APPT Cambodia 2022 officially launches with ceremonial speeches; Victor Chong and Benjamin Sai win trophies

The inaugural Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Cambodiagot underway today and welcoming in the players was emcee / APPT Assistant Tournament Director Levy Castillo followed by a short dance number by Arrowplas, and ceremonial speeches by NagaWorld Senior Manager for Poker Operations Christopher Paul Gros, Connaissance Management General Manager Erique Tan, and APPT Senior Operations Manager Lorie Ann Lagrosas who expressed,

“On behalf of PokerStars, welcome and thank you all for coming to the inauguration of APPT Cambodia 2022. It is a great honor and privilege to be hosting the Asia Pacific Poker Tour for the first time ever in this beautiful destination of NagaWorld. I hope players enjoy what we have lined up and good luck to all in capturing the iconic Main Event trophy.”

The day resumed with the official “Shuffle up and Deal” announcement. Already in progress was the $50,000 guaranteed NagaWorld Kick-Off which saw a diverse field of international players initiating the felt. Day 1A closed with 18 players advancing out of the 118 entries, each one now guaranteed a piece of the pot. Among the qualifiers was Taiwanese pro Yu Chung Chang aka Nevan, Singapore’s Dhanesh Chainani, and Thailand’s Panitan Poopadsriwho delivered the bubble.

End of Day 1A survivors

The 18 survivors have a one-day break before returning to action on Saturday, November 5. They await the results of Day 1B and Day 1C (Turbo) which takes place on Friday, November 4. For those just jumping in, buy in is $300. With the opening heat already amassing over half the $50K guarantee, the rest is expected to be reached and breached early in the day.

Several hours after the Kickoff completed, the first two trophies were awarded. The $500 NLH Turbo event found no takers but when replaced with a $500 Flipout, 14 players quickly signed up. Singapore’s Benjamin Sai emerged the luckiest to capture the festival’s first trophy.

Over at the $800 buy in NLH Freezeout, 18 players signed on. After eight hours of play, Malaysia’s Victor Chong crushed the competition to finally lift his first ever PokerStars trophy. Chong will surely have a special place for this spade on his poker shelf having been hunting it down for a lengthy 12 years. The newly crowned champ is having one of his best years on the felt with four trophies already claimed in under six months.

Buy in: $800

Entries: 18

Prize pool: $12,564

ITM: 4 places

The 11-day inaugural series runs from November 3 to 13 at the Grand Ballroom of NagaWorld Phnom Penh. 18 trophies remain on display with $550,000 in guarantees up for grabs. Make sure to check the schedule for the complete lineup of games and structures.

APPT Cambodia 2022 – full schedule

Stay tuned to Somuchpoker for all the action as we bring you updates from start to finish.

Links:

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