5K HR ($5,000)

It took several twists and turns but in the end Thomas Boivin of Belgium is crowned the champion of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Cambodia 5K High Roller event at NagaWorld in Phnom Penh besting a field of 162 entries enroute to his fifth cash and first title here.

Boivin is no stranger to the HR scene having gained his biggest haul in his runner-up finish in the WPT High Roller Championship in Las Vegas in 2023 for US$ 958,278. This is Boivin’s eight career title and second in Asia, following a victory in the WPT Korea High Roller event just last April. In a post-win interview with SMP, he shared,

“It feels good, yeah, I haven’t won a live tournament in eight or seven months. So it’s really good. And this was my last tournament here, and I’m going to play Triton in Jeju, so it’s a really good warm-up.”

A first-time participant in Cambodia, Boivin was all praises for the overall experience here.

“I would say the organization was really amazing. It is honestly one of my favorite tours in terms of organization. The floors, the tournaments, everything. So that's a big congrats to the staff for that. I also liked the country a little bit. We did some sightseeing. The food is amazing. So yeah, I love Asia overall.”

The turning point in the competition for Boivin was when he flopped a set against Taiwan’s Charlie Chiu who had two pairs and managed to repel then chip-leader Dinesh Alt of Switzerland who would have won the hand had he stayed. That win gave Boivin the chip-lead that he slowly built to figure later on in Heads-Up for the title against a very crafty Michel Molenaar of the Netherlands.

“That was a rollercoaster. We started with me having around 13 million and (Molenaar) having like 3 million. Then, he came up to an even stack at one point, and I lost a big hand, so he had 10 million and I had five or six. But then, in the next hand, I developed again, and then we finished.”

Molenaar won US$ 128,620 for his runner-up finish while Aliaksandr Shylko of Belarus got third for US$ 75,776. The win also comes at a special time in Boivin’s life.

“It is very special because eight years ago today, I met my wife in Thailand. We were five in the boat, and then we were going scuba diving, and she was one of the five. The rest is history.”

With a dwindling stack, Michel Molenaar decided to go all-in utg for his last 1,350,000 and got called by Heads-Up opponent Thomas Boivin.

Molenaar tables J♦ 6♦ while Boivin is ahead with K♣ 5♣ .

The runout goes: T♣ T♦ 7♦ 4♠ 7♣ as King-high holds and with it ends the competition with Molenaar settling for the runner-up finish and the second place prize of US$128,620 while Boivin takes the crown and the first place prize of US$196,315.

The full recap follows. Congratulations to all the winners!

An unraised pot finds a flop of 3♥ 7♦ T♦ as both players check. The turn is the 6♥ as Michel Molenaar is first to act and checks his option for a second time. Thomas Boivin now bets 375,000 and gets check-raised to 850,000. The Belgian calls. The river is the Q♣ and this time both check.

Molenaar is first to show and tables J♥ 5♠ for a missed straight draw while Boivin shows 6♦ 2♦ for a pair of sixes on the turn and enough to reduce his opponent’s stack to less than two million and now carry a more than 7-1 edge.

Michel Molenaar is utg anew and again opens, this time for 500,000. Thomas Boivin makes the call.

The flop is J♣ 6♣ A♦ as Boivin checks. Molenaar CBets for 550,000 and gets called. The turn is the A♣ and now both slow down to check. The river is the 3♠ as Boivin declares he is all-in. Molenaar opts to fold.

Boivin is making not to squander the current lead he had and is striving to make it closer to demoralizing.

The dust had not even settled from the previous hand when the protagonists were all-in again.

Thomas Boivin, however, now holds the definitive advantage having 9♣ 9♠ against chip-leader Michel Molenaar’s 6♣ 6♠. Yes, even the suits are covered.

The runout had no surprises: T♦ 7♠ 7♣ J♠ A♠ .

Boivin is once again ahead and this time holds a more than 3-1 chip advantage.

Michel Molenaar once again raises from utg to 350,000 but this time gets re-raised all-in by Thomas Boivin. Molenaar snap calls for his remaining 5,050,000.

Boivin tables A♣ J♦ while Molenaar is in a coinflip for his tournament life with T♦ T♠ .

The flop immediately gave the lead to the Belgian: 2♦ A♥ 7♠ and it seemed like the championship is right around the corner. The turn is the 9♣ but the T♣ arrives on the river to not only keep the Dutchman in the competition, but also give him the chip-lead.

