World Poker Championship pays out over ₫51.6 Billion (~$2.2M); Tuong Manh Ha wins Player of the Series; WPC returns to Grand Loyal on March 31 to April 9

On January 15, the World Poker Championship (WPC) in partnership with the Hanoi Series of Poker (HSOP) concluded its season opener at the Grand Loyal Poker Club in Hanoi. The event got underway on January 3 featuring a confident US$ 1 Million guarantee. Locals and Koreans flooded the felt, joined by a scatter of international players from India, Singapore, Philippines, USA, to mention a few. After thirteen days of nonstop action, all the trophies were claimed including the Player of the Series title.

Although the room has since quieted, the excitement remains with the WPC having already announced its return. In just two and a half months, the brand heads back to the Grand Loyal Poker Club for a ten day series running from March 31 to April 9. Like previous, a solid US$ 1 Million is guaranteed. Players can expect another jam-packed room from start to finish.

As players await the next series, here are the closing figures and highlights of the recently concluded festival.

Festival highlights

Festival prize pool: ₫51,630,785,000 (~$2,203,430)
Trophy events: 26
Main Event prize pool: ₫14,244,075,000 (~$607,890)
Main Event champion: Thang Ngoc Dao – ₫1,540,030,000 (~$65,700)
Player of the Series: Tuong Manh Ha – 1,171.58 points
Most final tables: Yuta Izumi (4)
Most cashes: Jasven Saigal (6)
Trophies by Flag: Vietnam (12), Korea (9), Singapore (2), Japan (1), Hong Kong (1), India (1)

Main Event: THANG NGOC DAO

The Main Event fueled in the biggest prize money of ₫14,244,075,000 (~$607,890). Although it didn’t beat its inaugural run numbers, it still blew past its ten billion Vietnamese dong guarantee. Impressively, the three local players at the final table found themselves as the last ones standing with Thang Ngoc Dao going the distance for his career first title and high score of ₫1,540,030,000 (~$65,700). Read up on his victory via the Live Updates.

Player of the Series: TUONG MANH HA

Vietnam’s Tuong Manh Ha is remembered for lifting the first WPC Main Event title in Vietnam, and though he missed the mark at this series, he still made headlines by clinching the WPC Player of the Series. In a mad dash for the finish line, Ha shipped the festival’s final event – Megastack Closer – to steal the POS victory. Ha cashed in a total of 5 tournaments to accrue 1,171.58 points. He was awarded a Main Event ticket to the next WPC festival. Here are his series cashes:

Most final tables: YUTA IZUMI

While there were many players that reached multiple final tables, it was Japan’s Yuta Izumi who had the most final table cashes of four in total. One of those deep runs was a Vietnam maiden victory at Event 3: Hyper Turbo.

Most cashes: JASVEN SAIGAL

India’s Jasven Saigal has been a frequent flyer in the Asian circuit and is on a mission to make this year another lucrative one. He cashed at 23 events last year and is well on his way to breaking that number with six payouts at the festival. He also lifted his first title on Vietnam soil at Event 23: High Roller Single Day.

Festival Champions

The locals dominated in attendance and dominated at the top. In total, 12 Vietnamese players captured event trophies. Korea was also a strong contender, winning 9 trophies. Here’s the full list of champions.