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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Josh McCully of Australia opens from the button for 25,000 and Belgium’s Thomas Boivin decides to defend his bb.

The flop is K♥ 3♠ 7♦ as Boivin checks. McCully CBets to 16,000 and promptly gets check-raised to 40,000 by the Belgian. McCully folds.

With already 167,000 in the middle and a board of 5♣ 5♦ 6♠ Hugo Machado of Portugal is the utg+1 position and checks his option. Thomas Boivin of Belgium is on the button and bets 45,000 and gets called. The turn is the A♣ and this time, both players check. The river is the J♥ as Machado goes into the tank and uses one Time Bank card before betting 125,000. Boivin instantly folds.

Belgium’s Thomas Boivin opens from the button for 18,000 and gets re-raised from the bb by Qiu Quan of China for 55,000. Boivin makes the call.

The flop is A♣ 6♦ 8♦ as Qiu CBets 30,000 and is greeted by a fold from the Belgian.

The action is folded to the button where Thomas Boivin of Belgium raises to 10,000 only to get re-raised in the sb by Japan’s Kyosuke Nagami to 30,000. Boivin calls.

The flop is Q♣ 6♦ 4♣ as both players check. The turn is the Q♠ and this time Nagami leads out for 16,000. The Belgian calls. The river is the Q♦ as the Japanese player unloads 30,000. Boivin raises all-in for his remaining 60,000. Nagami ends up using one Time Bank card before ultimately calling.

Boivin shows A♦ A♠ for a full house on the river while Nagami has 6♥ 6♠ for a full house on the turn that got beaten on the river after a fortuitous turn and river for the Belgian to have his supposedly cracked rockets emerge victorious.

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.