MAIN EVENT ($1,320)

Following a series of opens and folds, Abhijith Cheruku finally took a stand and called off his last 7 big blinds against Khayal Abbasov's open jam.

Cheruku poised for a double up, unfortunately didn't get one as board 9♠ 2♥ 9♥ 9♦ 8♥ rolled Abbasov a full house to take the win, sending him out of the running.

Abhijith Cheruku shot out a minraise on his button option and saw Khayal Abbasov complete on the big blind.

On flop 6♣ 5♦ 7♥ , Abbasov went ahead and led for 140,000, followed by another 425,000 on turn 5♠ . Cheruku called the initial bet, but found no reason to continue as Abbasov kept up the aggression.

Abhijith Cheruku opened 160,000 on the button and was quickly met with a 500,000 three bet from Khayal Abbasov on the big blind. Cheruku fired back with a raise to 900,000, leaving Abbasov to walk away entirely.

Two big stacks were already in the pot beginning with an utg open from Khayal Abbasov, followed by a call from Abhijith Cheruku on the button. Armon Van Wijk undeterred, pulled a squeeze to 830,000 on the small blind and picked up the pot uncontested.

Viet An Nguyen defended his button open and called a 325,000 three bet from Abhijith Cheruku on the small blind.

On flop 2♠ T♣ 9♣ , Nguyen faced a 170,000 cbet from Cheruku and opted for a 400,000 raise. Cheruku completed, and checked turn 7♠ to his opponent. Following through with his aggression, Nguyen pulled the trigger with midpair A♥ 9♥ , only to see Cheruku happily get his last 635,000 in with top set T♦ T♥ .

Nguyen drawing dead, relinquished a chunk of his stack just as river 5♣ completed the board.

Armon Van Wijk opened utg and was joined by Abhijith Cheruku on the big blind. Action on board 6♠ 7♥ 6♥ A♠ 4♦ was cheked down to the river, where Cheruku led 290,000. Van Wijk made the call with two pair A♥ J♥ and picked up a win as Cheruku tabled A♦ 3♦ .

Ngoc Thai Huynh opened utg+1 and was met with a 250,000 raise from Abhijith Cheruku on the cutoff. Huynh gave it a thought and went for a 650,000 fourbet, only to give it up moments later Cheruku demanded for the rest not before burning two more time banks.

Having started at the bottom of the ranks, Hoang Anh Nguyen failed to pick up any momentum and decided to go with A♠ 3♣ for his last four big blinds. Unfortunately for him, Abhijith Cheruku woke up with a better A♦ Q♣ and easily delivered the bust on board 5♦ 2♥ 2♣ 7♣ J♦ .

The stage is set for the thrilling conclusion of the Won Poker Cup III Main Event! After several days of intense action and a 415-entry field reduced to just nine contenders, the final table returns today — May 21st at 12:00 PM, to battle for the $116,500 top prize, the trophy, and the exclusive W Ring.

Leading the charge is Azerbaijan's Khayal Abbasov, who enters the Final Day with a dominant stack and nearly a third of the chips in play. But with poker’s unpredictable swings and increasing blinds, anything can happen as the final chapter of this Main Event unfolds. Each finalist has locked up at least $11,500, but only one will walk away as the Won Poker Cup III champion.

Stay locked in as SMP brings you real-time updates, key hands, and chip counts straight from the tournament floor!

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