[Breaking news] Asian Poker Tour announces abrupt cancellation of ongoing APT Hanoi Billions; player refunds for ongoing events
In an unforeseen development, the Asian Poker Tour announced across all of its social media platforms that its ongoing season finale APT Hanoi Billions 2023, has been cancelled. This means, all events on December 9 and 10 will not proceed. No specific details were given in the statement,
“The decision to cancel the remaining days of the festival has not been made lightly. It is rooted in extenuating circumstances that have arisen, ones that despite our utmost efforts, we are unable to overcome. The safety and well-being of our players and staff are of paramount importance to us, and we must prioritize these concerns above all else.”
The renowned organization has also assured its players that their funds were intact and the two events that were in progress will not play out. Instead, remaining players will receive ICM chops. This affected the record-breaking Main Event and the Double Stack.
The Main Event was down to 47 players at the end of Day 3 with Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Sang as chip leader. Nguyen will receive the highest payout of VN₫ 4,376,859,231 (~$180,330). Over at the Double Stack, 166 players reached Day 2. Filipino John Costiniano topped the chip counts and will be paid the equivalent of VN₫ 294,795,095 (~$12,145).
The sudden news is a shock to the poker community and a setback for the APT which has produced incredible numbers since the start of the series on December 1, 2023. The Main Event shattered all Vietnam records with its mind-blowing 2,350 entry field and VN₫ 73,855,800,000 (~$3,042,900) prize pool. More than 15 side events also witnessed record-breaking attendance.
Ultimately, news of this magnitude raises concerns of poker’s future in Vietnam, a country that has seen the sport boom since last year.
SMP is closely following the developments and will share an update on the situation soon.
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