Another raise from utg from Michel Molenaar is greeted with a call from Thomas Boivin.

The flop goes A♦ 4♦ 5♠ as Boivin checks. Molenaar CBets for 375,000. This time, Boivin calls. The turn is the 4♥ and now Boivin donks for 350,000. Molenaar now does the calling. The river is the 8♥ as Boivin goes into the tank and ends up consuming a Time Bank card. He then bets 2,800,000. It’s Molenaar’s turn to think and also expend a Time Bank card. But he eventually decides to fold.

Boivin now owns a more than 2-1 advantage in terms of the chips.

Michel Molenaar once again raises from utg for 350,000 but this time he gets re-raised by Thomas Boivin to 1,700,000. The Dutchman calls.

The flop is 8♦ 8♠ 4♣ as Boivin continues firing for 1,000,000. Molenaar calls. The turn is the T♠ and this time, both elect to check. The river is the 2♥ and no further action ensues.

Boivin shows A♠ 4♦ for bottom pair on the flop. Molenaar mucks.

Not only does Boivin regain the chip-lead but also pads that advantage to over four million in chips.

Michel Molenaar opens from utg for 350,000 and gets called by Thomas Boivin.

The flop comes J♠ 4♣ T♥ as Boivin checks. Molenaar unloads 375,000 and Boivin folds.

The 7-1 lead to begin Heads-Up for the Belgian is now history.

In an unraised pot, the flop goes Q♦ T♥ 8♣ with Molenaar first to act post flop and checks his option. Boivin fires 200,000 and gets called. The turn is the 7♣ and this time both players check. The river is the 6♠ as Molenaar bets 275,000. Boivin folds.

The deficit is down to a mere six figures.

What started as a virtual 7-1 lead is now not even a 2-1 as Michel Molenaar raises again from utg and gets called by Thomas Boivin.

The flop comes J♦ J♠ 4♠ as Boivin checks and Molenaar once again makes a CBet to 225,000 and is enough to take it down.

Molenaar now has a little over seven million in chips while Boivin just has a little over nine million in chips.

Thomas Boivin now raises utg and gets called by Michel Molenaar.

The flop is Q♣ 4♠ 5♠ as Molenaar checks. Boivin CBets for 525,000. Molenaar calls. The turn is the T♦ and once again the Dutchman checks. Boivin ups it to 900,000. Molenaar goes into the tank and burns a Time Bank card. His next move is to raise all-in.

Boivin instantly folds.

The gap continues to narrow.

Michel Molenaar now raises to 350,000 utg and gets called.

The flop comes T♠ 9♣ 2♦ as Thomas Boivin checks. Molenaar CBets for 200,000 and gets called. The turn is the 5♠ and Boivin checks anew. Molenaar now fires 1,000,000 as Boivin folds.

The deficit continues to shrink.

Boivin open shoves this time and gets snap called by Molenaar.

The Belgian shows T♥ 3♥ while the Dutchman has the fishhooks in J♣ J♠ .

The flop brings a small sweat card to the equation: K♦ 9♥ 3♠ but the last two community cards are the 7♥ and the A♥ as Molenaar’s stack now gets closer to the 4M mark and cuts the deficit to almost a 3-1 which is quite decent at this point early in Heads-Up.

Another unraised pot finds a flop of K♣ T♠ 3♦ as Molenaar is now in the bb and checks his option. Boivin bets 125,000 and gets called. The turn is the 2♦ as Molenaar checks again. Boivin this time makes it 150,000 to go. Molenaar still makes the call. The river is the 4♠ and Molenaar checks a third time. Now Boivin goes into deep thought and uses a Time Bank card before declaring that he is all-in.

Molenaar folds and sees his stack dwindle to 1,725,000.

The 89th hand of the Final Table is the first hand of Heads-Up as Thomas Boivin completes the sb but gets raised all-in by Michel Molenaar and opts to fold.

The next hand sees Molenaar complete the sb and Boivin check his option on the bb.

The flop shows A♥ 2♥ 7♣ as Molenaar leads out for 125,000 and gets called. The turn is the 5♣ as Boivin checks anew. Molenaar fires 575,000 to which the Belgian folds.

The arduous task has begun for the Dutchman.

Michel Molenaar raises from utg only to get re-raised all-in by chip-leader Thomas Boivin of Belgium in the sb. However, Belarus’ Aliaksandr Shylko calls for tournament life from the bb. He is all-in for his remaining 2,300,000.

