WPT Cambodia Championship Day 1A: Mitchell Leads; Abbasov Wins $400 Deepstack

The intensity at

WPT Cambodia 2026

inside the

NagaWorld

reached new heights today as the centerpiece of the series,

the

$3,500 WPT Cambodia Championship

,

officially got underway.

Day 1A set a high bar for the flagship event,

attracting a formidable field and crowning Australia’s

Christian Mitchell

as the early pace-setter among a star-studded group of survivors.

While the Championship took center stage at WPT Cambodia 2026,

the side event action remained equally fierce,

culminating in a gritty victory for

Khayal Abbasov

in the $400 Deepstack.

From the first cards dealt in the main event to the final trophy presentation of the night,

here is your comprehensive look at the latest results from Phnom Penh.

Khayal Abbasov Claims WPT Cambodia $400 Deepstack Title

Abbasov

won the $400 Deepstack event at

WPT Cambodia 2026

after 11 hours of play, earning

$6,843

and the trophy from a field of 66 entries that generated a

$22,810

prize pool.

Abbasov is a prominent professional poker player from Azerbaijan who has established a significant presence on the international live tournament circuit, particularly within the Asian region. Currently

ranked 10th

on the Azerbaijan All-Time Money List according to the

Hendon Mob

,

His career reached a major milestone in May 2025 when he secured his best live cash of $116,500 by winning the Won Poker Cup III Main Event in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Known for his consistency across various formats, he has recorded numerous final table finishes and deep runs in prestigious series such as the World Poker Tour (WPT), Asian Poker Tour (APT), and the U Series of Poker (USOP) across venues in Vietnam, Taiwan, and Cambodia.

The competition was intense from the start, with Abbasov successfully moving through high-pressure situations and a stacked field to reach the final table.

Final Table Results

Final Table Eliminations

The final table began with 

Joseph Hebert

holding the early lead, but Abbasov slowly chipped his way up through a combination of timely aggression and well-timed calls. 

Ali Bagci 

was the first to fall in 9th place after Abbasov held pocket aces against Bagci’s king-nine. 

Weixuan Wang 

exited in 8th place when his overpair could not hold against Santiago Sanchez.

Peteris Enders

 and 

Amir Abbas 

suffered brutal eliminations in 7th and 6th, leaving Abbasov, Hebert, and Praveen Tammana as the last three contenders. 

Tammana

 eventually bowed out in 3rd after Abbasov dominated with ace-king over Tammana’s king-queen, seizing the chip lead heading into heads-up play.

Heads-Up

The final battle against Hebert was a high-drama affair filled with multiple doubles and swings, but Abbasov remained patient and eventually won the final hand with Ten-Six after flopping two pair.

Abbasov solidified his reputation as a resilient grinder with this win at WPT Cambodia 2026, while runner-up Joseph Hebert took home

$4,334

and third-place finisher Praveen Tammana earned

$2,851

.

The event served as a showcase for Abbasov's strategic discipline and timing, highlighting the specific skills required to outlast a competitive field in a long-format tournament.

Christian Mitchell Leads 70 Survivors in WPT Cambodia Championship Day 1A

The $3,500 WPT Cambodia Championship officially kicked off today at WPT Cambodia 2026 inside NagaWorld in Phnom Penh, drawing an impressive field for its opening flight. Day 1A of the flagship event attracted 210 entries, contributing significantly toward the ambitious $1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool. By the end of eleven levels of play, only 70 players managed to secure their chips for Day 2, representing a survival rate of exactly one-third of the starting field.

Leading the pack at the conclusion of the day was Australia’s Christian Mitchell, who bagged a massive stack of 477,500 chips. Mitchell maintained a dominant presence throughout the later stages of the flight, establishing himself as the overall pace-setter. He is followed closely by Indian poker veteran Aditya Agarwal, who finished the day with 423,500 chips, and fellow Australian Daniel Neilson, who secured the third-largest stack with 382,000 chips.

Top Ten Chip Counts

The top of the leaderboard remained highly international, reflecting the global draw of the WPT brand. Notable stacks were also bagged by India’s Kunal Patni (301,000), the United Kingdom’s Darius Samual (275,000), and Switzerland’s Yannick Jobin (255,000). Other professional players successfully navigating the field included Malaysia's Pang Kok Yong with 233,000 and Brazil's Cesar Da Silva with 222,000.

These 70 survivors will now have a short break while the remaining starting flights play out to determine the final Day 2 field. With the guaranteed prize pool well within reach, the action is expected to intensify as more of the world’s elite players arrive in Cambodia to vie for the prestigious Championship title.

With 70 players already through to Day 2 of the Championship and the massive $1.5 million guarantee well within sights, the momentum in WPT Cambodia 2026 is only just beginning. The success of veterans like Aditya Agarwal and Daniel Neilson on the opening flight suggests a highly competitive road ahead for anyone eyeing the title.