MAIN EVENT ($1,320)

Following a twelve hour grind, Won Poker Cup III Main Event Day 1C has finally drawn to a close with 19 players out of its 155-entry field advancing onto the next stage. Vietnamese superstar Bien Mai was the man to beat in today's games, having amassed a massive 746,000 chip count to top the list. Mai surpasses both initial chip leaders - Jian Lin and Khayal Abbasov, and is looking to kick off tomorrow's Day 2 festivities with a grand start.

Mai vaulted to the top in the final level of play after delivering a crushing blow to Denis Semerenko, cracking aces to claim a massive boost and seize the lead. Stacking just below him is Ronald Haverkamp with 614,000, miles away from next in rank Hoang Nam Nguyen's 346,000 chip count.

All Day 1 survivors are geared to return to the felt tomorrow, May 20th, each guaranteed a share of the $600,000 prize pool. A total of 52 players are expected to reconvene, with Day 1D still yet to complete its course.

Won Poker Cup III Main Event

Date/s: May 17-21, 2025

Buy-in: USD 1,320

Guarantee: USD 600,000

Entries: 415

Prize pool: USD 600,000

ITM: 52 places

Day 1A: 70 entries, 9 qualified

Day 1B: 89 entries, 11 qualified

Day 1C: 155 entries, 19 qualified

Day 1D Turbo: 101 entries, 13 ITM

Day 2: Tuesday, May 20

Day 3/ Final: Wednesday, May 21

Running on thin ice, a short stacked player flicked in his last 24,000 and collected a quick call from Manh Tuong Ha on the button.

Ha looking to hold up, was glad to see his opponent miss to pair up on board K♠ 4♠ 8♥ 4♦ A♠ , closing the day's action entirely.

Ronald Haverkamp is making the most of bubble time by applying relentless pressure on his tablemates. With the two shortest stacks - Vineet Kumar and Raja Shekar, seated directly to his left, they’ve been left with no choice but to tighten up and tread with caution.

The tournament clock has been paused with just one more elimination separating the field from the money! Only 20 players left, 19 of which will secure a Day 2 seat and a guaranteed share of the $600,000 prize pool.

Jeorge Lagatuz open jammed 97,000 utg and was challenged by Quach Ngoc Huyen behind.

A pocket pair clash, Lagatuz' better pair kept ahead on board 3♦ 4♦ 5♥ A♦ 6♥ , crippling Huyen in the process.

Fresh off the break, Bien Mai completed his big blind and check called a 22,000 cbet from Denis Semerenko on a J♥ 2♦ Q♣ flop.

The action escalated on the 9♥ turn, where Semerenko bet 49,000 and jammed the rest over Mai’s 150,000 check raise. Mai snap called with two pair Q♠ J♠ , holding against Semerenko’s A♦ A♣ through the 8♦ river to score a pivotal knockout and surge to the lead.

Ku Ghee Peow fired a 32,000 three bet against Lining Tan's utg open and shelled out 6,000 more following an all-in from Quach Ngoc Huyen on the big blind, while Tan stepped aside.

Board 7♥ 2♣ 8♦ 7♣ A♣ ran dry for both, earning Huyen the double up with king-queen high.

Lam Long went with A♥ T♣ for his last ten big blinds and saw Bien Mai wake up with a big blind special - A♦ K♦ .

Long dominated, flopped some straight outs on 7♦ 8♣ 9♠ , only to brick runout 9♦ K♣ and walk away empty handed.

Just 26 players remain in the hunt on Day 1C with the money bubble rapidly approaching. Only seven more eliminations stand between the field and a spot onto Day 2, those remaining guaranteed a piece of the $600,000 prize pool. Nineteen players will advance, joining the 20 survivors already through.

Ilya Firstov opened in early position and slipped a quick call following an all-in from Truong Vu Tran Khanh on the small blind.

It was a classic coin flip, but Firstov found himself trailing after the flop came K♠ 4♠ A♠ , giving Khanh top two pair. The 2♠ turn changed nothing but the Q♣ river flipped the script entirely, giving Firstov the winning hand and sending Khanh to the rail.

Heng Kai Perng opened on the cutoff and called Abhijith Cheruku's nine big blind all-in.

Cheruku at risk, missed to survive the race as board 3♣ 9♠ 8♣ A♠ J♠ landed Perng a pair of aces to take the win.

Cong Huan Nguyen slammed his last nine big blinds in, followed by another jam from Truong Vu Tuan Khanh for a lesser five big blinds.

In for a flip, Khanh's overcards took it this time on board Q♥ 5♦ 9♠ T♥ 2♠ , sparing him from elimination.

Lining Tan put out a raise utg+1 and received a call from Heng Kai Perng on the small blind. On board 7♠ 6♣ 5♠ 9♣ , Tan double barreled - 6,000 and 26,000, leaving Perng nowhere to go but out by the turn.

