W HIGHROLLER ($5,000)

The W High Roller, the most expensive event in the Won Poker Cup III lineup brought in some of the Asian circuit's most decorated players that included Henri Hinds, last edition's runner-up. Hinds came out strong, delivering the first knockout right out of the gates however, by the time registration closed, he was nowhere to be found.

Attracting 59 runners in total, each one coughing up $5,000, the prize pool surged well past the $100K guarantee for a sweeter $268,981. Day 1 played to ITM of 9 players led by Vietnamese high roller Hoang Hai Nam with a stack of 1,965,000 (65 bb).

Hoang earned a large portion of his stack in two big hands. The first was by cracking Erik Rozhynskyi's pocket Aces with pocket Tens set, then later, he eliminated Warm Up event champion Neng Zhao with A9 rivering a full house to dust AJ trips.

In a pivotal moment during the hand-for-hand phase of the tournament bubble, Abhijith Cheruku found himself all-in for approximately 500,000 from the small blind, holding A♠ Q♠ . He was met with a call from Fabian Rolli in the big blind, who held A♦ 8♠ , giving Cheruku a significant advantage preflop.

However, the board ran out 2♥ 8♣ 4♦ 5♣ J♠ , with the 8♣ on the flop giving Rolli a pair of eights. Despite Cheruku’s ace-high leading at the start, Rolli's pair held strong, and Cheruku was eliminated as the bubble.

With his exit, the remaining players have secured a spot in the money, and the tournament will resume tomorrow at 12:00 PM local time.

We are now down to 10 players in the tournament, with only 9 set to make the money. The tension is high as we approach the bubble, and each decision could be the difference between cashing and exiting.

With just one elimination remaining, the stakes have never been higher. Stay tuned as the action unfolds!

Another big 3-bet shove played out on the field as Vo Phi Bang moved all in with A♦ 9♦ , only to get called by Zhifan Ye, who held Q♠ T♠ .

The board ran out 2♣ 7♦ K♠ 4♠ 3♠ , bringing in a runner-runner flush for Ye and crushing Bang’s hopes of a double.

With that, Vo Phi Bang hit the rail as the soft bubble, just short of a final table seat.

Facing an open from Conor Berry in the hijack, Hai Tran moved all in from the button with a 3-bet shove. Berry quickly called.

Hai Tran: 7♥ 7♠

Conor Berry: K♠ K♣

Tran was in rough shape, and the board ran out 8♣ 2♦ 6♦ A♦ 6♠ , offering no help to his pocket sevens.

Berry’s kings held strong, sending Hai Tran to the rail. We're now down to 11 players, with just two more eliminations left before wrapping up for the day.

After an open from Craig Jones, Armon Van Wijk moved all in for his remaining 400,000. Jones didn’t back down and made the call to put Van Wijk at risk.

Armon Van Wijk A♦ J♠

Craig Jones 7♠ 7♦

The board ran out J♣ T♥ 6♦ A♣ 4♥ , giving Van Wijk top two pair to beat the pocket sevens of Jones.

With that, Van Wijk scored a key double up, keeping his tournament hopes alive.

The action heats up, the remaining 12 players are now on a break, with the bubble drawing closer. Hoang Hai Nam is currently in the driver's seat, holding a commanding lead with 2 million in chips.

David Erquiaga opened the action with a raise, only to be met with a 3-bet from Craig Jones. Erquiaga responded by moving all in, and Jones quickly called, putting all his chips on the line.

David Erquiaga revealed A♦ 2♦, while Craig Jones tabled Q♦ Q♠ .

The board ran out T♥ 8♥ K♠ 5♦ 4♠, clean for Jones as his queens held strong against Erquiaga’s ace-high.

With the win, Craig Jones secured a full double up, while Erquiaga took a hit to his stack in this late-stage clash.

The pressure is rising as only 13 players remain in the tournament, and the money bubble is quickly approaching. With just a few eliminations left before the payouts begin, every decision is becoming more crucial.