Boivin flips over A♦ 7♦ which is crushed by the Belarusian’s A♠ K♦ .

The flop immediately swayed the advantage to the side of the Belgian: 7♣ T♥ 3♣ and there were no miracles on the horizon for Shylko as the 6♠ and the 3♠ completed the runout.

Boivin will bring a virtual 7-1 chip edge to Heads-Up which begins in a moment.

Michel Molenaar of the Netherlands opens from utg for 250,000. The action gets folded to the button where chip-leader Thomas Boivin of Belgium 3-bets it to 600,000 while Russia’s Valeriy Fokin 4-bets it to 950,000 from the sb. Molenaar folds but Boivin calls to go heads-up to the flop.

The flop is 4♥ 4♦ 6♣ as Fokin goes all-in for his remaining 1,600,000. Boivin snap calls.

The Russian tables T♣ T♦ while to his surprise, Boivin shows A♣ 4♣ for trips on the flop.

Down to a two-outer, none of them arrive as the 5♠ and the 5♥ are the last two community cards Fokin sees before his exit from the competition.

The three players left are now guaranteed US$75,776.

The action is folded to the button of Dutchman Michel Molenaar who raises it to 250,000. Chip-leader Thomas Boivin of Belgium calls from the sb.

The flop comes A♥ K♥ 8♣ as both players opt to check. The turn is the T♥ and once again, both check. The river is the T♠ and this time, Boivin bets 500,000. Molenaar calls.

Boivin shows T♦ 9♦ for backdoor trips. Molenaar mucks.

The win brings Boivin’s stack back to above the six million mark.

Russia’s Valeriy Fokin has been the shortest stack at the Final Table throughout two pay jumps already and is facing an open from the button from no less than chip-leader Thomas Boivin of Belgium for 250,000. Fokin decides to 3-bet shove from the sb for his remaining 1,225,000. Boivin calls.

Fokin tables A♣ 5♥ which is dominated by the Belgian’s A♥ T♦ .

The poker gods, however, choose to kept the Russian around on the subsequent runout that goes: 5♦ (on the window) 6♣ 2♦ 7♠ Q♣ .

Fokin finally surpasses the 2 Million chip mark while denting Boivin whose stack has fallen below the 7 Million mark for the first time in almost an hour.

Chip-leader Thomas Boivin has spend the better part of the last hour stealing blinds and antes and this time he tries it from utg with a raise to 250,000. In the sb, Belarus’ Aliaksandr Shylko seems to have had enough and decides to take a stand a 3-bet to 1,200,000.

Boivin does fold.

Dutchman Michel Molenaar open from the cutoff for 200,000 and gets 3-bet in the sb by Dinesh Alt of Switzerland for 700,000. When it gets back to Molenaar, he 4-bets all-in and is called for Alt’s remaining 1,615,000.

Molenaar flips over 7♥ 7♦ as Alt is actually ahead statistically with J♣ T♣ .

The runout goes: A♠ A♥ 6♣ Q♦ 3♣ as Molenaar’s pocket sevens hold to eliminate the former chip-leader and bring the Dutchman to within striking distance of Thomas Boivin’s lead.

The remaining four players are now assured US$46,123.

Former chip-leader Dinesh Alt of Switzerland opens from utg for 200,000 and the action folds all the way to the bb of current chip-leader Belgium’s Thomas Boivin who defends.

The flop is Q♦ 5♥ 3♥ as Boivin checks. Alt CBets for 135,000 and gets called. The turn is the 2♦ and this time both players sow down to check. The river is the Q♥ Boivin makes a smallish bet of 100,000. Alt makes the call.

Boivin shows T♥ T♦ for a concealed pocket pair. Alt mucks.

With the triumph, Boivin adds to his chip-lead and becomes the first player with over seven million in chips.

The action is folded to the button where newly-minted chip-leader opens for 160,000. In the sb, Belarus’ Aliaksandr Shylko 3-bets to 550,000 and if that wasn’t enough, Michel Molenaar of the Netherlands 4-bets all-in.

Everyone folds.

The preflop win gets Molenaar back above the 3M chip mark.

The action is opened in the hijack of Taiwan’s Charlie Chiu who makes it 160,000. He is called by Thomas Boivin of Belgium in the sb and chip-leader Dinesh Alt of Switzerland in the bb.

