Players Series: Tang Chi Ngong Leads Warm Up Mystery Bounty Final Day; Main Event Games Begin

Thrilling action continues to fill the air at CTP Asia Poker Arena with Players Series’ first ever showing set on stage. Two days of play has come and gone, seeing its opening highlight, Warm Up Mystery Bounty down to its final games. Hong Kong runner Tang Chi Ngong leads the charge, being the sole runner out of the 55 combined survivors to cross the 500K mark. Over at the side events, two more winners - Lita Hsu and Zhi Hao Deng, emerged victorious, taking with them top payouts to go with their freshly awarded PS trophies.

Today, also marks the start of the NTD 15,000,000 (~USD 465,865) guaranteed PS Main Event festivities, where the first of five flights will run on the felt. A three day break will then follow, with the games resuming on the 19th and 20th for four more heats. Buy-in is set at a modest NTD 16,500 (~USD 525), with its one re-entry per flight policy suggesting top level competition right off the bat.

Stay tuned to SMP Live Updates as the games unfold, and catch the latest action directly off the floor.

Players Series Taipei 2024 – Schedule
Players Series Taipei 2024 - Festival Results
Players Series Taipei 2024 – Live Updates

Tang Chi Ngong Leads Warm Up Mystery Bounty Final Day

The Warm Up Mystery Bounty qualifying rounds have officially closed with each flight down to ITM at 15% of the field. A combined 55 survivors have advanced to the final stage and have secured a mincash of NTD 13,800 (~USD 420). Knockout prizes will come into play today, listing an eye-catching NTD 260,000 (~USD 7,995) top bounty up on board for some added excitement. All eyes however, will be tuned to the NTD 500,000 (~USD 15,375) first place prize set to be awarded to its eventual champion.

The third Warm Up Mystery Bounty qualifier has racked up the largest turnout across the list with 148 total entries added onto the tally. 22 players survived the carnage following a nine hour grind, resulting in a new chip leader up the ranks. Hong Kong's Tang Chi Ngong topped the field with a commanding 560,000 stack onto the Final Day games, surpassing that of yesterday's frontrunner Wei Jen Wang's 448,000 count.

Ngong crossed the lead by early evening after running the nutflush in a three way pot, which sent both Chi Jen Chen and Chen Jui out simultaneously. Ngong continued his reign from then on, ending the day as the sole contender above the 500K mark. Taiwan's Yu Chen Huang follows behind with 455,000, trailed closely by Singapore's Gerald Foo with 452,000, to round up the top three spots.

The last heat of opening highlight, Warm Up Mystery Bounty, drew in a final 74 entries, bringing up the total count to 366. Flight D saw 11 more survivors move forward, led by Taiwan's Chen Jui with a 486,000 chip count, stacking just below Flight C chip leader Tang Ngong.

Chen's turning point came right before the last break of the day, having shaved nearly 50 big blinds off David Erquiaga following a pocket pair battle for the lead. Joining Chen in the top ranks is fellow local contender Daniel Yang with 430,000, positioned 6th across the overall order.

All Day 1 survivors have secured a piece of the NTD 4,000,000 (~USD 123,040) prize pool, and will return for the Final Day battle on Sunday, December 15th, where the bounty prizes are due to kick in.

Warm Up Mystery Bounty Review

• Date/s: December 13-15, 2024

• Buy-in: NTD 12,000 (~USD 380)

• Guarantee: NTD 4,000,000 (~USD 123,040)

• Entries: 366

• Prize pool: NTD 2,667,000 (~USD 82,025)

• Bounty pool: NTD 1,333,000 (~USD 41,000)

• ITM: 55 places

By the Numbers

• Flight A: 74 entries, 11 qualified

• Flight B: 70 entries, 11 qualified

• Flight C: 148 entries, 22 qualified

• Flight D: 74 entries, 11 qualified

• Final Day: December 15

Top Ten Warm Up Mystery Bounty Final Day Qualifiers

Backtrack on the day’s action via SMP Live Updates
Complete List of Warm Up Mystery Bounty Final Day Qualifiers

Lita Hsu Closes PL Omaha Double Board

The first PLO event on schedule, PL Omaha Double Board attracted a 52 entry field, generating a prize pool of NTD 260,600 (~USD 8,015). Eight players walked away with a profit, the biggest NTD 90,000 (~USD 2,765) prize of which went to local runner Lita Hsu. A few more PLO events are in store for the next couple of days, giving Omaha enthusiasts more chances to bag coveted golden PS hardware.

• Date/s: December 14, 2024

• Buy-in: NTD 6,000 (~USD 190)

• Entries: 52

• Prize pool: NTD 260,600 (~USD 8,015)

• ITM: 8 places

PL Omaha Double Board Full Payouts

Zhi Hao Deng Wins Hyper Turbo Knockout

The final side event on the day’s schedule, Hyper Turbo Knockout, drew in 58 entries in total and took nearly five hours on the floor before a champion was crowned. Taiwan's Zhi Hao Deng scored the largest NTD 33,300 (~USD 1,000) payday on the list, with eight other players sharing a piece of the NTD 242,300 (~USD 7,450) prize pool. In addition to Zhi's top prize, the newly minted winner also racked up seven bounty tokens, bringing his total winnings to NTD 50,800 (~USD 1,560).

• Date/s: December 14, 2024

• Buy-in: NTD 5,000 (~USD 160)

• Entries: 58

• Prize pool: NTD 242,300 (~USD 7,450)

• ITM: 9 places

Hyper Turbo Knockout Full Payouts

*Excluding bounty prizes