Among the recent bustouts are John Matsuda and Titov Oleg, both of whom fell short of reaching the final table and a potential payday. The remaining players are now fighting not only for a spot at the final table, but also to avoid becoming the last to leave empty-handed.

Play will continue until we reach the final 9, where the real prize chase begins.

Hai Tran opened with a min-raise from early position, and Conor Berry defended his big blind.

The flop came 4♣ 7♠ 3♥ and both players checked.

On the 6♦ turn, Conor led out for 55,000, which Tran called without hesitation.

The A♣ river saw Conor slow down with a check. Tran seized the opportunity and fired a bet of 95,000. After a brief tank, Conor decided to fold, giving the pot to Tran.

Tran’s well-timed river bet paid off as he continued to chip up.

In a dramatic showdown, Hoang Hai Nam and Neng Zhao got all the chips in preflop—Nam holding Ax 9x and Zhao well ahead with Ax Jx .

The board ran out Ax Ax 8x 2x 9x , giving both players trip aces. But it was the 9x on the river that gave Nam a full house, allowing him to outdraw Zhao’s stronger kicker and win the pot.

After the hand, Hoang Hai Nam surged to 1,700,000 in chips, making him one of the top stacks in the field

Abhijith Cheruku opened to 35,000 from the hijack, and Neng Zhao defended his big blind.

The flop came 5♠ 7♥ 9♠ and both players checked.

On the turn J♥ , Zhao checked again and Cheruku fired a sizable bet of 100,000. Zhao made the call.

The river brought the A♠ , and both players checked it down.

Cheruku tabled Q♣ J♣ for second pair, and Zhao mucked his hand, sending the pot Cheruku’s way.

Neng Zhao opened to 30,000 from early position, and Fabian Rolli made the call on the button. Ilya Firstov, sitting in the small blind, moved all in. Zhao quickly folded, but Rolli made the call to put Firstov at risk.

Firstov turned over A♠ T♥ , while Rolli showed 6♣ 6♠, a classic coin flip.

The flop came 6♦ J♠ Q♥ , giving Rolli bottom set and leaving Firstov drawing slim. Only a king would save him, but the turn 3♣ and river J♦ sealed his fate.

Fabian Rolli scored the knockout, eliminating Ilya Firstov from the tournament.

Registration has officially closed for the W High Roller event, drawing a total of 59 entries and generating a prize pool of $268,981.

With 30 players still in contention, the field will play down to the final table today, where only 9 players will make the money.

The eventual winner will walk away with the top prize of $78,681, making this one of the most competitive events of the series so far.

Phan Minh Tri opened to 16,000 from the hijack and got a call from Sia Lee in the small blind.

The flop came T♣ Q♥ 9♦ . Lee checked, and Tri fired a c-bet of 20,000. Lee made the call.

Both players checked the turn K♦ and the river T♠ .

Tri revealed Ace Queen for two pair, but Lee turned over K♠ 9♠ for a stronger two pair to take down the pot and snatch the chip lead from Tri.

In a pivotal hand, Henri Hinds got all his chips in with pocket tens against Phan Huu Minh Tri, who held K♠ J♠ .

The flop came 9x 3♠ Qx , giving Minh Tri a gutshot straight draw. The turn brought the T♠ , great for Hinds as it gave him a set, but it also completed Minh Tri’s straight.

The river A♠ changed nothing, and with that, Henri Hinds was eliminated.

Phan Huu Minh Tri climbed to 830,000 in chips, putting himself in strong contention near the top of the leaderboard.

Do Tien Vu opened with a min-raise and quickly called when Vo Phi Bang shoved over the top.

Vu tabled K♣ Q♥ , but he was in rough shape against Bang’s K♦ K♥ .

The board ran out 5♥ 3♣ 2♣ K♠ 4♣ , giving Bang top set and leaving Vu drawing dead by the turn.

With no help for Vu, Vo Phi Bang scored a clean double up.

