Having taken a short break from the Taiwan Millions Tournament 16 Main Event games, players attending the festival at Asia Poker Arena, Taipei City, Taiwan, relished a special highlight on schedule in lieu of the lucky year ahead. The Dragon of the Year trophy event wrapped up its qualifying rounds and drew in a total of 453 entries, easily smashing the listed guarantee to more than double in value. Hong Kong’s Justin Chan currently tops the remaining 46 player field set to return for Day 2, having found the largest bag across the Day 1B games.
Due to inclement weather conditions, TMT has announced the postponement of Day 2, originally scheduled for July 24th 13:00, to July 25th 15:00. Survivors returning to the felt are guaranteed a minimum payout of NTD 30,700 (~USD 930) and a fighting chance to claim the NTD 1,097,000 (~USD 33,470) top prize.
Additionally, the record breaking NTD 31,000,000 (~USD 1 Million) guaranteed Main Event resumes its qualifying rounds this July 24-27, running through six more flights before Day 2 plays down on July 28th. Day 1A booked a chart topping field of over 1,000 runners, signaling a good hint of its magnitude and what lies ahead.
Taiwan Millions Tournament 16 – Schedule
Dragon of the Year Day 1B Recap
The second and last flight on schedule for the Dragon of the Year Special Event drew in a bigger field than its first showing with 274 entries added to the tally. Surpassing expectations, the 453 entry field generated a NTD 5,380,100 (~USD 164,145) prize pool, well over its initial NTD 2 Million (~USD 60K) guarantee.
The Day 1B field played down to 15% at 42 players making the money, and only 10% at 28 survivors additionally advancing to Day 2. Hong Kong’s Justin Chan bagged the lead by day’s end and towers over the 46 player list returning to the felt this Thursday, July 25th. Chan swiftly amassed a stack and inched the lead by the last hour, beginning his run good with a full double up from opponent Zhong Zhi. Chan then continued this momentum and went on to dust Seung Yi with a flopped straight against the latter’s two pair. By the time the bubble burst with the exit of Sumin Jang, Chan found the largest bag, carrying a massive 1,029,000 (102 BB) chip count to lead the Day 2 pack. Among those joining the list from Day 1B are Asian notables Dicky Tsang (336,000), Zong Chi He (260,000), and Chiayun Wu (180,000).
Also a first this season, the Dragon of the Year champion is geared to receive a unique TMT piece, showcasing a dragon emblem. Made with a combination of two different types of wood, the inner part of the shield maintained the Xiao Nan wood while the outer edge made use of Calocedrus Formosona, which is a rare root material that has unique grains. The exquisite wood plaque trophy / shield is complimented by a gold mold that reads “TMT Champion” giving it a luxurious and elegant finish.
Date/s: July 22 to 24, 2024
Guarantee: NTD 2,000,000 (~USD 60,980)
Prize pool: NTD 5,380,100 (~USD 164,145)
Buy in: NTD 15,000 (~USD 450)
Entries: 453
ITM: 69 places
Day 1A: 179 entries / 27 ITM / 18 survivors
Day 1B: 274 entries / 42 ITM / 28 survivors
Day 2/ Final Day: Thursday, July 25
Look back at Day 1B Live Updates to see how all the action went down.
