WPT Vietnam approaches; tight race for Asia Pacific Player of the Year title

In less than a week’s time, cards will be flying in Ho Chi Minh City as the World Poker Tour returns for the second installment of WPT Vietnam. The 11-day event takes place from March 14 to 24 at Pro Poker Club, the most popular card room in the country. The festival features 15 events and VND 11 Billion (~US$ 473,600) in guaranteed prizes. Below are the key events to mark down:

Main Event – VND 8 Billion guaranteed

As always, the Main Event is the star of the show with its VND 8 Billion (~US$ 344,000) guaranteed prize pool. Last year, a large field of 679 entrants turned up ballooning the pot to well over VND 13 Billion (~US$ 566,600). At the time, the attendance set a new WPT record in Asia until it was stolen back by WPT India with 697 entries.

The Main Event runs a total of five days, from March 19 to 23. Buy-in is VND 25,000,000 (~US$ 1,080), Schedule breakdown below:

Day 1A: Tuesday, March 19
Day 1B: Wednesday, March 20
Day 1C: Thursday, March 21
Day 2: Friday, March 22
Final Day: Saturday, March 23

Kickoff Event – VND 3 Billion guaranteed

The only other event extending a guarantee is the Kickoff Event with a minimum VND 3 Billion (~US$ 129,300) prize pool assured. This runs from March 14 to 17, setting the pace of the festival. Buy-in is VND 10,000,000 (~US$ 430). There are three starting days to enter plus one evening turbo flight. Each of those play down to ITM. Advancing players resume on Day 2 for the final race to the title.

Other Events

The festival offers a wide range of side games with buy-in varying from VND 5,500 to VND 100,000,000. The lower end of the scale are Deep Stack Turbo events, Bounty, Short Deck, Shootout, Freezeout, PLO, and the Superstack. There is also a Mix Max Freezeout event (full ring) and a Teams Event.

On the higher end are:

Super High Roller: two day event running from March 17 to 18; buy-in is VND 100,000,000 (~US$4,312).
High Roller: three-day event running from March 22 to 24; buy-in is VND 50,000,000 (~US$2,155).

WPT Asia Pacific Player of the Year

One contest players will be keeping a very close watch on is the WPT Asia Pacific Player of the Year race. A tight match has been brewing between Dhaval Mudgal and Nikunj Jhunjhunwala. Both players are neck and neck at the top with 1000 points each. This stop may ultimately determine who will claim the title with an anticipated high number of points expected to be awarded. Other contenders are not too far behind which means it is still anyone’s to claim.

The WPT Asia Pacific POY awards the top three players with the highest points earned in the region for Season XVII. There is still one stop after Vietnam to bump up one’s standings with season-ender WPT New Zealand taking place in late May 2019.

Winners of the WPT Asia Pacific POY will receive these prizes:

• First place will earn the title and a US$ 10,000 WPT Passport and a customized winner trophy; complimentary accommodation in Season XVIII WPT Asia Pacific events; ground transportation in select events
• Second place receives US$ 3,500 WPT Passport
• Third place receives US$ 1,500 WPT Passport

All Passport dollars can be used in any Season XVIII WPT event around the world.

More: WPT Vietnam Schedule