Action folded to Zhifan Ye in the small blind, who raised it up to 25,000. Neng Zhao defended his big blind to see a flop.

The dealer spread 6♣ Q♣ Q♠ . Ye checked, and Zhao took the lead with a bet of 16,000. Ye made the call.

On the turn 5♥ , Ye checked again but quickly gave up when Zhao fired a second barrel for 56,000.

With no resistance left, Zhao scooped the pot with well-timed aggression.

Neng Zhao opened to 17,000 from utg and got a call from David Erquiaga in the hijack.

The flop came 5♣ 7♣ A♠ and both players checked. The turn brought the 9♣ , and again, action checked through.

On the river 8♣ , Zhao bet 28,000 and Erquiaga made the call.

Zhao showed J♣ J♠ for a flush, while Erquiaga tabled 8♠ 8♦ for a rivered set. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t enough to beat Zhao’s turned flush, who scooped the pot.

Zhifan Ye opened to 10,000 from early position and got called by David Erquiaga on the cutoff and the big blind.

The flop came T♣ 7♦ T♦ . It checked around to Erquiaga, who fired 30,000. The big blind folded, and Ye made the call.

Both players checked the turn 5♥ and the river 9♥ .

Ye showed A♣ K♣ for just ace-high, but Erquiaga tabled 5♣ 3♣ for two pair and raked in the pot.

A huge hand unfolded with six bets flying preflop, ending in a massive all-in clash between Hoang Hai Nam and Erik Rozhynskyi.

Nam held pocket tens, while Rozhynskyi had the premium pocket aces. The chips went in, and the flop delivered one of the two remaining tens, stunning the table and giving Nam a huge lead in the hand.

Rozhynskyi, crushed by the cooler, was eliminated from the tournament.

Hoang Hai Nam now sits atop the leaderboard as the new chip leader.

With action folded to him in the small blind, Henri Hinds cranked up the pressure and made it 12,000 to go. Viet An Nguyen wasn’t backing down, making the call from the big blind.

The flop came Q♣ 2♦ 7♣, and Hinds led out with a 10,000 c-bet. Nguyen stuck around.

The turn brought the A♦ , and Hinds fired again for 25,000. This time, Nguyen thought it over but eventually folded, giving Hinds the pot.

Quang Do opened to 8,000 from utg+1, but the action quickly escalated when Ilya Firstov, in the small blind, put in a massive 3-bet to 104,000 and confidently declared, "I'm putting them all in."

Huu Dung, in the big blind, responded by shoving all in. Quang Do folded.

Firstov tabled A♣ K♦ , dominating Dung’s A♠ J♣ .

The flop came 7♣ Q♣ J♠ , giving Dung a pair of jacks and the lead. The turn was the 4♦, offering no help to Firstov. But the river brought the K♥ , giving Firstov top pair with top kicker to win the pot.

Dung was eliminated from the tournament but didn’t stay gone for long. He immediately rebought and returned to the same table, in the same seat, ready to battle again.

Atinan Tranarungroj and Viet An Nguyen both went all-in preflop. Tranarungroj held the chip disadvantage, but he had the better hand with A♥ A♣ against Nguyen’s A♦ K♣ .

The board ran out T♦ 5♣ 9♣ 2♠ A♠ , no sweat for Tranarungroj, who secured a much-needed double up with top set of aces.

Zhifan Ye continues to dominate the field with a towering stack of around 290 big blinds, comfortably holding the chip lead as play continues deep into the tournament.

Trailing behind is Abhijith Cheruku, who also sits in a strong position with approximately 190 big blinds, well above the current average stack of 80 big blinds.

With deep stacks still in play, there's plenty of room for maneuvering, and both Ye and Cheruku are in prime position for a deep run. The rest of the field will need to make moves soon if they hope to catch up.

It’s dinner time! Players are off on a 45-minute break—rest up and get ready for the action to resume.

Minh Tran opened to 5,500, and Mike Takayama defended his big blind.