Heng Kai Perng opened in early position and was called by Tung Nguyen on the button. On flop 3♠ 2♣ T♣ , Perng check called a 15,000 bet from his opponent and took a free pass on turn 4♣ . Nguyen gunned for a final 30,000 on river 5♠ , checked to him a third time around and shipped the win not needing a showdown.

With action folded down to the hijack, Quach Ngoc Huyen lit up with an 11,000 open and was joined by both Ku Ghee Peow and Jeorge Lagatuz onto flop 2♣ 2♠ 8♦ . Huyen continued for 15,000 and earned the pot without needing to go further.

Anh Nguyen chucked in his last six big blinds with K♥ J♠ and was up against Conor Grimsley's dominated K♠ 9♣ . In a good spot to double up, board 9♠ 5♣ 6♣ 7♠ 4♦ had other ideas, cutting Nguyen's Day 1C run short.

Running short, Van Tien Dinh committed his last 35,000 on the big blind and faced initial raiser Zhifan Ye's dominated ace at showdown.

Dinh A♠ K♦

Ye A♣ 8♣

Dinh well-ahead, secured the double with a nut straight on board 2♥ J♦ Q♥ 3♠ T♦ .

Defending champion Henri Hinds was spotted standing from his seat after a costly clash with Abhijith Cheruku, marking another early exit and a missed opportunity to bag Day 2. It’s been a tough run so far for the reigning champ, who’s struggled to gain traction in the earlier flights. But the title defense isn’t over just yet — with Day 1D Turbo still underway, Hinds has one final shot to keep his repeat hopes alive.

Quang Do open jammed 21,500 on the button and was looked up by Nhu Hai Le on the small blind.

Do ahead, had no worries scooping up the double on board K♠ 6♣ J♣ 6♠ 4♦ . Le on the other hand, suffered another beat the following hand and surrendered the remainder of his chips to Gennadii Belousov.

Wang Su Chong limp called Lam Long's 7,500 button raise and read a flop of 2♠ 3♣ A♥ . One bet was all it took to win the pot with Long's 5,500 cbet getting through in a flash.

A three way raised pot led by Heng Kai Perng saw action get checked round to turn 9♠ J♦ 6♣ 9♦ , where The Vinh Nguyen led for 6,000 off the big blind. Perng paid his dues and snapped the rest on river Q♣ , destroying Nguyen's 2♦ 2♥ with a boat J♥ J♣ to knock him out.

Reigning champion Henri Hinds opened from the button and called a 14,500 three-bet from Tien Dung Pham in the big blind. The flop landed 2♥ 2♦ T♠ , where Pham continued for 10,000. Hinds responded with a raise to 23,000, and Pham tank-called.

The 7♥ hit the turn, and Pham remained aggressive with a 25,000 lead, but quickly hit the brakes after Hinds shoved all-in. Left with just four big blinds, Pham decided to surrender and instead preserve his stack.

Tien Thanh Nguyen pushed his last 7 big blinds in the middle and ran smack into Tien Dung Pham's nutted pair.

No salvation for Nguyen arrived on board J♥ 3♦ 5♦ A♣ 4♣ , quickly sending him out of the Day 1C running.

Tran Tien Anh is currently the man to watch after a sweet spot with pocket kings against another player's ace-king landed him atop the charts. Tran towers over the field, being the first runner to crack the 200K mark.

Registration for today's Won Poker Cup III Main Event Day 1C is now officially closed, bringing in the largest turnout so far at 155 entries. Much like previous flights, action will continue until only 12.5% of the field remains with 19 players advancing to Day 2, guaranteed a portion of the prize pool.

Meanwhile, the final flight, Day 1D Turbo, is already in motion, giving players one last chance to qualify! With shorter 20-minute levels, it’s a fast and furious race to the finish.

Donation for Craig Jones who first opened for 2000 and got called by the button Hai Le and the big blind. When the flop ran 3♦ 3♥ 2♠ , Jones continued for 3600, Le called, then big blind went over the top with a check-raise jam of 26,000. Jones would not be bullied out and called as Le folded.

When cards flipped on their backs, Jones showed A♠ T♥ , big blind with T♠ 6♦ , both continued to miss the turn 8♣ and river 5♥ for Jones' ace-high to hold.

Jinlin Shi sets the bar preflop to 1200 and finds one caller in Ku Ghee Peow at hijack. When the flop runs 5♣ J♦ A♦ , Shi slows down and checks prompting Peow to try to steal for 2000. Shi stays in with a call, then another round of betting with each tossing in 6000 to boost the pot to 20,000.

When the river came 8♦ , more chips go in as Peow fires 22,000. This sends Shi deep in the tank using up three extensions before giving up his stake in the pot.