The flop comes A♥ 4♠ 7♠ as the blinds check. Chiu continues for 280,000 and the blinds stick around, making this a juicy pot. The turn is the 6♦ and now Boivin leads out for 350,000 as Alt calls. Chiu goes into the tank and spends a Time Bank card before declaring that he s all-in for 1,820,000. Now it’s the Belgian’s turn to go into deep thought and also use a Time Bank card. Boivin re-shoves for 3,330,000. Now the action falls on Alt, who has already made a significant investment into the growing pot. The Swiss player is so perplexed that he ends up using two Time Bank cards and was close to burning a third one when he decided to fold, but he does so face up showing A♠ 5♠ for top pair with open ended straight draw and the nut flush draw.

Chiu tables A♦ 4♦ for two pairs on the flop while Boivin shows 7♥ 7♣ for mid set on the flop. The Taiwanese needs an ace or a four to survive.

The river is the 3♠ (which should have given Alt the nut flush) as Chiu is railed and Boivin is the new chip-leader with almost seven million.

The remaining five players are now all guaranteed US35,598.

The action is folded to the blinds as Belgium’s Thomas Boivin completes the sb. Chip-leader Dinesh Alt of Switzerland raises it to 300,000 from his bb. Boivin then proceeds to 3-bet to 800,000. Alt folds and the move cost him enough chips to bring him down to below the four million chip mark momentarily.

Chip-leader Dinesh Alt of Switzerland opens from the cutoff to 160,000 and gets the bb defense from Belarus’ Aliaksandr Shylko.

The flop is A♣ J♥ Q♦ as Shylko checks. Alt Cbets for 120,000 and gets called quickly by his Belarusian opponent. The turn is the K♦ as the board becomes extremely coordinated. Both players check. The river is the K♠ and no further action ensues.

Shylko shows A♠ 6♦ for top pair on the flop. Alt mucks.

Taiwan’s Charlie Chiu opens from the hijack to 160,000 and gets a bb defense from chip-leader Dinesh Alt of Switzerland.

The flop comes J♥ J♦ 9♣ as both players check. The turn is the 9♥ as Alt now leads out for 150,000. Chiu calls. The river is the Q♣ and this time Alt fires 350,000. Chiu goes into the tank and burns a Time Bank card in the process. The Taiwanese players eventually throws his hand into the muck.

Dinesh Alt opens from utg for 120,000 and gets re-raised immediately from the +1 position to 275,000. The action gets folded back to Alt who opts to make the call.

The flop goes J♣ T♥ 4♦ as Alt checks. Prill continues firing, this time for 175,000. Alt goes into the tank and uses a Time Bank card before check-raising to 375,000. The Australian makes the call. The turn is the 8♣ as Alt goes all-in. It’s Prill’s turn to consume a Time Bank card going deep in thought. He decides to go all-in for his remaining stack of 1,000,000.

Alt turns over T♠ T♦ for mid set on the flop while Prill has A♣ T♣ and is drawing to a club out for a flush.

The river is the 5♠ , ending Prill’s campaign and also giving Alt the overall chip-lead with well over 4.3 Million in chips.

The remaining six players are now all assured of US$29,505.

Timon Prill of Australia opens from the cutoff for 120,000 and gets called by Aliaksandr Shylko of Belarus in the bb.

The flop is 8♥ 5♣ 4♠ as Shylko donks the flop for 115,000. It’s enough to scare the initial raiser away as Prill folds.

The takedown brings Shylko’s stack to above the 2.8 Million mark.

Once again folded to him, Akihiro Konishi of Japan opens shoves his remaining 595,000 from the hijack and this time gets a caller in Belgium’s Thomas Boivin in the sb.

Konishi tables K♣ T♣ while Boivin dominates with A♥ T♥ .

The runout goes: J♦ 4♥ 5♣ 8♠ 8♥ as ace-high is good enough to knockout Konishi and bring the competition down to the final seven players now all guaranteed US$25,554.

Dinesh Alt of Switzerland opens from the utg+2 position for 120,000 and Belarus’ Aliaksandr Shylko defends his bb.

The flop comes: Q♥ 3♦ T♦ as Shylko checks. Alt continues firing for 100,000 as Shylko calls. The turn is the Q♣ and again Shylko opts to check. Alt this time makes it 300,000 to go and gets a quick fold from his Belarusian opponent.

The tenth hand of the Final Table sees Aliaksandr Shylko of Belarus open from the hijack for 120,000 and gets calls from the blinds in Dinesh Alt in the sb and Timon Prill in the bb.