The flop came 4♠ 6♣ 9♦ .Tran fired a c-bet of 6,000, but Takayama check-raised to 20,000. Tran called.

Both players checked the turn 3♣ .

On the river 5♠ , Takayama led out for 36,000. Tran responded with a raise to 86,000, and after a brief tank, Takayama made the call.

Tran revealed 6♥ 7♥ for a straight, and Takayama mucked his hand.

Hai Ha Tran, fresh off his biggest career score of $155,225 after winning the APPT Cambodia Main Event last week, is back in action—and already making moves.

Action folded to the small blind, where Tran put in a raise. Trung Chien Nguyen, in the big blind, responded with a 3-bet. Without hesitation, Tran 4-bet shoved, and Nguyen snap-called.

Tran turned over J♥ T♥ , while Nguyen revealed A♣ Q♣ .

The flop came J♠ 8♣ 4♦ , giving Tran top pair. The turn 4♠ and river K♠ changed nothing, and Tran’s jacks held to secure a full double up.

Atinan Tranarungroj opened to 4,000 and picked up two callers, Hoang Hai Nam and Sia Lee.

The flop came 4♦ K♥ 7♣ . Tranarungroj checked, and Hoang Hai Nam seized the opportunity, leading for 6,500.

The pressure was enough, both Tranarungroj and Lee folded, and Nam scooped the pot uncontested.

Hoa Nguyen raised to 3,000 from utg+1, and Atinan Tranarungroj called from the lojack. Henri Hinds, sitting in the hijack, responded with a 3-bet to 13,500.

Nguyen quickly folded, but Tranarungroj came right back with a cold 4-bet to 30,000.

Hinds gave it some thought, then laid it down.

DA K opened to 3,500, and Le Buu Nghia 3-bet to 10,000 from the hijack. Kai Perng Heng, in the cutoff, called, and DA K also called creating a three-way flop.

The flop came J♣ 2♥ 4♠ , DA K checked, then folded to a 10,000 continuation bet from Nghia. Heng called.

The turn brought the J♥ . Nghia checked, and Heng bet 16,000. Nghia called.

Both players checked the river, K♣ .Nghia showed A♣ K♦ for two pair and took down the pot, while Heng mucked his hand.

Mok Jo Seng opened to 2,500 from the hijack, and Hai Tran 3-bet to 7,000 from the cutoff. Mr. He called from the button.

Action folded back to Seng, who shoved all in. Tran folded, and Mr. He moved all in as well for around 125,000.

Mok Jo Seng: A♣ K♦

Mr. He showed: A♦ T♣

The board ran out T♠ A♥ K♣ 3♥ 9♥ . Both players hit two pair on the flop, but Seng’s aces and kings held up against Mr. He's aces and tens, eliminating Mr. He from the tournament.

Le Buu Nghia opened to 30,000 (30bb) from utg+1, and Mr. He called from the button. Zhifan Ye, in the big blind, moved all in for around 170,000. Nghia reshoved, and Mr. He called as well, setting up a massive three-way all-in.

Le Buu Nghia: K♠ K♥

Mr. He: A♥ 9♥

Zhifan Ye: A♦ A♠

The board ran out J♠ 2♠ 4♦ T♥ 6♦ , no sweat for Ye, who held with aces to secure a big triple up.

Abhijith Cheruku opened to 1,500 from under the gun, and Mr. He 3-bet to 4,500 from the small blind. Cheruku made the call.

The flop came 2♥ 8♥ 7♦ . Mr. He checked, and Cheruku fired a big bet of 17,000, which Mr. He called.

On the turn T♠ , Cheruku bet again for 35,000, and Mr. He called once more.

The river brought the 9♥ , and this time Mr. He led out for 25,000. Cheruku moved almost all of his chips for 98,500, leaving himself with just a single 500 chip behind. Mr. He made the call.

Cheruku showed J♠ J♥ for a straight, but Mr. He revealed Q♣ J♣ for a higher straight, having hit his gutshot on the river to win a massive pot.