Day 2 Chip Counts
| Pos. | Player | Flag | Chip Count | Seat Draw |
| 1 | JUSTIN CHAN | HONGKONG | 1,029,000 | 9-1 |
| 2 | KAI HUNG HU | TAIWAN | 805,000 | 14-6 |
| 3 | KOU LONG CHUEH | TAIWAN | 750,000 | 8-1 |
| 4 | TAO CHU | TAIWAN | 699,000 | 14-5 |
| 5 | YU SHENG LIN | TAIWAN | 636,000 | 10-4 |
| 6 | KAI HUANG | TAIWAN | 587,000 | 8-2 |
| 7 | HIU MON WU | HONGKONG | 559,000 | 14-3 |
| 8 | MAO LUN YU | TAIWAN | 553,000 | 9-8 |
| 9 | JONGBEA JANG | SOUTH KOREA | 552,000 | 15-1 |
| 10 | WEI JEN WANG | TAIWAN | 511,000 | 8-6 |
| 11 | NAKAYAMA TAKUMI | JAPAN | 416,000 | 10-6 |
| 12 | CHONG MIN PARK | SOUTH KOREA | 388,000 | 10-1 |
| 13 | CHIH HSUAN CHANG | TAIWAN | 361,000 | 13-9 |
| 14 | WEI HAO HUANG | TAIWAN | 349,000 | 9-9 |
| 15 | SIU HANG TSANG | HONGKONG | 336,000 | 10-8 |
| 16 | JASON CHEN | SINGAPORE | 331,000 | 9-2 |
| 17 | CHUN YEN HO | TAIWAN | 298,000 | 15-6 |
| 18 | HYUN WOO KANG | KOREA | 291,000 | 14-1 |
| 19 | TUNG JUNG WU | TAIWAN | 269,000 | 14-2 |
| 20 | ZONG CHI HE | TAIWAN | 260,000 | 10-3 |
| 21 | HUNG CHENG LIN | TAIWAN | 243,000 | 15-8 |
| 22 | YU AN SHIH | TAIWAN | 219,000 | 10-2 |
| 23 | CHE CHUN CHU | TAIWAN | 211,000 | 8-7 |
| 24 | HAZEL CHUI | HONGKONG | 194,000 | 9-4 |
| 25 | CHIA YUN WU | TAIWAN | 180,000 | 13-1 |
| 26 | WONKOOK SON | SOUTH KOREA | 177,000 | 9-6 |
| 27 | AI LIN TAN | SINGAPORE | 175,000 | 13-5 |
| 28 | JUNYA KUBO | JAPAN | 173,000 | 15-4 |
| 29 | DANIEL YANG | TAIWAN | 171,000 | 13-2 |
| 30 | YU TING LIU | TAIWAN | 165,000 | 8-3 |
| 31 | PANG WEI TSAO | TAIWAN | 159,000 | 9-7 |
| 32 | SONGHAU PHAM | VIENAM | 137,000 | 9-3 |
| 33 | TSUEN SHI CHANG | TAIWAN | 132,000 | 13-8 |
| 34 | GOH CHEE KIONG | SINGAPORE | 126,000 | 14-9 |
| 35 | SHAO HONG YU | TAIWAN | 121,000 | 10-5 |
| 36 | FAI LAO | MACAO | 120,000 | 8-8 |
| 37 | JIA CHI LEE | TAIWAN | 119,000 | 14-7 |
| 38 | MING HUEI YUAN | SINGAPORE | 117,000 | 13-4 |
| 39 | JAEGEOL CHO | KOREA | 115,000 | 13-7 |
| 40 | YO DA LIN | TAIWAN | 106,000 | 8-5 |
| 41 | JUN LONG LIN | SINGAPORE | 105,000 | 15-7 |
| 42 | KUANG HUNG LEE | TAIWAN | 87,000 | 13-3 |
| 43 | RUI LU | TAIWAN | 86,000 | 15-5 |
| 44 | WEI CHOU CHENG | TAIWAN | 78,000 | 10-9 |
| 45 | SU LUNG YEH | TAIWAN | 75,000 | 8-9 |
| 46 | TING YI WANG | TAIWAN | 57,000 | 15-2 |
Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Prize (NTD) |
| 1 | 1,097,000 |
| 2 | 739,000 |
| 3 | 543,600 |
| 4 | 403,800 |
| 5 | 302,900 |
| 6 | 229,400 |
| 7 | 175,300 |
| 8 | 140,000 |
| 9 | 120,000 |
For more information about the TMT Season 16, including registration details and event schedules, please visit https://asiapokerarena.com/about.