The flop comes Q♣ 7♦ 2♥ as the blinds check, Shylko continues for 105,000. Alt folds but Prill stays interested. It is heads-up tp the turn where the 5♣ appears. This time, both players opt to skip this street. The river is the 4♦ as Prill bets 160,000. Shylko folds and the Australian climbs to 1.5 Million in chips.

Qiu Quan of China open shoves from utg+1 for his remaining 525,000 and gets a caller in the utg+2 position from Russia’s Valeriy Fokin.

The hands are turned over as Qiu shows J♣ T♣ while Fokin has Q♣ Q♦ .

The flop comes K♣ 4♠ 9♥ to add the two remaining queens to Qiu direct outs. They never arrived, though, as the last two community cards are the 7♠ and the 6♥ .

There are now eight players all assured of US$22,256.

On the seventh hand of the Final Table, Japan’s Akihiro Konishi has the action folded to him on the button and he raises to 140,000. Monster stack Michel Molenaar of the Netherlands makes a 3-bet shove from the bb. Konishi calls and puts the rest of his stack worth 260,000 in the middle of the table.

Molenaar shows J♥ J♦ while Konishi tables a measly 7♦ 6♣ .

The flop comes 5♣ T♣ A♥ but then the turn is the 4♦ and the river is the 8♠ to give Konishi an unlikely backdoor straight to stay alive with an almost decent stack of 595,000. Molenaar hardly felt the hit but it was a hit nonetheless.

In the fourth hand of the Final Table, Aliaksandr Shylko of Belarus makes a raise from the utg+1 position to 100,000 and gets called in the lowjack by Belgium Thomas Boivin.

The flop is A♣ Q♥ 9♥ as Shylko CBets for 115,000 and gets no call from the Belgian.

Raising from utg, Hoo Teng Yang of Singapore makes it 100,000 to go but meet resistance from the sb of Switzerland’s Dinesh Alt who 3-bets it to 250,000. Hoo calls.

The flop is 2♠ 4♥ 7♥ as Alt Cbets for 150,000. Hoo raises all-in for his last 725,000 and gets a quick call. Hoo turns over 8♦ 8♥ for an over pair while Alt tables A♥ A♠ for a bigger over pair. The turn is the 3♦ and the river is the 9♦ .

The ouster of the Singaporean now brings the competition to the Final Table where everyone is now guaranteed US$19,631.

Akihiro Konishi of Japan and Belarusian Aliaksandr Shylko go all-in preflop and reveal their holdings: A♠ 5♦ for Konishi and A♦ 9♦ for Shylko.

The runout goes: K♦ Q♣ 2♣ 4♦ 4♥ as both kickers don’t play and the pot is chopped.

Taiwan’s Charlie Chiu is all-in preflop against Qiu Quan of China. Chiu is ahead with T♣ T♦ facing A♦ 4♠ from Qiu.

The flop gave the edge right off the bat to the player from China: A♠ 6♠ 2♣ while the last two community cards were of no help: 8♠ and K♥ .

Qiu’s double up also dents Chiu’s monster stack

Aliaksandr Shylko opens from utg for 100,000 and the action folds all the way to the bb where Hong Kong’s Ivan Lee 3-bet shoves his remaining 825,000. The Belarusian makes the call.

Lee tables A♣ 8♣ while Shylko shows K♣ K♠ in a hand reminiscent of how Dinesh Alt just doubled up off of Michel Molenaar moments ago.

The fates would have it different this time around as the runout goes: 7♦ 4♠ 2♠ 6♦ 9♣ as the Cowboys do their job for Shylko and Lee exits from the competition.

Chip-leader Michel Molenaar of the Netherlands opens from utg to 100,000 and the action gets folded to the sb which calls but in the bb, Switzerland’s Dinesh Alt 3-bets it to 600,000—effectively half his stack. Molenaar 4-bet shoves. The sb folds and Alt shoves his remaining 670,000.

Molenaar shows K♥ K♠ while Alt has A♣ 8♣ .

The flop instantly switched everything to Alt's advantage : A♥ 7♠ Q♣ and there was no help coming for Molenaar in the last two community cards: 2♥ and 7♦ .

Alt climbs to the seven figures mark anew.

Japan’s Akihiro Konishi open-shoves from the cutoff for his last 235,000 and gets isolated in the sb by (again) Ian Lee of Hong Kong.

Konishi tables K♦ 2♥ while once again Lee is ahead with A♠ 6♣ .

