5K HR ($5,000)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Michel Molenaar raises from the utg+1 position to 35,000 and the action folds all the way to the button where Australia’s Armon Van Wijk re-raises all-in. Folded back to Molenaar, he makes the call.

Van Wijk shows A♦ Q♥ while Molenaar is coin flipping with 5♠ 5♣ .

The flop gave the Molenaar a huge advantage: J♠ 2♦ 5♦ with mid set. Van Wijk was drawing dead on the turn as it came 9♥ and the 7♦ on the river sent the Australian packing Molenaar above the one million chip mark.

Dutchman Michel Molenaar opens from the hijack for 35,000 and gets a bb defense from lady pro Monika Zukowicz from Poland.

The flop comes K♦ 2♠ 9♦ as Zulowicz checks. Molenaar CBets for 23,000 and quickly gets called. The turn is the 2♥ and this time, Zukowicz grabs the betting lead for 30,000. Molenaar now becomes the caller. The river is the 6♦ and Zukowicz goes all-in for her remaining 92,000. Molenaar folds.

Russia’s Valeriy Fokin opens from the cutoff for 32,000 and gets calls from Thomas Boivin of Belgium on the button and Dutchman Michel Molenaar in the sb.

The flop is Q♦ 8♥ 9♣ as Molenaar and Fokin check. Boivin takes the betting lead for 36,000 and gets check-raised by Molenaar to 95,000. Fokin thinks awhile and uses a Time Bank card before making the decision to go all-in. Boivin and Molenaar opt to fold.

In a battle of the blinds, Michel Molenaar raises to 40,000 in the sb and gets a 3-bet shove response from Zheng Xiaosheng for 268,000. Molenaar snap calls.

Zheng tables K♦ 8♣ while Molenaar shows A♦ T♦ .

The runout goes: 6♣ 7♠ 3♥ 2♣ and the A♥ to boot on the river to ensure the victory for Molenaar as the walking papers of Zheng have been issued.

Nguyen Nang Quang of Vietnam opens from utg for 12,000 and the action folds all the way to the bb of Michel Molenaar who re-raises to 31,000. Nguyen 4-bet shoves for his last 79,500 and is promptly called.

Nguyen tables A♥ T♥ while Molenaar has his opponent dominated with A♦ K♥ .

The runout provided no help from the Vietnamese veteran: 2♥ 6♣ 5♦ 9♠ 5♥ . The elimination of Nguyen gives Molenaar more artillery to trudge on.

Just beating the registration deadline, Sweden’s Michael Andersson has the action folded to him on the button and open-shoves for 100,000. He gets a call on the sb from Michel Molenaar.

Andersson turns over 4♦ 4♠ while Molenaar has K♣ Q♦ for another coinflip, this time for the Swede’s tournament life.

The flop immediately fortifies Andersson’s lead: 4♣ 9♦ T♦ for a set but it also gives Molenaar a gutshot that never appears as the turn is the 2♠ and the river is the T♥ to give Andersson a double up and bring the Frenchman’s stack down to a quarter of a million.

Singapore’s Andi Li opens from utg+1 for 8,000 and gets re-raised on the button by Michel Molenaar of France to 28,000. Li makes the call.

The flop is 3♣ 4♦ 6♠ as Li checks. Molenaar loads up and releases a CBet of 23,000 which gets called. The turn is the 6♥ and once again Li checks his option. This time the Frenchman fires 90,000. Li opts not to continue in the hand.

The WPT Cambodia 5K HR resumes today, February 23, 2025 a NagaWorld in Phnom Penh with the prize pool already beyond half a million USD!

At Day 1, registration stayed open all day, attracting 117 entries. That number will continue to increase with one level remaining today for last minute weekend warriors to jump in. Late comers will still have a decent 100,000 (25 bb) stack at their disposal however will have to act fast to try to catch the leader, Thian Andhoko, who has over six times that amount.

Cards start flying at 11:30am. We will have the final numbers shortly after registration closes at 12:20pm. SMP will be onsite to bring you the action from start to finish.