TMT 19 Spotlight: Yu Jie Ni Wins Master for TWD 1.7M; Bo Yi Xiao Leads Main Event Day 1C

The high-stakes energy at Red Space reached a fever pitch today as the Taiwan Millions Tournament (TMT) 19 crowned a new champion and pushed the flagship Main Event toward a record-breaking trajectory.

Local pro Yu Jie Ni delivered a career-defining performance, outlasting a massive 867-entry field to secure the LPT-Sponsored Master title and a life-changing TWD 1,700,000 top prize. Simultaneously, the TWD 9,000 Main Event saw its third opening flight, Day 1C, conclude with a total of 2,200 entries recorded so far, firmly establishing the tournament as a premier stop on the Asian circuit.

Taiwan’s Yu Jie Ni Captures Career-Best Win at the TMT Master

The LPT-Sponsored Master Final Day concluded in spectacular fashion at Taiwan Millions Tournament (TMT) 19 in Red Space, capping off the ‘Mastering Moment’ on a high note. Taiwan’s Yu Jie Ni etched his name into TMT history by outlasting an 867-entry field, generating an impressive TWD 11,092,400 prize pool.

Facing a competitive lineup of poker elites around the globe, the Taiwanese pro claimed the lion’s share of the prize. Walking away with the life-changing TWD 1,700,000 top prize and the glory of lifting the final trophies, Ni secured his place among the festival’s champions mix, leaving a legacy to be remembered for years to come. His triumph not only etched his name among the history-making victors but also set a new benchmark on his resume with a career-best cash.

Ni is an emerging talent in the Asian poker circuit, primarily competing in major festivals across Taiwan. Representing Taiwan, he has demonstrated consistent growth in the live tournament scene, notably securing multiple cashes in prestigious series such as the Taiwan Millions Tournament (TMT) and the Asian Poker Tour (APT). His competitive record is highlighted by several deep runs and final table appearances in diverse formats, reflecting his versatility as a player.

Final Table Results

Winner’s Reaction

Yu Jie Ni, a poker professional with six years of experience who started his journey as a dealer, celebrated a breakthrough victory in a massive field of over 600 entries. “I’m really surprised at my win this time,” Ni admitted. “I’ve never won an event this big before, so this is truly my first, and I’m shocked.”

Reflecting on the final table, Ni highlighted a pivotal hand against Chiayun Wu. “I three-bet ace-three offsuit, and he called. The flop came four-five-seven, and we both checked to the turn. I bet on the turn deuce and the river, and after that hand, I catapulted to the chip lead,” Ni recalled.

When asked about the appeal of the Master event, Ni praised the tournament’s structure. “The Master has the best-designed structure among all the two-day events. With a TWD 15,000 buy-in and 40-minute levels, it’s really excellent, and that’s why I really wanted to join.”

Ni also expressed heartfelt appreciation for his supporters. “I especially want to thank everyone who has known me for the past six years and supported me, and all my friends here cheering me on. I also want to thank my girlfriend for encouraging me through the ups and downs of my poker journey—I’m really grateful for their support.”

Looking ahead, Ni hopes to continue his momentum. “For the future, I want to keep improving and capture more wins in bigger events,” he said. He also shared a piece of advice for fellow players: “Don’t play events over your bankroll, and make sure to enjoy the rewards when you finally win.”

Main Event Day 1C Concludes with Bo Yi Xiao Leading the Charge

Riding the electrifying energy from the marquee Master Final Day, TWD 9,000 Main Event Day 1C at the Taiwan Millions Tournament (TMT) 19 has come to a spectacular close inside Red Space.

The third opening flight drew an 830-entry field after today’s action-packed play. Together with 923 entries from Day 1A and 447 entries from Day 1B, it brought the total turnout to 2,200 entries across three opening flights so far, and it is expected to continue growing beyond expectations, with still five flights open for poker aficionados. The premier event is firmly on the strong pace to break it previouse recrord set in TMT 18.

Fueled by ambition and resolve, the flight saw a surge in entries as players fought for their share of the ambitious NT$30,000,000 (~USD 1,000,000) guaranteed prize pool. After over 12 hours of intense play in Day 1C, 152 contenders managed to make the money, with just 67 warriors securing a spot in Day 2.

Leading the charge on Day 1C is Taiwan’s Bo Yi Xiao with a commanding stack of 936,000 chips. Xiao established himself as a dominant force at the tables, skillfully navigating the deep-stacked structure to claim the top spot for the flight. Late into the night, he demonstrated relentless aggression and catapulted to the top of the leaderboard after ending Shao Yu Chen’s tournament run in 69th place .

At the soft bubble, Chen shoved with pocket nines and ran straight into Xiao’s cowboys. The board ran out clean, sending Chen out of the field. After scoring the knockout, Xiao didn’t stop leveraging his dominant stack to apply pressure on his tablemates. Despite paying off one double-up during the Day 2 hand-for-hand play, he still maintained a deep stack, capping off his night with the chip lead in hand.

Day 1C Top Ten Chip Counts

Close behind Xiao is South Korea’s Kiyoung Kim, who also put in an impressive run to bag 902,000 chips by the end of the night. Kim stayed consistent throughout the day and quietly built his stack, finishing comfortably among the top chip leaders heading into the next stage. Rounding out the top three is his countryman, Younghoon Ban, with 864,000 in chips.

Day 1C Highlights

At direct bubble time, all-in and call situations occurred at two tables simultaneously, resulting in a prize chop for the final two eliminations , Ka Kei Ho and Jia Chi Li.

Ho shoved with ace-high and ran headfirst into Seong Jin Han’s queen-high. However, the deck delivered awful news for Ho soon after the flop, when Ban connected with the board with his queen. Unfortunately for Ho, the runout brought no help, sending him to the rail at the stone bubble.

All attention then shifted to another table, where Li moved all in with pocket tens, facing off against Younghoon Ban’s seven-four. While Li looked poised to secure a double-up at this critical moment, Ban turned a straight on the turn, cracking Li’s set. The river bricked out, and Li hit the rail, sharing the prize with Ho.

When play resumed, the battlefield grew only more fierce and more ruthless. Within just 20 minutes, hand-for-hand play was implemented again for the Day 2 seats.

The player falling one spot shy of Day 2 was Min Jung Kim of South Korea, who called off his short stack against Kai Ray Liu’s covering-stack shove preflop. Unfortunately for Kim, his pocket nines ran straight into Liu’s pocket jacks and found no help on a clean board. Kim walked out in 68th place, falling one spot short of Day 2 and locking up seats for the remaining 67 players.

As the festival continues to break expectations, the spotlight now shifts to the remaining five flights of the Main Event, which is well on its way to shattering previous prize pool records.

With Bo Yi Xiao leading the current Day 1C survivors and a field brimming with international talent, the competition is set to intensify even further. Stay tuned to Somuchpoker as we return tomorrow at 15:00 local time to bring you all the action from Day 1D as players continue their pursuit of the NT$30,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.