The flop changes nothing: 4♥ 8♣ 7♥ but the turn card is the K♥ to give the Japanese player the lead and the river even pads it when the 2♦ shows.

The double-up for Konishi also drags Lee to below the seven-figure chip mark.

In another battle of the blinds, Australia’s Josh McCully open shoves his remaining 360,000 from the sb and gets called in the bb by Ivan Lee of Hong Kong.

McCully turns over K♥ 5♣ while Lee unveils A♥ 3♦ .

The runout goes: T♥ T♦ 4♥ 3♣ (not that Lee needed it) and 2♣ .

Lee surpasses the one million mark in the ouster of his familiar foe.

Timon Prill opens the action from the utg+1 position for 80,000 and it gets folded to hijack where Hugo Machado of Portugal shoves his remaining 10,000 as no one else calls.

Prill tables J♣ 8♣ while Machado is statistically ahead preflop with K♥ T♣ .

The flop immediately gave the Portuguese player the sweats: A♣ 3♣ 3♥ with the Australian getting a flush draw. Machado hit the T♥ on the turn but then the 5♣ arrives on the river to complete Prill’s flush and sent Machado to the sidelines for good.

Now everyone remaining is guaranteed US$16,987.

In what appears to be a race to the top of the leaderboard, Taiwan’s Charlie Chiu is all-in covering former chip-leader Remy Murcia of France, who has staked his last 1,030,000.

Chiu shows A♣ K♣ while Murcia tables J♠ J♥ in a coinflip for his tournament life.

The flop instantly changed the favors to Chiu’s side: A♠ 6♠ 6♥ and the turn even fortified the lead as the K♥ came. The ouster of the Frenchman became official when the 7♣ hit.

Chiu, Thomas Boivin and current chip-leader Michel Molenaar re jockeying for the top spot.

From the utg+1 position, Dutchman Michel Molenaar opens for 80,000 and gets a call from the player on the button. On the sb, big stack Hugo Machado of Portugal 3-bets to 320,000. Molenaar then proceeds to 4-bet to 675,000. Right after the player on the button folds, Machado announces he is all in for 1,705,000 on a 5-bet shove. Machado barely covers Molenaar, who makes the call.

Machado shows K♠ T♠ while much to his chagrin, Molenaar has A♠ A♦ .

The runout goes: 5♠ 4♦ 3♦ 9♠ T♠ as Machado is now severly crippled with only 10,000 left behind. Molenaar is now the chip leader with well over 3.5 Million.

Joshua McCully of Australia opens from the utg+1 position for 80,000 and gets called by the blinds.

The flop comes 2♦ 3♥ 9♣ as the blinds check. McCully CBets to 140,000as the sb folds but Taiwan’s Charlie Chiu call from the bb. It is heads-up to the turn where the 4♥ appears. Chiu unloads 180,000 and the Australian can’t call.

Chiu’s stack now rises to 2,250,000 while McCully’s shrinks to 560,000.

Chip leader Thomas Boivin from Belgium opens from the utg+1 position for 80,000 and gets called in the cutoff before Israel’s Nadav Cohen 3-bet shoves from the button for 400,000. Boivin calls.

Cohen reveals A♣ J♠ while Boivin has a made hand in T♠ T♥ .

The runout goes: 9♣ 6♣ 4♦ K♦ 4♥ as the pocket tens hold for Boivin and Cohen becomes the latest casualty.

Belgium’s Thomas Boivin opens from the hijack for 80,000 and gets from former big stack Remy Murcia of France on the button and the bb.

The flop comes A♠ 9♠ J♣ as the bb check and Boivin check. Murcia fires 75,000. The bb folds but the Belgian calls. It is heads-up to the turn where the 6♠ emerges. Both players decide to skip this street. The river is the K♠ . Boivin takes a stab at it by betting a whopping 375,000. The Frenchman calls.

Boivin tables Q♣ J♠ for a Jack-High one-card flush. Murcia mucks.

The win by Boivin puts him in the chip lead while Murcia drops to just over 600,000.

From utg, Dutchman Michel Molenaar raises to 80,000 and it folds all the way to the bb of Switzerland’s Dinesh Alt who calls.

The flop comes 9♥ 6♥ 4♥ as Alt checks. Molenaar CBets to 55,000. Alt calls. The turn is the J♥ and suddenly the Swiss player takes the betting lead as he fires 85,000. Molenaar now becomes the caller. The river is the 5♣ and no further action ensues as both players opt to check.

