pressure with a 5,000 bet forcing Vasylenko to fold.