WPT Vietnam Main Event saw the return of the 178 survivors and from the get-go it was action-packed at Pro Poker Club. The event attracted 679 total entries for a smashing prize pool of VND 13,172,600,000. This was the largest-ever live tournament poker prize pool seen in the country. And to earn a piece, all players needed to do today was reach the money round of 85 places.
Into the fourth round, the bubble round was at hand. Tung Nguyen avoided elimination landing a two-outer on the river, however, for Vinh Tran, it was the opposite. Attempting to steal the blinds and ante, he shoved on the button with J-8 only to get snap-called by Jason Nguyen on the small blind with A-K. The bubble burst. The money flowed. And it was a hunt for a seat to the final day.
Among the big movers and shakers were Norbert Koh, Apu Weo, and WSOP bracelet winner Mike Takayama. Between the three, Takayama’s day would end much earlier despite running up quad aces not once but twice. He finished in 39th place, falling to Hong Kong’s Ray Chiu who is also through to the finals.
For the day’s entering chip leader, Austria’s Tran Hanh, he was unable to match his performance at Day 1A and exited in 51st place. Wenling Gao also bowed out within that range. Multi WPT / WSOP Circuit winner Dylan Wilkerson did better reaching the final three tables. And John Phan’s rollercoaster of a day ended in 23rd place.
You can read up on the action in our Live Updates post.
Below are the final 15 players returning tomorrow. One of these players will be crowned the first-ever WPT Vietnam Main Event champion and will pocket the eye-popping VND 2,427,580,000 first prize.
Full coverage continues in the Final Day. Cards in the air at 1pm.
Yik Yin “Ray” Chiu – Hong Kong – 2.43M
Ray Chiu will enter the final day as the chip leader. One of his biggest drops in Day 2 was WSOP bracelet winner Mike Takayama. This thrusted his stack to the top where he parked for the rest of the day.
Dhaval Mudgal – India – 2.355M
India’s last hope for the gold is Dhaval Mudgal who closed Day 2 with the second largest stack. Mudgal is a well known poker figure in the Asian circuit. Among his many successes today was the elimination of American pro Dylan Wilkerson late in the game.
Hai Chuot – Vietnam – 2.245M
Host country Vietnam had numerous players advancing to the final day. Amassing the largest stack of the group was Hai Chuot. For a majority of Day 2, Chuot kept pace with the leaders then took command after winning a big pot against Indian pro Raghav Bansal. He also made some big calls that knocked out a few players.
Tran Huu Khoi – Vietnam – 1.68M
When the field compressed to the final two tables, Tran Huu Khoi was one of the shortest but a late game double up through Apu Weo gave him renewed life.
Nguyen Thanh Phuong – Vietnam – 1.590M
Nguyen Thanh Phuong built an impressive stack throughout the day. He was moved multiple times and at each table, was able to chip up.
Tai Hsing Hszung – Taiwan – 1.470M
Taiwanese player Tai Hsing Hszung started Day 2 just above starting stack. He won numerous pots on uncalled shoves.
Tran Cao Tam – Vietnam – 1.335M
Tran Cao Tam shipped in a big pot after a successful showdown against highly decorated Viet khieu John Phan. He also eliminated Tung Nguyen, the player that landed a two-outer on the river to avoid being the bubble.
Johannes Felix Hoeld – Germany – 1.180M
Johannes Felix Hoeld had a steady rise in chips throughout Day 2 but needed some help at the final two tables. He found the moment, doubling up through Apuweo during the final minutes to jump back to good health.
Ben Andrews – UK – 1.150M
UK’s Ben Andrews sat in the same seat from start to finish watching players come in and out throughout the day. Down to two tables, he tanked John Phan twice to win a couple of nice pots without a showdown.
Norbert Koh – Singapore – 1.135M
Norbert Koh continues to enjoy success in Vietnam. Early in the day he stormed to the leader’s seat with an enormous stack. He railed Tran Son Thach late in the game to stay above seven-digits.
Dac Duc Phuong – Vietnam – 1.025M
Among Dac Duc Phuong’s winning pots was the elimination of Taiwan’s Tzu Chieh Lo. He also railed Cong Le to bring the field down to 16 players.
Takao Shimizu – Japan – 805K
Takao Shimizu is the only player left holding up the Japanese flag. Shimizu has had a big stack since the start of Day 2 and stayed consistent throughout to secure his spot in the final day. He
Le Ngoc Khanh – Vietnam – 790K
Le Ngoc Khanh is a familiar face in the Asian circuit, attending events all over Asia. He’s also produced numerous deep runs in Vietnam but is still hunting down that first championship title.
Apu Weo – Vietnam – 620K
Apu Weo entered the Main Event at Day 1C and within the first fifteen minutes, he’d already knocked out a few players. At Day 2, his list of wins piled up sending out strong players such as Huu Dung Nguyen and Romit Advami. Both of these players shoved on his big blind.
Low Kar Doi – Malaysia – 560K
Low Kar Doi rounds out the list with the shortest stack.
Louis Hartwell
Graduated in Media Communication at the University of Lausanne, Louis Hartman is a co-founder of somuchpoker.com. He began his career in Cambodia as freelance journalist. In same time he was making his living by playing poker every night at that time. Intense learner, he read dozens of poker strategy books to improve his skills during many years. With a strong interest about poker "behind the scene" in Asia and his communication skills, Louis launched Somuchpoker in 2014.
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