Alt shows A♣ 6♣ for middle pair on the flop while Molenaar reveals A♠ 9♠ for top pair on the flop that survived the monochrome nature of the board to get the win and drop Alt to below half a million in chips.

Monika Zukowic of Poland has the action folded to her on the hijack and opens for 80,000. It gets folded to the bb of Bulgaria’s Thomas Boivin who re-raises all-in. Zukowicz calls for her last 605,000.

Boivin unveils 7♣ 7♠ while Zukowicz turns over A♣ J♣ .

The runout goes: 5♣ 3♥ 8♦ T♣ 7♦ with the set rubbing in the fatal miss from the Polish lady pro as the remaining 15 players now ladder up.

Joshua McCully of Australia opens from the button for 85,000 and gets a bb defense from Belrus’ Aliaksandr Shylko.

The flop is Q♦ 5♥ J♦ as Shylko checks. McCully CBets for 65,000 as Shylko calls. The turn is the 7♥ and this time, both players opt to check. The river is the 2♥ and now Shylko bets 130,000. McCully folds.

A surging Joshua McCully of Australia has built his stack to above the one million mark and has the action folded to him on the hijack and raises it up to 60,000. Once it gets to the button of Jack Sinclair, the Englishman 3-bet shoves his remaining 250,000 as McCully males the call.

Sinclair turns over K♦ T♥ while the Australian shows A♣ J♠ .

The runout goes: 3♥ 9♥ 9♣ 8♦ 7♦ as McCully’s ace-high is good enough to bust one of the best players remaining in the competition.

Australia’s Timon Prill opens the action from the utg+1 position for 60,000 and the action folds to Nevan Chang of Taiwan on the sb and he declares he is all-in for 211,000. Prill takes awhile but then decides to call.

Chang shows A♥ Q♣ while Prill tables T♦ 8♦ .

The flop comes: K♥ 8♠ 9♥ to give Prill the lead with bottom pair. The turn is the 2♦ and the river is the T♥ to give the Australian two-pair and the ouster of a dangerous foe.

Big stack Hugo Machado of Portugal opens from the cutoff for 60,000 and gets greeted by a 3-bet shove from Korea’s Song Junkyu from the button for 439,000. Machado makes the quick call.

Song turns over A♣ J♠ while Machado shows K♦ K♣ .

The flop has Song practically drawing dead: K♥ 2♣ 2♦ for a full house for the Portuguese player. Needing a miracle running aces, the 6♣ on the turn ousts the Korean while 9♠ on the river makes it official.

Machado has 1,430,000 in chips.

Taiwan’s Charlie Chiu has the action folded to him on his button and decides to raise to 60,000. Remy Murcia of France 3-bets him from the sb to 200,000. Chiu calls.

The flop is K♠ 2♠ J♦ as Murcia continues for 90,000. Chiu still calls, The turn is the K♣ and this time, the Frenchman wallops 245,000. Chiu can’t continue.

Both still have well over one million in their stacks.

China’s Chen Yuhang decides to swing for the fences with action folded to him on the cutoff for his remaining 98,000 while Song Yunkyu tries to go for another gain with a call from the sb.

Chen flips over K♥ 9♦ while Song this time has A♦ Q♣ .

The flop favors Chen: 6♣ 6♠ K♦ but then the turn is the A♣ while the river solidifies Song’s victory with the A♠ arriving.

Chen still receives US$9,616 for his 20th place finish.

Prior to this hand, Romania’s George Tomescu busted out in 21st place.

Nevan Chang of Taiwan open shoves from the utg+1 position for 291,000 and gets all to fold except for Korea’s Song Yunkyu who commits his short-stack of 90,000 on the bb.

Chang shows K♣ J♦ while Song tables Q♥ 8♣ .

Song outflops Chang: Q♣ 6♣ 4♦ , however, Chang reclaims the lead on the turn when the K♥ arrives. But the Korean’s day isn’t over as the 8♠ comes on the river and gives Song a fighting chance with a double-up to 205,000. Chang sinks to 211,000.

A short-stacked Daniel Yang of Taiwan shoves when the action gets folded to him on the cutoff and as it gets folded to the bb of Hong Kong’s Ivan Lee, he makes a blind “duty” call.

Yang tables A♣ 6♦ while Lee is surprised to flip over a decent Q♥ J♥ .