Small blind Quan Qiu wants to see the flop cheap and limps in but big blind Denis Semerenko makes it cost more, raising 1500. Qiu tosses in the call to bring a flop 9♣ 6♦ K♣ . Semerenko continues for 1100, Qiu check-calls, the turn lands 4♥ . Qiu checks again, Semerenko fattens it up to 4200, this time Qiu lets go of his hand.

Harry Duong raises 1300 with J♣ J♥ , next to act Thanh Van Tran puts the heat on with a reraise of 4000. Duong answers back with a shove and Tran snap-calls and shows A♥ K♠ .

Though slightly ahead, Duong is still at risk with his pair. The board keeps him ahead running 6♣ 3♣ 4♥ 8♠ 2♦ to secure a boost.

Hoa Thinh Nguyen gets dealt A♦ Q♠ and gives it some respect with a 1500 raise. Button Thanh Van Tran and big blind Quang Do give him some action to head to the flop 4♥ 2♦ Q♦ .

Following two checks, Tran test-bets 1600, and both Nguyen and Quang Do call. Action slows on the turn 4♦ as it checks around leading to the river 5♣ . With top pair in hand, Nguyen jumps out for 2700, Tran folds while Quang Do pays to see then mucks.

Three players invest 900 each to take the action to the flop 9♦ 5♥ 5♦ . After the blinds check, Oleg Voshchinin continues for 1300 which is met with one fold while Lam Long defends with a check-raise of 3800. Voshchinin calls and the turn comes 3♥ .

Long maintains the pressure with a 5000 bet but still doesn't shake off Voshchinin who calls. On the river 8♣ Long burns a time bank before opting to check, Voshchinin checks back and shows 9♠ 8♠ two pair which is good enough to claim the pot.

With no action before the small blind, Gemmy Quach Ngoc Huyen lights up with A♠ K♥ and shoves 16,500. Big blind Yunsheng Sun likes his A♣ Q♥ and makes the call with a covering stack.

When the cards are tabled, Huyen's hand is ahead and looks even better at the flop A♥ 5♥ 6♥ . With the turn 2♦ and river 7♦ , Huyen secures the double up.

Thanh Duc Nguyen looks down at A♦ A♠ and wastes no time three-betting his last 13 bb. Several spots down the orbit, Zhifan Ye has K♠ K♥ and makes the call while initial raiser Jinlin Shi steps aside, giving up his 800 raise.

Upon showing, Nguyen is in fine shape and with the board running 8♦ 5♥ 9♣ Q♥ 3♣ , he ships a full reload.

Nikolai Gulaev kicked off the action with a 700 open on the cutoff and saw both players on the blinds - Craig Jones and Van Dan Nguyen, complete.

Three way action on flop Q♥ Q♣ 6♠ checked round to turn 8♦ , where Jones led for 1,200. Nguyen quickly shot out a raise to 3,000, pushing Gulaev out of the pot. Jones on the other hand, bumped it up to 8,500, and called 7,500 more following another raise from Nguyen.

With a tower of chips already in the middle, Jones check called a final all-in for 13,000 on river 2♦ , and shipped the pot with trip queens Q♠ 9♦ as his kicker ran in play against Nguyen's Q♦ 7♣ .

Sia Soon Lee opened 600 in early position and called a 2,200 three bet from Zhifan Ye on the hijack.

On flop 6♠ 8♥ 5♥ , Lee faced a 2,000 cbet from the aggressor and answered with a 6,000 check raise. Ye called the bet, yet gave it up as Lee went for another 8,000 on turn 2♥ .

Raja Sekhar defended his open and called a three bet from Quan Qiu on the cutoff. Action checked round to turn A♦ K♦ A♣ Q♥ , where Sekhar led for 1,200. Qiu called behind and faced a 6,000 bet from his opponent on river 5♦ . Qiu responded with an all-in for his last 19,000, only to get caught red-handed with J♠ 8♠ as Sekhar called down with a straight J♣ T♦ .

A three way raised pot led by Quan Qiu saw action on flop 2♠ 5♦ T♦ get checked round to turn J♠ . Both Dand Dinh on the big blind and Qiu checked their option to Gennadii Belousov on the button, who bet 1,500.

Dinh bumped it up to 6,000, Qiu called, and Belousov padded the pot further to 17,000. Dinh then moved all-in or 26,900 total, putting Qiu in a difficult spot. Qiu burnt through all his time banks before deciding to fold, leaving Belousov to call the rest.

Dinh 2♦ 2♣

Belousov T♥ T♣

A set over set situation, Belousov's tens remained ahead all the way through river 4♦ , sending Dinh shooting down to five big blinds and exit the next hand.

Sean Keeton opened 300 utg, quickly met with a 900 three bet from Neeraj Garjia on the hijack. Three callers - Yunsheng Sun, Dmitry Nemirovsky, and Alfie Adam, followed behind, allowing Keeton to raise the stakes further to 6,300. All four opponents found themselves unwilling to risk more chips, shipping Keeton the pot uncontested.