On the very next hand, Santiago Ramos eliminated Cheruku, sending him to the rail.

Abhijith Cheruku opened to 1,500 from the hijack, and Le Buu Nghia 3-bet to 4,500. Mr. He called from the big blind, and Cheruku also called, creating a three-way pot.

The flop came 7♠ 5♦ 4♦ . Mr. He suddenly led out with a bet of 5,000, and both opponents quickly folded.

Mr. He was seen again opening from the cutoff for 2,000. Abhijith Cheruku and Santiago Ramos defended their blinds.

The flop came 5♦ 6♥ 5♠. Mr. He continued with a big c-bet of 31,000, and both Cheruku and Ramos folded.

Mr. He opened to 4bb from utg, and Henri Hinds called from utg+1.

Mr. He fired a double barrel, betting 2,000 on the flop 7♣ 4♠ K♠ and 10,000 on the turn Q♠ .

Both players checked the river Q♦ .

Hinds revealed A♦ J♠ for top pair with a better kicker, beating Mr. He's A♣ 3♦ .

Action folded to Santiago Ramos on the button, and he raised to 1,500. Erik Rozhynskyi defended his big blind.

The flop came T♣ 4♣ 6♦ , and Ramos fired a 1,000 continuation bet. Rozhynskyi called.

The turn was the K♠ , and Ramos fired a second barrel for 5,500, with Rozhynskyi again calling.

The river came the J♣ , and Rozhynskyi led out for 3,500. Ramos raised to 15,500, prompting Rozhynskyi to tank before re-raising to 42,500. Santiago folded.

Erik Rozhynskyi opened to 3bb, and both Mr. He and Mok Jo Seng called, creating a three-way pot.

The flop came J♥ 5♥ 2♠ . Rozhynskyi checked, and Mr. He bet big for 10,000. Both Rozhynskyi and Seng folded.

Abhijith Cheruku from utg opened, big blind Henri Hinds defended with a 3-bet, Cheruku responded with a 4-bet, and Hinds called to tame the action and build a big pot preflop of 20,000.

At the flop T♣ 9♥ Q♥ , Hinds check-raised to 38,000 after Cheruku bet 13,000, which Cheruku called.

The turn brought the 6♠ . Hinds fired again for 45,000, causing Cheruku to tank before eventually folding.

Quick bust at the W High Roller opened with a 2000 raise from Fabian Rolli at utg+1, was 3-bet to 4,500 by button player Viet An Nguyen. On the small blind, Henri Hinds called, and Rolli joined for a three-way.

When the flop came J♠ K♠ 9♦ , Nguyen continued with a pot-sized c-bet of 14,000. Hinds called, while Rolli folded.

The turn brought the 3♠ . Nguyen fired again, this time for 30,000. Hinds responded with a strong check-raise to 90,000, and Nguyen made the call.

The river was A♦ saw Hinds move all in, Nguyen snap-called. Hinds revealed 5♠ 6♠ flush. Nguyen, visibly frustrated, tossed his cards onto the table, showing K♣ 9♠ for two pair.

The W High Roller is underway! Among the early arrivals is last edition’s runner-up Henri Hinds.

The spotlight shifts to the high stakes arena today at 1pm as the W High Roller takes center stage at Won Poker Cup III. Featuring a buy-in of $5,000 and a substantial $100,000 guarantee, decorated players have already been spotted onsite including defending champion Jhon Hendri. He will be looking to make a run at back-to-back titles. The W High Roller is the first of two events that awards the exclusive W Ring.

Entering players start with a deep 200,000 stack which is 400 times the opening blinds. The first 8 players that sign up before the start of Level 1 will receive 50% rake back so get there early to avail of this offer. Blinds increase every 40 minutes. Day 1 bags up at the end of ten levels. For those that get there late, registration stays open until the start of Level 13 at Day 2.

Somuchpoker will be onsite to bring you the action throughout the day.