Lee immediately took the lead on the flop: Q♣ 7♣ 3♥ and that continued through the turn of the 2♥ and the river being the K♣ . Yang’s bust makes him the bubble boy of the competition.

The 21 players remaining are all now guaranteed at least US$9,616.

Dinesh Alt has the action folded to him on the hijack as he raises anew to 50,000. This time he gets no callers.

Dinesh Alt of Switzerland opens from the cutoff for 50,000 and gets re-raised from the button to 125,000 by Singapore’s Hoo Teng Yang. Alt 4-bet shoves and when Hoo folds, Alt shows A♥ K♦ .

Monika Zukowicz of Poland opens the action from the utg+1 position to 50,000 and gets re-raised all-in from the bb of Romania’s George Mircea Tomescu. Zukowicz commits the rest of her stack worth 551,000 in the call.

Tomescu shows K♥ T♥ and is surprised when his opponent flips over A♥ A♦ .

The runout goes: 5♥ 3♥ 2♣ T♠ (for a minor sweat) and the river is the A♣ .

Tomescu now has less than 200,000 in his holdings while Zukowicz climbs beyond the seven-figure mark for the first time

After nearly losing all his chips in his previous hand, Lithuania’s Edgaras Kausinis is once again all-in preflop, this time against big stack Charlie Chiu of Taiwan.

Kausinis has 6♣ 4♣ which are live cards to Chiu’s A♥ 7♣ .

The runout never gave Kausinis a glimmer of hope: K♥ 2♦ 9♠ 7♥ 4♠ .

Chiu’s stack is now at 1.4 Million. We are now on bubble time.

Lithuania’s Edgaras Kausinis raises from utg+1 to 105,000 and gets called on the button by Jack Sinclair of England.

The flop is Q♥ 7♥ 2♠ as both check. The turn is the 3♦ and once again no action ensues. The river is the 2♣ and both still check.

Kausinis shows J♦ T♦ while Sinclair turns over A♦ K♥ for the win.

n a brewing pot of 170,000 and the board already showing 6♥ T♠ 5♦ 8♣ , protagonists Chen Yuhang of China in the bb and Hoo Teng Yang of Singapore on the button choose to skip this street.

The river is the 7♣ completing what appears to be a one-card straight. Chen bets 40,000 and Hoo raises all-in. Chen burns a Time Bank card but ultimately folds.

Michel Molenaar of the Netherlands raises from the hijack to 40,000 and gets a 3-bet shove from Poland’s Monika Zukowicz from the sb for 268,000. Molenaar calls.

Zukowicz shows T♦ T♣ while Molenaar has an under pair in 7♦ 7♣ .

The runout goes: J♥ 8♠ 5♠ 4♦ A♥ as Zukowicz rides on the wave of yet another double-up and her stack is becoming quite significant as it nears the 600,000 mark. Molenaar’s stack has fallen below the seven figure mark anew.

In a battle of the blinds, Taiwan’s Charlie Chiu is all-in against Ricardas Lukauskas of Lithuania who is at risk with his last 227,000 in the middle of the table.

Chiu shows A♦ 9♣ while Lukauskas has A♥ 7♣ .

The flop comes K♥ 4♥ 6♥ , giving a major sweat to Chiu as the Lithuanian is on the nut flush draw. The turn is the Q♣ and the river is the A♠ as the Taiwanese player’s kicker somehow plays, eliminating Lukauskas. Chiu’s stack is once again above the one million mark.

Hugo Machado of Portugal opens from the button to 40,000 and gets a bb defense from Taiwan’s Nevan Chang.

The flop is Q♠ J♦ 9♠ as Chang checks. Machado CBets for 20,000 and gets re-raised all-in for his opponent’s remaining 128,000. Machado calls.

Chang tables Q♥ 7♠ for top pair while the Portuguese player shows A♠ K♠ for the nut flush draw, a gutshot Broadway draw and two over cards for a total of 17 clean outs.

The turn is the 4♥ and the river is the 9♦ for Chang to dodge everything for a double up.

Japan’s Akihiro Konishi opens from the hijack to 40,000 and gets re-raised by Dinesh Alt of Switzerland on the button to 110,000. When it gets folded back to Konishi, the Japanese player 4-bets to 280,000.

Alt goes into the tank and burns a Time Bank card before eventually conceding the hand to Konishi.

The top 21 places will be receiving at least US$9,616 as the payouts also show that the eventual champion will be pocketing a whopping US$196,315.